Complain to the public body first
PSOW normally expects the organisation to have had the opportunity to deal with the complaint. Keep the original complaint, final response and the evidence showing the alleged maladministration/service failure and resulting injustice.
Not every decision can be reviewed
For decisions issued from 1 June 2026, PSOW’s published review process is limited. It can review certain decisions not to investigate or to exclude part of a complaint. It does not provide a general merits re-hearing merely because a complainant disagrees.
Review deadline
PSOW says review requests should normally be made within four weeks and should identify specific evidence that was not considered and explain how that affected the decision. Its service-complaint route is separate from decision review.
Prepare before you refer the case.
- Write a short chronology.
- Identify the exact complaint issues and the remedy sought.
- Attach the final response/deadlock evidence.
- Index the decisive documents instead of uploading an unexplained archive.
- Check the live eligibility and deadline rules before submission.
Public-service complaints in Wales
The Public Services Ombudsman for Wales investigates complaints about many Welsh public bodies and also has functions concerning local-authority standards. For ordinary service complaints, complete the body’s own complaint procedure first unless there is a proper reason why that should not be required.
A strong submission identifies maladministration or service failure, the evidence showing it and the personal injustice that resulted. If the underlying matter has a statutory appeal mechanism, tribunal or court route, check whether the Ombudsman is the appropriate forum for that aspect of the dispute.
The review process from June 2026
PSOW introduced a revised decision-review process from 1 June 2026. Its published guidance gives a four-week period for requesting review and expects the requester to identify specific evidence or reasoning said to have been missed or mishandled and explain how that affected the decision. Simply repeating the original complaint or saying the result is unfair is not enough.
Use a failure-to-answer or issue schedule where helpful: list the issue, what the decision actually determined, the evidence/framework relevant to it and the important omission or error. That is more useful than sending the entire complaint again without identifying the review ground.
Ombudsman review and legal remedies are separate
An internal ombudsman review concerns the Ombudsman’s own decision under its published process. Judicial review or a statutory appeal, where available, is a court/tribunal process with different legal tests. Do not assume one extends the deadline for another.
Understand what the outcome can and cannot do
If you seek review of a PSOW decision, focus on the published review criteria and a specific factual, evidential or process error. Repeating the original complaint without identifying such an error is unlikely to change the result.
Keep the routes separate.
Regulator, ombudsman/ADR, statutory appeal and court proceedings can have different purposes, powers and deadlines. Using one route does not automatically preserve another.
Build the complaint for an independent reader
Build the complaint around maladministration/service failure and resulting injustice. Where reasons are inadequate, quote the question or material evidence that was not answered and explain why it mattered to the outcome.
| If they say… | What to check or say back |
|---|---|
| “You can request a PSOW review simply because you disagree.” | PSOW’s decision-review process is not a routine second merits appeal; identify a review ground in its published process. |
| “The body followed a complaint stage, therefore there was no maladministration.” | Compliance in form does not answer whether relevant evidence was considered or reasons were adequate. |
| “Another remedy existed.” | Assess whether it was reasonable and what the statute permits PSOW to investigate. |
| “No compensation is due.” | First identify the injustice and appropriate remedy; ombudsman redress is not calculated like court damages. |
Check jurisdiction and timing before writing the full case
Do the gateway checks first. A perfectly argued complaint can still fail if it is sent to the wrong body, too early, too late or against a respondent outside the scheme.
- Use the organisation’s complaint process first unless PSOW guidance indicates an exception.
- Check respondent, subject matter and the current referral time limit.
- Identify any statutory appeal or legal remedy and preserve its deadline.
- Keep the original decision, policy, evidence submitted, complaint responses and a chronology of delay/handling.
Is Public Services Ombudsman for Wales (PSOW) actually the right body?
PSOW investigates eligible complaints about public services in Wales and can consider complaints about specified bodies and services within its statutory remit. It is not a general appellate court for every Welsh public-sector decision.
A statutory appeal, tribunal or court route may be the proper way to change the merits of a decision. Regulatory or professional complaints may also have separate bodies.
Official sources
Check the current source material.
- Public Services Ombudsman for Wales
- PSOW - decision review process
- PSOW - request a review / complain about service
ConsumerWise explains these materials in plain English. Check the live source where a deadline, rule about what the body can deal with or legal requirement may have changed.