Press releases

Ombudsman warns public services’ communications are falling short for people with disabilities

19 August 2026

People with disabilities are being let down by public services due to poor or inaccessible communications, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) has warned. The Ombudsman said listening to patients and service users is essential to preventing harm, but...

Press releases

Ombudsman’s investigation triggers coroner’s inquest into young father’s death

14 July 2026

A family is a step closer to getting answers to why Karl Lee, a father from Nottingham, died while in hospital, after an Ombudsman investigation compelled a coroner to carry out an inquest into his death. Karl, 32, died after...

Press releases

Gaps in NHS dentistry and confusion about care left patients in unnecessary pain

9 July 2026

Gaps in NHS dental services and confusion over responsibility of care left patients in pain and without appropriate treatment, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) has found. In one case, a woman waited eight years for treatment for broken...

Press releases

NHS reforms must support focus on compassionate communication for end of life patients

7 July 2026

Good communication is essential to delivering high-quality, compassionate end of life care, says new Ombudsman report. Government is urged to prioritise end of life care as part of its 10 Year Plan reforms by prioritising it in the roll out...

Press releases

Communication failures led to wrong treatment that left five-year-old girl traumatised

5 June 2026

Effective communication is a critical tool in preventing harm. This has been highlighted in a case where a child was left bleeding and in severe pain after being wrongly prescribed a vaginal pessary following an appointment with a physician associate...

Press releases

Grandmother died after Trust failed to diagnose and treat her blocked bowel

2 June 2026

A 76-year-old woman died after doctors missed repeated warning signs of a bowel obstruction and she was unable to communicate her intensifying stomach pain to medical staff because the Trust failed to provide an interpreter. The Parliamentary and Health Ombudsman...

Press releases

Women refused sterilisation because they might regret it

1 May 2026

NHS commissioned services should operate fairly, transparently and with clear clinical rationale, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) has said following an investigation which found that an NHS body denied women, but not men, NHS funding for sterilisation. This...

Press releases

Knife attack might not have happened if mental health care had been better

30 April 2026

A knife attack might have been prevented if the perpetrator had received better mental health care, an investigation by England’s Health Ombudsman has found. In November 2020, a 31-year-old man stabbed a man in his thirties, just one month after...

Press releases

New Ombudsman strategy aims to turn complaints into catalyst for public service improvement

21 April 2026

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) has launched its new five-year strategy , marking a renewed commitment to delivering fair and impartial justice for individuals and a greater focus on its role in improving public services. The Ombudsman investigates...

Press releases

Teenager had to tell his Deaf mother that her father might die after hospital failed to provide interpreters

11 February 2026

Hospital staff used a teenage boy to tell his Deaf mother that her father might die that day, an investigation by England’s Health Ombudsman has found. The boy’s grandfather, Alan Graham, 75, was born Deaf and his first language was...

Press releases

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