North Lincolnshire Council (18 013 579)

Statement Upheld Assessment and care plan 13-Mar-2020

Summary: The Ombudsmen find fault by the Trust, in that it sent Mr M’s follow-up appointment letters to the wrong address and as a result he was discharged from follow-up care. This meant Mr M did not have the opportunity to discuss his care with a specialist. However the Ombudsmen find it was reasonable of the Trust and Council not to refer Mr M for continuing healthcare, and that he was provided with stroke rehabilitation in line with the relevant standards and guidance.

GP CARE Services Limited (19 009 245)

Statement Not upheld Residential care 13-Mar-2020

Summary: The complaint is about the care Mr G’s mother received while in a care home. The Ombudsman has considered a council’s records of its safeguarding investigation. Our view is an investigation by us would be unlikely to add anything. So our view is we should discontinue our investigation.

London Borough of Harrow (19 011 309)

Statement Upheld Assessment and care plan 13-Mar-2020

Summary: Mrs X complained the Council failed to provide clear information and guidance about the adult social care assessment process after she asked for support for her adult son, Mr Y. She said the Council also delayed in giving Mr Y support from the correct service. The Ombudsman finds the Council was at fault. The Council has agreed to pay Mrs X £200 for the avoidable distress caused by the fault. That remedies the injustice caused. The Council has agreed to review what information it provides to people accessing adult social care for autism support.

Bupa Care Homes (CFC Homes) Limited (19 013 301)

Statement Upheld Residential care 13-Mar-2020

Summary: Mr and Mrs A complain about their late relative Mr B’s care in a nursing home. There was poor record keeping by the Care Provider and so we uphold this part of the complaint. The Care Provider has already remedied any injustice. We are satisfied wound care was appropriate and in line with Regulation 17 of the 2014 Regulations and so do not uphold this part of Mr and Mrs A’s complaint.

Hertfordshire County Council (19 018 120)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Charging 13-Mar-2020

Summary: Now that Council has carried out a full review, the Ombudsman will not investigate Mr B’s complaint that the Council failed to provide full information and advice about payment for care services. This is because it is unlikely the Ombudsman’s involvement will lead to a significantly different outcome.

Leeds City Council (19 015 474)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Residential care 13-Mar-2020

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint about the care the complainant received while staying in a residential care home. This is because he is unlikely to find fault.

Avery Healthcare Group (19 018 251)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Other 13-Mar-2020

Summary: The Ombudsman cannot investigate Mrs X’s complaint about a retirement community. This is because the community is not providing a regulated activity under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Essex County Council (19 018 254)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Assessment and care plan 13-Mar-2020

Summary: Mr X complained about the Council’s decision in November 2018 to treat his mother as having notional capital, when it decided she purposely deprived herself of assets to avoid paying for her care. We will not investigate this late complaint. There is not a good reason Mr X did not complain to us within 12 months of that decision and we could not now come to a fair or sound conclusion.

Leicestershire County Council (18 017 173)

Statement Upheld Direct payments 12-Mar-2020

Summary: The Council was at fault for failing to arrange home care for Mr B within a reasonable timescale after assessing his needs. This meant he stayed in residential care for several weeks longer than he needed to. This caused Mr B and his son (who was paying a third-party top-up towards the residential care) a financial injustice, as the residential care was more expensive than the home care. The Council has agreed to remedy this by making payments to them totalling £1,100.

Durham County Council (18 018 109)

Statement Upheld Assessment and care plan 12-Mar-2020

Summary: Mr J complains about the way the Council calculated the personal budget to meet his care and support needs. The Ombudsman has found fault causing injustice. The Council has agreed to apologise and reimburse Mr J for the costs of meeting his eligible care and support needs.