Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council (17 020 182)
Summary: Mr X complains that the Council provided his late father, Mr Y, with a home care service which was not adequate, and charged him for a service he did not receive. When he complained, he says the Council failed to deal with his complaints properly or take effective safeguarding action.
Finding
The Ombudsman upheld the complaint and found fault causing injustice.
Recommendations
To remedy the injustice caused, we recommend the Council:
- apologise to Mr X detailing the faults identified and the action it has taken, or will take, to avoid similar faults in future;
- waive 50% of Mr Y’s care fees to remedy the financial loss it caused;
- pay Mr X £200 to remedy the frustration and stress it caused him;
- refer this case to the local safeguarding board for review;
- ensure all relevant complaints and assessment staff receive appropriate safeguarding training to ensure safeguarding issues are dealt with promptly and appropriately; and
- review the complaint handling in this case and develop an action plan to ensure an improved service in future.
Ombudsman satisfied with Council's response: 16 July 2019.