Reading care workers late getting medical attention for vulnerable woman Care workers in Reading did not follow emergency procedures to ensure a vulnerable woman received the correct medical attention, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found. The woman, who was being cared for by Reading Borough Council’s care provider, the Radis Group, was elderly and had health conditions inclu ...

Blue badge applications to be reviewed in Sheffield Sheffield City Council incorrectly assessed people for disabled blue badges, says an investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. Following the investigation, the council has agreed to offer a proper assessment to more than 25 people and review its policies to avoid similar issues recurring. The Ombudsman’s investigation stem ...

Exclusion from a school This fact sheet is aimed primarily at parents whose child has been permanently excluded from school and who may be considering making a complaint to the Ombudsman. My child has been excluded from school. Can I complain to the Ombudsman? In most cases, yes, though we cannot look at any actions by the school, including its decision to exclude your child, or the governors’ de ...

Slough woman unable to access upstairs because of council grant delay A disabled Slough woman has been forced to sleep, eat and wash in her downstairs living room because the council took too long to decide whether she can have a stairlift. The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman heard that the woman, who relies on care workers for personal care, has been unable to access her bedroom and b ...

Council’s failure to pay agreed grant leaves family living on building site A Croydon family was left to live on a building site for nearly two years after their local council failed to pay an agreed grant on time, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found. The family, which already included three children, took on the care of another child as part of a Special Guardianship agreeme ...

Disabled North Yorkshire residents to see improvements to council’s home adaptations service North Yorkshire Council has agreed to improve the way it deals with Disabled Facilities Grant applications after a Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman investigation discovered it had a significant backlog of cases. While investigating a complaint from a resident about the time it was taking for his ...

Family housed in London tower block had no cold water The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has criticised a London council after it placed a young homeless family in a tower block with no cold water and a lift that only worked infrequently. The family was placed in the ninth floor flat by London Borough of Haringey after the temporary accommodation they were initially placed in was infe ...

Dorset County Council leaves boy with special needs without proper education A boy with autism was left without proper education for two years by the former Dorset County Council after it failed to provide him with appropriate alternatives when it became clear mainstream school was not suitable for him. The boy, who also has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), started secondary schoo ...

Woman left trapped in home because of poor council assisted bin collection service Thurrock bin crews have repeatedly trapped a wheelchair user in her home when they have not returned her bins to their proper place, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) has found. The LGSCO has investigated three separate complaints from the woman since 2019 about how Thurrock Council provides he ...

Harrow to improve Blue Badge assessments following Ombudsman investigation A London council has been criticised by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman for the way it assesses disabled people’s requests for two different transport schemes. The Ombudsman has asked London Borough of Harrow and Access Independent (AI), the company that assesses people in the area for Blue Badges and Freedo ...