Complaints handling by some public bodies 'disappointing'

Public bodies like health boards and councils should work harder to settle complaints to ease pressure on the ombudsman, an assembly committee said.

Ombudsman Nick Bennett, who steps in when other bodies fail to satisfy complaints, is asking for less money from the Welsh Government next year.

The finance committee praised his "prudent" approach in cutting costs.

But members warned that public bodies which promised but failed to resolve complaints added to his work.

Mr Bennett has told the Welsh Government he needs £4.41m to fund his work in 2018-19, down from £4.46m, despite a 13% increase in the number of enquiries and complaints over the year.

Reporting on the budget request, the finance committee recognised there had been a 75% increase in complaints to the ombudsman from 2011 to 2017, with members particularly concerned about NHS complaints - nearly 40% of the total.

One example involved a health board failing to pay compensation it promised to a man following an eye operation, despite repeated requests by the ombudsman to do so.

Plaid Cymru AM Simon Thomas, who chairs the committee, said it "commends the ombudsman's prudent approach in the preparation of his estimates for the next financial year".

"That some organisations are agreeing early resolution and then not fulfilling their obligations is disappointing," he added.

"This has a knock-on effect on the ombudsman's work and the public purse, as more resources have to be applied to pursing a complaint."

Mr Bennett said he was "delighted" that the committee had recognised his office had been "prudent and innovative in our approach", which included the use of new technology and putting the emphasis on public bodies to settle complaints sooner themselves.

He added: "There is a risk with stable or dwindling resources that we may be overwhelmed by complaints in future.

"But we've managed very well over the last three-and-a-half years [since he became ombudsman] and I'm confident that if we get the resources we've asked for we will be able to cope."