Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about poor handovers and communication by the Care Provider. We could not achieve a more meaningful outcome by investigating the matter, and the claimed injustice is not significant enough to justify investigation by the Ombudsman.

The complaint

1. Mrs X complained about poor staff handovers and inadequate communication from her mother’s (Mrs Y’s) care home. She said the care home appeared understaffed. She said this had caused her worry. She wanted the care provider to appoint a new general manager.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We investigate complaints about adult social care providers. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start or continue with an investigation if we believe:

• the injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement, or
• it is unlikely we could add to any previous investigation by the care provider, or
• it is unlikely further investigation will lead to a different outcome, or
• we cannot achieve the outcome someone wants.

(Local Government Act 1974, sections 34B(8) and (9))

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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 complained to the Care Provider about its staff members’ communication during handovers, and their communication with her.
6. Mrs X said in her complaint Mrs Y had not eaten lunch on one occasion and care staff had given Mrs X different explanations of why this had been the case. She had requested Mrs Y be given soup. She also asked the Care Provider to contact NHS 111 due to Mrs Y having been unwell. Mrs X said she had then received no update, and staff had been unable to tell her the following week how Mrs Y had been over the weekend.
7. The Care Provider explained in its response that it had carried out observations after Mrs X had expressed concerns, and decided a call to NHS 111 was not necessary. However, it acknowledged it had not telephoned Mrs X back, which was not in line with its expectations. It said it had addressed this with the member of staff responsible.
8. The Care Provider also acknowledged issues with handovers. It explained it had changed its procedures and reiterated to care staff the importance of handovers and completing hourly checks of residents.
9. If we investigated this complaint, we could not achieve a more meaningful outcome. The Care Provider has taken action in line with the issues it identified arising from the complaint Mrs X made to it. We could not achieve the outcome Mrs X told us she seeks from complaining to us, as we cannot make recommendations in relation to staffing and employment.
10. In any event, we will normally only investigate a complaint where:
• the complainant has suffered serious loss, harm, or distress as a direct result of faults or failures by the service provider, or
• there are continuous and ongoing instances of a lower level injustice that remain unresolved over a long period of time.
11. Mrs X told us the matters she complained about caused her worry. She may have experienced some uncertainty about Mrs Y’s care however her complaint included no allegation, for example, that Mrs Y had come to harm due to the actions of the Care Provider. The alleged injustice is not sufficient to warrant investigation by the Ombudsman.

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Final decision

12. We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint because we could not achieve a more meaningful outcome, and in any event the claimed injustice is not significant enough to warrant investigation by the Ombudsman.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman