Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council (16 005 249)
Summary
A man complains that the county council and borough council did not support him to move out of residential care to live independently in the community with adequate support.
The complaint
The man told social workers he wanted to live independently following a stroke. He said social workers did not assess him properly. The borough council took too long to consider his housing application.
Finding
The Ombudsman upheld the complaint and found fault causing injustice.
Recommendations
To remedy the injustice caused the County Council has agreed to:
- apologise to the man
- pay him £2,000 to recognise the frustration and distress caused by the delays in carrying out mental capacity assessments and not fully considering all the options available to him. This caused him additional frustration and distress given his vulnerability; and
- review its practice to ensure mental capacity assessments are carried out and documented appropriately.
The Borough Council has agreed to:
- apologise to the man and
- pay him £300 for the frustration and time and trouble caused by the delays in dealing with his housing application.
The two councils have also agreed to review how they work together on the issues raised by this complaint. The review should identify and implement improvements in policies and procedures to ensure that in future they provide a timely and coordinated approach to cases which involve social care and housing. They should report back to us with the outcome of the review within six months of the date of this report.
Ombudsman satisfied with the council's response: 21 February 2018.