Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about telecare services because it is unlikely we could add to the Council’s investigation or reach a different outcome.

The complaint

1. Mr B says a telecare provider failed to answer his mother’s personal alarm call for 45 minutes. This failure caused distress and a loss of trust in the service that is supposed to protect the vulnerable living independently at home.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. The Ombudsman investigates 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 may decide not to continue with an investigation if we decide:

• we could not add to any previous investigation by the organisation, or
• further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.

(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6))

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered information provided by the complainant.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. Mr B’s mother (Mrs C) called a telecare service using her personal alarm as she needed help. The company should answer calls within one to three minutes but did not answer Mrs C’s call for nearly 45 minutes.
6. The Council has completed a safeguarding investigation where it found Mrs C experienced ‘neglect/acts of omission’ due to the delay.
7. Mrs C must have been very distressed, when at her time of need her call for help was not promptly answered. Mrs C has since died; we cannot provide any remedy to acknowledge her distress.
8. The Council has considered its contractual and monitoring arrangements of this telecare provider. The Council is satisfied the Provider has taken steps to improve service, such as employing 33 new members of staff. The Council has seen an improvement in response times.
9. This does not detract from what happened to Mrs C, but hopefully means no-one else will suffer the same. The Council will continue to oversee the Provider under the contractual arrangements it has with it.

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Final decision

10. We will not investigate Mr B’s complaint because it is unlikely we could add to the Council’s own investigation or reach a different outcome. The Council has accepted there was fault and has taken action to improve service.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman