East Sussex County Council (25 021 370)
Category : Adult care services > Assessment and care plan
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 31 Aug 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the care commissioned by the Council. This is because this complaint is late and there are no good reasons why the complainant did not bring the complaint to the Ombudsman sooner.
The complaint
- Mrs X complained about the poor care provided to Miss Y when she was in residential care commissioned by the Council. She says this included failing to:
- Investigate health and behaviour concerns,
- Keep property safe,
- Communicate appropriately,
- Ensure safety and cleanliness, and
- Ensure Miss Y had social activities.
- Mrs X says this affected Miss Y emotionally. It caused her to become fearful and regress. She became withdrawn and increased her hoarding behaviours.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
- We cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by the complainant.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Mrs X complained about Miss Y’s experience at a residential care placement commissioned by the Council. Miss Y moved to another residential care placement in summer 2024.
- We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint. This is because the matters Mrs X complains about happened before or on Miss Y leaving the placement. This was more than 12 months ago and Mrs X was aware of them at this time. We expect people to complain to us within 12 months of becoming aware of the matter. This complaint is therefore late and there are no good reasons why Mrs X could not have complained sooner.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint because the complaint is late and there are not good reasons for discretion.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman