News
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
Ombudsman comments on Nottingham University Hospitals NHS trust review
24 June 2026
Donna Ockenden has published her review into Nottingham University Hospitals NHS trust . Commenting on the report, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Paula Sussex said: “This report adds to an overwhelming body of evidence that maternity services are failing women...
Media statements
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