Gloucestershire County Council (24 022 556)
Category : Adult care services > Charging
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 18 Jun 2025
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision to charge for homecare it arranged for Miss B’s father in 2022. Miss B is complaining too late and there is no good reason to investigate now.
The complaint
- Miss B complains about the Council’s decision to charge for homecare it arranged for her late father in 2022 following his discharge from hospital. Miss B’s says the care and support did not meet the standards the family should have reasonable expected. She said a Council officer told the family the care would be free. Miss B says the events have caused her and her family avoidable distress and worry. As an outcome she wants the Council to cancel the care charges.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- 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 or has not done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Miss B first complained to the Ombudsman in November 2023 before she complained to the Council. We told her she should complain to the Council first before we could consider a complaint. Miss B complained to the Council the same month and the Council acknowledged her complaint by email setting out the officers allocated to deal with the complaint. It said it would respond to her complaint with 20 working days
- Miss B said she did not receive the Council’s response until the Council contacted her over 12 months after she had complained. The Council said it sent Miss B its response to her complaint in December 2023. Miss B’s complaint to the Ombudsman is late.
- We will not investigate this complaint because it is made too late. Miss B could have complained to us sooner and there is no good reason to investigate now.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Miss B’s complaint because it is made too late and there is no good reason to investigate now.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman