London Borough of Wandsworth (25 003 666)

Category : Adult care services > Disabled facilities grants

Decision : Closed after initial enquiries

Decision date : 25 Aug 2025

The Ombudsman's final decision:

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Councils handling of a Disabled Facilities Grant. There is insufficient evidence of fault to warrant an investigation.

The complaint

  1. Mrs X complains the Council changed her shower while completing a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) at her home and the new shower has a maximum temperature of 48 degrees which is too low.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

  1. 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 there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating.

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

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How I considered this complaint

  1. I considered the information provided by the complainant and I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

  1. A DFG was competed at Mrs X’s property to remove a partition wall between the bathroom and toilet. As part of the works, the Council also installed a new shower.
  2. The new shower has a maximum temperature of 48 degrees. This is a lower maximum temperature than the previous shower which had a maximum temperature of 51 degrees.
  3. Mrs X complains the new shower is not sufficient as the maximum temperature is too low. She says this is causing her husband skin problems.
  4. There is no evidence the Council were made aware of Mrs X’s husbands’ requirement to have a shower with a maximum temperature over 48 degrees.  I am unlikely to find fault with the Council’s decision to install a shower with a maximum temperature of 48 degrees. This is because the Council were not aware the family required a shower with a higher maximum temperature, and it would have been reasonable for Mrs X to make the Council aware if they had additional requirements that needed to be taken into account.
  5. The Council have advised Mrs X’s husband to contact their occupational health services so his need for a hotter shower can be assessed.

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Final decision

  1. We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint because there is insufficient evidence of fault to warrant an investigation.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman

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