West Sussex County Council (25 014 573)
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We have upheld Mrs X’s complaint about delay providing Speech and Language Therapy for her child. The Council has agreed to resolve the complaint early by providing a proportionate remedy for the injustice caused.
The complaint
- Mrs X complains the Council failed to provide her child with Speech and Language Therapy (SaLT). She also complained about poor communication from the Council.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. In this statement, I have used the word fault to refer to these. We provide a free service but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start or continue with an investigation if we are satisfied with the actions an organisation has taken or proposes to take. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(7), as amended)
- Under our information sharing agreement, we will share this decision with the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted).
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by Mrs X and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- During the complaint process the Council agreed to provide the SaLT and back-date it with catch up sessions being provided. It also issued an apology to Mrs X and put service improvements in place to ensure better communication and to remind staff to respond to complaints within the timeframe set out in the Council’s complaint policy. We are therefore satisfied the Council is taking steps to resolve the issue.
- We asked the Council to consider remedying the injustice caused by the delay and providing a financial remedy to Mrs X in recognition of the distress and frustration caused. To its credit, the Council agreed to resolve the complaint.
Agreed action
- Within one month of the final decision, the Council will:
- Pay Mrs X £200 for the delay providing the SaLT provison to her child;
- Pay Mrs X £100 for the frustration and distress caused by the delay, and
- Pay Mrs X £100 for the time and trouble of the late complaint response.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman