Funding the PHSO - are there any plans to relieve the public of its financial burden?

The request was successful.

Dear Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman,

The Financial Ombudsman receives no government taxpayer-funded money to carry out its investigations:

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How is the Financial Ombudsman Service funded?

We are funded by levies and case fees which businesses we cover have to pay by law. Consumers do not pay to bring a complaint to the ombudsman. And we receive no government funding.

http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/fa...

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Are their any plans to fund the PHSO with a similar process - by levies and case fees from negligent organisations - and save the £32m + - with which the taxpayer funds the PHSO?

As , logically, levies and 'fining' negligent PA's would produce an improved attitude to both the PHSO's willingness to thoroughly look for maladministration, increase the respect of PA's s to its office and relieve the taxpayer of the £32m + burden.

Yours faithfully,

[Name Removed]

foiofficer@ombudsman.org.uk, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman


Thank you for your e-mail to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. This return e-mail shows that we have received your correspondence.

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D. Speers left an annotation ()

VERY interesting FOI request Jt....thank you for asking.

[Name Removed] (Account suspended) left an annotation ()

Thank you Dee.

I still can't see how or why the PHSO is spending £1, 861, 000 (- That's nearly £2m out of £37m) ...on External Affairs and Strategy - to so little effect.

- As its reputation is worse than it used to be....

(Including Health Minister Jeremy Hunt's , Patients Association , Julie Bailey, James Titcombe and other bereaved parents comments)

It just needs to work with more integrity to start to improve its reputation - and not rely on its in-built arrogance.

Then it wouldn't need to spend so much public money plastering over the widening cracks.

NB It also spent £1.6m on recruitment. Presumably because of the high staff turnover.

...Jointly, that's over 10 percent of its taxpayer funded budget.

D. Speers left an annotation ()

SPOT ON Jt......and it seems 'All the dressing is still in the window and there is still nothing in the room' "Plastering over ever widening cracks" is very apt description!
Cracks always resurface!

D. Speers left an annotation ()

The £1.6m on recruitment would explain why just my case took 40+ case workers to look at!

Fiona Watts left an annotation ()

BRAVO J.T Oakley.

On behalf of victims of NHS negligence & PHSO cover up; thank you for your FOI enquiry .

I ditto Dee Speer! Superb!

[Name Removed] (Account suspended) left an annotation ()

The PHSO budget is £37m - and it wasn't satisfied with spending that .....failing to meet its own service standard.

Auditor says it wasn't 'presenting accurate financial data'.

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Service standard

We will not exceed the limits on our funding for 2014-15 sanctioned and voted by Parliament.

Not achieved

PHSO has incurred an Excess of £275k as a result of breaching its Net Cash Requirement (NCR).

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National Auditors report

Explanation for qualified audit opinion on regularity in respect of Net Cash Requirement

Parliament granted the PHSO a Net Cash Requirement limit of £32,391,000. PHSO’s forecasting and monitoring of its cash in 2014-15 was inadequate. This resulted in an overdraft position at 31 March 2015 and a breach of the limit authorised by Parliament.

Explanation for qualified audit opinion on regularity in respect of Annually Managed Resource Expenditure

During 2014-15 some accommodation leases held by PHSO became onerous; that is, the income to be received from sub-tenants over the remaining life of the leases was substantially less than the amounts PHSO was committed to pay. Under International Accounting Standard 37, the total remaining commitments on these leases, being £6,894,000, is recognised as an expense in 2014-15. It is counted as Annually Managed Resource Expenditure in the Statement of Parliamentary Supply. PHSO failed to consider both the financial reporting implications of the onerous lease and consequently the impact on the actual Annually Managed Resource Expenditure for the year. It therefore did not seek Parliamentary approval for the additional expenditure, and incurred a breach of the authorised limit.

Actions taken by PHSO

The two qualifications identified in my audit highlight the need to ensure a step change in financial management within PHSO. Following my identification of these financial control issues PHSO has taken active steps to review and address weaknesses in its financial management.

It is important these encompass improvements in the quality and skills of the finance staff, improve financial reporting to enable the Board to have sufficient oversight of financial performance and that greater attention is paid to the review process to ensure the presentation of accurate financial data and adequate resource bids.

The planned actions being taken by PHSO include these areas, and are referenced in the Governance Statement.

I will review the PHSO’s progress in addressing these weaknesses in financial reporting and financial management in my future audits.

Sir Amyas C E Morse

Comptroller and Auditor General 28 October 2015
National Audit Office

157-197 Buckingham Palace Road Victoria
London
SW1W 9SP

P91 onwards

http://www.ombudsman.org.uk/pdfs/publica...

D. Speers left an annotation ()

Am sure we are "not happy" providing such ineffective spending money.......do we have a say?

D. Speers left an annotation ()

You are the real detective Jt...I suspect moreso than the PHSO Director of Investigations.....I believe. Thank you for your time.....and knowledge!

foiofficer, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

3 Attachments

Dear [Name Removed]

 

Your information request: FDN-239672

 

Thank you for your email of 7 November 2015 in which you requested
information as to whether there are plans to fund the Parliamentary and
Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) in a similar way to the Financial
Ombudsman Service (FOS); that is, ‘by levies and case fees from negligent
organisations’ rather than through government funding.

 

In line with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 I can confirm that we do
not hold the information you have requested. However, in order to be
helpful, I have provided some information which may answer your general
query.

 

The way in which the PHSO is funded is set out in the legislation which
governs the Ombudsman’s work: [1]the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967
(PCA) and the [2]Health Service Commissioners Act 1993 (HSCA). Sections 2
and 3 of, and Schedule 1 to, [3]the PCA and section 1 of, and Schedule 1
to, the [4]HSCA govern the Ombudsman’s salary and the funding of her
office. These provisions specify that the Ombudsman’s salary and pension
are paid for out of the Consolidated Fund and that the funding for her
office is paid for out of funds approved by HM Treasury and provided by
Parliament. More information about our funding and accounts can be found
in our latest [5]annual report (available here:
[6]http://www.ombudsman.org.uk/ar2015).

 

As the drafting and enactment of the relevant legislation was not
undertaken by the PHSO, but by Parliament, any changes to the way in which
the PHSO is funded would need to be made by Parliament.

 

In terms of potential law reform, the government announced its intention
to bring forward a draft bill to establish a single public services
ombudsman as part of the package of measures contained in the Queen’s
Speech in May 2015. The contents of this bill will be informed by the
outcome of the Cabinet Office consultation on ombudsman reform, [7]A
Public Service Ombudsman (available here:
[8]https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/sy...).

 

The Ombudsman, Dame Julie Mellor, wrote a [9]submission to the Cabinet
Office consultation on 16 June 2015 (available here:
[10]http://www.ombudsman.org.uk/__data/asset...).
In response to the question regarding the founding principles for such an
organisation, Dame Julie stated that a new public ombudsman service should
be underpinned by ‘simple and transparent funding arrangements that do not
create perverse incentives for service providers’.

 

Beyond this submission, the PHSO does not hold information regarding any
plans to change the way the Ombudsman’s office is funded, nor any
particular information about plans to fund the PHSO with levies and/or
case fees.

 

I hope this information is helpful. If you have any further queries, or
would like to ask for a review of my decision, you can write to me at
[11][email address].

 

Yours sincerely

 

Philippa Curran

Legal Assistant

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

E: [12][email address]

W: [13]www.ombudsman.org.uk

 

Follow us on

[14]fb  [15]twitter  [16]linkedin

 

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All email communications with PHSO pass through the Government Secure
Intranet, and may be automatically logged, monitored and/or recorded for
legal purposes.
The MessageLabs Anti Virus Service is the first managed service to achieve
the CSIA Claims Tested Mark (CCTM Certificate Number 2006/04/0007), the UK
Government quality mark initiative for information security products and
services. For more information about this please visit www.cctmark.gov.uk

References

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1. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1967...
2. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1993...
3. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1967...
4. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1993...
5. http://www.ombudsman.org.uk/ar2015
6. http://www.ombudsman.org.uk/ar2015
7. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/sy...
8. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/sy...
9. http://www.ombudsman.org.uk/__data/asset...
10. http://www.ombudsman.org.uk/__data/asset...
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13. http://www.ombudsman.org.uk/
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14. http://www.facebook.com/phsombudsman
15. http://www.twitter.com/PHSOmbudsman
16. http://www.linkedin.com/company/parliame...

Dear foiofficer,

Thank you for your helpful response and research.

Yours sincerely,

[Name Removed]

foiofficer@ombudsman.org.uk, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman


Thank you for your e-mail to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. This return e-mail shows that we have received your correspondence.

show quoted sections

All email communications with PHSO pass through the Government Secure Intranet, and may be automatically logged, monitored and/or recorded for legal purposes.
The MessageLabs Anti Virus Service is the first managed service to achieve the CSIA Claims Tested Mark (CCTM Certificate Number 2006/04/0007), the UK Government quality mark initiative for information security products and services. For more information about this please visit www.cctmark.gov.uk

D. Speers left an annotation ()

'presenting accurate financial data'. is vital in public services I would say! Not presenting ' accurate financial data' Means hiding negative figures doesn't it? Or maybe I misunderstand the audit process?