Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Reviews 509

Seeing the ombudsman is dismissive towards disability discrimination under the equality act 2010 it's shocking.

Reading the other reviews, my complaint response from phso now makes sense. I was extremely shocked by the blaming, wording and dismissive tone. I am thoroughly convinced they are in fact in place to protect the nhs, allowing poor practice to continue to harm patients despite our national insurance paying for the service. It is vile and truly sickening that there are no true bodies one can go to. Extremely disappointed and would not recommend. Truly shocking.

Would give zero if I could.
Complete waste of time and energy.
Formal service complaint against them staff at multiple levels and only trite word that they didnt do things correctly. No improvement or action against staff who failed and still fail to provide service.
Pointless.

The PHSO is a wretched, fraudulent sham.

I obtained proof, via a Subject Access Request, that my caseworker had sat twiddling her thumbs for a year, pretending to investigate, but doing nothing except sending me petty, pernickety requests to reiterate what I'd already told her.

This is a deliberate technique to "run the clock down", i.e. to push the matter outside the PHSO's remit due to the length of time since it happened.

This is all part of the Modus Operandi of the PHSO - avoid investigating the NHS by any means necessary.

My caseworker ignored all my irrefutable and damning evidence of medical negligence by my GP surgery, e.g. ignoring my test results and deleting evidence of their own failures.

My Subject Access Request to get a copy of my caseworker's file revealed that she made ONE phone call to my GP surgery, which ironically they didn't even answer! That was the full extent of her so-called "investigation". Truly abysmal and laughable.

When I complained about my caseworker's lack of investigation, I got a snappy, arrogant, knee-jerk reply from her manager saying she'd done nothing wrong. He didn't even address my individual points.

The PHSO is a dishonest and despicable organisation. My MP has ignored my letters, so I have nowhere left to turn (I can't afford the legal fees for Judicial Review of the PHSO's misconduct).

The PHSO is a sham entity, a total fraud, and a waste of taxpayer money. It leaves people with absolutely nowhere left to turn after they have been failed by the NHS.

Plot twist: Within just a few hours of me posting this review, the PHSO put in a complaint to Trustpilot because I'd named my caseworker. Wow! So it seems the PHSO are capable of being razor sharp and taking swift remedial action... when it comes to looking after themselves. Such an impressive level of service. Yet when the PHSO were tasked with investigating gross negligence by my GP surgery, they spent a year doing absolutely nothing.

After a very distressing experience with NHS therapy, I discovered that my raw session notes had been shared with my GP without my permission. What made this even more upsetting was that the notes contained inaccurate and untrue allegations about my husband, someone I had not discussed during these sessions, aside from mentioning that I lived with him.
I raised a complaint with both my GP and the Trust, requesting that these notes be removed, but my request was refused and my care has been negatively impacted as a result. I then spent nearly a year going back and forth following the NHS complaints procedure, and with various regulatory bodies , which felt like hitting a brick wall. Throughout the process, I felt dismissed and undermined, and the experience was unnecessarily adversarial - at times it seemed designed to discourage me from pursuing the matter further.

Eventually, I escalated my complaint to the Ombudsman. Unfortunately, this proved equally disappointing. My case was closed almost immediately, without proper consideration of the evidence. The reason given was that I had not followed the NHS complaints procedure, which is incorrect and something I have clear evidence of and had explained in my complaint to the ombudsman.
When I challenged this, the case handler openly admitted that they had not reviewed my evidence before making their decision. I was also told that I had submitted my evidence electronically as a PDF; however, this is untrue, as all of my evidence had only just been sent by post. Subsequently, I was informed that there was no evidence on file, which directly contradicts both my submission and their earlier statements. Although it was later acknowledged that the case had been closed prematurely, I was also given misleading information about how it had been handled. How were they able to close my case when they hadn’t even looked at any of the evidence?

During my interaction with the case handler, I found his conduct to be dismissive and hostile. He repeatedly spoke over me in a raised voice, which felt intimidating and appeared intended to dominate the conversation - he seemed to get great satisfaction from this and I was not given a fair opportunity to fully explain my concerns.
In my view, the Ombudsman process itself warrants an investigation.

I’ve experienced many of the same issues that others have raised. I have an ongoing complaint with the NHS, as I’ve been treated poorly and my concerns have repeatedly been dismissed. I’ve already raised complaints through the Trust, PALS, and the ICO. I have now escalated the matter to the Ombudsman.
I chose to send my supporting evidence by post, but I included full details of my complaint in writing. A few days later, I received an email from the Ombudsman stating that they had reviewed my case and DOCUMENTS and that I had not followed the Trust’s complaints procedure, so they were unable to assist at this stage. The issue is that I have followed the complaints process, and I have not yet even sent ombudsman the evidence documents in the post yet as it’s been the Easter weekend!

At this point, it seems I may have no option but to pursue the matter legally. It is increasingly frustrating that organisations like the Ombudsman appear ineffective and a poor use of public money. The NHS seems to be aware that these bodies tend to side with them, which only adds to the lack of accountability.

Just don't bother, they are truly terrible. Can't communicate, have no sense of moral compass and truly don't care. I can see that no one has any trust in them at all.

at best they assumed I was a private patient,

roughly seven months into my complaint with the western trust, (which is suppose too last 28days) i give the ombudsman a call and the man on the phone told me, they can do nothing for till, I have completely exhausted the complaint process! no exception's! 18 months total eventually I got the final reply from the western trust! I had been misdiagnosed and i asked for them too correct it! mistakes had been made in dr's file, that needed correct, and the result off the correction, would mean I would be able too prove damages in a private court case! they failed too do this, by the time the complaint process was exhausted! I was livid, spitting blood! I read on the website, that they are interested in injustice! so thats what I focus my energy on! the ombudsman response was cause i had a court case, I was a private patient!
when i recieved the reply i give them ring, how am i rivate patient when i never paid them any money! he says back cause i got legal aid, we can't help you! I tthought too myself I don't think i got legal aid! if you can prove that, that means they lied and then we will be interested! i never thought about, for a while, then i stumbled upon something in my lawyers file, that proved i didnt get any legal aid! (didn't bother too fill about a green form! i think t was! so i went back too the oombudsman, told that the orginal issuse hadn't been resolved and showed them evidence that I didn't recieve legal aid! they replied back telling me, after looking at the evidence, they stick by there original decision that I am a private patient! but this time I have an option off taking a judical review into there decision!

Absolutely unfit for purpose and drag your complaint on for years and protect unfit dentists. My contact was never there, never emailed, never rang, off ill, off on holiday. What a sham! They drag everything until the last minute on the last day and then say computer says NO! Incompetent doesn't even cover this department of useless individuals. Sack the lot and get rid of this money draining joke

I am updating this review because the PHSO flagged my previous version for naming a specific staff member. I have removed the name as requested, but the facts of their failure remain.

The PHSO is meant to be an independent check on the NHS, but in my experience, they are simply a rubber-stamp for negligence. My Lead Caseworker conducted an investigation that was dismissive, contradictory, and clinically blind.

After two years of being ignored by three NHS ENT consultants, the PHSO concluded the NHS 'did everything they could.' This is false. I was forced to pay for a private consultation where a specialist immediately diagnosed a Nasal Valve Collapse requiring surgery. The fact that the PHSO missed a structural physical deformity that a private doctor found in one visit proves their investigation was a total sham.

From the start, the Lead Caseworker was obstructionist. They repeatedly referred to us by the wrong names and treated our search for accountability like a nuisance. They claimed medical records were missing, then changed their story, and ultimately blamed me for refusing to return to the same doctors who had made baseless, insulting accusations about my personal life.

