Key Principles

Complaints are dealt with through LGSCO’s/PHSO’s core teams, separating out the health and social care issues, unless:

• there are health and social care issues which are so entwined we can only work out who was responsible for any fault and/or injustice by investigating both functions at the same time; and

• the health and social care issues are both fundamentally significant to the overall complaint, rather than one being relatively minor compared to the other.

1. JWT carry out both assessments and investigations.
2. The JWT deals with health complaints from PHSO, but not Parliamentary joint complaints.
3. The delegation schemes for both Ombudsmen have been amended to include delegation for joint working cases to JWT Investigators and the Assistant Ombudsman (AO). Therefore, the JWT has delegation to work on behalf of both organisations. See appendix Four for the PHSO Scheme of Delegation and here for the LGSCO Scheme.
4. Each joint case is considered by one Investigator.
5. When any correspondence, draft decisions or decisions etc, are sent externally, a joint letterhead is used.
6. The AO arranges allocation of joint working cases and the JW Team Coordinators (JWTCs) administer the process.
7. Whether a case is considered joint is at the sole discretion of the JWT, based on their professional judgment and the circumstances of the case. The JWT may seek advice as necessary from colleagues at LGSCO or PHSO.
8. The JWT may decide to return a case to LGSCO or PHSO for consideration at its sole discretion.