Source · Select Committees · Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Recommendation 3
3
Accepted
The Committee recognises that the PHSO has made significant efforts to cope with the huge...
Conclusion
The Committee recognises that the PHSO has made significant efforts to cope with the huge pressures placed on its services as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. We note that the backlog of cases has been reduced significantly and welcome the ambition to completely clear the queue of unallocated cases by the end of the 2022–23 business year. Equally, we are encouraged by the ambitions of the casework improvement programme and implementing the end-to-end review of casework processes to drive efficiencies and improve service quality. However, whilst we cannot generalise from individuals’ experiences with the PHSO’s service, there were a number of pieces of written evidence received by the Committee during this inquiry highlighting that perceived poor handling of cases remains a significant concern from service users. This includes details of lengthy investigations, poor communication by complaint handlers, sudden change of caseworker mid-investigation, loss of records, and issues with the complexity of the complaints process. The changes resulting from the end-to-end review of casework process, including changes to complaint forms, while positive, are relatively minor compared to the scale of these perceived issues. (Paragraph 33) Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Scrutiny 2021–22 35
Government Response Summary
The PHSO has already made improvements to aspects of the casework process, including the casework management IT system, forms, letters and templates, learning resources for caseworkers, and revised training and guidance. They are evaluating a test of call recording and transcription of casework discussions, and will plan for wider digital and technological improvements.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The end-to-end review mapped out PHSO’s casework process so that we could identify potential improvements. Some improvements were made immediately, while others are being taken forward as part of PHSO’s longer-term work to implement the 2022–25 Corporate Strategy. We have already made improvements to several aspects of the casework process, including casework management (IT) system; forms, letters and templates; learning resources for caseworkers; and revised training and guidance for caseworkers on how to set the scope of investigations. During March and April 2023, we completed an initial test of call recording and transcription of casework discussions. We are currently evaluating this and are on track to roll it out later in 2023–24. This improvement will reduce time spent by caseworkers manually creating call notes and audit logs. This year we will also start to plan for wider digital and technological improvements, including online self-service for complainants and organizations we investigate. In the future, we will consider what insights can be derived from data using artificial intelligence. Finally, we will use the Public Engagement Advisory Group to provide input to policies and processes and ensure that changes to our service are informed by the experiences of users.