The PHSO effectively supported medical gaslighting. They tried to force me back into a room with doctors who failed me. They are a waste of taxpayer money that protects the Trust instead of the patient. I have now escalated this to a Senior Manager and the Ombudsman Assurance Team (OAT).

Copy of Formal complaint to which the OMBUDSMAN SAID No case to answer, Ignored all evidence and statements to the contrary.
In ALL WASTE OF SPACE AND PUBLIC MONEY.
Official complaint on evidence and procedure of my complaint

1/ Keep telling me I was asked for my dentures, THERE ARE NO APPOINTMENT Or OTHER  LETTERS ASKING FOR DENTURES EVER PRIOR TO APPOINTMENT! this is not a reason its was an excuse from the start, they have no intention of granting dental work to ANYONE within the trust.

I have not worn dentures for over ten years also have had lots of teeth removed since and they would be useless. PEOPLE WITH TEETH REMOVED VIA ACCIDENT AND CANCER ETC WOULD NOT HAVE DENTURES EITHER, BUT THEY CAN WORK WITHOUT THEM, FOR THEM. TOTAL HYPOCRISY!

2/ My Dentist Referred me because she had and others had tried and failed to resolve my INTOLERENCE and damage caused by dentures to my mouth. A FACT THAT THE DAMAGE TO THE ROOF OF MY MOUTH WAS NOTED BY THE 1st  CONSULTANT WHO EXAMINED ME 

I should say I was not asking for teeth implants I would have been more than happy having clip in dentures which dont contact my gums or need a top plate.

3/The 1st consultant said i met the requirements no mention of gum or tooth problems. Did note that i had severe damage to the roof of my palete. ( my dentist states she would not have referred me if i had either, you did not speak to her at all) It was not until the 2nd consultant came in that things changed! HYPOCRISY AGAIN

Failure to communicate with my dentist is a complete failure of your investigation.

4/ You sought advice from a so called specialist without consulting me AT ALL, To Rely on hospital records filled in and questionable is another failure. YOU DID NOT GET MY RECORDS FROM MY DENTIST..

This advice should have been given in conjunction with SEEING the person concerned and them seeing for themselves,the FACTS, Not assuming what was written in incorrect records what was not FACT .

To force a patient to go through a process which has caused pain and suffering on more than one occasion is wholly and ethically wrong, " DO NO HARM" It would prove nothing except cause deliberate pain and anxiety. MORE HYPOCRISY AND PASSING THE BUCK

I have another set of dentures my dentist wasted a lot of money getting them. they did not last a week, causing blistering to my gums and unable to wear even for a few hours until they became loose. Denture fixative made problem worse as almost impossible to get the stuff off my gums and mouth.

You are supposed to take a balanced view based on REAL EVIDENCE AND FACT, Instead you ignored FACTS AND STATMENTS, MADE ASSUMPTIONS, FAILED IN EVERY RESPECT OF INVESTIGATING THOUGHROLY AND PROPERLY USING REAL EVIDENCE AND STATEMENTS Not taking the trust words as verbatum when fact and evidence PROVE otherwise.

In all the service that was supposed to be given was not done in a proper manner at all and is a waste of public money to serve the wrongdoers.

