The role is an important part of IPSO’s service to complainants and undertakes reviews of IPSO’s handling of investigated complaints to ensure that the process has been fair and transparent to all concerned. Mrs Haines’ open recruitment and appointment was overseen by IPSO’s independent appointments’ panel, chaired by Sir Hayden Phillips.

Trish Haines comes from a local government background, and served twice as Chief Executive – in Reading BC and Worcestershire CC. Her professional background is in social care, where she worked in both adult and children’s services in Warwickshire, Berkshire and Yorkshire. Since retiring in 2014, she has held non-Executive roles in the NHS, Age UK (H&W) and Malvern Theatres. She has broad experience of overseeing a range of regulatory regimes in both statutory and voluntary settings. Originally from Belfast, Mrs Haines lives in the West Midlands.

Commenting on her appointment, Trish Haines said: “I am very pleased to have been appointed as the Independent Complaints Reviewer. Complainants and publications need to be certain that their case has been dealt with in accordance with IPSO’s rules and regulations and I am looking forward to getting stuck in to my new role.”

Sir Alan Moses, Chairman of IPSO, added: “IPSO is very pleased that a candidate of the calibre of Trish Haines has agreed to take on this most important position and I am grateful to our appointments’ panel for the excellent work they have done. IPSO’s complainants and regulated entities need to be able to challenge our processes and I have no doubt that Mrs Haines will be a scrupulous and independent judge of our work.”