Scottish Public Services Ombudsman Reviews 

Important data about SPSO: ScotGov website & search for Petition PE1964 about SPSO.

Scottish Parliament Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee.
ScotGov PE1964 - Create an independent review of the SPSO. The review was created to determine the effectiveness of the SPSO.

Accountability Scotland had many concerns of a lack of independent oversight of SPSO:
- Act allows the SPSO to cherry-pick evidence, ignore witnesses and repeat the public body’s unsupported claims. The SPSO does not address why evidence of wrongdoing can be ignored.
- All on-line review data gives lowest rating.
- Common themes of bias illogical arguments & evidence being ignored.
- The procedure for conducting the investigation is to be such as the SPSO thinks fit.

The committee met 07/12/2022, 28/6/2023, 15/4/2024 & 05/3/2025. The committee consensus:
1) A lack of available performance data: No data was discussed.
2) Levels of customer satisfaction: Negative feedback was provided by the public. Trustpilot ratings show 99% of scores were 1-star. This is the lowest rating.
3) Neutrality in external evaluation: No data was discussed.

On 05/3/2025, Mr Ewing concluded the SPSO:
a) Has no power to award any specific remedy to any individual nor to recommend that the body that caused the harm should issue any compensation where there has been a “sustained injustice or hardship”. It seems to me to be a lacuna.
b) May agree: “Well, your complaint is upheld”, they might well feel that that is unsatisfactory, especially in the most serious of cases where there has been injustice and hardship.
05/3/2025: The Committee agreed to close the petition under Rule 15.7 of Standing Orders.

ScotGov ministers knew SPSO was not fit for purpose and decided to close petition PE1964.
Completely scandalous.

The SPSO shields the NHS from legal action. They are incompetent, conceal their mistakes through lies, and intentionally mislead.

If anyone is interested in a thorough investigation of the SPSO's case management, feel free to reach out. I possess undeniable evidence of their conduct.

DO NOT USE SPSO for any clinical negligence case:
- Write formally to your health board & obtain all medical records. Invoke ICO if needed.
- Engage Collaboras Medico-Legal to assess your medical records. I think the cost of this is £1,000.
- Collaboras will determine if a case has merit.
- Engage a clinical negligence Solicitor who will determine the clinical experts needed to win any case.

IF YOU FIRMLY BELIEVE NHS HAS BEEN CLINICALLY NEGLIGENT - INVEST IN YOURSELF.

I followed the Patient Charter through NHS/SPSO etc, this slowed the process down - they all lied & covered up specific medical records.
My case became Timebarred.

I hope this helps!!

An absolute waste of time!!!!

The SPSO describe themselves as an independent body providing fair and unbiased decisions on complaints……Rubbish!!!!

Public services already know the outcome if you are unlucky enough to have to use the SPSO for their services

These review stats don’t lie…. This is a Scam company and should be closed down.

Terrible experience. The SPSO gave the impression of being independent, but in reality I felt ignored and dismissed. From my case and from what I’ve read in other reviews, this organisation is failing in its duty to the public.

My complaint was about poor care at the Surgical Admission Unit Ninewells Dundee.
I am still shocked about the way the SPSO handled my complaint , she was not interested in what I had to say all very rushed, negative , and dismissive.
I had to beg her to look at my complaint.
Only interested in what the NHS board had to say and not the experience of the patient,
Bad care is not written up in medical records as the Ninewells are marking there own mistakes.
Disappointed but not surprised.
Will contact the First Minister John Swinney this cannot be allowed to happen, Its shocking the SPSO needs to be investigated if 98% reviews are this bad....

Absolute waste of time thinking you will get an unbiased investigation from this bunch. I complained about appalling care under mental health services in Glasgow which caused emotional and physical harm. They of course sided with the NHS saying they used medical reports written to draw conclusions. I asked whether they thought the people I was complaining about would seriously write anything that would jeopardise their own position and why were they not listening to me. They said that's the way it was done. Appalling absolutely appalling. This organisation is not fit for purpose and just another mouthpiece of the NHS to back them up or cover up whichever way you look at it.

For years I have contacted the Ombudsman about serious complains. They have been worse than useless. Most recently I sent a well documented complaint to them. And they just said, they couldn't deal with it. We need a competant Ombudsman.

They dont get involved in tenants disputes their policy is to make sure landlords follow their complaints policies.procudures and thats it !!!!!! landlords refuse to any action on anything even after 2 years of complaints about harrassements from tennants in a community hall .they state they will take no action on any issues been raised .the police are saying its not a crime to be agressive threatening bulling intimidating antaginising provication threshold is to high for them to take any action they advise you to move house can you beleive that .

I contacted the ombudsman due to it taking Wheatley homes more than 3 months to investigate a complaint which is supposed to take 5 working days.

The lady over the phone said that I cannot complain as I have not gotten a letter from Wheatley homes regarding my complaint. I asked at what point do I acknowledge that Wheatley homes have no intention of investigating my complaint which? She responded that she advises to keep waiting until I get a response, I said that this isn’t happening though and this is why I am phoning as that advice isn’t really advice as 3 months of waiting is more than fair.

The lady told me I’m disrespectful as I haven’t appreciated how hard it is for her to do this. I said I have not been disrespectful at all I am asking how long I have to wait as waiting for 3 months is more than reasonable. The lady then said she can’t speak with me as I am too disrespectful. I told her that she should apologise for calling me names. She said it is her right as she feels upset. I said well you are being disrespectful to me by calling me names because I am asking how long I have to wait.

She said calling an agent disrespectful is abusive and she is ending the call. I made a formal complaint

I lost the complaint because she was upset and therefore she has the right to hang up on me. I said what about her calling me names? They said she has the right to do that if she is upset and they support her in that.

They said that we need to move on as her feelings are what should matter. I asked about my feelings and I was told that this isn’t helping move things on.

So basically a terrible service

Totally useless, over 1 year to come up with "mistakes were made, lessons, learnt, no further action". If there was any wrong doing they simply turned a blind eye to it. The guy I dealt with was either clueless or being controlled by someone senior to him. Either way he gets his salary easy. They are just an extension of the trough feeders in everyday local government.

Very, VERY poor organisation. Not fit for purpose at all. There's increasing public complaints arising in regards to public service organisations and institutions seemingly and the SPSO's response is to automatically side with the complained about organisation after stretching the process out for months and months. Me and a family member have had a few dealings with them with legitimate well laid out complaints. The SPSO is a total failure of an organisation. Someone should see about getting a judicial review into them as they're not fit for purpose.

My complaint / question to the SPSO was simple. Do Aberdeenshire Council Care Services have a statutory Legal obligation to involve me in my father’s care and affairs? Yes or No?

I did not get an answer !

My complaint with Aberdeenshire Council was over my exclusion from discussions re possible interventions in my father’s care and affairs which is what I understand to be the case according to The Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2007

It requires anyone to consult with me / seek my views and include me in discussion as his closest relative and Next of Kin which further define me under the Law as a Relevant Other. The Law seems very clear on this, and there are no exceptions, nor is there any option to delegate. My father was confirmed to have no capacity to make any decisions a good few years ago in which case his care and safety depends upon informed interventions. I submitted about a years’ worth of correspondence with Aberdeenshire Care Services raising concerns about his care and safety, suggesting interventions, asking to be involve etc.

The correspondence evidenced ZERO inclusion. IE; at no time did Care Services consult me or seek my views. Nor did they allow me to witness father’s involvement or that his past and present wishes were being considered. Both being further legal obligations under the same Act.

SPSO claimed to have looked at all the evidence. However, even if this were true, they explained late in the day, and after being pressed, that their role is limited to looking at how Aberdeenshire Council handled my complaint. Did they follow correct complaint handing procedures. They do not consider the grounds of any complaint.

This so called Service must be investigated for their unforgivable failures .
What other service can still operate with a 98% failure rate . It does not matter how much supporting factual evidence you give them they always decide against you . My case had so much evidence a non English speaking toddler would have upheld my complaint yet they continue to fail the very people they should be supporting time and time again . PLEASE DONT BE PUT OFF , make a complaint against them , contact your MP , take legal advice . They have just spurned me on more . This Organisation should be closed as it is not fit for purpose . Don’t waste your time seek legal advice immediately as you can’t seek legal advice whilst these lot are doing their online shopping as they clearly not reading your complaint .

Not fit for purpose . Staff not trained . Management operating a tick box disposal system.
Has been going on for years . This scandal belongs on the front page of national newspapers . Certain employees ( snd politicians) belong in jail for what has gone on here. And continues to go on .
SPSO ? Just say NO !

Corrupted to the core. Filed a solid complaint with evidence of negligence by physio at kings cross hospital in Dundee not to mention inappropriate slandering by a lousy physiotherapist Lisa Scott, I had reports by private practitioners that proved my condition. SPSO colluded with NHS Tayside by coincidentally offering an appointment at the pain clinic after a year and half wait to find Dr Gillespie who disregarded and discredited the reports I had, confirmed physio useless practices, twisted my words in spite of walking in with notes of my own to ensure there would be no inaccuracies in her report. Gave me a third degree interrogation. Result: my complaint will now be dismissed by SPSO. Totally corrupted, deceitful. They are a disgrace. I had a gut feeling I shouldn't have gone. You can't trust any public services including crooked police officers. Scotland is a very corrupted country, inbred and interconnected between corporations, public services from NHS to the police and they will abuse the system to harm you without any hesitation.