Mr S Clark

This is my OFFICIAL COMPLAINT 29/03/2026

A negative score would be more appropriate.
Hospital Trust advised my right to complain to PHSO, following numerous errors of care regarding very elderly, sick mother. Trust had "lost (relevant) notes" and so couldn't respond to half the issues. Didn't expect much from PHSO, but their response was jaw-dropping. Told me I couldn't submit PHSO complaint under Hospital Trust provides "final response". Months later still waiting to complain to PHSO, because Trust are probably never going to be able to find notes!!
Previous reviews on Trustpilot for PHSO are really depressing. On PHSO website, "decisions made" are heart-breaking. Not petty things - people suffering/dying.
A rough analysis shows, as expected, most of decisions shown between 2021 and 2026 relate to Diagnosis and Treatment (30%), rather than admin etc.
A rough analysis of raw data on PHSO shows between 2023-2024, of the 28,780 complaints received, only 1.36% were "resolved" (Here "resolved" is broad category & includes PHSO "resolved by mediation, resolved after primary investigation, resolved after detailed investigation).
Clearly, PHSO staff are highly skilled at deflecting and covering-up etc. health organisational issues. And these are for those people who have had the will to follow the complaints procedures i.e. dot the "i" "t"s.
Someone, somewhere, eventually surely has to do something positive.
Of note, one of the errors for my mother, was confusion over the Hospital's handling of a "Do not resuscitate" instruction in June 2025. Earlier this year, a news article highlighted the death of a patient because of a mix-up at the same hospital over "Do not resuscitate" instruction.
And to make it worse, I get a request from a PHSO-funded market firm to complete a survey on "my experience". Yet more waste of tax-payers money.

DONT WASTE TIME CONTACTING PHSO
After contacting PHSO re Neurology Hospital in Queen square re the relentless maladministration and service failures from the secretary who ignored a number of emails requesting straight forward information, and the relentless poor service of complaints and PALS, I was given an email address where to address concerns, I sent an email to MB and I read with interest his role on line to the title he gave me differs dramatically. Despite PHSO are aware of all of the above they have done nothing. Waste of time for another governing body and this is the reason the NHS are in such a state, the worst it has ever been.

The reviews show how bad they are...they are absolutely useless....complete waste of time.i very much doubt they looked into my case properly..complete waste of oxygen

Disgusting organisation. If you try to escalate an nhs complain 9/10 times will they reject or close your complaint. They don’t care how it’s affected you

The ombudsman is there to investigate complaints, however I was informed today by them they will only investigate serious complaints, yet when you receive the outcome of a complaint from any surgery and you are not happy, you are signposted to the ombudsman, so issues like very rude surgery reception staff will never go challenged, utter waste of time.

I waited 6 months for a response only to be referred back to the ICB, which I knew would be fruitless. Then another 7 months to wait for another caseworker. Then told they wouldn’t take on the complaint. Over a year of waiting. If the icb cannot offer me treatment, I should be able to access it out of area under patients right to choose and they have refused. Back to my GP I go. What a waste of time!

apparently my 51 complaint items is not "proportionate" and I am deemed uncoperative because I refuse to narrow the issues down to 3. So they want to close my complaint without investigation. They have outright lied about statements they made. they just want me to shut up and go away. they state the GP making incorrect assertions on my record is not in their remit, yet when i limit the complaints to service failures they then dont want to investigate those either because there are too many. They fail to abide by disability accomodations they agree to. they are not worth the time and effort involved

As other people have said, this is a total waste of tax payers money and should be closed down as it does not serve anybody's best interests.

The PHSO NHS surgeon said this: an EMG was not indicated, and even if it was done it would not show any nerve injury and even if it did show nerve injury it would not change treatment, therefore an EMG is specially not to be done---
I got an EMG done abroad exactly as the PHSO report was written end July very early August 2025 which specifically said I have facial nerve damage that is significant and should have been treated and still needs full assessment ... the PHSO surgeons report still stands the PHSO caseworker said and the PHSO management said too...
Abroad every surgeon in different countries asks "What on earth is going on in England's medical system, that something this bad can happen? "

The PHSO surgeon placed reliance on 2008 low‑resolution MRI scout images as if they were diagnostic. Scout images are calibration/localisation sequences, not diagnostic studies; they are not intended or reported as a basis for assessing detailed facial structures. A consultant‑level NHS surgeon either knows, or ought to know, that using scout images in this way is clinically unsound.
To put this in everyday terms, relying on scout images to assess detailed nerve and bone injury is like trying to identify an individual on the Moon with the naked eye: the tool is simply not designed for that level of detail.