I had the privilege to join the Ombudsman on a visit to RAF Halton last month. This marks our final visit of the year as part of SCOAF’s wider Outreach Programme to the Services. Today, I’ll be talking about my experience as we met personnel and held a focus group to get views on the Service Complaints system.
After arriving at RAF Halton in the morning, we had an intro with the Station Commander. We received a warm welcome and sincere enthusiasm and interest that we’ve made this visit.
The rest of the morning was made up of meetings to set the scene for RAF Halton. We were introduced to the main functions of the base and how it operates. During lunch, we had a table booked with some of the officers and new recruits. It was great to hear their first-hand experience of life in the Armed Forces.
The afternoon then turned to the focus groups. First up were the Junior Non-Commissioned Officers, the personnel who provide training and assessment of the new recruits. We heard their views on the training process and the need to create a positive approach to complaints at the lowest level. Their intent to train personnel in good Service Complaints handling was great to hear.
Next were the Senior Non-Commissioned Officers who told us their experience of the Service Complaints system. While the creation of Central Admissibility Teams was viewed as a positive, it seemed to me that it will take time until this translates to changing perceptions in the barracks, bases, and stations. We and the Services are on a journey together with Service Complaints, and we're only at the start of building a better system for all Armed Forces personnel.
The final focus group of the day was Officers, and I was struck by how robust this conversation was. The chance to engage with personnel in this way, without the chain of command, allowed us to hear about Service life from a variety of perspectives. It was good to hear that the Officers had some knowledge of the Service Complaints system, and I was so pleased that they felt able to come forward with their concerns.
After the Officers’ focus group, we had a final debrief with the Station Commander. After the Ombudsman outlined some of the issues raised throughout the day, the Station Cdr was genuinely engaged with the issues and how they could potentially be addressed.
Overall, this was a great experience for me as a Senior Investigator to see both the impact of the work I do and the role we have in helping deliver a better Service Complaints system. I thank RAF Halton for the opportunity to make this visit, and the personnel for their forthright conversations. I hope to be on many more outreach visits soon.
- SCOAF Senior Investigator