From today (1 October 2026), the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman will be known as the Public Service Ombudsman.
The Ombudsman is the final stage in the complaints process for the NHS in England and UK government services. Their role and the service they provide remains the same.
For UK government services
If you’re unhappy with how a UK government department or service have handled your complaint and would like to take the matter further, you can ask your MP to refer it to the Public Service Ombudsman.
The kind of organisations covered by the Ombudsman include HMRC, DVLA, HM Passport Office and JobCentre Plus. A full list of the departments and bodies covered can be found here.
The Ombudsman is independent of government and free to use. They will carefully review your complaint to understand your concerns and assess whether it meets the criteria for investigation.
There is a time limit for asking your MP to refer your complaint, so you should do this as soon as possible. You need to get your complaint to your MP within 12 months of when you became aware of the issue.
To find out more about the Ombudsman’s service, visit www.ombudsman.org.uk or call 0345 015 4033.