Introduction
Thank you for your interest in becoming the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, which is one of the most important and challenging roles in the public service.
At the heart of the role is the principle that when something goes wrong in public services, people deserve not only an apology, but also action from the organisations concerned to repair the problem and to learn from the mistake.
When people feel that they have been let down by public bodies or suffered injustice and believe that the original complaints system has not properly addressed their concerns, they can turn to the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman provides an independent and impartial service making final decisions on complaints from citizens that government departments, the NHS in England, or a range of other public bodies in the UK have not provided a good enough service or have not acted properly or fairly.
This is a demanding and high-profile role, with a significant element of Parliamentary and public scrutiny and challenge. It is a unique opportunity to work closely with Parliament in holding those delivering public services to account, as well as to help drive improvements across government in providing high quality services to the public.
The credibility of the Ombudsman’s reports to Parliament on individual or systemic maladministration hinges on robust investigations of the highest standard, so that complainants can have confidence in the findings, and the public services concerned will take action on the recommendations. Maintaining these high standards will require effective and motivating leadership and consistent development of, and engagement with, staff – who are dealing with what are often difficult, sensitive or traumatic cases.
We welcome applications from candidates with a range of personal and professional backgrounds who can demonstrate that they meet the competences required. There is no rigidly-prescribed background for an effective Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, and there is scope for people to bring their own unique style to the role.
We are above all seeking an individual who is a proven leader with strategic vision, has excellent judgement, communicates effectively, and is of the utmost probity. In holding others to account you will have to set the highest standards for yourself and your organisation so that you generate confidence and trust among the customers you serve, in Parliament, and among the organisations on whom you pass judgement.
I do hope you consider applying for this influential position. If you believe that you have the experience and qualities we are seeking, we very much look forward to hearing from you.
Tom Goldsmith, Clerk of the House of Commons
Appointment description
This is a demanding, sensitive and high-profile role which requires an excellent leader who can demonstrate that they can operate in complex environments and maximise impact with a wide range of stakeholders.
Strategic vision, excellent judgement and authority are paramount as the organisation continues to manage increasing demand for its service, while also planning for the future in an uncertain economic climate.
The postholder will have a successful track record and experience of operating with independence and impartiality.
No specific professional background is required but the postholder will need to bring the experience and skills that will inspire confidence in their ability to lead and develop the Ombudsman service in the face of increasing demand and limited resources.
The role will require someone with a good understanding and some experience of:
- the role of the Ombudsman service and its position in relation to Parliament, Government and the courts;
- the working of central Government, the wider public sector and the NHS;
- the expectations of public service users and the issues faced by underrepresented groups;
- principles of administrative justice and public law; and
- the Venice Principles.
The
Venice Principles state that the post requires high moral character, integrity and appropriate professional expertise and experience.
The postholder will also need to demonstrate understanding of, and an exemplary commitment to, the
Seven Principles of Public Life.
Purpose of the role
The post of Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (the Ombudsman) combines the two statutory roles of Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration and the Health Service Commissioner for England, whose powers are set out in the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967 and in the Health Service Commissioners Act 1993 respectively. The Ombudsman is independent and impartial. The postholder is not part of Government or the NHS in England. They are not a regulator, a consumer champion or an advocacy service.
The purpose of the role is to provide an independent complaint handling service. The Ombudsman makes final decisions on complaints that government departments, a range of other public bodies in the UK, and the NHS in England have not acted properly or fairly or have provided a poor service. The findings from the Ombudsman’s casework are shared with Parliament to help them scrutinise public service providers and shared more widely to help drive improvements in public services.
The Ombudsman is supported in their work by approximately 550 employees, known as the office of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO).
About the role
The Ombudsman is responsible for:
- Fulfilling the statutory responsibilities of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration and the Health Service Commissioner for England
- Providing the leadership and strategic direction to PHSO
- Building and maintaining excellent relationships with key stakeholders, including Parliament, Ministers, central Government, the NHS in England, other UK and international ombudsmen and the public
- Acting as Accounting Officer for PHSO under arrangements agreed with HM Treasury
- Upholding the Venice Principles.
