Public services would be significantly improved if complaints made about central Government departments were easier to make and quickly resolved, the public sector watchdog has said, as new Complaint Standards are unveiled by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.

Published for consultation and developed by the Ombudsman in collaboration with staff from central Government departments, other public bodies, advice and advocacy groups, the new Standards will provide a single vision of best practice for complaint handling.

Research by the Ombudsman shows people do not feel confident that under existing processes complaints are managed correctly or that action is taken. By adopting the Standards, organisations will resolve more complaints at the earliest opportunity and use learning to improve services for the public.

The new Standards will focus on:

• welcoming complaints in a positive way and recognising them as valuable insight for 
• organisations
• supporting a thorough and fair approach that accurately reflects the experiences of everyone involved
• encouraging fair and accountable responses that provide open and honest answers as soon as possible
• promoting a learning culture by supporting organisations to see complaints as opportunities to improve services.

  • The new central Government Complaint Standards follow the successful production of NHS Standards now being rolled out across the health service. The Standards were welcomed by the health sector as much needed guidelines to provide a unified approach that will benefit complaint staff and complainants alike.  (...)