Staffordshire County Council (19 012 070)

Statement Upheld Assessment and care plan 08-Mar-2021

Summary: There no fault in the Council’s assessment of Mr B’s care and support needs. But, it was fault for the Council to make reinstatement of payments conditional, in the knowledge that Mr B was getting into a large debt. To remedy the injustice the Council should reach a decision on his direct payment amount and care charges.

Radcliffe Care Home Ltd (20 011 263)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Residential care 08-Mar-2021

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the hairdressing charges incurred by his late mother Mrs X during her stay at a care home. The care provider did not fail in its duty of care to Mrs X by not preventing her having this service, because there is not enough evidence to show Mrs X did not have capacity to make decisions to spend her own money on the hairdressing she received.

Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council (19 016 196)

Statement Not upheld Assessment and care plan 05-Mar-2021

Summary: Mrs X complained about the Council’s failure to carry out a proper care needs assessment and other related issues. We have found the Council was not at fault.

Warwickshire County Council (19 021 026)

Statement Not upheld Assessment and care plan 05-Mar-2021

Summary: Mrs C complains about the way the Council provided information about her son’s care costs before he moved to supported living accommodation. Mrs C says her son faced an unexpected and large increase in his outgoings which caused him significant upset and contributed to a suicide attempt which has caused long-term damage to his health. We have found no evidence of fault by the Council.

City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council (20 001 072)

Statement Upheld Charging 05-Mar-2021

Summary: The Council was at fault for delaying in carrying out an assessment of Mrs Y and for the care she received at the care home. This resulted in it taking longer to establish Mrs Y’s care needs and uncertainty for her family concerning the level of care she received. The Council has agreed to remedy the injustice caused.

Cumbria County Council (20 004 716)

Statement Not upheld Other 05-Mar-2021

Summary: The Ombudsman found no fault by the Council on Mrs T’s complaint about her home suffering damage from a bathroom tap left on by a carer who visited the day before. There is no evidence showing the carer was responsible for the flooding. The carer may not have been the last person to go upstairs to the bathroom. There is simply not the evidence to justify a finding of fault against the Council.

I Care International Limited (20 010 596)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Residential care 05-Mar-2021

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the care provider losing his mother’s belongings. This is because it is unlikely an investigation could add to the response already provided by the care provider and because Mr X can take the matter to court if he considers the care provider to be liable for the loss of these items.

Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council (20 001 400)

Statement Upheld Other 04-Mar-2021

Summary: Miss X’s representative complained the Council as Miss X’s financial appointee failed to ensure she claimed a personal independence payment. So, she missed out on benefit she was entitled to receive. There was a delay in Miss X receiving the benefits and some of this delay was due to Council fault. The Council has agreed to pay Miss X £500 to acknowledge the lost opportunity caused by the Council’s delays.

Norfolk County Council (20 004 018)

Statement Upheld Domiciliary care 04-Mar-2021

Summary: Ms X complained about the care and support provided to her father Mr Y by a Council commissioned care provider and that the Council failed to notify her when the care provider gave notice to terminate the contract. There was no fault in the care provided or in the way the care provider responded to Ms X’s concerns. The care provider was at fault when staff failed to complete daily records on four occasions and when a member of staff made an inappropriate comment to Mr Y. It has already taken action to prevent this recurring. The Council was at fault for not informing Ms X the care provider had terminated the contract. The faults caused Ms X and Mr Y distress and meant Ms X had to care for Mr Y when there was a gap in care provision. The Council has agreed to apologise and make payments to Ms X and Mr Y to acknowledge the impact of the faults.

Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council (19 014 898)

Statement Upheld Domiciliary care 04-Mar-2021

Summary: We have found fault in the way the Council carried out a safeguarding investigation into the care that the Agency provided, fault in the way the Council decided the care plan and fault in the care the Agency provided. The Council has agreed to apologise to the family and pay them £1,000 for the distress they suffered in addition to the £1,000 reduction in the fees the Council has already offered.