Source · Ombudsman casework
PHSO Casework Decisions
3,804 published decisions
3,233 Health (NHS)
571 Parliamentary
18% upheld or partly upheld
Range: Apr 2021–Apr 2026
Published casework decisions from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. PHSO selects a subset of completed investigations for publication — these 3,804 decisions represent approximately 1.2% of the 319,011 total complaints received across the same period. Source: decisions.ombudsman.org.uk.
Top themes by upheld rate
| Theme | Decisions | Upheld | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delayed Recognition of Deterioration | 747 | 184 | 25% |
| Complaint record keeping failures | 632 | 108 | 17% |
| Clinical negligence harms learning | 460 | 92 | 20% |
| Care plan failures | 436 | 121 | 28% |
| Care and discharge planning | 288 | 77 | 27% |
| No person-centred care | 215 | 46 | 21% |
| Inaccurate and inaccessible patient records | 204 | 37 | 18% |
| Patient dignity and privacy | 147 | 40 | 27% |
| Inadequate Pre-Operative Risk Assessment | 136 | 44 | 32% |
| Duty of Candour implementation | 134 | 43 | 32% |
| Medication Contamination/Misadministration | 128 | 33 | 26% |
| DWP policy impact assessment | 106 | 12 | 11% |
| Poor health and social care integration | 97 | 21 | 22% |
| Mental Health Crisis Referral Delays | 74 | 10 | 14% |
| Coroner family information gaps | 74 | 25 | 34% |
PHSO complaint categories
| Category | Decisions | Upheld | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Treatment | 1,674 | 445 | 27% |
| Diagnosis | 888 | 212 | 24% |
| Communication | 835 | 236 | 28% |
| Complaint handling | 568 | 166 | 29% |
| Drugs / medication | 498 | 140 | 28% |
| Nursing care | 414 | 162 | 39% |
| Access | 371 | 87 | 23% |
| Transfer, discharge and aftercare | 371 | 128 | 35% |
| Referral | 280 | 63 | 22% |
| Administration | 201 | 31 | 15% |
| End of life care | 177 | 52 | 29% |
| Choice and Consent | 177 | 50 | 28% |
| Continuing healthcare | 176 | 14 | 8% |
| Surgery | 151 | 32 | 21% |
| Record keeping and management | 139 | 30 | 22% |