“An ombudsman service for everyone”

Representatives from Scope, RNID, Help the Aged, the British Dyslexic Association and the National Autistic Society came together recently at a two-day Different Needs Awareness event organised by the Financial Ombudsman Service.

In the first event of its kind, ombudsman employees had a few hours away from settling consumers’ financial disputes – to learn more about the practical difficulties that people with different communication needs can face.

The event was one of the biggest staff training and awareness-raising events ever undertaken by the ombudsman service. By the time it was over, all 800 employees – as well as the chief ombudsman who heads the service – had attended the interactive training sessions led by five of the UK’s leading charities. But what led to the event – and what does it mean to people who might need to refer a complaint about a bank, insurance company or finance firm to the ombudsman? Able spoke to David Millington, ombudsman, to findout more:

Why did you decide to organise a Different Needs Awareness event?

“As a free service, we’re here for everyone. We want our staff and our service to be as accessible as possible. We deal with a wide-range of complaints from insurance and banking to investments and mortgages, and the people who refer complaints to the ombudsman service are no less varied themselves.

We felt that by meeting and interacting with specialist charities, we could get a really practical insight and understanding into some of the challenges that people contacting us might face. It was an opportunity that staff really valued and it’s helped us think in a new light about the issues involved, with lots of fresh ideas!” More >