Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Mr X’s finances being affected adversely due to the Council’s failure to act on his request for a carer’s assessment. This is because the complaint does not meet the tests in our Assessment Code on how we decide which complaints to investigate. There is no evidence of a causal link between the Council’s admitted fault and Mr X’s finances.

The complaint

1. Mr X complains that he acted as an unpaid carer for his parents and believes the Council’s failure to assess him as a carer adversely affected his finances.
2. Mr X would like the Council to recompense him financially and apologise.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

3. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse effect on the person making the complaint, which we call ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We do not start an investigation if we decide the tests set out in our Assessment Code are not met. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

4. I considered information provided by the complainant and our investigation into Mr X’s previous complaint - 23014040.
5. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

6. We investigated a complaint from Mr X last year finding the Council had failed to act on Mr X’s request for a carer’s assessment. However, we did not find that any other remedy was necessary apart from an apology from the Council. This was because we found Mr X was not the only one providing care as contracted carers and other family members also provided care.
7. I would have expected Mr X to add this aspect of his complaint to the complaint he made last year as it arises from the same matters he raised then.
8. In any case, I have not seen any information linking Mr X’s finances being adversely affected by the Council failure to carry out a carer’s assessment. So, we will not investigate.

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Final decision

9. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because there is no evidence of a causal link between the Council’s admitted fault and the state of Mr X’s finances.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman