Military's complaints system is inefficient and unfair, report says

The British Armed Forces complaints system has been described as inefficient and unfair by a report released by Ombudsman.

In the Service Complaints Ombudsman for the Armed Forces’ annual report for 2023, the system has been labelled as 'not efficient, effective or fair'.

"Whilst there remain areas to work on, I do believe that the system is improving, and will continue to do so," said the Service Complaints Ombudsman for the Armed Forces, Mariette Hughes.

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"Whilst I remain unable to say that the Service Complaints system is efficient, effective, or fair, this has been another year of significant improvements," added Ms. Hughes.

"All three Services have engaged with each other and with my office in a positive and meaningful fashion this year, seeking to identify areas for improvement and achieving the best performance against KPIs to date. 

"I have not made any further recommendations in this report, in order to allow the agreed recommendations from 2022 to take effect and deliver real and lasting change. 

"However, we will only achieve the vision of an efficient, effective and fair Service Complaints system if we continue to work and drive for change together."

In the 2023 report, Ombudsman identified the key issues affecting the system included the time taken to resolve appeals, and a lack of trust in the process.

Furthermore, there were serious concerns raised around the experiences of those who complained about bullying, harassment, and discrimination, which made up 21% of all reports.

According to the report, 39% of Service Complaints were upheld (partially or fully) in favour of the complainant, and 74% of complaints were closed within 24 weeks.

However, Ombudsman had not made any new recommendations thereby ensuring the recommendations from 2022 could be focused on.

"The Ombudsman provides valuable independent oversight of the Service Complaints system, which we are continuing to improve," said a spokesperson in an MOD statement.

"This includes the creation of a dedicated investigation team, which is independent of the chain of command so that there is greater independence in the system.

"We have also introduced a new app which allows personnel to raise and track concerns online."