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Blackpool Borough Council (03C17141)

Adult care services     Maladministration causing injustice

23 February 2006

‘Miss King’ (not her real name) was elderly, highly dependent and required daily contact. Her legs had been amputated below the knee and she used a wheelchair. She also had generalised arthritis, diabetes controlled by diet and was hard of hearing. The Council classed her as ‘Priority 1’, the highest priority. Her niece, ’Mrs Lloyd’ (not her real name), complained that the private company that provided care services for Miss King on behalf of the Council failed to visit her as required by the care plan put in place by the Council.

Miss King was reached some 13 hours after the time set for the visit. “She had presumably gone much of the day without food or water,” said the Ombudsman. “It appears likely that her accident arose from the failure of carers to visit her.” Miss King was admitted to hospital, and died eight days later.

The Council had received a catalogue of complaints about the quality of the care provided under contract by the private company, including missed visits, but had not taken effective action to achieve an improvement in its services. Miss King was a vulnerable service user who would be placed at risk by a missed visit but the Council had not carried out a proper risk assessment of her situation.

“She was the type of person the Council should have had in mind had it acted properly to protect service users,” said the Ombudsman. “Miss King was badly let down by the Council and its provider.”

The Ombudsman found maladministration causing injustice by the Council, but recognised that there could be no adequate remedy for the failure of care services that led to the hospital admission of Miss King or for the distress caused to Mrs Lloyd by later events. Nonetheless, she recommended that the Council should waive the home care charge of £849 requested from Mrs Lloyd, apologise to her and pay her £500 in recognition of her time and trouble in pursuing the complaint. It should also offer her a form of tribute or memorial to her aunt. The Ombudsman also recommended that the Council should have an appropriate policy agreed at member level to ensure that risks were assessed properly, review complaint procedures and staff training, and carry out a review of care plans.

Date Updated: 21/09/09