Officers who make decisions on people’s housing needs based on medical assessments, have been provided with a new good practice guide by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

Based on lessons from previous Ombudsman complaints, one of the key learning points highlighted in the guide is for councils to properly evidence that they have made their own decisions on medical needs and not automatically accepted the views of independent medical advisers.

Other learning for councils from the Ombudsman’s investigations include ensuring they consider all the evidence when making decisions, and addressing all the issues raised, as well as not delaying carrying out medical assessments or reviews.

The free guide, which can be downloaded from the Ombudsman’s website, also includes information about the way the Ombudsman investigates complaints and the remedies it may recommend where it finds fault.

Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, Ms Amerdeep Somal said:

“Our good practice guides share the learning from our investigations to help practitioners in councils make better decisions.

 “The guides use summaries of our investigation decisions to highlight common problems, suggest good practice tips based on where things have gone wrong, as well as explain to practitioners our approach to handling complaints on the topics. 

“I hope local authority housing teams across England will take the guide in the constructive spirit to which it is intended, and use it to reflect on their own processes and procedures to help prevent future injustice to people in their area.”

Article date: 31 July 2024