Kingston Upon Hull City Council (23 011 357)
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint the Council incorrectly contacted the complainant about their mother’s death. The Council has apologised and made service improvements. Further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.
The complaint
- Ms X complained the Council sent her an invoice for her mother’s, Ms Y’s care after she had died. Ms X said she was estranged from Ms Y and did not know she had died. She said she had previously contacted a different department in the Council and told it she had not contact with Mrs Y. She said the Council’s actions caused her significant distress. She wants a financial remedy.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. In this statement, I have used the word fault to refer to these. We provide a free service but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start or continue with an investigation if we are satisfied with the actions an organisation has taken or proposes to take. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(7), 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
- In the Council’s complaint response, it said Ms X’s contact details were provided by another family member. However, it said it should have checked whether Ms X was responsible for Ms Y’s estate before contacting her. It apologised for the distress caused. It said it was reviewing its processes around communication. It accepted that Ms X had contacted the Council previously, but explained it was a separate part of the organisation. It apologised for Ms X having to contact the Council twice.
- We will not investigate this complaint further. The Council has apologised for the distress its actions caused. It is reviewing its processes to prevent a recurrence of the fault. I am satisfied with the steps the Council has taken to remedy the injustice caused. Further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint because we are satisfied with the steps the Council has taken to remedy the injustice caused. Further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman