Yearly News 2020 17 Dec 2020 Ombudsman annual report details further innovation in its service 15 Dec 2020 London borough criticised for not saying sorry 10 Dec 2020 Ombudsman urges councils to scrutinise services for children in care 10 Dec 2020 City council in foster carer dispute after girl’s mother dies 03 Dec 2020 Teenager with autism misses start of term when council cancels transport 03 De ...

London council to revise its social care charging policy following Ombudsman’s investigation London Borough of Bexley has agreed to revise its social care charging policy after a man complained to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman about the way the authority increased its costs. The man told the Ombudsman the council had increased the amount it charged him in administration costs for ...

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 ...

Council fails to take on board expert advice when assessing woman’s care needs A Gloucestershire woman was left malnourished and without the support she needed for her medical conditions because the county council ignored professional advice, a Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman investigation has found. The woman, who has ME – or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – plus a number of other health ne ...

Ombudsman calls for councils to be clear on care home costs The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is reminding councils across England they must give families accurate information when placing relatives in care homes, following an investigation into a complaint against Lincolnshire County Council. The investigation found a family was not told about the possibilities available to them whe ...

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 ...

Housing applications This fact sheet is aimed primarily at people who have applied to the council for housing and have problems with the way the council is dealing with their application and may be considering making a complaint to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. I need to move urgently but the council has not yet rehoused me. Can the Ombudsman help me? Yes, in some circumstances. ...

Discretionary Housing Payments This fact sheet is aimed primarily at people who have problems with a claim for a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) and may be considering making a complaint to the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman can also consider some complaints about housing benefit – see our separate fact sheet on this. Housing Benefit is being replaced by Universal Credit. The Ombudsman cannot deal ...

Surrey County Council twice failed to resolve issues for boy with special needs Surrey County Council has been told to apologise again to the family of a boy with special educational needs because it failed to do what it promised to resolve problems highlighted in a previous Ombudsman complaint. In a heavily critical report, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has also commented on the ...