Select committee: Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Conclusion 8
Third Report - Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Scrutiny 2022–23
Published 4 Mar 2024
Paragraph 44
Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Scrutiny 2022-23 All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
We note the welcome increase in the PHSO’s number of staff, especially its new caseworkers. Likewise, we welcome the fact that it has retained specialist workers and has increased the amount of training it delivers to staff. This increase in training means it is even more important for the PHSO to retain staff, given the additional investment now being made in them. The Ombudsman and Chief Executive suggested current levels of staff turnover could be the result of a lack of opportunity for career development and the PHSO’s different policy on hybrid working compared to other ombudsmen. We welcome the PHSO’s intention to review its hybrid working policy next year. The PHSO should separately assess whether there are further steps it can and should take to reduce staff turnover, including how far its hybrid working policy is leading to higher turnover than other ombudsmen. The PHSO should look to complete its reviews of hybrid working and the factors causing staff turnover by the summer of 2024, and share its findings with us ahead of our next scrutiny session for the 2023/24 period.
From: Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, Third Report - Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Scrutiny 2022–23 (HC 198), paragraph 44, 4 March 2024
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 23 May 2024 (deadline 14 May 2024).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The Government states it "remains supportive of the PHSO" but is "not convinced that fundamental reform is a priority at the current time" and would "stop short of mandating" the Complaint Standards.
- On mediation, the Government says NHS England "agrees that mediation can support the resolution of a complaint" and "will work with DHSC and NHS Resolution to encourage the medical profession to engage in mediation".
- On legislative reform of the PHSO, the Government is "not convinced that fundamental reform is a priority at the current time" but is "content to keep this under review" and to look at specific proposals "on a case by case basis".
- It notes that it recently introduced legislation to remove the MP filter for victims of crime and says it "will be important to review the impact of this in the year ahead".
- On the Complaint Standards, it "remains supportive" and says the Cabinet Office should play a role, "assuming that the Standards are shown to be working in practice", but it would "stop short of mandating their use" and prefers to "strongly encourage" take up.