Source · Select Committees · Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Recommendation 21
21
Accepted
Paragraph: 76
In the Committee’s PHSO Annual Scrutiny Report 2020–21, we called for a Peer Review of...
Conclusion
In the Committee’s PHSO Annual Scrutiny Report 2020–21, we called for a Peer Review of the PHSO to be undertaken as soon as possible. We are pleased that this took place in 2022 and reported before our annual scrutiny session. The Committee welcomes that the PHSO was the first body to undergo a review by an accredited Panel, and in line with our previous recommendation, the Panel included a member with auditor experience. The Committee notes the positive results of the Peer Review, as well as areas identified for improvement. Although the Peer Review Panel 38 Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Scrutiny 2021–22 did not provide any in-depth value-for-money analysis of the PHSO’s service, it has helpfully identified areas where the organisation is performing well and where it could improve in the future. We therefore support and encourage the continued use of periodic peer reviews to assess the effectiveness of the PHSO.
Government Response Summary
The government is committed to embedding the peer review recommendations, taking action on coaching/training, communication, publishing cases, anonymisation, and reducing queues in 2023-24, and progressing outstanding actions through the 2022-23 Corporate Strategy by 2025, including digital updates and IT system integration with the NHS.
Paragraph Reference:
76
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
We are committed to embedding the recommendations made by the Peer Review into working practices. We are already taking action on many of the recommendations, including more coaching and training of staff, improving communication with complainants, increasing the number of cases we publish, addressing case anonymisation concerns, and reducing the queue to frictional levels. These actions will all be completed in 2023–24. Of the remaining outstanding actions, the majority will be progressed as we implement PHSO’s 2022–23 Corporate Strategy, and we aim to conclude these by 2025. This includes working towards providing digital updates for complainants and developing the capability to integrate IT systems more closely with the NHS.