The Ombudsman works closely with the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) and is an ex-officio member of the Commission for Local Administration in England.
Organisation description
The Ombudsman has statutory responsibilities and powers to report directly to Parliament. The House of Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (known as PACAC) is the principal liaison mechanism with the Ombudsman.
Each year, the Ombudsman lays an Annual Report and Accounts before Parliament so that PHSO’s performance can be scrutinised and challenged. The Ombudsman appears before PACAC alongside the Chief Executive to give evidence on the work of PHSO, usually following the publication of the Annual Report and Accounts.
The Ombudsman regularly reports to Parliament or publishes reports on individual and/or systemic examples of injustice and hardship caused by maladministration. In recent years, this has included reports on a range of issues, from the impact of the Windrush compensation scheme, to issues with
Employment and Support Allowance and State Pension age communications, to major reports on patient safety such as ‘Broken trust: making patient safety more than just a promise’. These reports have helped PACAC in its scrutiny of public services and are an increasingly important part of PHSO’s role.
The Ombudsman is solely responsible and accountable for the conduct and administration of all work carried out by PHSO and for the decisions made in each case. Decisions of the Ombudsman may be judicially reviewed by application to the courts. The Ombudsman may delegate authority to PHSO staff to act on their behalf.
As the permanent head of PHSO, the Ombudsman is its Accounting Officer under arrangements agreed with HM Treasury. As Accounting Officer the Ombudsman has responsibility for ensuring the regularity and propriety of PHSO’s activities and resources used, and for effective financial and internal control systems. PHSO’s Annual Report and Accounts are audited by the National Audit Office.
Governance
The Ombudsman is responsible for the sound governance and effective internal control of the Ombudsman service. The governance arrangements put in place by the present Acting Ombudsman to support her in the leadership, governance and management of the office are set out in the 2023-24 Annual Report and Accounts. They include a non-statutory unitary Board chaired by the Acting Ombudsman with eight non-executive Board members and two executive Board members. There is also an Audit and Risk Assurance Committee, a Remuneration and Nominations Committee, and a Strategic
Delivery Committee.
A Public Engagement Advisory Group of former complainants and members of the public was formed in 2023 to drive improvements, inform strategic decision making and help PHSO create a user focused service, with group members drawing on their lived experience to strengthen the organisation’s work.
Further information is available on the
PHSO website.
Vision and strategy
PHSO’s vision is: a voice for improvement in public services through the provision of an independent, impartial and fair complaints handling service, as an internationally respected public services Ombudsman.
PHSO has three strategic objectives:
- People who use public services have a better awareness of the role of the Ombudsman and can easily access our service.
- People we work with receive a high quality, empathetic and timely service, according to international Ombudsman principles.
- We contribute to a culture of learning and continuous improvement, leading to high standards in public service.
These form part of PHSO’s
strategy 2022 to 2025.
Resources and funding
PHSO currently has around 550 employees operating from two sites: a main office with around 500 staff in the centre of Manchester, and a smaller office of around 50 staff in London (Millbank Tower, Westminster). The Millbank lease is coming to an end in September 2025 and alternative premises are being identified elsewhere in London.
PHSO’s Parliamentary funding settlement for 2024-25 is £43.3m.
PHSO makes final decisions on complaints that have not been resolved by UK Government departments, the NHS in England and some other UK public organisations. In 2023-24, the Ombudsman accepted 29,306 complaints for consideration. The majority of these were about the NHS in England.
Board composition
Rebecca Hilsenrath was appointed Acting Ombudsman on 18 April 2024. Her term ends on 31 March 2025. She joined the organisation in 2021 and is the substantive Chief Executive Officer of PHSO, a role she took up in July 2023.