Ombudsman cuts warning after record complaints

A record number of complaints were made to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman last year, it has been revealed.

Ombudsman Jim Martin has warned the service it provides could be put “at real risk” as a result of cuts to its budget.

The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) deals with complaints about the Scottish Government, councils, the National Health Service, housing associations, colleges and universities, prisons, and most other public bodies.

It received 4,120 complaints in 2012-13 - 5% more than the previous year and almost a quarter more than in 2009-10.

But over that three-year period, it said it had had its budget cut by 15%, receiving a total of £3.29 million in funding last year.

Mr Martin said that since since 2009-10 the SPSO had “seen a 23% increase in complaints and a 15% reduction in resource, excluding funding for new areas of responsibility”.

The Ombudsman stated: “We are, however, a demand-led service.

Commitment

“To increase demand without allocating the resources required to maintain our service levels puts the quality of what we do and the service we offer at real risk.

“My ultimate commitment is to ensure justice for the people of Scotland. I want this office to contribute to improving people’s lives through better public services.

“To do this I must have the right processes and sufficient resources in place to run the high-quality complaints handling service the public deserves.”

He added that the service the SPSO provides “is even more necessary in times of economic hardship, when the already vulnerable are disproportionately disadvantaged”.

Mr Martin insisted the SPSO was “good value for money” as he used its annual report for 2012-13 to highlight an increase in productivity, which he hailed as “a remarkable achievement, given our budget constraints”.

Complaints about the NHS grew by 23.5% last year, with 1,237 received in 2012-13 - an increase which the SPSO report attributed to “greater public concern and awareness of what can go wrong” as well as changes in the way complaints are handled as a result of the Patient Rights (Scotland) Act 2011.

Resolution

Local government received the largest number of complaints, with 1,505 occasions where people contacted the SPSO last year about councils.

There were 525 complaints made about the Scottish Government, 353 involved water and sewerage providers, 328 were against housing associations, 127 concerned colleges and universities, with 45 other complaints.

Of all the complaints where it was valid for the SPSO to investigate, 46% were upheld, compared to 39% in 2011-12.

Mr Martin said this was “disappointing”, adding: “These are complaints where the public service provider has already had the opportunity to look into the complaint and provide resolution.”

A total of 939 complaints were fully investigated by the SPSO last year, 13% more than in 2011-12.

The Ombudsman made 1,003 recommendations for redress and improvement to public services, a rise of 62% on the previous year.