Brighton & Hove City Council (21 008 114)

Statement Upheld Covid-19 30-Mar-2022

Summary: Mr B has complained about the care of his parents in a care home. We found fault in aspects of facilities and sensitivity shown around family bereavement which caused distress to Mr B and the Home has agreed to make apologies.

Lilies Home Care Ltd (21 010 606)

Statement Not upheld Charging 30-Mar-2022

Summary: Mrs X complained about the Care Provider’s actions in relation to her mother’s care charges. The Care Provider was not at fault.

Athena Care Homes (Kings Lynn) Limited (21 011 194)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Charging 30-Mar-2022

Summary: Ms F complained about the way the Care Provider handled her late mother’s care fees. We have discontinued our investigation into Ms F’s complaint because it is late and there are no good reasons to exercise discretion to investigate it.

Somerset County Council (21 012 902)

Statement Not upheld Assessment and care plan 30-Mar-2022

Summary: There was no fault in the way the Council carried out social care assessments for Mr and Mrs X.

Luton Borough Council (21 004 603)

Statement Upheld Assessment and care plan 30-Mar-2022

Summary: Mrs B complained the Council and the CCG failed to pay her sister’s, Miss C’s, charges for accommodation for a period when she was entitled to free aftercare under the Mental Health Act 1983 since 2017. She also complained that Miss C remained in an unsuitable placement with unmet needs for almost two years. Mrs B said the Trust failed to provide her sister with enough mental health support and when acting on behalf of the Council and the CCG. She said the alleged faults had adverse impact on her sister’s wellbeing and caused Mrs B avoidable distress. We found fault by the Council and the CCG in the way they stopped paying for accommodation which should have been provided without charge. This led to Mrs B having to support her sister with financial matters and this could have been avoided. Delays by the Trust led to Miss C remaining in an unsuitable placement for longer than she should have reasonably expected without enough mental health support in place. This is likely to have impacted on her wellbeing. To remedy the injustice the authorities agreed to our recommendations and will apologise to Miss C and Mrs B in writing and make acknowledgement payments. They will review their policies and procedures to ensure they are in line with relevant law and good practice. They will also ensure their staff act in accordance with legislation and established good practice.

Staffordshire County Council (21 006 024)

Statement Not upheld Charging 30-Mar-2022

Summary: There was no fault in the Council’s assessment of Mr X’s disability expenses for heating.

Harbour Healthcare Ltd (21 018 091)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Residential care 30-Mar-2022

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the care provider not including his late mother Mrs X’s wedding ring on her property inventory, and about the loss of the ring. The care provider’s error in not listing the ring did not cause its loss. It is not possible for us to determine who was responsible for the ring’s loss so cannot provide a worthwhile outcome for Mr X.

Devon County Council (21 014 285)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Charging 30-Mar-2022

Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about third party top-up fees she paid towards her mother’s residential care costs. The complaint lies outside our jurisdiction because it is late and there are not good grounds to consider it now.

Devon County Council (21 016 767)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Safeguarding 30-Mar-2022

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s safeguarding investigation. There is not sufficient evidence of fault by the Council to justify investigating.

North East Lincolnshire Council (21 016 788)

Statement Upheld Charging 30-Mar-2022

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about care provided to Ms Y by the Council. This is because parts of the complaint are about events which happened too long ago for us to investigate now. There is also no evidence of fault in how the Council reached its recent decision regarding financial contributions Ms Y was required to make towards her care. The Council has also provided an suitable remedy for significant delays in responding to the complaint.