London Borough of Croydon (20 003 686)
Category : Adult care services > Assessment and care plan
Decision : Upheld
Decision date : 04 Nov 2021
Summary: Ms C complained the Council failed to provide her, and her son, Mr D appropriate services and act in accordance with both the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010.
Finding
The Ombudsman upheld the complaint and found fault causing injustice.
Recommendations
To remedy the fault, the Council has agreed to:
- apologise to Mr D and Ms C for the failures we have identified in this report;
- pay Mr D £1,000 for the anxiety and frustration the Council’s actions have caused him;
- pay Ms C £1,000 for the stress, anxiety and break down in family life that the Council’s actions caused her;
- arrange a re-assessment of Mr D by someone who is trained and experienced in assessing and supporting people with autism and mental health problems;
- review how services are provided to people with autism. In particular:
- that staff have adequate training in autism so that they have the appropriate skills and knowledge to support people with autism;
- agree a process of liaison with specialist community teams and mental health services, or specialist autism professionals, when and if necessary;
- review the overall Council strategy to providing services to people with autism. In particular, whether there is due regard for services such as care and housing available to those who have needs related to autism;
- remind staff about:
- the importance of person-centered practice and keeping people using services central to the process;
- assessing to prevent a potential deterioration in needs especially in situations such as these where it is known there is going to be a substantial change in a person’s circumstances;
- the duty to complete carers’ assessments;
- the Equality Act 2010 and the duty to make reasonable adjustments where applicable.
Ombudsman satisfied with Council's response: 24 February 2022