Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Avis 

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.

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.

Like many of the comments here
PHSO are not for purpose and are both dishonest and fraudulent
They do not consider evidence supplied but act on lies told by NHS
100% Poor rating as per this site alone needs investigation
The department should suspend and investigated, including whilst blowing comments published on this site
Email the MP Health
I have tried to list email address but this site will not allow it

If you take a case to this farcical 'Ombudsman' do a data subject request after you get a 'we have asked for independent advice' and 'we will be contacting you with you response shortly' e-mail.

A Data subject access request means they have to send you all the data they have on you and will give you e-mails they have sent about your case to other organizations and the full questions they have asked their 'independent expert advisor' in your case.

Also contact your MP, yes it is supposed to be independent, that does not give them the right to lie, cover up and get away with it.

They removed clinical advice from my decision letter that supported my claim.

They miss quoted letters to make the time line of events shorter.

They decided to remove months of complaint timeline because they deemed it 'not significant to impact', in reality this means when fighting for a response from the trust rather than the 18 months it took for a reply they said it was 3 months, then at some point later another month making the case go beneath their impact scale.

They completely removed any reference the Trust made in there correspondence where they admitted fault.

They completely ignored full time lines.

They changed my complaint and investigated something completely different which they knew they could find in favor of the Trust.

This is beyond a joke, if you make a complaint you read every single line of that summary they give you and you write exactly what letter and quote goes with each part of your complaint, ignore how small that complaint box is on there website you submit the full complaint with references because they will lie and they will change your complaint.

Bad service, they make a decision base on wrong date and even with that they still not taking my case against the NHS, well I think you never win to the system. The true is: why they offer this service? If you went first for a solicitor is wrong but they ask you at least 3 negative decisions for your case to review your case hahahaha but you only have 12 months to can contact them… in less words DONT CONTACT THEM!! Even if they make a wrong “date calculation of aware of the issues” they can not take your case! Hahahaha really a joke!

corrupt. dishonest. waste of time. ..my medical record being a set of instructions to abuse me (not disputed) they say is not a problem because i can't prove my medical record is used as a medical record. phso promise to disclose evidence & explain how it was applied on balance, etc. sar showed there was no evidence, no investigation just that odious 'investigator' chatting with his colleague how to down grade my distress/harm by reframing and editing. a nasty con and they get paid plenty.

I made a serious complaint to my local hospital who dodged the issue so I made a very substantial complaint to the ombudsman. They gave my complaint 2 points and told me due to workload they were only investigating complaints with a score of 4. Basically if your not dead they won't investigate. My MP just accepted this. Its a farce how can the NHS improve if the firstly don't accept there mistakes. I don't have re funds to persue a judicial review although I belive there are grounds. Don't hold your breath they are a waste of time and getting paid for nothing. Needs abolishing and replacing by an independent system run by lay members. Come on MP this isn't acceptable do your jobs.

Failure to have regard to case facts.
Failure to understand the relationship between the case and broader systemic problems causing patient harm.
Lack of impartiality with demonstrated bias towards NHS.
Wilful ignorance and institutional blindness.
Waste of time - PHSO acts to collude in cover ups and supports organisations in having a pass or get out of jail free card.
In doing so the PHSO is willfully ignorant and colludes in perpetuating patient harm. Wolves dressed in sheep's clothes.
My advice go legal and forget about PHSO as they will definitely cause more insult on top of injury.

I have had to use the PHSO twice this year and both times they have been awful.

They do not have any clinical experience and are just ticking boxes.

My case involved a finding on an MRI scan that was missed for over 6 months and could have killed me.

The hospital admitted liability but the PHSO claim it was not serious enough to warrant an investigation!

They don’t even investigate any level 1 to 3 cases but fail to tell you this before you begin the long journey of wasting your time.

They did send me an e mail showing what they would investigate and to my shock they investigated why an asylum seeker who was refused access to public funds which caused them distress and anguish. Their properties are clear.

A public funded organisation who forget who they are representing. It’s a horrible felling knowing there is no one to help you when things go wrong.

All the staff I’ve been involved with should be ashamed of themselves and I’m not sure how you sleep at night. Karma is a wonderful thing.

The PHSO did decide to investigate my complaint which involved the withholding of necessary medication for my young daughter, that she had received when younger, had remission, didn't need it for a while then needed it again. The consultant refused to prescribe it and my daughter was put through a third invasive procedure to "re-prove" the diagnosis. We decided to escalate this to the PHSO to try to help smoothe the path for other families with kids with the same condition to receive the medicine. Well what a joke that was. Total waste of time and energy, the PHSO is clearly just a superficial extension of the NHS, not at all interested in securing learning from mistakes and improving a service. Totally corrupt, farcical biased organisation paid for out of public funds that does absolutely NOTHING to help the public. Its a complete joke of a service designed to protect the NHS, not advocate for the public. Should be disbanded completely and reformed as a proper independent review system.

The PHSO is a completely USELESS organisation! I wish I could give zero star ! Despite presenting very compelling evidence to them , they still chose not to investigate a serious complaint against an NHS Trust. The Trust accepted that they breached my privacy and compromised my dignity yet this disgraced organisation did nothing ! After reading another review posted on Trustpilot by a former PHSO caseworker , it is glaringly obvious that the PHSO is working for the NHS and against patients who have valid complaints. This is completely shameful and disgraceful! Shame on the PHSO!!! I have decided to sue the NHS and seek judicial review against the flawed decision of the PHSO. Both the Trust and the PHSO must be held accountable!