A complaint can be made to the Ombudsman; in many cases, the effects of a complaint is not realised. There are two kinds of Ombudsmen: The Government Ombudsmen, who are individuals appointed by the Government to investigate complaints where there has been injustice caused by the maladministration of central or local government offices or part of the National Health Service. They also investigate complaints about refusal to official information.

OtherOmbudsmen: This category includes people like the Banking, Housing Association and Insurance Ombudsman. It also includes the Investment Ombudsman.

This article deals specifically with the Government Ombudsman.

The important thing about a complaint to the Ombudsman is that it can not be treated as an alternative to the normal appeal process and can not be used as an extension to that process.

The way you have been treated or the way your case was dealt with are the type of complaint that is of the norm. A complaint should first be made to the manager of the department or office that you are unhappy with. The Ombudsman investigates whether there has been injustice caused by maladministration. This includes things such as bias, unreasonable delay and failure to follow, or to have, proper procedures and rules. Injustice can include financial loss as well as stress and anxiety.

How to complain: First you must exhaust all the appeals process available to you. When you begin to complain, a copy of all correspondence should be kept in case you need to exercise your right to complain to the Ombudsman. A complaint to the Ombudsman must be made in writing.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.