Suffolk County Council (21 013 628)

Statement Not upheld Direct payments 30-Mar-2023

Summary: Mrs G complains the Council wrongly asked for direct payments for her daughter’s care to be returned. We have not found fault by the Council.

Kent County Council (22 010 647)

Statement Not upheld Direct payments 30-Mar-2023

Summary: Mrs X complained the Council did not agree to pay for an increase in fees to the support agency that meets her son’s care needs. She said this was unfair and caused distress and uncertainty as they are at risk of losing the current service. We have not found the Council at fault for how it made its decision not to increase its direct payments for Mrs X’s son.

London Borough of Haringey (22 011 688)

Statement Not upheld Direct payments 22-Mar-2023

Summary: Mr X complains the Council was at fault in the way it calculated and advised him of his assessed contribution towards his Direct Payment care package and took recovery action against him for non-payment. We have found no evidence of fault in the way the Council considered these matters. So, we have completed our investigation.

Slough Borough Council (22 005 041)

Statement Upheld Direct payments 21-Mar-2023

Summary: Mrs X complained the Council did not ensure suitable home care was in place for her husband Mr X and forced her to arrange some of Mr X’s care herself using direct payments. Mrs X also said the Council did not assess her own care needs when she asked it to. There was fault by the Council, and by Care Provider 6, which it commissioned to deliver care for Mr X on its behalf. This caused avoidable distress for Mr and Mrs X and put Mr X at risk of harm. The Council agreed to apologise and pay a financial remedy. It will also issue reminders to its staff, share our decision with Care Provider 6, and consider the faults identified if it works with Care Provider 6 in the future.

London Borough of Waltham Forest (21 017 787)

Statement Upheld Direct payments 17-Mar-2023

Summary: Mr X complained about the Council’s handling of his application to receive direct payments for his daughter, Ms Y. There was fault causing injustice when the Council failed to properly oversee the direct payment application process and when it made an error in its calculations. The Council agreed to backdate Ms Y’s direct payments and increase the financial remedy it offered Mr X’s family.

North Yorkshire County Council (22 013 125)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Direct payments 02-Mar-2023

Summary: Mrs B has complained about a Council’s decision not to investigate her complaint about Section 117 of the Mental Health Act aftercare. The Council decided that the complaint was made too late. The Ombudsmen will not investigate the complaint as, although there may have been fault in the Council’s actions, it probably did not lead to a significant injustice for Mrs B.

Coventry City Council (22 010 193)

Statement Upheld Direct payments 06-Feb-2023

Summary: The Council was at fault for not providing Mrs X with information about the care process and explaining how the care assessment would work when she asked for care for her mother. As a result, her mother paid for private care and did not realise she could have received help towards the costs of care. The Council agreed to apologise, make a payment, and ensure it has procedures in place to give people information about the care system when they initially approach the Council for assistance.

Luton Borough Council (22 005 635)

Statement Upheld Direct payments 31-Jan-2023

Summary: Mrs D complained about the Council’s handling and decisions for her husband to be employed as her personal assistant and to increase her direct payment. We found the Council failed to follow the direct payment review process, and properly explain its next steps to Mrs D. There was also a delay in the complaints handling. There was no fault in the decision the Council reached about Mrs D’s direct payment request, we cannot therefore criticise the merits of the decision. The Council agreed apologise to Mrs D and make payment to acknowledge the distress and uncertainty its faults caused.

Lancashire County Council (22 002 973)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Direct payments 25-Jan-2023

Summary: We will not investigate Mr B’s complaint about the way the Council considered his company receiving payment for his mother’s, Mrs C’s, care. This is because it is unlikely we would find enough evidence of fault to warrant an ombudsman investigation. Further investigation by us could not add to the response provided by the Council.

Hampshire County Council (22 001 239)

Statement Upheld Direct payments 20-Jan-2023

Summary: Mrs X complained on behalf of herself and her husband about the way the Council handled his care needs and direct payments, which pay for his care. She also complained about the quality of care provided, and the Council’s handling of her complaint. Mrs X said they suffered financial hardship. She said the faults caused unnecessary distress and stress, cost her time and trouble, and had a significant impact on Mr X’s physical and mental health. Largely we find the Council at fault, and the fault caused Mr and Mrs X injustice. The Council has agreed to apologise and make a payment to them to reflect the injustice caused.