Today, the Government has published Dr Penny Dash's review of patient safety across the health and care landscape in England.

Rebecca Hilsenrath KC (Hon), Chief Executive of PHSO, said:

"Disentangling the complex and overlapping world of patient safety organisations will improve the way the NHS functions and how it responds when things go wrong.  

 

“Streamlining these organisations was a key recommendation of our Broken Trust report and the Dash Review has recognised how this would better support the delivery of high quality care. 

 

“I welcome the importance placed on managing and learning from complaints and on building on our NHS Complaint Standards which set out how organisations should respond to complaints. A well-handled complaint can be pivotal in driving lasting change and improving care for all.  

 

“We look forward to working with partners to strengthen the use of the Standards so that more NHS organisations get it right first time for patients and families.” 

This year again, the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Slovenia (Ombudsman) actively participated in the preparation of the regional report on the state of the rule of law in Europe prepared by the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI). The report includes the EU member states, EU candidate states, and non-member states. The current report is one of the most comprehensive and independent portrays of conditions in the field of the rule of law in Europe.

The regional report is based on contributions from more than 40 European national human rights institutions (NHRIs) and reveals crucial systemic challenges of the rule of law in Europe. The report also includes the national contribution of the Slovenian Ombudsman. In this contribution, the Ombudsman highlighted several systemic issues influencing the efficient protection of human rights and the respect of the principle of the rule of law. Inter alia, the Ombudsman also drew attention to the fact that for several months now, the institution has been operating without the head person with a full mandate, which is weakening its reputation and lessens its ability to respond to the violations of human rights and warn about them. The Ombudsman added the challenges connected to the proposed changes and amendments of the Human Rights Ombudsman Act since the act should strengthen the institution’s independence, widen its jurisdictions, and ensure it is synchronised with the Paris Principles of the United Nations about the status of national human rights institutions. The Ombudsman also warned about the lack of efficient response of state bodies to the Ombudsman’s recommendations, especially with structural changes, such as the deinstitutionalisation, healthcare, and the rights of persons with disabilities. In addition, the Ombudsman emphasised that in practice, the institution is frequently left out of initial phases of legislation preparation – even when it directly includes its jurisdiction (e.g. preposition of the Media Act).

The report reveals that for the sixth year in a row the negative trend in the field of the rule of law in Europe continues. In addition to repeating challenges, such as the lack of response from authorities to the NHRI recommendations, the decrease of budget means, pressure on civil society and media, numerous national institutions also report about long-lasting judicial proceedings, poor accessibility of free legal aid, and insufficient protection of vulnerable groups. In many countries, access to legal protection is made additionally difficult due to the lack of judges, outdated proceedings (e.g. too slow digitalisation of courts’ operation), high cost of free legal aid or the lack of special proceedings for vulnerable groups. The report also warns about the un-implementation of decisions made by national courts which undermines the trust in the rule of law.

Nevertheless, certain positive shifts in several states can also be detected in the report, such as the strengthening of legislative frameworks for the operation of human rights institutions, the acquisition or preservation of Status A according to Paris Principles, better access to public information, and greater inclusion of civil society into the formation of public policies.

Thus, the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions gives a series of concrete recommendations for the improvement of the state of the rule of law to national authorities and regional institutions. Key recommendations include provision of sufficient means for the operation of national human rights institutions, the establishment of strong protective mechanisms for human rights advocates, encouragement of implementation of decisions by the European Human Rights Court, and the strengthening of transparency, responsibility, and independence of judicial systems.

ENNHRI expects the report to serve the decision-makers on national and European levels as a concrete tool for the strengthening of the rule of law, protection of human rights, and consolidation of democracy in Europe.

The ENNHRI Regional Report on the State of the Rule of Law for 2025 is accessible here.

Volksanwältin Gaby Schwarz: Hitzefalle Gemeindebau

Die heißen Sommer werden für immer mehr Menschen zu einer körperlichen Belastung. Doch Wiener Wohnen genehmigt keine Klimaanlagen. Grund: Eine Klimaanlage ist gemäß Mietrechtsgesetz bewilligungspflichtig und wird nur bei Pflegestufe 6 genehmigt. Für Volksanwältin Gaby Schwarz ist diese Position nicht nachvollziehbar, sie fordert „Einzelfall statt Einheitsregel“.

„Gemeindewohnungen werden derzeit zur Hitzefalle. Doch Klimaanlagen werden generell nicht genehmigt. Schwitzen erlaubt, kühlen verboten lautet offenbar das Motto von Wiener Wohnen“, kritisiert Volksanwältin Gaby Schwarz. „Viele Menschen leiden unter hohen Temperaturen im Sommer. Nicht nur bettlägrige Personen der Pflegestufe 6, sondern auch Menschen mit Herz-Kreislauf-Problemen, Senioren, Kinder und viele andere. Klimaanlagen nur für diese kleine Gruppe zu genehmigen, ist definitiv zu wenig. Ich appelliere an Wiener Wohnen, diese Richtlinien zu überarbeiten und Einzelfallprüfungen durchzuführen.“

Zudem verweist die Volksanwältin darauf, dass Verbesserungen nach dem Mietrechtsgesetz zulässig sind. „Und eine Klimaanlage trägt eindeutig zur Verbesserung der Lebensqualität bei, wenn Menschen bei über 30 Grad in der Nacht nicht schlafen können.“

The Ombudsperson’s Office has suggested that the National Directorate of the Public Security Police (PSP) improve practices in the planning of police operations, in order to guarantee the predictability, rationality and proportionality of police action. The Ombudsman’s intervention followed the analysis of complaints about a police operation in December 2024.

The suggestions result from the attention given to the requirements arising from the Constitution and the law, as well as the PSP’s internal rules, applicable to the procedures to be adopted when carrying out personal searches and their justification in the context of special crime prevention operations.

As this is a matter concerning citizens’ rights, freedoms and guarantees, it was emphasised that it was important for the files relating to these operations to reflect the grounds for the need for the PSP to carry out personal searches, including a predefinition of their scope, manner and other technical aspects of their execution at the scene of the operation.

You can read the letter sent here [in Portuguese only].

The European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI) has published its 2025 Rule of Law Report, presenting an assessment of the state of the rule of law across Europe. The report provides an overview of key developments and challenges affecting democratic institutions and human rights mechanisms across the continent, including a dedicated chapter on Malta.

The report raises serious concerns regarding Malta’s ongoing lack of a National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) in line with the United Nations Paris Principles. As ENNHRI notes, Malta remains one of the few European Union Member States without an NHRI, highlighting that the absence of such an institution limits the country’s capacity to effectively monitor, promote and protect fundamental rights in a systematic and independent manner .

ENNHRI acknowledges the efforts of the Office of the Ombudsman of Malta in this regard. The Parliamentary Ombudsman, Judge Joseph Zammit McKeon, has taken a proactive approach by proposing that the Ombudsman institution itself be designated as Malta’s NHRI. This proposal includes extending the Office’s remit through legislative reform to encompass the functions of a national human rights institution, thereby building on the institution’s constitutional guarantees and operational independence.

In 2024, the Office of the Ombudsman submitted a comprehensive draft bill to the Prime Minister which would legally establish the Ombudsman as Malta’s NHRI. The draft bill ensures compliance with the Paris Principles by embedding provisions for independence, pluralism, and a clear human rights mandate, while also safeguarding the dual role of Ombudsman and NHRI within a unified statutory structure. However, as noted by the Ombudsman, no formal response has yet been received from the Government.

The ENNHRI report supports the need for structural reforms to improve Malta’s human rights architecture, stating that “the absence of an NHRI poses risks to public accountability.” The report also reiterates the importance of ensuring the effective implementation of recommendations by oversight institutions, such as the Ombudsman, especially in contexts involving systemic maladministration or infringements of fundamental rights.