Source · Select Committees · Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Third Report - Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Scrutiny 2022–23
Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
HC 198
Published 4 March 2024
Recommendations
5
Deferred
Para 24
Outline government collaboration with NHS England to promote mediation culture and training for staff.
Recommendation
The potential barriers presented by training and culture among NHS staff to increasing mediation cannot be overcome solely by the PHSO. Other stakeholders, including the Government, have a role to play in promoting mediation. The Government should outline how it …
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Government Response Summary
The government's response did not address the recommendation about promoting a culture and training supportive of mediation. Instead, it discussed the PHSO's 'severity of injustice' approach to case management and its ongoing testing of a new 'public value model' for triage.
6
Deferred
Para 30
Publish criteria for reviewing the 'severity of injustice' approach to PHSO case management.
Recommendation
We reiterate the concerns we expressed in our 2021–22 report about the PHSO’s continuation of the ‘severity of injustice’ approach to case management which means certain cases are very unlikely to be resolved and are not subject to detailed investigation. …
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Government Response Summary
The government's response did not address the recommendation to set out publicly the criteria for reviewing its 'severity of injustice' approach to case management. Instead, it detailed improvements to Service Charter scores, queue reduction, staff training, and complainant surveys.
7
Deferred
Detail steps to improve PHSO scores for information gathering, decision explanation, and communication.
Recommendation
We welcome the PHSO’s actions following our previous recommendation, resulting in reforms to how it conducts its Service Charter survey and differentiating the data depending on the outcome of a complaint’s case. However, we remain concerned that these changes do …
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Government Response Summary
The government's response did not address steps to improve KPI scores related to information gathering and decision making. Instead, it focused on staff turnover figures and the review of its hybrid working policy, scheduled for summer 2024.
10
Deferred
Require government to reconsider PHSO legislative reform and set out plans before election
Recommendation
We renew our call for legislative reform of the PHSO, the principle of which enjoys widespread support among stakeholders and the ombudsmen that would be directly affected. The PHSO have outlined to us some concrete examples of the operational issues …
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Government Response Summary
The government's response did not address legislative reform for the PHSO. Instead, it outlined lessons learned and best practices adopted from international collaborations, such as the Canadian 'Complaints Champions' model, 'roadshows' based on Dutch and Western Australian approaches, and a learning exchange on mediation with the Israeli Ombudsman.
Conclusions (4)
2
Conclusion
Deferred
Para 16
We welcome the fact that the PHSO has worked hard to reduce the backlog of cases created by the COVID-19 pandemic and met its target for making initial decisions about cases within seven days. However, we remain concerned by the fact that the PHSO has missed its targets on deciding …
Government Response Summary
The PHSO reported that it returned to normal operating levels by March 2024 and is close to meeting its KPI targets for case closure times, providing overall performance metrics. However, it did not commit to presenting separate figures for COVID-19 backlog cases versus new cases as recommended.
8
Conclusion
Deferred
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 …
Government Response Summary
The government's response did not address staff turnover or hybrid working policies. Instead, it outlined the PHSO's five-year Digital, Data and Technology strategy, its ambition to be a leading digital ombudsman, and a commitment to report back on financial savings from this strategy.
9
Conclusion
Deferred
Para 51
We welcome the PHSO’s digital ambition and believe that this is a sensible way to increase value for money. We request from the PHSO a further update on progress Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Scrutiny 2022–23 29 towards achieving these aims, along with a detailed analysis of any financial savings …
Government Response Summary
The government's response did not address the request for an update on digital strategy progress or financial savings. Instead, it discussed the need for legislative reform for the PHSO and called on political parties to include such commitments in their manifestos.
11
Conclusion
Deferred
Para 63
We welcome the PHSO’s continual collaboration with ombudsmen in other countries and across the UK, along with its collaboration with other organisations. In its response to this report the PHSO should outline the lessons it has learnt and best practices it has adopted because of its collaboration with other ombudsmen.
Government Response Summary
The government's response did not outline lessons learned from collaboration with other ombudsmen. Instead, it detailed the successful pilot and rollout of NHS Complaint Standards, the launch of UK Central Government Complaint Standards, and the provision of training to NHS and government staff, with bespoke training for government departments expected by June 2024.