Newgrange of Cheshunt Limited (26 014 609)
Category : Adult care services > Residential care
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 15 Sep 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Ms X’s relative’s care in 2022. This is because the complaint is late and there are no good reasons to investigate.
The complaint
- Ms X complains about the care provider’s actions in 2022. She says the care home accepted her relative but shortly afterwards said it could not continue to accommodate them.
- Ms X says her relative and family were caused significant distress.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
- We cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by the complainant.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- We will not investigate this complaint because it is made late. The matters complained about occurred in 2022. However, the complaint was not brought to the Ombudsman until 2026, more than three years after the events complained of and well outside the 12-month period for bringing complaints.
- I have considered Ms X’s explanation that personal and family circumstances following her relative’s discharge delayed her complaint. However, despite those circumstances, she was aware of the issues at the time, pursued a complaint with the care provider during 2022 and 2023, and therefore had sufficient awareness of the matters complained about well before approaching the Ombudsman.
- Given the significant passage of time since the events in 2022, I do not see good reasons for the Ombudsman to investigate this late complaint.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint because it is late and there are no good reasons to investigate now.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman