My final Radio Ombudsman podcast: Reflections on seven years in office

Today I publish my final podcast as Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. When I started as Ombudsman seven years ago, Radio Ombudsman was one of the initiatives I launched to make the organisation more outward-facing.

The podcast helps demystify what we do. It also gives people who feel they have not been well-served by the Ombudsman an opportunity to tell us what we could do better. As an organisation that is constantly listening and learning, this is very important to us.

For my last podcast, I was delighted to be interviewed by my Private Secretary, Faye Glover, to reflect on my seven years as Ombudsman.

We talked about my beginnings as the son of a lower middle class Jewish family in Manchester, and the importance of family, community, loyalty, respect and moral values.

I also reflected on my career before I became Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, including my work with Nelson Mandela's Government to help create a post-apartheid civil service - an incredible experience and a privilege to be involved in.

My term as Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

When I started as Ombudsman in April 2017, I likened the challenge to 'playing the piano and moving it upstairs at the same time'. The organisation had lost its way, lost the respect of its stakeholders and lost the confidence of its staff. I was clear about what I wanted to do to put it back on track, but I knew I'd need to be very consultative about the way I did it.

I wanted to make sure the organisation's leaders acted together in a way which affirmed their integrity, for both the people working for the Ombudsman and those who use our service. It was a hard task but I was lucky to work with outstanding colleagues, who were eager for a new vision for delivering the work of the Ombudsman.

Together we have worked hard to become more outward-facing, more user-focussed, compassionate and respectful of complainants, and work in partnership with organisations we investigate to achieve maximum impact.

We have demonstrated that what we do works and is useful. We have raised serious issues for public attention about avoidable deaths in the NHS, about the culture of the NHS and how it needs to improve, and about the suboptimal way in which complaints are handled by Government bodies. Important examples are our Windrush investigations [LINK], and our report published last week about DWP's poor communication of changes to women's State Pension age [LINK], which blighted the lives of thousands.

While we have achieved a lot, I am disappointed that Government hasn't seen the opportunity that a reformed, strengthened Public Service Ombudsman would have in building back public trust. And we have yet to attain own-initiative powers and remove the barrier that requires people complaining about a Government service to be referred to us by their MP. These two steps would achieve more justice for more people and remain essential asks for Ombudsman reform.

What being an Ombudsman means to me

As I finish my term, I have reflected on what being an Ombudsman means. It is, for me, a key role in accountability in public life.

Not just for the help we provide people in uncovering the truth and seeing justice served. But also in the values that we hold close that dictate how we work - core values and principles of independence, fairness and transparency. It is through these foundations that we build trust with the public and the courage to speak truth to power.

At the heart of what we do is a belief that relationships between citizens and state are fundamental to our wellbeing as a society. Sometimes these relationships break down and that is where we come in. Our work reveals the truth and ultimately leads to better public services for citizens.

An organisation going from strength to strength

I feel confident I am leaving the office of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman in a stronger position than it was back in 2017. I'm grateful to my wonderful colleagues who have worked alongside me to achieve that.

We haven't solved every problem but we've created an organisation which is capable of moving forward, of working with the people we serve to address the big challenges. It will take guts and determination for the next Ombudsman to do that. But I'm sure they will be very capable of rising to that challenge, particularly with the brilliant, respected colleagues who will help lead the way forward for them.

My final podcast

I hope you enjoy listening to my final podcast as much as I did recording it. I am eternally grateful to all the guests who have joined me over the years, particularly the complainants who have generously shared their traumatic and very personal experiences with us.

Their courage and integrity to reflect on their experience and say how we could have done better, share what they learned and their thoughts on what public policy should look like, has been invaluable.

As for Radio Ombudsman, I look forward to a new host and the next episode very soon.

This is Rob Behrens, signing off as your host for Radio Ombudsman for the last time. Listen to the podcast to hear more of my reflections and find out what I'll be doing next. I wish you well.

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