The following statement is attributable to the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty:

“I am alarmed by the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Oleshky, a town in the temporarily occupied parts of the Kherson region of Ukraine. Civilians, including children, are trapped without sufficient food, medicines, medical care, running water or electricity. Reports indicate that they face a high risk of death.

Under international humanitarian law, Russia, as the occupying power, has the duty to provide food and medical supplies and to facilitate humanitarian relief. I call for an immediate local ceasefire, unhindered humanitarian access, and the safe evacuation of civilians. The hardship and suffering of people caught along the frontlines of the war and in occupied territories demand international attention and action.”

A Petitions Committee delegation travelled to Athens and Larissa to examine the response to the 2023 Tempi train accident, meeting victims’ representatives, authorities and stakeholders.

The three-days fact-finding visit was conducted in response to petitioners’ concerns about longstanding shortcomings in railway safety, infrastructure and accountability.

During the visit, MEPs met the Association of Persons Affected by the Tempi Accident, national and local authorities, railway operators, trade unions and independent authorities responsible for railway safety and accident investigation. These included the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Mr Christos Dimas, the Alternate Minister, Mr Kotsiras, the Governor of Thessaly, Mr Kouretas, the leadership of Hellenic Railways and Hellenic Train, as well as the Regulatory Authority for Railways (RAS) and the National Aviation and Railway Accidents Investigation and Transportation Safety Agency (HARSIA). The delegation also visited the Larissa railway traffic control centre and the Acharnes Railway Centre, accompanied by the leadership of the Ministry for Infrastructure and Transport.

Speaking on behalf of the delegation, Vice-Chair Dolors Montserrat commented: “Firstly, I would like to stress that the European Parliament and the Committee on Petitions is not a judicial authority, it can neither pass judgement on, nor revoke decisions taken by the courts of law in Member States. The right to petition gives citizens a direct channel to the European Parliament, and it is our responsibility to listen carefully to and address the concerns brought before us. We will exercise our institutional responsibilities impartially, constructively, and in full respect of the competences of Member States and their institutions with the aim to ensure that such tragedies will not happen again.

The exchanges held in the past three days provided valuable insights into the progress made in improving railway safety since the accident. We took note of the results of a reform programme to address the structural weaknesses in railway governance, supervision, operational management and safety culture, as well as the implementation of the Action Plan drawn up in agreement with the Commission following the report of the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA).

We confirmed the central role of transparent and well-managed EU funding in supporting these efforts, while also taking note of concerns regarding the pace of implementation, in particular the lack of full deployment of the ETCS system, and the need for further investment, which is important to regain public trust. We also took note of the steps taken by the independent authorities, RAS and HARSIA, whose role is critical in the prevention of railway accidents, to improve accountability and ensure the safety of railways in Greece.

At the same time, we acknowledged the serious concerns raised about the condition of the railway infrastructure at the time of the accident, as well as the management of the accident site in the immediate aftermath, which is now under judicial review by the Greek courts. We emphasised the need to support the victims’ families and ensure full cooperation with the competent judicial authorities, so that all relevant circumstances can be fully and independently examined and any responsibilities established through the appropriate judicial processes. We have full trust in the independence of the Greek judicial authorities and in their ability to carry out their responsibilities.”
 
Members of the delegation:

• Dolors Montserrat (EPP, ES) - Head of delegation
• Isilda Gomes (S&D, PT)
• Kosma Złotowski (ECR, PL)
• Ana Miranda Paz (Greens, ES)

 
Accompanying members:

• Manolis Kefalogiannis (EPP, EL)
• Yannis Maniatis (S&D, EL)
• Emmanouil Fragkos (ECR, EL)
• Nikos Pappas (The Left, EL)

 
Next steps

The information and findings collected during the mission will contribute to the preparation of a final report, including detailed observations and specific recommendations, which will be presented and voted on in the Committee on Petitions of the European Parliament.

Complaints about adult social care in England rose by 22% last year, according to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman's (LGSCO) Annual Review of Adult Social Care Complaints 2025-26, published today.

The LGSCO received 3,938 complaints and enquiries about adult social care in general in 2025-26, up from the previous year.

In the independent sector, complaints from people who fund their own care also rose by 10% to 368. The Ombudsman said this reflects a welcome increase in public awareness of the right to complain, though it remains concerned that too few people who fund their own care come forward given the scale of privately arranged care across the country.

Of the 904 cases investigated, 77% were upheld. The high rate of compliance with Ombudsman recommendations was maintained, with 99.8% of cases being completed to the Ombudsman’s satisfaction.

Positively, around a third (33%) of upheld complaints about private social care providers had already been suitably remedied by the organisation before the Ombudsman investigated, a 13-percentage-point rise on the previous year.

Amerdeep Clarke, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said:

"We are seeing welcome signs of improvement in how councils and care providers handle complaints, but there is still more to be done. My message to the sector is simple: use the learning in this report to improve services now, rather than waiting for wider changes to the care system that are currently under discussion.

"Councils should ensure the care providers they commission have current policies in place that reflect best practice, including clear signposting to us as the final step in the complaints process.

“And for care providers, dealing with complaints properly isn't just the right thing to do, it i fundamental to fostering excellent relations with your clients, families, and the wider communities in which you operate. Handling a complaint well protects your reputation, and where you have already investigated and appropriately remedied an issue, this can mean a full Ombudsman investigation isn't needed.

"Behind every one of these numbers is a person, a family or a carer trying to get things back on track after something has gone wrong. Getting the fundamentals right: clear records, honest explanations and proper signposting to our service, protects everyone: the people who rely on care, and the organisations providing it."

The Ombudsman offers a free online toolkit for care providers (asctoolkit.lgo.org.uk) to help them become "complaints confident", alongside guidance and training for councils on managing complaints and reviews.

The report and associated data tables can be downloaded from the Ombudsman’s website at www.lgo.org.uk/ascreview

The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman has today published a report calling on NHS Lothian to urgently review their Significant Adverse Event Review (SAER) procedures.

The recommendation arose following a complaint from the family of a patient who died from a staphylococcus aureus bacterium (SAB) infection, a type of bloodstream infection, at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

The investigation found that the health board should have carried out a SAER following the patient's death. The Ombudsman said that the circumstances of the case met both national criteria and the Board's own criteria for a SAER. Despite this, no SAER was undertaken.

Instead, the Board commissioned a local review which was insufficient and completed by a member of staff without the relevant expertise. As a result, an important opportunity to fully examine the circumstances of the patient's death, identify learning and address potential systemic issues was missed.

This is the latest in a number of reports by the Ombudsman that has found substantive issues in the way SAERs are carried out across health boards in Scotland.

The investigation also found that the nursing care failed to meet the relevant standards for cannula care. This is significant given the SAB infection is presumed to have arisen from an infected cannula site in the patient’s forearm. 

The report is highly critical of the Board's failure to recognise the systemic nature of these failings. Similar shortcomings in nursing care have been identified in previous Ombudsman investigations into NHS Lothian, yet the Board did not acknowledge this case as part of a wider pattern of concern.  

The Ombudsman has recommended that that the board carry out audits of cannula care, record keeping and treatment of SABs in addition to reviews of staff training needs and their SAER procedures. 

Paul McFadden, Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, said;

“SAERs play a fundamental part in ensuring patient safety. They not only identify areas for improvement within the healthcare system but provide important answers to patients and their families around their care.

I have asked Lothian NHS Board to review their SAER procedures to ensure they are complying with the current Healthcare Improvement Scotland framework as a matter of urgency and will follow up on those recommendations.”