Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X complaint about the closure of her son’s care home and the way the care provider handled this process. This is because there is another body better placed to consider the complaint.

The complaint

1. Mrs X complains about the closure of her son’s care home and the way the care provider handled this process. She complains:
• No support was provided to the family to help manage the impact of the home closure.
• The handover of the new placement was poorly managed
• None of the items her son needed was ready for him when he moved into the new placement.
• The care provider failed to appropriately source a suitable alternative to be her son’s financial appointee.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. 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 an investigation if we decide there is another body better placed to consider this complaint. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

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How I considered this complaint

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

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My assessment

5. Mrs X’s son’s care placement was funded by the Integrated Care Board (ICB). This means overall responsibility for his care, including case management, lies with the ICB.
6. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman is the appropriate body to consider complaints about the ICB. Therefore, we will not investigate this complaint.

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Final decision

7. We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint because there is another body better placed to consider the complaint.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman