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 20 results matching "Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency"
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (P-005118)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Complaint handling
Complaint handling
AI summary: Mr D complained the DVLA did not adhere to a recommendation to award his daughter £400 for failings in the relicensing process, and the sum was insufficient.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (P-004723)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Vehicle licence
AI summary: Mr X complained the DVLA unlawfully disclosed his personal data to a car parking management company without reasonable cause, causing him stress.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (P-004729)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Vehicle licence
AI summary: Mr O complained the DVLA provided insufficient remedy for financial loss and loss of trust due to a timely failure to correct its vehicle record.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (P-004515)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Complaint handling
AI summary: Mr A complained DVLA provided misleading advice on vehicle taxation reclassification, causing significant stress, financial issues, and travel difficulties.
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (P-003937)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Diagnosis
AI summary: Mr F complained the Trust incorrectly diagnosed him with syncope in April 2024, causing him to stop driving and report to the DVLA, which led to significant financial and emotional stress for 18 months.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (P-003754)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Vehicle licence
AI summary: Dr X complained the DVLA seized and sold his vehicle without his knowledge in 2012, causing him significant financial detriment and distress.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (P-003716)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Human Rights
AI summary: Mr D complained the DVLA's process for claiming a 50% VED reduction for disabled people was burdensome, discriminatory, and caused stress and financial cost, with no improvements since his previous complaint.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (P-003605)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Complaint handling
Driving licence
AI summary: Mr O complained the DVLA delayed issuing his HGV licence, restricted it to three years for medical reasons, and failed to respond to his complaints.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (P-002872)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Business and regulation
AI summary: Miss D complained DVLA failed to respond to letters about her late partner's car, resulting in the car being clamped. She believed the letters were sent to the wrong address but should have been forwarded.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (P-002662)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Employment and low income benefits
AI summary: DVLA failed to change his vehicle description to 'campervan/motorhome' after he made specified alterations, leading to an inaccurate insurance valuation.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (P-002620)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Driving licence
AI summary: Mr T complained the DVLA did not award appropriate financial remedy for stress caused by their handling of his renewal applications, which extended his inability to drive.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (P-002019)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Driving licence
AI summary: DVLA wrongly revoked his driving licence after a fainting fit and then delayed processing its reinstatement and handling his complaint.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (P-001973)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Vehicle licence
AI summary: Mr A complained DVLA lost his V5C logbook and then charged him £25 for a replacement, despite having his new address from a driving licence update.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (P-001945)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Driving licence
AI summary: Mr U complained about the excessive time DVLA took to complete medical checks for his Group 2 driving licence, causing delays in starting a new job and financial loss.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (P-001705)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Driving licence
AI summary: DVLA took too long to change his driving licence address, causing his vehicle insurance to be cancelled and resulting in lost earnings.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (P-001684)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Vehicle licence
Complaint handling
AI summary: The DVLA incorrectly changed the registered keeper of Mr Y's car to his estranged wife despite his timely objection, causing him to lose car access and his personalised registration number. He also complained about their complaint handling.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (P-001687)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
None
AI summary: The DVLA repeatedly refused to allow Mr A to register his V5C at his business address, requested inappropriate evidence, failed to provide legislation, and showed bias due to his autism, causing stress and financial loss.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (P-001529)
UK Government
Upheld
Business and regulation
Business and regulation
Complaint handling
AI summary: Mr B complained the DVLA's age-related registration policy was unclear, they delayed communication, and did not follow their own processes or ICA recommendations, causing him stress and frustration.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (P-001171)
UK Government
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Driving licence
AI summary: Mr A complained the DVLA declined his licence based on incorrect information and caused significant delays in his application and fee refund, seeking further financial remedy.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (P-001082)
UK Government
Upheld
Discretionary decision
Driving licence
Driving licence
AI summary: Mr E complained DVLA repeatedly required unnecessary visual field tests and made incorrect diabetes enquiries when renewing his driving licence, causing stress and temporary licence loss.
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.