West Berkshire Council (20 005 738)

Statement Not upheld Assessment and care plan 17-Mar-2021

Summary: Mrs X complains the Council has failed to deal properly with Mrs Y’s financial assessment (leaving her to fund her own care) and failed to consider whether she should be referred for a full assessment for NHS Continuing Healthcare. We have discontinued the investigation as the Council has withdrawn its financial assessment so it can reconsider its decision. Mrs Y’s family has now applied for NHS Continuing Healthcare.

Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council (19 016 476)

Statement Upheld Assessment and care plan 17-Mar-2021

Summary: There was a lack of clarity in the Council’s support plan. There was fault in the way the care provider used Mr E’s money to pay for food without proper authorisation and there was a delay in administering medication. The Council has agreed to apologise, provide a financial remedy and write to other residents who have been similarly affected.

Kent County Council (20 006 958)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Assessment and care plan 16-Mar-2021

Summary: The Ombudsmen have decided not to investigate a complaint about mental health care being transferred from an NHS Trust to a Council without telling the family. This is because although there appears to have been fault, this has been acknowledged and the organisations have already taken action to put these right. We are therefore unlikely to achieve more by investigating.

Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council (20 008 689)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Assessment and care plan 16-Mar-2021

Summary: Mrs X complained on behalf of her brother, Mr Y, about his care assessment and care provided by the Council. Mrs X said that Mr Y was coming to physical harm because of this. We will not investigate this complaint because there is a more appropriate person to represent Mr Y.

Northumberland County Council (20 007 684)

Statement Upheld Assessment and care plan 15-Mar-2021

Summary: We upheld some of Mr X’s complaints about a council’s involvement with his mother Mrs Y when she went into a care home. There was a failure to signpost Mrs Y to independent financial advice and a failure to carry out a social care assessment. And the Council’s complaint response contained unhelpful, irrelevant detail. The Council will apologise for the avoidable distress to Mr X.

Norfolk County Council (20 009 935)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Assessment and care plan 12-Mar-2021

Summary: Mr X complained about the Council’s failure to communicate with him about his mother’s care. We will not investigate the complaint because it is unlikely we would find fault.

Brighton & Hove City Council (19 012 945)

Statement Upheld Assessment and care plan 10-Mar-2021

Summary: Mr C complained about the way in which the Council arranged his mother’s placement, and how it carried out two safeguarding enquiries. He was also unhappy with aspects of the Council’s financial assessment and a delay in terminating his parent’s tenancy, which caused him distress. We found fault with the way the Council carried out the safeguarding enquiries and caused a delay in terminating the tenancy. The Council has agreed to apologise to Mr C and pay a financial remedy for the distress he experienced.

Nottinghamshire County Council (19 015 380)

Statement Upheld Assessment and care plan 10-Mar-2021

Summary: We upheld one of Mr X’s complaints. There was poor communication by the Council because it did not write to him to say it was commissioning an agency to do his care after stopping his direct payment. This caused Mr X avoidable distress for which the Council will apologise. There was no fault in transferring Mr X’s case from the mental health to adult social care team and no evidence a social worker verbally attacked one of Mr X’s personal assistants.

Lancashire County Council (20 011 597)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Assessment and care plan 10-Mar-2021

Summary: We will not investigate Ms C’s late complaint about the actions of the Council in 2018 and its decision to stop her care package in 2019. This is because Ms C could have come to us sooner if she was unhappy with the Council’s decision not to provide her with care.

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.