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Wales' 1st Equality & Human Rights Casebook
This is the first time the office has published a collection of cases the Ombudsman has dealt with where human rights matters have either been raised as part of the original complaint or have been pivotal to the findings.
The Human Rights Act 1998 incorporates into UK law the rights and freedoms set out in the European Convention on Human Rights. Our new publication details show eleven cases where the Ombudsman found that public bodies failed to consider or safeguard these rights and freedoms.
Of the cases included, six involve complaints against Health Boards, seven against a Local Authority, one against a Housing Association and one against a Police and Crime Commissioner’s office.
Three of the cases resulted in the issue of public interest reports under section 16 of the Public Services Ombudsman Wales Act 2005. Eight led to the issue of non-public interest reports under section 21 of the same Act.
The cases cover a range of topics, including mental health services, end-of-life care, social services, care home funding and maternity care, amongst others
Nick Bennett, Public Services Ombudsman for Wales, said:
“In all of these cases there are valuable lessons to be learned to ensure mistakes made are never repeated. At a time when our public services are under increasing pressure, it’s critical not to lose sight of the importance of treating every single individual with respect and humanity.
“As Ombudsman, I am committed to protecting and promoting the human rights of ordinary people in their dealings with public service providers in Wales.
“By sharing cases like these, where human rights considerations have been central to the original complaint or the outcome, we aim to encourage learning and improvement amongst all public service providers in Wales.
To download the Ombudsman’s new human rights casebook please click here.
Source: Public Services Ombudsman for Wales
