Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint the Council did not provide appropriate support and information for her father’s financial assessment. This is because further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.

The complaint

1. Mrs X complained that the Council did not provide support and information about her father’s social care financial assessment. Mrs X stated that the Council acted in an unprofessional way and administrative mistakes caused a delay in her father obtaining support. Mrs X would like the Council to apologise and provide staff training to increase support to those in receipt of adult social care.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact 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 or continue an investigation if we decide further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.

(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. Mrs X’s father, Mr Y, needed residential care after he left hospital in Spring 2024.
6. In Summer 2024, Mrs X stated that a social worker told her family the Council would search for a care home for Mr Y. A month later, the social worker emailed the family to confirm that because Mr Y’s capital was above the upper threshold he would need to self-fund his care and the family would need to find a care home.
7. In its complaint response, the Council apologised that a formal meeting to discuss Mr Y’s care did not take place. The Council upheld this part of Mrs X’s complaint and said it would issue a reminder to ensure that social workers offer support and guidance to those who self-fund their care in a suitable format.
8. The Council said that its advice on the financial assessment was not inconsistent, but it changed when they received new information. It also said an administrative error did not cause a delay in Mr Y obtaining support.
9. We will not investigate this complaint because the Council have upheld parts of Mrs X’s complaint and given reasons why it does not uphold other parts. Given its responses here, it is unlikely further investigation would lead to a different outcome.

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Final Decision

10. We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint because the Council has apologised and stated that it has taken appropriate action to prevent reoccurrence of this fault. Further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman