Government complaints system to be overhauled
The watchdog says it will make the process of complaining about public bodies less stressful and confusing.
Last updated 4th Mar 2022
How we complain to hospitals, schools and government departments is about to be overhauled to make the process uniform across all public services.
The watchdog hopes the plans to make the procedure uniform across all state bodies will make it less stressful and confusing to log an issue.
The reform’s being overseen by the public service ombudsman.
Ombudsman Margaret Kelly says it comes after extensive consultation,and is to be welcomed.
“Today is an important day. It marks the end of a long period of research, consultation and planning, and the start of an exciting journey which we believe has the potential to transform complaints handling in the public sector.”
Ms Kelly said she knows complaining can be stressful and confusing,
She continued: “That is why we want public bodies to deal with complaints quickly and efficiently.
“Specifically, we believe they should respond to straightforward complaints within five working days. If it is found that something has gone wrong, the public body should seek to put things right and a complainant should be given an explanation and an apology.
“However, we know that not all complaints will be dealt with within five days. More complex complaints may therefore progress to a second investigation stage. This stage should take the public body no more than 20 working days to complete, after which they should tell the complainant clearly the findings of the investigation and what further action they will be taking.”
It is also hoped a culture change will mean that bodies will stop fearing complaints and instead value the feedback as an opportunity to identify failings and improve from them.
How to listen to Downtown Country: