HEALTH OMBUDSMAN IN THE UNITED KINGDOM: ESTABLISHMENT, FUNCTIONS, AND EFFICIENCY

Abstract

Ombudsmanship is an institution of complaints acting against especially poor administration issues of public authorities per public complaints. Ombudsman, equally, is a public administration audit tool. Ombdusman, meaning representative person or attorney of the people, appeared for the first time in the 18th century Sweden. After the Second World War, it has spread to all continents. In present day, ombudsman has a field of application in 150 states in varying levels and formats. In the course of history, ombudsmen of different specialties have appeared due to increasing capacity and activities of the state and the public bureaucracy. The health ombudsmanship that constitute the main theme of this study is among them. This study aims to analyze the establishment, functions and efficiency of the health ombudsman in the United Kingdom. Accordingly, after general information about the concept of ombudsman is given, the historical establishment process of the health ombudsman in the UK, its functions and efficiency are assessed through the selected method of research. The scientific documents on the issue, such as books, articles, conference papers and official institutional documents in Turkish and English languages, are collected, analyzed through content analysis, the findings are deduced and  a conclusion is reached after discussion. The Health Ombudsman in the UK functions as an important tool of Parliament accountability, guarantor of the right to information, and a key democratic institution in charge general health quality in the country. Access to ombudsman for a complaint is extremely easy, fast and systematic.

Keywords

• Ombudsman
• Health Ombudsmanship
• Audit
• United Kingdom

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