Friday 16 October - Sunday 18 October: Complaint form offline

The supplier of our case management system has confirmed that they are experiencing a significant technical issue.

At present, we have no access to the case management system and we are currently unable to take new Public Service Complaints or provide updates on cases. We are planning on the basis that this could continue for a period of time including next week.

Please be assured we are doing all we can and will provide updates on our website.

For an all service update: Service update | SPSO

Decision review requests: current delays

We are currently experiencing significant delays due to a high volume of decision review requests. We are unable to provide a timescale for completing individual reviews or respond to enquiries that are solely asking for a progress update.

We will contact you when there is a meaningful update or when your review is complete. You do not need to contact us in the meantime.

Decision review process

Note: The information on this page applies to decisions made before 19 August 2026. If you received a decision on or after 19 August 2026, please visit our new decision review page.

Asking for a review

You can ask for a review if you are:

the person who made the complaint
the organisation complained about

Our role is to make a decision on each complaint by taking into account all the available facts and evidence and the views and opinions of both the person making the complaint and the organisation being complained about.

The grounds on which you can ask us to review our decision on your complaint are limited.

We will only change a decision if you

send new information, and/or
demonstrate information we used was wrong
AND
it has an impact on the original decision.

We will not change a decision or reopen a case simply because you disagree with the outcome of your complaint.

How to ask for a review

You should use a review request form (PDF, 239KB). We can also send you a copy if you call us on Freephone 0800 377 7330. If you would like a Word version of the form, please call us or contact us on the link below.

You should send us your review request and all the supporting information within four weeks of the date of our decision letter. We will not accept review requests made beyond this period, unless you can show there were special circumstances that meant you were unable to do so.

If you think you will not be able to meet the timescale for any reason, you should contact us as soon as possible to discuss this with us.

If you are waiting for a response to a Freedom of Information request, or a Subject Access request that you consider is crucial to the review of our decision, do not delay sending your review request. You should send it with the information you have and tell us when you made your information request, to which organisation, when you expect a reply, and why you think it is relevant to your review request.

If you are unsure about your request for review or how to make it, please contact us to discuss this before you send it.