Committee publication · Correspondence · 28 April 2026
Letter from PHSOtheFACTS on the PHSO's oral evidence session on 24.3.26, dated 7.4.26
From: Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Inquiry: The work and performance of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Summary
PHSOtheFACTS, an ombudsman watchdog active since 2013, challenges testimony given by Paula Sussex (Ombudsman) and Rebecca Hilsenrath (CEO) at the Committee's 24 March 2026 scrutiny session. The letter disputes claims about uphold rates, independence, and complaint escalation processes, arguing that the 60% uphold figure applies only to 2% of cases, that the review process lacks genuine independence, and that staffing constraints are not the real constraint on investigations.
Key findings
- PHSOtheFACTS states the Ombudsman's cited 60% uphold rate applies only to the 722 cases (less than 2% of all decisions) that received detailed investigation, meaning 98% of complaints do not result in upheld decisions.
- The letter contests Paula Sussex's claim that complaints can be escalated directly to her, arguing this is not the reality for complainants and that the escalation process remains within the caseworker's chain of management.
- PHSOtheFACTS claims PHSO currently employs more staff than at any point in the previous decade, contradicting any argument that resource constraints prevent more investigations or upholds.
- The letter points to consistent low satisfaction scores on Trustpilot and regular complaints to MPs as evidence of genuine public concern, questioning the source and reliability of PHSO's reported high satisfaction data.
- PHSOtheFACTS suggests current PHSO staff focus disproportionately on defending non-investigation and non-uphold decisions rather than investigating substantive complaints.
Tone
CriticalTopics
Key actors
Paula Sussex, Rebecca Hilsenrath, Simon Hoare, PHSOtheFACTS, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO), Lauren Edwards, Luke Taylor, Della Reynolds
Notable line
“60% of 2% were upheld, meaning that over 98% did not receive an upheld decision. Knowing that there is only a 2% chance that PHSO will investigate and an even smaller chance that the complaint will be upheld gives the public bodies something of a green light when it comes to maladministration.”
Key Quotes
“Yes. The statistics will underpin that because we uphold or partly uphold around 60%. That does not indicate any bias towards the organisations.”
“It is really important that they can come through to my email address, which seems to be a fairly frequent route.”
“On page 35 of the 2024/2025 Annual Report, we can see that only 722 cases received a detailed investigation. That's less than 2% of all the complaint decisions made that year.”
“People come to you because they have been unable to escalate their complaint past the caseworker they are complaining about or their line manager.”
“It would appear that the staff spend most of their time defending their decision not to investigate or not to uphold and PACAC should determine whether this is a good use of resources.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