PHSO Casework Decisions
3,622 published casework decisions from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (Apr 2021–Mar 2026). PHSO selects a subset of completed investigations for public publication — these 3,622 decisions represent approximately 1.1% of the 321,459 total complaints received across the same period. Source: decisions.ombudsman.org.uk.
3,622
Published Decisions
3,089
Health
533
Parliamentary (Govt)
18%
Upheld / Partly Upheld
Showing 50 results matching "HM Courts and Tribunals Service"
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (P-003216)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Courts
AI summary: Mr E complains HMCTS wrongly advised his PCN was paid, leading to his car being clamped and towed. He seeks a refund and compensation for financial hardship and mental health impact.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (P-003156)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Courts
AI summary: HMCTS lost the complainant's court file for eviction proceedings, causing several months of delay in removing tenants, loss of rental income, and emotional distress.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (P-003061)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Courts
AI summary: Mr O complained HMCTS failed to seal an order to a debtor's bank account and delayed correcting the mistake. This allowed the debtor to empty the account, causing a financial loss of £7550.52.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (P-002878)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Courts
AI summary: Mr W complained HMCTS shared his personal data via an Attachment of Earnings Order with a company he never worked for, causing significant mental distress.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (P-002709)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
None
AI summary: Mrs H complained HMCTS delayed processing her divorce application, causing mental health issues and financial disadvantage due to settlement delays.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (P-002720)
UK Government
Partly Upheld
Courts
Courts
AI summary: HMCTS excessively delayed processing his mother's probate application, provided incorrect guidance, lacked an escalation route, and poorly handled his subsequent complaint.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (P-002579)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Courts
AI summary: Mr A complained HMCTS backdated the seal on a Remuneration Application, preventing him from challenging fees and resulting in substantial costs.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (P-002475)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Courts
AI summary: Ms O complained HMCTS staff prevented her from having an oral court hearing for her applications, impacting her employment prospects and causing financial loss.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (P-002446)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Courts
AI summary: Mr A complained HMCTS refused to provide a document authorizing a company's representative, as required by CPR, believing this stemmed from discrimination.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (P-002411)
UK Government
Upheld
Courts
Courts
AI summary: Mr L complained HMCTS failed to contact him for a court fee, leading to costs against him, and didn't answer questions about late payment.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (P-002340)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
None
AI summary: Mr A complained HMCTS wrongly banned him from driving despite a successful appeal and failed to notify DVLA, causing stress, financial loss, and near job loss.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (P-002330)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
None
AI summary: Mr O complained about HMCTS causing a two-year delay in finalising his divorce, due to his wife's application being returned twice without clear explanation.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (P-002295)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Courts
AI summary: Mr I complained HMCTS wrongly transferred his money claims to a defendant's local court, prejudicing him, and refused a court fee refund.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (P-002258)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
None
AI summary: Mr R complained about a delayed speeding fine and HMCTS's failure to allow call recording as a reasonable adjustment, causing financial and mental distress.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (P-002488)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Courts
Courts
AI summary: A user complained HMCTS mishandled her court hearing, failed to inform her about proceedings, and did not provide requested information for a relisted case.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (P-003875)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Courts
AI summary: An HMCTS officer allegedly failed to secure debtor bank statements during an interview, preventing Mr U from tracing money owed to him.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (P-002003)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Complaint handling
Complaint handling
Complaint handling
Courts
Courts
Courts
AI summary: Mrs G complained HMCTS improperly granted 'Help With Fees' to a third party without considering her evidence, and about poor complaint handling and communication.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (P-002000)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Communication
Courts
Courts
Courts
AI summary: Mr R complained HMCTS gave incorrect advice about filing small claims, leading to his application being struck out and court fees not fully refunded. He also alleged poor communication and lost documents.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (P-002007)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
None
AI summary: Ms E complained HMCTS did not consider her availability when setting a court date and sent a payment request to the wrong address, denying her a fair hearing.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (P-001807)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
None
None
Courts
AI summary: Miss U complained HMCTS took two and a half years to refund her court fee, was unreachable for online payment help, and provided incorrect information about an area director.
HM Courts & Tribunals Service (P-001799)
UK Government
Partly Upheld
Courts
AI summary: Mr A complained HMCTS wrongly enforced an incorrect international child maintenance order against him, causing unnecessary legal costs and significant stress for two years.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (P-001679)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Courts
AI summary: HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) allegedly failed to process a Directions Questionnaire correctly, resulting in a default CCJ. An application to set it aside was also mishandled, causing lost income.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (P-001521)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Courts
AI summary: Mr E complained HMCTS excessively delayed processing his C100 application, which postponed an order amendment, impacted his contact with children, and caused him stress.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (P-001537)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Courts
AI summary: Mr M complained HMCTS wrongly issued a grant for probate while a caveat was active, and then took too long to recall it, causing a large withdrawal from an estate and distress.
