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The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman was set up in 2002 as a 'one-stop-shop'. It replaced three previous offices - the Scottish Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, the Local Government Ombudsman for Scotland and the Housing Association Ombudsman for Scotland.
We investigate complaints about most organisations providing public services in Scotland including councils, the National Health Service, housing associations, the Scottish Executive and its agencies and departments, universities and colleges and most Scottish public authorities.
We look into complaints where a member of the public claims to have suffered injustice or hardship as a result of maladministration or service failure. We are the 'last resort', investigating cases only when the complainant has already exhausted the formal complaints procedure of the organisation concerned.
We aim not only to provide justice for the individual, but also to share the learning from our work in order to improve the delivery of public services in Scotland.
The text of the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman Act 2002 can been visited here (link)
Professor Alice Brown was reappointed as Scottish Ombudsman by the Scottish Parliament.
Jeremy Purvis MSP voted against the re-appointment motion.
In addition Murdo Fraser MSP, John Swinney MSP, Alex Neil MSP and Fergus Ewing MSP all sought assurance from John Scott and he confirmed that there will be more parliamentary scrutiny of the Ombudsman’s reports and they will be subject to much more robust criticism.
28th March 2007
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