Public Services Ombudsman Survey - 4th August 2016
Date of article: 11/08/2016
Daily News of: 17/08/2016
Country: 
Gibraltar
Author:
Article language: en
Parallel to the distribution of the 16th Annual Report outside Parliament House on 4th August 2016 the Ombudsman also conducted a public survey on the Gibraltar Public Services Ombudsman Office. Seventy five passers-by, randomly chosen, agreed to be participate in the survey.
Ninety six percent were aware that there was an Ombudsman in Gibraltar and 92% knew what his role was. Most people who took the survey knew the location of our office (81%) and as Gibraltar is quite small in land area with a population of about 32,000, word of mouth (43%) will always be the best way to find about the Ombudsman although in this day and age media coverage (TV, local newspaper, website and social media) also plays an important role in letting people know about our office and service.
On average about a third of the people 30% (35% last year) who took the survey have used our service, which shows that 1 in 3 people in Gibraltar have visited our office since it opened its doors to the public in 1999. Our service-users are (85%) satisfied with the service being provided and it is very likely that if the need arises most members of the public (99%) would make use of the Ombudsman’s services.
The Complaints Handling Scheme (CHS) which has been designed to be the entry portal for all complaints made against the Gibraltar Health Authority (GHA) is regulated by the Gibraltar Public Services Ombudsman. Since it is a relatively new service that we provide we asked the public if they were aware that the Ombudsman office can investigate complaints relating to any action taken by GHA. The survey showed that 42% were aware that the Ombudsman investigated health complaints; this is a relatively low figure so the Ombudsman will actively continue to promote awareness of the CHS office and its jurisdiction.
All in all, the Ombudsman was satisfied with the awareness campaign during the distribution of the annual report. He highlighted the importance of meeting members of the public face-to-face whilst carrying out the survey and also in listening to what the community thought about the service the Ombudsman provides. He added that interacting with members of the public on the street and listening to their comments and concerns can only strengthen the relationship of trust and confidence between the service the Ombudsman provides and its users.
The Ombudsman would like to thank everyone who took part in the event.
Download results of Survey in PDF
PSO Survey 2016 (47 KB)
