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PHSPaula Sussex — no licensed photograph is available, so the regulator plate is shown instead.

Regulator

Paula Sussex

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO)

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) is based in Manchester Central — the organisation’s base, not a personal address.

Press citations

2

Topic

1

Hospital discharge / bed-blocking

Last quoted

Aug 2026

Paula Sussex: key facts

Kind of voice
Regulator
Role
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Organisation
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO)
Organisation based in
Manchester Central
Quoted on
Hospital discharge / bed-blocking
Tracked press citations
2
Most recently quoted
27 Aug 2026

Who Paula Sussex is

Paula Sussex CBE is the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO), appointed by His Majesty King Charles and having taken up the role on 1 August 2025. PHSO independently investigates unresolved complaints about the NHS in England and UK government departments and other public bodies. Sussex is a graduate of the London Business School and a trained barrister, and previously served as CEO of the Student Loans Company (2018–2022), the Charity Commission (2014–2017), and fintech firm OneID (2023–2025). She was awarded a CBE in 2022 for services to higher education. In her public statements she has argued that complaints should be treated as a force for systemic improvement in public services, and has publicly supported the Hillsborough Law Bill's Duty of Candour provisions as a means of rebuilding public trust in the NHS and government.

“The issue highlighted in Leah's case about the commissioning and managing of services by ICBs is not an isolated one. We are concerned that there may be similar wider problems affecting multiple areas of healthcare, and that the system is not consistently meeting people's needs.”

References for this biography

  1. 1.Paula Sussex is named new Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman | PHSO — Confirms appointment, start date, educational background (London Business School, barrister), prior roles (OneID, Student Loans Company, Charity Commission), and CBE
  2. 2.The Ombudsman | Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) — Official PHSO staff page confirming current role, start date, and career background
  3. 3.Appointment of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman | PACAC — Confirms parliamentary scrutiny and PACAC endorsement of the appointment; five-year fixed term
  4. 4.Paula Sussex comments on Hillsborough Law Bill as it is debated in Parliament | PHSO — Establishes her public advocacy on duty of candour, complaint culture, and NHS accountability
  5. 5.PHSO's Paula Sussex: Listening is absolutely crucial | Healthcare Today — Press interview establishing her health policy priorities including systemic improvement, MP filter reform, and communications
  6. 6.Our locations | Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) — Confirms main postal address (Manchester M2 3HQ) and London office address (SW1P 4QP)
  7. 7.Press office | Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) — Confirms organisational press contact email and phone number

Notable achievements

  • Appointed Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman by His Majesty King Charles, having been recommended by a cross-party appointment panel and confirmed by Parliament's Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, taking up the role on 1 August 2025. Source ↗
  • Awarded a CBE in 2022 for services to higher education, reflecting her tenure as CEO of the Student Loans Company from 2018 to 2022. Source ↗
  • Appointment confirmed by the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC) following a formal pre-appointment hearing, with the committee satisfied she has the personal independence and professional skills for the role. Source ↗

What Paula Sussex has said

  • “ADHD and autism services were "under significant pressure, with demand outstripping capacity", adding: "While commissioning cannot solve these supply constraints, the way services are designed, commissioned and delivered can compound the pressure people experience and make it harder to make the best use of available resources."”

    Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · Autism and ADHD care complaints more than triple in five years in England ↗

Where Paula Sussex has been quoted

  1. Woman denied permanent birth control on NHS wins case with ombudsmantheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
  2. Autism and ADHD care complaints more than triple in five years in Englandtheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026

Related media coverage

Recent UK press coverage of their topics — not necessarily citing them directly.

Contact & links

Organisational contact points only, each taken from a page the organisation publishes itself. No personal or direct contact details are held or shown.

Named officials of regulators, arms-length bodies and public agencies such as the CQC, NHS England or a local authority association. Citations are counted by an automated scan of UK press coverage and may be incomplete. Roles, biographies and contact details are researched and human-reviewed before they appear here; anything not yet reviewed is simply absent rather than shown unverified. This profile was last updated on 5 Oct 2026. See the methodology for how this page is built, or email contact@bridgeheadcommunications.com to correct anything on it.