SPSO Launches Annual Report 2010-11

The SPSO launched its 2010-11 Annual Report on 5 October 2011.

It focuses on the SPSO's two key roles - handling unresolved complaints about public services, and improving how public bodies deal with complaints.

Cases outlined in the report demonstrate the impact of the SPSO on people’s lives.
In 2010-11, the SPSO made a total of 490 recommendations for redress and improvement, some of which included changes to national guidance.

The report highlights improvements made to the SPSO’s own service as a result of a new business process for handling complaints. We have significantly reduced the length of time taken to resolve cases; at the end of 2010-11, the number of open cases was only 306, despite the fact that half way through the year we took on responsibility for handling complaints about Scottish prisons (amounting to an additional 295 complaints during the year).

My key message is that the public sector needs to improve standards of complaints handling. For more about our work in this area see www.valuingcomplaints.org.uk

To read the report please click here: SPSO Annual Report 2010-11