London Borough of Richmond upon Thames (19 006 800)

Statement Upheld Assessment and care plan 10-Jul-2020

Summary: The Council acknowledges some fault in its communication with Mr X's family and the record of Mr X's capacity assessment. The Council will now offer a payment in acknowledgement of the distress caused to Mr X's family.

Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council (19 004 800)

Statement Upheld Assessment and care plan 07-Jul-2020

Summary: Mr X complained the Council failed to arrange suitable accommodation for him during a Christmas holiday in 2017. The Ombudsman upheld Mr X's complaint. The Council has agreed to apologise to Mr X and review the way in which it monitors the progress of complaints investigations.

Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council (19 014 246)

Statement Upheld Assessment and care plan 06-Jul-2020

Summary: Mrs X says the Council wrongly decided her mother deliberately deprived herself of capital with the intention of decreasing her liability for care charges. There was fault by the Council because it did not properly apply the test on deprivation of capital. The Council agreed to exclude the property concerned from consideration as notional capital.

East Sussex County Council (19 011 655)

Statement Not upheld Assessment and care plan 03-Jul-2020

Summary: The Ombudsman does not find fault with the way the Council assessed Mr B for residential care charges. There was also no fault in the way the Council conducted its investigation in respect of deprivation of assets.

London Borough of Croydon (19 009 457)

Statement Upheld Assessment and care plan 03-Jul-2020

Summary: Miss D complains through her sister Ms F about the way the Council assessed and met her care and support needs. The Ombudsman has found fault. The Council has agreed to apologise, review Miss D's needs, and make a payment to Ms F.

Royal Borough of Greenwich (19 010 775)

Statement Upheld Assessment and care plan 01-Jul-2020

Summary: The Council accused Mrs X of using offensive words to an officer when it had no evidence to support this. The Council stopped Care Act assessments on Mrs X and her husband when it should not have done. The Council caused distress to Mrs X. The Council caused a two-month delay in its assessment of Mrs X and her husband. To put this right the Council has agreed to apologise and pay them a total of £450 for the distress and delay.

Brighton & Hove City Council (18 018 290)

Statement Upheld Assessment and care plan 01-Jul-2020

Summary: The Council is at fault as the setting of Mrs Y's personal budget was not transparent. There is no evidence of fault in how the Council decided how much to pay Ms X for managing Mrs Y's direct payment account and how it decided Mrs Y's disability related expenditure.

Essex County Council (19 005 954)

Statement Upheld Assessment and care plan 01-Jul-2020

Summary: The Ombudsmen found fault by the Council with regards to the care and support provided to a young woman with complex care needs. This fault meant the woman went without care for two years and caused both her and her mother significant distress. The Council has agreed to waive the outstanding care fees and pay an additional sum in recognition of the distress this caused for the woman and her mother.

Hartlepool Borough Council (19 002 595)

Statement Upheld Assessment and care plan 01-Jul-2020

Summary: Mrs B complains about how a care provider commissioned by the Council dealt with matters relating to her son's care and support. The Ombudsman finds no fault by the Council in these matters. There was however some fault in the investigation of Mrs B's complaint, for which a remedy has been agreed.

Telford & Wrekin Council (19 003 664)

Statement Upheld Assessment and care plan 30-Jun-2020

Summary: Mrs X complained on behalf of her adult son, Mr Y, about changes the Council made to the contract arrangements and charges for his care. The Council has not changed the care provided for Mr Y but it reviewed the way the care was funded. The Council was not at fault in deciding to review the funding but its communication with Mrs X about this was poor. The Council also delayed providing Mrs X with key documents. The Council has already apologised to Mrs X for any distress caused by unclear communication and delay, written off some of Mr Y's care charges and reviewed its procedures. This is an appropriate remedy.