HM Courts & Tribunals Service (P-001180)
UK Government
Upheld
Complaint handling
Delay
Communication
Administration - Administration other
AI summary: Mr I complained HMCTS delayed and made mistakes with DNA test papers, disclosed personal data, poorly handled his complaint, and failed to notify a judge about a Cafcass officer's absence.
Upheld / Partly Upheld
259 + 397
18% of decisions found fault with the organisation complained about.
Not Upheld
247
Complaint investigated but no fault found. 1 resolved during investigation.
Closed After Initial Enquiries
2,718
PHSO decided not to proceed to full investigation.
Most complained-about:
HM Revenue and Customs (80), University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (72), NHS England (62), Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (50), HM Courts and Tribunals Service (48).
Published Decisions Over Time
Excludes 2,718 closed before investigation. Quarterly, by outcome.
Annual Complaints (PHSO-wide)
Official PHSO annual statistics across all organisations
| Year | Received | Investigated | Upheld | Upheld % | Remedy % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | 54,478 | 12,275 | 1,216 | 9.9% | 0% |
| 2020-21 | 44,139 | 7,822 | 617 | 7.9% | 0% |
| 2021-22 | 62,553 | 13,426 | 727 | 5.4% | 0% |
| 2022-23 | 61,297 | 15,734 | 782 | 5.0% | 0% |
| 2023-24 | 63,471 | 17,321 | 946 | 5.5% | 0% |
| 2024-25 | 35,521 | 10,070 | 519 | 5.2% | 0% |
Remedy % = percentage of PHSO remedies complied with on time
Top Themes
Themes by Upheld Rate
AI-classified themes across PHSO casework decisions
| Theme | Decisions | Upheld | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delayed Recognition of Deterioration | 747 | 184 | 25% |
| Complaint record keeping failures | 632 | 108 | 17% |
| Clinical negligence harms learning | 460 | 92 | 20% |
| Care plan failures | 436 | 121 | 28% |
| Care and discharge planning | 288 | 77 | 27% |
| No person-centred care | 215 | 46 | 21% |
| Inaccurate and inaccessible patient records | 204 | 37 | 18% |
| Patient dignity and privacy | 147 | 40 | 27% |
| Inadequate Pre-Operative Risk Assessment | 136 | 44 | 32% |
| Duty of Candour implementation | 134 | 43 | 32% |
| Medication Contamination/Misadministration | 128 | 33 | 26% |
| DWP policy impact assessment | 106 | 12 | 11% |
| Poor health and social care integration | 97 | 21 | 22% |
| Mental Health Crisis Referral Delays | 74 | 10 | 14% |
| Coroner family information gaps | 74 | 25 | 34% |
PHSO Complaint Categories
PHSO Categories by Upheld Rate
PHSO's own issue classifications — broad categories such as 'Treatment' cover a wide range of clinical complaints
| Category | Decisions | Upheld | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Treatment | 1,610 | 418 | 26% |
| Diagnosis | 850 | 206 | 24% |
| Communication | 792 | 233 | 29% |
| Complaint handling | 534 | 161 | 30% |
| Drugs / medication | 463 | 130 | 28% |
| Nursing care | 388 | 154 | 40% |
| Access | 363 | 87 | 24% |
| Transfer, discharge and aftercare | 353 | 119 | 34% |
| Referral | 262 | 58 | 22% |
| Administration | 191 | 30 | 16% |
| End of life care | 170 | 50 | 29% |
| Choice and Consent | 165 | 48 | 29% |
| Continuing healthcare | 160 | 14 | 9% |
| Surgery | 145 | 32 | 22% |
| Record keeping and management | 133 | 30 | 23% |
Organisation Accountability
Combines PHSO annual complaint statistics (volume, remedy compliance) with published decisions portal data (uphold rate). Sorted by upheld rate for organisations with 5+ investigated decisions. Benchmark: 73% average upheld rate among fully investigated decisions. This differs from the headline 18% figure, which includes all 3,340 published decisions — most of which were closed before full investigation (upheld/not upheld only applies to fully investigated cases). Sparklines show complaint volumes received 2019–20 → 2024–25.
Received = complaints received in most recent year (PHSO annual data). Remedy compliance = % of PHSO-recommended remedies complied with across all available years. — = no data in that dataset for this organisation.