Manchester City Council (20 010 109)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Charging 11-Mar-2021

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about his mother Mrs X paying a significant top-up payment for her nursing home placement since 2017. The complaint lies outside our jurisdiction because it is late and there are no good grounds to exercise discretion to consider it now.

London Borough of Lambeth (20 011 002)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Transport 11-Mar-2021

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision not to issue the complainant with a Blue Badge. This is because the Council has reviewed the application and decided to issue a badge.

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.

Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council (19 004 532)

Statement Upheld Safeguarding 10-Mar-2021

Summary: Mr X complained about poor care provided to his mother, Mrs Y, as part of a Council-commissioned care package. He also says a later safeguarding investigation was inadequate and the Council managed his complaint poorly. There was poor care which caused Mrs Y some distress. The Council will pay Mrs Y £250 to acknowledge the distress caused. The care provider, Sevacare, and the Council have acted to improve care services in future. The Council considered possible safeguarding issues appropriately but there was delay in its investigation of the concerns about poor care. The Council will pay Mr X and Mrs Y £100 each to remedy the frustration and uncertainty caused by the delay. Sevacare has apologised for its delay responding to Mr X’s complaint and that is an appropriate remedy.

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.

Oxfordshire County Council (19 018 745)

Statement Not upheld Safeguarding 10-Mar-2021

Summary: There is no evidence the Council failed to consider the safeguarding alert properly. Mr X had capacity to make his own decisions about his visitors and who managed his finances.

Health Care Management Trust (20 005 028)

Statement Not upheld Residential care 10-Mar-2021

Summary: Ms X complained about the quality of care provided to her late mother at a care home. We have discontinued the investigation as Ms X’s sibling has started legal action against the care provider and this will consider matters raised in the complaint.

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 (20 004 169)

Statement Not upheld Charging 09-Mar-2021

Summary: Miss X, Y’s legal deputy, complained on behalf of his estate that the Council failed to include various costs that should be regarded as Disability Related Expenditure in his financial assessment. She also questioned the Council’s calculation of Y’s Minimum Income Guarantee. We found no evidence of fault by the Council and for this reason we ended our investigation.

Wiltshire Council (20 009 518)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Residential care 09-Mar-2021

Summary: I will not investigate this complaint about the actions of a residential care provider when a resident became unwell during very hot weather conditions. This is because there is nothing that further investigation could add to the Care Provider’s previous investigation and response.