Derbyshire County Council to make wholescale review of services following woman’s “avoidable” death The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has heavily criticised Derbyshire County Council for not putting the proper safeguarding measures in place for a woman in one of its care homes before she fell and died. The council’s initial safeguarding investigation into the dementia-sufferer’s deat ...

Elderly nursing home resident forced to move because of funding blunders A Devon centenarian was threatened with eviction from her nursing home because of unpaid fees, despite both her family and the council paying for her care. A Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman investigation found the woman, who had dementia, had been living at the Swimbridge House Nursing home near Barnstaple and had ...

Parks, gardens, playing fields and sportsgrounds This fact sheet is aimed primarily at people who live near or use council parks, gardens, playing fields and sports grounds and who may be considering making a complaint to the Ombudsman. I have a problem with the decisions the council has made about our local park/garden/playing field. Can the Ombudsman help? In some cases, yes. There are some mat ...

High hedges This fact sheet is aimed primarily at householders who have problems related to high hedges, either on their property or on a neighbour's, and who may be considering making a complaint to the Ombudsman. I have a problem with my neighbour's hedge which separates our properties, and the council is being unreasonable about the request to do something about it. Can the Ombudsman help me? ...

Wirral teen missed out on post-16 education because of council faults Wirral MBC has been asked to pay a teenager more than £4,000 after it failed to put in place proper educational provision for him. The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman was asked to investigate by the teenager’s mother after the council took too long to review her son’s Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan. This left ...

Homeless family left in damp and cockroach-infested properties by London council London Borough of Haringey did not deal properly with disrepair issues at the two properties where it placed a homeless family, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found. Problems the mother and her children encountered in the temporary accommodation included cockroach infestations, issues with the gas sup ...

Council delays leave disabled woman in unsuitable temporary accommodation for too long A disabled woman, who had previously been sleeping rough in an airport, spent too long in temporary fourth floor accommodation provided by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found. The woman, who had previously had a stroke, had been diagnosed with se ...

East Riding council did not do enough to protect toddler from harm A toddler was left with life-long injuries after East Riding of Yorkshire Council missed opportunities to protect him from his mother’s violent partner, a Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman investigation has found. The case was brought to the Ombudsman by the boy’s father and grandmother, after a council investigation, whi ...

Vulnerable man put at risk because of safeguarding failings by Wirral council A vulnerable man remained at risk from poor care for more than 18 months, despite Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council being alerted to problems, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found. The man, whose health conditions and disabilities meant he had significant difficulty with mobility and completing dai ...

Redbridge council left homeless family for too long in B&B Two London schoolchildren were left in bed and breakfast accommodation for too long by Redbridge council, according to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. The Ombudsman’s investigation has found the living conditions the children were subject to in the bed and breakfast accommodation have had a significant impact on the family ...