Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the actions of the Care Provider. The complainant’s son care and support was fully funded by a health authority so we cannot investigate the actions of the Care Provider.

The complaint

1. Mrs B complains about the care and support her son received from a Care Provider in a supported living placement which was funded by an Integrated Care Board. She says the Care Provider has not reimbursed a payment referred to as a gesture of goodwill in its complaint response. Mrs B says the actions of the Care Provider she complains about include financial abuse, medication administration, care workers sharing personal telephone numbers with her son and evicting her son illegally from the property. The complainant says the events impacted adversely on her son’s mental wellbeing and caused her distress and impacted on her ability to continue with employment.
2. As an outcome Mrs B wants the Care Provider to refund payments her son paid for rent, refund the rental deposit and refund a payment she paid for damage caused to the property. The complainant also says she wants the Care Provider to pay her £600 for a period when it asked her to accommodate her son following a leak at the supported living placement. The complainant says the Care Provider received full funding from the health authority for her son’s care during this time.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

3. The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
4. We investigate complaints about councils and certain other bodies. We cannot investigate the actions of bodies such as Care Providers commissioned by health authorities. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 25 and 34(1), as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

5. I considered information provided by the complainant.
6. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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Final decision

7. We will not investigate Mrs B’s complaint about her son’s care and support arrangements provided in a supported living placement. The Care Provider was funded by an Integrated Care Board. We cannot investigate the actions of a care provider funded by a health authority.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman