Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

PHSO: Prioritising patient safety (Winter 2026)

Added to the hub, the latest blog in the 'Prioritising patient safety' series from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (@phsombudsman.bsky.social). www.pslhub.org/learn/invest... #patientsafety

In our new Prioritising #PatientSafety blog from Dr Tony Dysart, we explore:

- two cases involving patients with disabilities and the improvements one Trust has made
- key themes emerging from our casework
- the latest patient safety news

Read more: orlo.uk/ZiK5B

Yesterday we hosted a drop-in session for MPs and their offices in Portcullis House. We discussed the role of the Ombudsman, the complaints process and how we help improve public services for their constituents.

Waiting room

Following our investigation into the death of a 67-year-old woman, we've asked Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust to review its cancer wait times.

The Trust has now committed to an action plan to reduce delays in diagnosis and treatment.

orlo.uk/nhIrS

Ombudsman comments on the Mental Health Act receiving Royal Assent | Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) The Mental Health Act ha

"Patients and staff have been calling for a twenty-first-century Mental Health Act that supports both those receiving and those delivering modern mental health care."

Ombudsman Paula Sussex comments on the Mental Health Act receiving Royal Assent.

www.ombudsman.org.uk/news-and-blo...

‘Too thin for help’: Eating disorder patients turned away based on their BMI Shocking report highlights how some patients are waiting up to two years to get specialist help

“The Government [must] turn plans into concrete action if it wants to avoid further tragedies.”

Ombudsman Paula Sussex responds to a new eating disorders report which found some patients are waiting years for treatment.

Read more in @the-independent.com: www.the-independent.com/news/health/...

Doctors did not tell Syd, a father of seven, that he had a terminal illness.

We found they wrongly reassured him that he would be okay. He died eight months after he later learned about his condition.

Read more: orlo.uk/3yNqf

Ombudsman on a mission: Interview with Paula Sussex Paula Sussex is the new ombudsman responsible for looking into complaints from the public about services provided by the UK government and the NHS ...

"‘Complaint’ is not always seen as a positive word, but it's the voice of the user, which is so important to have in your ear.”

Ombudsman Paula Sussex spoke to Civil Service World about her new role, priorities and the power of complaints.

Read more: orlo.uk/0K3wF

"This is an opportunity to embed candour, openness & honesty at the heart of public service."

In her new blog, Ombudsman Paula Sussex welcomes today's #HillsboroughLaw debate and shares how it could change how public bodies respond when things go wrong.

orlo.uk/5pSEx

Have your say on our new strategy!

Your experiences and feedback can help shape our future priorities.

Visit our website before 20 October to complete the survey: orlo.uk/yq27y

Our annual complaint data for 2024 to 2025 is much easier to explore.

🔍 You can now search and filter by organisation to see how many complaints we received and the decisions made at each stage.

View the data on our website: orlo.uk/Bt7C5

Windrush officials must improve after neglecting dying woman’s claim, says ombudsman Scheme ordered to pay £25,000 to Caroline Tobierre’s family who were ‘consumed’ by battle for compensation at end of her life The Windrush compensation scheme must improve after it failed to consider a dying woman’s claim properly and wrongly refused to compensate her husband for the loss of his pension, an ombudsman has said. Caroline Tobierre’s last days were “overshadowed” by an “exhausting” compensation battle. The WCS has now been ordered by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) to pay £25,000 to her widower, Thomas Tobierre, 71, and daughter Charlotte Tobierre, 40. Continue reading...

Windrush officials must improve after neglecting dying woman’s claim, says ombudsman

We're calling for improvements to the #Windrush Compensation Scheme after it failed to provide Thomas and his family proper compensation.

It comes a year after our report spotlighting the stories of people who were wrongly denied payment.

Read more: orlo.uk/ZYZp3%E2%80%A6

"Recognition that a newborn is becoming unwell and really listening to mothers and families when they have concerns."

In our podcast for #WPSD, Director of MNSI Sandy Lewis shares the biggest #PatientSafety challenges in NHS care for newborns.

Listen: orlo.uk/Q6Alu

PHSO: Prioritising patient safety (Summer 2025) This blog explores how findings from PHSO casework can help colleagues across the NHS harness the power of complaints.

Added to the hub this week, the latest blog in the quarterly 'Prioritising patient safety' series from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (@phsombudsman.bsky.social). www.pslhub.org/learn/invest... #patientsafety

Charity Commission fails to comply with Ombudsman’s findings

We found failings in the way the Charity Commission handled safeguarding concerns related to sexual abuse and recommended it apologise and provide compensation.

Now, we're calling on Parliament to hold the Commission to account.

Read more: www.ombudsman.org.uk/news-and-blo...

In our new Prioritising #PatientSafety blog, we explore:

- how we worked with an NHS Trust to bring about improvements in culture
- how an NHS Trust improved its service following a complaint about sickle cell treatment
- the latest patient safety news.

www.ombudsman.org.uk/news-and-blo...

Don't forget to sign-up for email updates, quarterly newsletters and our Prioritising Patient Safety blog.

Get our latest casework decisions, publications, blogs, podcasts and more delivered straight to your inbox.

For more info and to subscribe visit: orlo.uk/07OtN

A sun rises over mountains. In the middle of the sun it says 'Make complaints count'

A well-handled complaint has the power to reveal the truth, bring closure and create lasting positive change.

Share how the Complaint Standards have helped improve complaint handling at your organisation.

Join our campaign to #MakeComplaintsCount: orlo.uk/KRDi5

How we can help you | Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman YouTube video by Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

🎬 Our new animation explains how we can help when you bring a complaint to us about UK government departments, other public organisations and the NHS in England.

Watch now to find out more: www.youtube.com/watch?utm_so...

In our latest podcast episodes we discuss the Complaint Standards and explore:

- the value of complaints and feedback
- how the Standards make a difference to complaint handling
- how the Standards can evolve and what's next.

🎧 Listen: orlo.uk/khqRB

Quote from CEO Rebecca Hilsenrath: "I welcome the importance placed on managing and learning from complaints and on building on our NHS Complaint Standards."

"I welcome the importance placed on managing and learning from complaints and on building on our NHS Complaint Standards."

Our CEO Rebecca Hilsenrath comments on Dr Penny Dash's review of patient safety across the health & care landscape published today: orlo.uk/WtSvH

"It is positive to see a commitment to reform the NHS complaints system. We are ready to work with Government to achieve this, building on our NHS Complaint Standards."

Our CEO Rebecca Hilsenrath comments on the new 10 Year Health Plan: ombudsman.org.uk/news-and-blo...

NHS repeatedly failing in care of stroke patients, watchdog says The NHS has repeatedly failed in its diagnosis and care of stroke patients, England’s health ombudsman has said. According to the World Stroke Association, more than 12 million people worldwide will h...

News article on the hub today - NHS repeatedly failing in care of stroke patients, @phsombudsman.bsky.social says. www.pslhub.org/blogs/entry/... (via @theguardian.com)

We've seen a 65% rise in investigations related to the condition in the last 4 years and are urging clinicians to act quickly when they suspect a #stroke 👇

We're pleased to announce that Paula Sussex has been named as the new Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. She will take up the role from 1 August 2025.

Read more: orlo.uk/S3EKa

Patients dying of sepsis because medics too slow to spot it, warns NHS watchdog Recognition remains an ‘urgent safety risk’ and relatives’ concerns are too often ignored, says Health Services Safety Investigations Body

“These reports highlight what we have been saying about sepsis for over a decade. Lessons are not being learned and mistakes are putting people at risk.”

Our CEO, Rebecca Hilsenrath, responds to new @hssib.bsky.social findings on the dangers of delays in sepsis diagnosis.

Read more: orlo.uk/YPgBu

Risky business part 4: Making complaints count BDJ In Practice - Risky business part 4: Making complaints count

In a new article for the British Dental Journal, our Head of Stakeholder Engagement shares tips on using the Complaint Standards to handle complaints well by:

- building trust and confidence
- showing empathy
- staying organised.

Read more: orlo.uk/vYfp6

In our new Prioritising patient safety blog, we explore:

- how organisations can make complaints count by listening, learning & putting things right
- working with NHS England to improve NHS imaging services
- the latest patient safety news.

Read more: orlo.uk/ED6R5

What do Patient Safety Incident Response Plans tell us about how the NHS is approaching safety investigations? Patient Safety Learning analysis of Patient Safety Incident Response Plans

🆕In this report we analyse a sample of 13 Patient Safety Incident Response Plans, reflecting on what these tell us about the implementation of new Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) in the NHS. www.pslhub.org/learn/patien...