This organisation is dangerously corrupt to the point of offering ‘dishonest assistance’ to the local authority, in this case Orkney Islands Council which has found itself in court for suspected cartel activity. We too have fallen victim to the same influences in Orkney Islands Council and lost hundreds of thousands of pounds and that of our IP which they tendered out later having purposely derailed our project to do so.

We expected the SPSO to take their duties seriously and initiate an investigation as they must legally. Instead they lied, obfuscated and ignored our report. This organisation is not fit for purpose and is actively facilitating the cover up of criminal activity. An utter disgrace and a fraudulent organisation in itself taking tax payers money under false pretext of running a regulatory body, when it’s clear they are merely covering wrong doing up.

In my earlier review of the SPSO dated 31/10/24, I said I would not suggest for anyone to go to the SPSO. On reflection and on my experiences since then, I would actively encourage everyone to go to the SPSO. This way a catalogue of failings can be collated and evidenced to MSP's and Scottish Government to support a long overdue investigation into this organisation to close it down. One point of advice, just accept from the outset your complaint will not be dealt with fairly and brace yourself for the humiliating outcome to be copied to the organisation you are complaining about. Do not get emotionally invested, see it as a means to achieving a greater need. The wrong person has been named in my complaint as the person complained about and the actual complaint detail has hardly been addressed with other factors taking priority. The reviewer has actually investigated issues I said the organisation had wrongly investigated when I complained to them. The reviewer has actually repeated the same wrong actions as the organisation. The decision letter will tell you to get in touch if the reviewer has misunderstood the complaint or if you require further understanding of the complaint outcome. Another point of note, don't expect this to be followed through. I received acknowledgement that I do not understand how the decision outcome was reached but no explanations are forthcoming and I am referred back to the decision letter and to progress to the review stage. The review stage is not a complete review of the complaint but a very limited opportunity to present new information. A minus star rating.

The Scottish public service Ombudsman do not deserve even one star it’s a completely corrupt service that is not fit for purpose they have been sitting on the case I brought them for two years now far beyond the time limit they are supposed to take making decisions with the case regarding the dangerous illegal Gas Flu from the next door property on my roof the ombudsman even have proof Edinburgh council have been constantly lying meanwhile Edinburgh council complaints department who the case is against have informed me on a number of occasions that I’m waisting my time going to the ombudsman because they know them well and the ombudsman will do everything Edinburgh council tell them to do illegal or not. So today I received the ombudsman decision after two years and low and behold it’s a pathetic one page decision that makes no sense with no information fobbing me off the ombudsman is even lying for Edinburgh council in the reply knowing that my family are at risk of explosion and or carbon monoxide poisoning. the ombudsman service and Edinburgh council complaints services are completely negligent both not fit for purpose in each others pockets ignoring dangerous illegal practices if the house blows up and my family die because of their joint negligence the evidence is their in a number of places for those to be held to account.just to add to my review several hours after posting all the carbon monoxide alarms went of in the house tonight a number of times until all windows have been opened for decent ventilation I have emailed Edinburgh council and ombudsman to let them know.

Absolute waste of time nothing but stress and anxiety caused throughout the process and left feeling distraught.
The SPSO is not fit for purpose and colludes with the public bodies it is meant to be investigating, instead of helping the complainant. Public and regulatory bodies close ranks leaving the individual feeling worse than before perusing the complaint.
The SPSO frequently ignores or is selective about evidence, and it can make unsubstantiated statements as it sees fit.
The SPSO hides behind the process, it investigates whether an organisation has followed its own processes and does not make any judgement or takes it to the investigation stage.
The outcome of those processes with which the NHS and Social Work follow they go along with the decision already been made and it is found acceptable when you receive an apology. In my experience this did not in any way make what happened to my Mum and the treatment she received any better.
No wonder the NHS and Social Work get away with the service we receive.How can we make things any better if this is what we have in place for complaints.
This has left me feeling worse than I did when I started my complaints nothing but denial and apologies.
They are in collaboration with the NHS and Social Work.
This service should be shut down a waste of tax payers money.
Absolutely disgusted with this service.

The SPSO is the sole reason we have terrible public services, complete waste of time, and resources, and their failure to investigate legitimate complaints, only encourages disgraceful behaviour by the organisations under their watch. Not fit for purpose.

It's scandalous that this organisation exists at the expense of the public. They have denied me the opportunity of holding my local council to account for wilful negligence and for failing to act in dealing with acts of criminality. They refused to investigate my complaint due to a time condition. Despite me appealing their decision on the grounds of a family bereavement (one of their 'special circumstance' appeal conditions) and despite me having the support of my local MP they flatly refused to investigate. A further complaint raised a year later with clear evidence of wilful negligence at play by the council was again refused investigation and my subsequent appeal was rejected outright. Their vision statement has no merit whatsoever - 'The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman contributes actively and positively to high performing Scottish public services.
Recognised for our innovative world-leading approach, we put people and learning at the heart of all we do.'