Permanent Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman announced Amerdeep Somal has been named as the preferred candidate for the role of the permanent Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, taking up the position in January 2024 from the current interim Ombudsman Paul Najsarek. The provisional appointment will be reviewed by the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Select Committee in Septem ...

Ombudsman issues guidance on care finance decisions The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has today issued guidance to councils on the often-complex issue of Deprivation of Capital decisions. Based on lessons from the complaints it receives, the guidance is aimed at financial assessment practitioners in local authorities. It sets out the Ombudsman’s approach to investigating complaints f ...

New Chief Executive for the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman Julie Odams has been appointed the new Chief Executive Officer of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO). Julie has been the Head of Policy and Communications and a member of the LGSCO’s Executive Team for the last two years. She will replace current CEO, Nigel Ellis, following his decision to retire from May 2 ...

Interim Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman announced Paul Najsarek Paul Najsarek has been appointed as the interim Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, following the retirement of current Ombudsman Michael King at the end of the month. With extensive experience in both the Ombudsman’s key jurisdictions in local government and adult social care, Paul has been appointed by the Depart ...

Factsheet for NHS organisations about the Joint Working Team Who we are and what we do The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) and Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) have a team of investigators who consider complaints for both Ombudsmen. This is the Joint Working Team. We look at complaints that are about both health and social care services where we decide that a j ...

How to register a complaint First make sure you have read and understood our step by step process to making a complaint. Anybody can complain and we are a free service. But you should give the organisation you are complaining about chance to sort out your complaint first. You should go through all stages of the organisation’s complaint process. If you are a councillor or MP, you can help local pe ...

Compliance Manual Contents: Chapter index for Compliance Manual Updated: 02 April 2025 Compliance Manual search Search this content Submit search Part 3 • The role of Team Co-ordinators Obtaining evidence of compliance and quality assurance Team Co-ordinators are responsible for obtaining and recording evidence of compliance with recommendations. They also help ensure the remedy screen is complet ...

Financial Instructions Contents: Chapter index for Financial Instructions Updated: 21 March 2025 Financial Instructions search Search this content Submit search Part 14 • 14. Gifts and hospitality 14.1 Staff cannot accept gifts, hospitality or benefits of any kind from a third party which might be seen to compromise their personal judgment or integrity. Gifts 14.2 Any gift offered (whether accept ...

Ombudsman publishes Annual Report and Accounts 2023-24 The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) has laid its Annual Report and Accounts before parliament (on 16 December), for the period April 2023 – March 2024. The year included the Ombudsman’s 50th anniversary, being created by the Local Government Act 1974, and the Ombudsman launching its first complaint handling code for local a ...

Ombudsman’s COVID report highlights how councils and care providers coped The COVID-19 pandemic placed unprecedented pressure on councils and care providers, and a new report from the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman analyses just how those organisations coped. The Ombudsman investigates complaints about local councils and care providers in England, getting involved when things have gon ...