We make final decisions on complaints that have not been resolved by the NHS in England and UK government departments and other public organisations. We do this fairly and without taking sides. Our service is free.
The Police Ombudsman's Office provides independent, impartial investigation of complaints about the police in Northern Ireland. We look at evidence to decide whether police officers have acted properly or not. Examples of the types of things we investigate include complaints that: officers were in breach of Criminal Law; officers failed to conduct proper enquiries; officers used excessive force; officers were rude or aggressive; or acted in breach of the Code of Ethics. We also investigate complaints about some, but not all, civilian employees of the police. This includes those performing custody and escort duties. Our decisions are made entirely independently of the police, government and complainants.
The Public Services Ombudsman for Wales has three specific roles. The first is to consider complaints about public service providers in Wales; the second is to consider complaints that elected members of local authorities have broken the Councillor Code of Conduct; the third is to drive public service improvement by promoting good complaints handling and learning from complaints. The Ombudsman is independent of all government bodies and the service provided is free of charge.
The Removals Industry Ombudsman Scheme (RIOS) provides an alternative dispute resolution service for clients of members of the National Guild of Removers (NGRS). Complainants are expected to exhaust the supplier’s own complaints process first, but if the matter cannot be resolved, they may contact the Removals Ombudsman. No charge is made to the complainant.
The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) has four distinct functions:
- It is the final stage for complaints about most devolved public services in Scotland.
- It publishes and monitors complaints handling procedures, while supporting best practice in complaints handling.
- It independently reviews and can overturn decisions on Community Care and Crisis Grant applications for the Scottish Welfare Fund.
- Is the Independent National Whistleblowing Officer for the NHS in Scotland looking at how the NHS considers whistleblowing disclosures, and treats the individuals concerned.
SPSO services are free and independent.
The Service Complaints Ombudsman provides independent and impartial scrutiny of the handling of Service Complaints made by members of the UK Armed Forces. We do this so that all Service personnel can have access to and confidence in a Service complaints system that is efficient, effective and fair. SCOAF has the power to refer complaints into the system, to review decisions made on the admissibility of complaints, and to investigate concerns with the outcome and handling of Service Complaints. We also report annually on the overall performance of the Service Complaint system.
We are an independent, not-for-profit, government approved Ombudsman. We offer Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) training and advice to traders and consumers in the retail, furniture, and home improvement industries.
The Motor Ombudsman is the fully impartial Ombudsman dedicated solely to the automotive sector, and self-regulates the UK’s motor industry through its comprehensive Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI)-approved Codes of Practice. Over 7,500 businesses, are accredited to one or more of the Codes covering new cars, sales, vehicle warranties, and servicing and repair, which drive even higher standards of work and service, and give consumers added protection, peace of mind and trust during the vehicle purchase and ownership experience.
The Pensions Ombudsman deals with complaints about workplace and personal pension schemes. We look at the facts without taking sides, and customers do not need to pay to use our service. We can also help with a complaint about a decision made by the Pension Protection Fund or the Financial Assistance Scheme.
The Property Ombudsman provides a free, impartial and independent service to resolve disputes between consumers and property businesses.
It was established in 1990 and has both mandatory (agents) and voluntary memberships (other property businesses and landlords) within the scheme. The Scheme is approved by the Government as an agent redress scheme, as an ADR provider by Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) and as an Ombudsman by the Ombudsman Association. The Ombudsman also produces codes of practice that are independently approved by CTSI.