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 90 results matching "NHS England"
NHS England (P-001426)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Commissioning
AI summary: Mr A complained NHS England's IRP incorrectly upheld a CCG decision that his late father was ineligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare, causing financial disadvantage.
NHS England (P-001375)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Continuing healthcare
AI summary: Mr T complained NHS England's independent review panel incorrectly denied his mother continuing healthcare funding, disputing the assessment of various care domains.
NHS England (P-001372)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Continuing healthcare
AI summary: Mr O complained NHS England's independent review panel incorrectly upheld his mother's ineligibility for continuing healthcare funding, disputing their assessment of care domains.
NHS England (P-001324)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Administration
Continuing healthcare
AI summary: Mr R complained NHS England's Independent Review Panel wrongly ruled his father ineligible for continuing healthcare funding, failing to properly consider his needs and key indicators.
NHS England (P-001297)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
None
AI summary: Mr A complained that NHS England's IRP wrongly upheld the CCG's decision that his father was ineligible for CHC funding, citing issues with the IRP's decision-making process.
NHS England (P-001300)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Continuing healthcare
AI summary: Mrs A complained NHS England's IRP wrongly upheld the decision denying her father CHC funding, resulting in his placement in a care home unable to manage his complex needs.
NHS England - North (regional office) (P-001270)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Commissioning
AI summary: Husband complained the Independent Review Panel incorrectly weighted assessment domains, denying his wife Continuing Healthcare funding despite her complex health needs.
NHS England (P-001234)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
None
AI summary: Mr O complained NHS England incorrectly decided his father was ineligible for NHS continuing healthcare funding and refused a full Independent Review Panel.
NHS England and Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group (P-001228)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Commissioning
AI summary: Mr R complained NHS England's review panel incorrectly upheld the CCG's decision that his late wife was ineligible for NHS continuing healthcare, misapplying assessment criteria.
NHS England - Midlands and East (regional office) (P-001206)
NHS in England
Not Upheld
Continuing healthcare
AI summary: Mrs N and Mrs O complained NHS England's Independent Review Panel (IRP) wrongly found their mother ineligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare, disputing criteria applied and the IRP's decision-making process.
NHS England - North - Lancashire and Greater Manchester (Local office) (P-001201)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Commissioning
AI summary: Mrs T complained NHS England's Independent Review Panel wrongly upheld her mother's ineligibility for NHS Continuing Healthcare, disagreeing with the assessment and suffering distress from the process length.
NHS England - North (regional office) (P-001188)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Continuing healthcare
AI summary: Mrs U complained NHS England's Independent Review Panel incorrectly assessed her mother's eligibility for NHS Continuing Healthcare, specifically regarding domain levels and key indicators.
NHS England - North (regional office) (P-001161)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Commissioning
AI summary: Mr D complained NHSE wrongly upheld a decision denying his mother CHC funding, disputing assessment criteria. He also criticised the IRP's unprofessional conduct.
NHS England - South - South West (Local office) (P-001075)
NHS in England
Not Upheld
Continuing healthcare
Continuing healthcare
Continuing healthcare
Continuing healthcare
AI summary: Mrs E complained that NHS England's review panel incorrectly assessed her son's eligibility for Continuing Healthcare funding, citing errors in domain weightings and key indicator considerations.
NHS England (P-001073)
NHS in England
Not Upheld
Commissioning
Commissioning
AI summary: Mrs L complained NHS England’s review panel wrongly denied her mother NHS continuing healthcare funding, disagreeing with the weighting of domains and assessment of key indicators.
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.