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A new report reveals how people are struggling to get government departments and public organisations to put right basic mistakes, causing distress, inconvenience and, in some cases, financial hardship. 

The report by the Parliamentary Ombudsman, published yesterday (12 December 2012), shows how difficult it can be for people to get their voice heard when things have gone wrong. It tells the stories of some of the many people who turned to the Ombudsman’s Service in the last year when all other attempts to get simple problems resolved had left them with nowhere else to go. These include:

• A father who was deprived of child support for years because of mistakes made by the Child Support Agency.
• A family left without tax credits for five months that had to borrow from relatives to make ends meet.
• A man who was unable to work because of a delay in processing his HGV licence.

Ombudsman, Julie Mellor, said: 

‘Small administrative errors can have a big impact on people’s lives. As well as causing inconvenience and frustration, people who come to us for help are often experiencing real financial hardship or other difficulties because simple problems haven’t been sorted out quickly enough. It should take days not months and, in some cases, years to sort out the smallest of mistakes. Every organisation makes mistakes, but when they do, they need to take the time to listen to people, to fix what’s gone wrong, and then learn from what’s happened, to stop the same thing happening to other service users.’ 

The report also demonstrates how resolving complaints quickly, rather than letting them escalate, is better for the public purse. In one case an incorrect legal aid decision not only prolonged the court action but ended up costing the taxpayer £135,000 in legal fees. Had the mistake been cleared up at the first time of asking, it would have cost just under £30,000.    

Worryingly, many people’s complaints are never seeing the light of day. A survey by the Ombudsman’s Service has revealed that over a third of people who wanted to complain about public services last year were put off. Some said they did not know how to go about complaining, some thought complaining would be too difficult or would take too long, others thought complaining wouldn’t make any difference or would mean they will receive a worse service as a result.   

Julie Mellor said: 

‘We know that when things go wrong with public services, many people find it hard to make a complaint. It can be even harder for people who are unwell, vulnerable or struggling with difficult circumstances. We want to help change this. Over the next five years we will be working with Parliament, government and others to make it easier for people to complain about public services and to help public organisations resolve complaints better. 

We are already seeing some evidence of improvements. Since our report last year which highlighted inconsistent and haphazard complaint handling by public organisations, we are pleased to see progress in some areas. For example, as our report highlights, the Rural Payments Agency and the Department of Work and Pensions have both improved how they tackle complaints. There’s still much more work to be done and we look forward to leading the way in making the complaints system better.’ 

See a PDF copy of this press release here

Notes to editor: 

1. The Parliamentary Ombudsman was set up by Parliament to help both individuals and the general public. The Ombudsman’s role is to investigate complaints that individuals have been treated unfairly or have received poor service from government departments and other public organisations. The  service is free to use and open to everyone. 

2. If someone is unhappy about the service they have received from a government department or another public organisation, they should first make their complaint to the department or organisation in question and give them the chance to respond.  If they’re not happy with how their complaint is dealt with, they should contact the Ombudsman – call 0345 015 4033 or email phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk. 

3. For media enquiries, contact the Ombudsman’s Press Office on 0300 061 4996/4272 or email press@ombudsman.org.uk. 

4.  The Ombudsman’s report, Responsive and Accountable? The Ombudsman’s review of complaint handling by government departments and public organisations 2011-12, is available to download now.