Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about care and costs information provided by the Council for Ms X’s care. This is because the Council has upheld the complaint and offered a proportionate remedy during its own complaints process.

The complaint

1. Ms X complains about the standard of care provided by the Council and the lack of costs information for seven months after the care had begun.
2. Ms X said the Council has caused significant distress and inconvenience and is seeking compensation.

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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 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 we could not add to any previous investigation by the organisation, or there is no worthwhile outcome achievable by our investigation. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), section 34(B))

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How I considered this complaint

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

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My assessment

6. The Council discussed a financial assessment for Ms X’s mother with her in December 2024, and care was initiated in January 2025.
7. Ms X complains the care was unreliable, inconsistent and unhelpful overall, meaning she had to meet her mother’s most important care needs herself.
8. The Council did not complete its financial assessment until July 2025.
9. Care continued after this time, and the Council issued bills for the care provided.
10. Following Ms X’s complaint, the Council accepted failings in its service. It apologised, confirmed it had communicated the learning from what had happened to relevant staff, and that new systems were in place which would ensure a repeat would not occur.
11. The Council also agreed to waive all care fees up to the point Ms X cancelled the package.
12. If we were to investigate the complaint, it is unlikely we would achieve a remedy above that already provided by the Council.
13. This office does not make recommendations of compensation, and I consider the remedy offered is proportionate to the fault identified.

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Final decision

14. We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint because the Council has upheld the complaint and offered a proportionate remedy during its internal complaints process. Further investigation would not lead to a worthwhile outcome.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman