Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly has singled out the Health Service Executive for strong criticism in her annual report.
Ms O'Reilly said her office had been led into an 'Alice on Wonderland' type trip by the HSE in trying to block certain information emerging into the public domain.
She said there was 'something rotten' within an agency that sought to suppress information.
The Ombudsman saw a record 2,873 complaints to her office in 2009, the highest number in over ten years.
Ms O'Reilly said the volume of complaints shows significant numbers of people continue to have problems with public service bodies.
Her report contains criticism for a range of State agencies, but the tone and extent of criticism reserved for the HSE has taken many by surprise.
She described the HSE as being riddled with secrecy.
The Ombudsman said there are what she called 'appalling' cases of medical neglect within the HSE, which she said are unacceptable and need to be highlighted.
Launching the annual report, Ms O'Reilly cited a number of cases.
She described how a woman was denied pain relief while giving birth in Waterford Regional Hospital; a Wexford respite patient who was confined to bed because no seat was available and had bruising on her body when she returned home; and the 'abysmal' care of a cancer patient in Beaumont Hospital.
He died ten days after no action was taken after his daughter's complaint on a Bank Holiday that he was vomiting faecal matter.
She said her office has had considerable difficulty accessing records from the HSE for an investigation she is conducting, she said she would reveal details of the problems and the investigation in the coming weeks.
Ms O'Reilly described complaints in relation to social services and public healthcare as 'shocking and unacceptable'.
The Ombudsman also highlighted that the Department of the Agriculture, Fisheries & Food rejected her findings and recommendations about the controversial Lost At Sea scheme.
It was the first time that has happened since she assumed office in 2003.
The Ombudsman Annual Report was submitted to the Dáil and Seanad this morning.
A HSE spokesperson has said it is disappointing for the public to be told that the HSE engages in deliberate acts of secrecy.
Bernard Gloster of the HSE said this was not true and that the organisation makes genuine efforts to provide information to the Ombudsman.
He said however that when a person enters a relationship with a clinician or a HSE professional they do so on the assumption that the information generated is private. He said that it must be balanced against the need to co-operate with the Ombudsmans office.
