Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

The Ombudsman is independent of both the Government and the civil service and reports annually to both Houses of Parliament.

[2] The offices of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman are at Millbank Tower, London, however the majority of staff are now based in Manchester.

The creation of the post of the Parliamentary Ombudsman was spurred on by the 1954 Crichel Down affair and by the activism of pressure groups, including the Society for Individual Freedom.

If the Ombudsman finds that there has been injustice caused by maladministration or a failure in service, a remedy to put things right can be proposed.

In such an event, the Select Committee that oversees the work of the Ombudsman is able to examine the matter and reach its own conclusions.

[6] From 19 August 2014, members of the public have been able to search the summaries of investigations that the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman has completed and published on their website.

The report said the law regulating the office was outdated and out of line with similar organisations in the UK and elsewhere.

[9] Some issues highlighted by Liam Donaldson in 2018[10] following the "avoidable death" of Oliver McGowan[11][12] remain to be addressed.

Millbank Tower, the current location of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Lieutenant-Colonel Jack Churchill was imprisoned in Sachsenhausen concentration camp and subsequently refused compensation by the Foreign Office. This decision was reversed after a report by the Ombudsman in 1968.
The remit of the Ombudsman was extended in 1973 to cover the National Health Service. In 1996, the Ombudsman was empowered to investigate complaints about clinical judgment.
Lord Young, whose Department was criticised by the Ombudsman over its licensing of the Barlow Clowes group of companies. Barlow Clowes collapsed in 1988 owing £190 million.
A Eurostar train near Ashford. In 1995, the Ombudsman investigated complaints made by residents in Kent about how the Government had administered plans for the high-speed rail-link. They alleged that uncertainty caused depreciation in property values.