Independent Reviewer of Service Complaints
Advisory Board/non-executive members are not involved in operational matters and are therefore unable to comment on, or provide support to, individuals.
The Independent Reviewer of Service Complaints supports the Ombudsman in learning from complaints about our service to continually improve our performance.
We operate a two-stage process for service complaints. The Independent Reviewer considers a sample of complaints against our service and how effectively they were handled, including timeliness and responsiveness. Where complaint handling standards are not met the Independent Reviewer will be able to make recommendations for improved practice. The Independent Reviewer’s reports will be published on our website from 2021-22 and summarised in our Annual Report and Accounts.
Report published February 2023
First report, published June 2021
The Independent Reviewer will not consider individual service complaints, the outcome of determinations or other decisions made by the Ombudsman service on individual cases.
Felicity Mitchell
Felicity qualified as a barrister and is currently an independent consultant working in the ombudsman sector. From 2018 to 2023, she was Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education at the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA), the ombuds scheme for students in England and Wales. Before joining the OIA in 2004, Felicity worked for the Financial Ombudsman Service and the Banking Ombudsman.
Felicity was a director of the Ombudsman Association from 2019 to 2023, becoming Vice Chair, and Chair of its Validation Committee, in 2021.
From 2016 to 2021, Felicity was a County Councillor at Hampshire County Council. She was Chair of the Economy, Transport and Environment Select Committee, and a member of the Adult Health and Social Care, Policy and Resources, and Audit Committees.
Felicity sits on the Advisory Panel of the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales. This is a non‑statutory forum whose main role is to support the Ombudsman in providing leadership and good governance. Felicity volunteers for several charities, working in debt counselling and global development.