Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a care home declining to allow Mrs X to visit a resident. The resident is represented by her family and there is no evidence they or she wishes Mrs X to visit. Investigation would be unlikely to serve any worthwhile purpose.

The complaint

1. Mrs X said the care home had again wrongly barred her from visiting a resident, claiming the resident did not wish her to visit.

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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 or continue an investigation if we decide there is no worthwhile outcome achievable by our investigation.

(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.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. The resident of the care home is represented by her family. Mrs X has not provided any evidence that the resident or family wish her to visit. Investigating her complaint about the care home asking her not to visit would be unlikely to lead to any worthwhile outcome.

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Final decision

6. We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint because doing so would be unlikely to lead to any worthwhile outcome.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman