Every day, OA members are developing new approaches, improving services, building partnerships, and finding innovative ways to make a difference. We know there's a huge amount of valuable work happening across the OA community, but not all of it gets shared widely.
This new section is about changing that.
OA Member Spotlight shines a light on the people, projects, and initiatives making an impact across our membership, celebrating achievements, shared learning and inspire new ideas and solutions to improve outcomes across the sector.
Each issue, we'll highlight a small number of examples from members, from partnerships and research to a different way of working, service improvements, policy work and learning from casework, helping to share good practice across the OA community.
Featured work
🔹 Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO), Featuring the work of Dr Tony Dysart
Focus: Using complaints to shape medical education
PHSO has recently launched a partnership with medical schools in the north-west of England to embed learning from complaints into clinical training. The initiative aims to help doctors of the future build stronger relationships with patients, respond more effectively to concerns, and feel more confident communicating with patients when concerns are raised.
The initiative demonstrates how insights from complaints can be used as a tool for learning and improvement beyond case resolution. It highlights the wider value of using complaint insights to support professional development,
strengthen practice and build more responsive, user-focused services.
[Images: Dr Tony Dysart filming a patients journey / pathway through a clinical scenario - a good version and a bad version – with a final result in how to run a good and a bad resolution, to stimulate discussion amongst medical students]
[Images: Dr Keith Harkins (PHSO Lead Clinician / Physician), Professor Mini Singh, Director , Edge Hill University Medical School; Dr Simon Tavernor|, Senior Clinical Lecturer and Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist, Edge Hill University Medical School]
🎙️ We'll be exploring this work in more depth in a future OA podcast episode.
Read more: Prioritising Patient Safety by Dr Tony Dysart
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🔹 TDS Adjudicator AI Workbench Team
Focus: Harnessing AI technology to support adjudication
TDS has been exploring how artificial intelligence can support adjudication processes and enhance operational efficiency - developing and implementing an AI-enabled tool that supports adjudicators in resolving tenancy deposit disputes. Through its Adjudicator AI Workbench Team, the organisation has co-designed with frontline practitioners. The Workbench has improved efficiency, reduced decision times and enhanced evidence review, while ensuring that all final decisions remain transparent, accountable and human-led.
The initiative provides a strong example of how AI can be used responsibly to improve outcomes for consumers and practitioners, while maintaining quality and fairness in decision-making.
[Images: The team recently shared insights from this work with OA members during the Summer Workshop at the 2026 OA Conference]
Read more: Summer Workshop: Use of technology / AI - TDS x Simplexico
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🔹 Ombudsman for Children Ireland (OCO), Featuring Nuala Ward, Director of Investigations
Focus: Advancing practice and improving outcomes
Nuala Ward has been recognised for her leadership in driving service improvement, innovation and systemic change within the Ombudsman for Children's Office.
Her role in modernising complaints handling, overseeing major investigations centred on children's rights, and leading projects that have influenced improvements in public services, delivering lasting benefits/outcomes for children and young people across Ireland.
Her work demonstrates how expertise, innovation and a commitment to continuous improvement can help strengthen services and achieve meaningful impact.
The initiative provides valuable learning for organisations seeking to embed improvement and innovation within their own approaches.
[Image: these are all members of the OCO management team, left to right Tricia Keilthy, Head of Policy, Nuala, Dr Niall Muldoon, Ombudsman for Children, Claire McGreal, Head of Communications and Timmy Hammersley, Head of Education and Rights]
Read more:
- Child Centred Justice: support for child defendants in the Irish court system (2025)
- Making the Case for a National Child Death Review Mechanism (2025)
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Together, these examples reflect the breadth of work, innovation and expertise taking place across the OA community, demonstrating the value members bring to those they serve.
Get involved
We'd love to hear from you. If you've got a piece of work you're proud of, we'd be delighted to help share it with the OA community. We're always keen to hear about interesting projects, innovations and improvements taking place across the sector.
Want to be featured in a future OA Member Spotlight?
Get in touch with the OA team.
Send us a short summary, relevant links and any supporting images to charlee.boon@ombudsmanassociation.org, and we’ll consider it for a future member spotlight, newsletter feature or episode of That OA Thing.