BackThe Office of the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) is pleased to publish its 2014-15 annual report .
It charts another year of achievement for the SPSO. It handled a record number of complaints about public services, and further improved its productivity and the quality of its service. SPSO helped almost 5,600 people, providing independent advice and support and looking into the issues people brought to the Ombudsman. SPSO's investigations led to over 1,400 recommendations for improvement to public services.
SPSO highlights the year-on-year increase in demand for its service, which comes at a time when the office has been asked to take on new functions in relation to reviewing Scottish Welfare Funds decisions (from April 2016) and complaints arrangements under the Scottish Government’s health and social care integration programme. SPSO has long supported the simplification agenda and welcomes these expansions, so long as they can be appropriately funded. There are practical challenges for the office in these changes, which require careful consideration. The Ombudsman's measures for managing demand - current and future - are laid out in a draft 2016-20 strategic plan, which went out for consultation earlier this month.
The annual report also highlights the SPSO's work on improving complaints handling across Scotland, which has continued to have considerable success and a resonance outside Scotland, with the office's reputation and influence further increasing in other parts of the UK and internationally. As a result of its ground-breaking work, there is now a simple, consistent system for handling complaints across most public services in Scotland. Public authorities are also now reporting more consistently and regularly on their complaints, and this is helping to not only improve transparency but to drive up standards.
Source: Scottish Public Services Ombudsman
