How to Complain Are you thinking of complaining to us? Resources on this page explain when you should register a complaint with us and how to do it in the most efficient way Watch our video Read the steps The Steps 1 Complain to the organisation involved You should complain to the organisation first to give them a chance to sort out your problem. You should go through all stages of the organisati ...

New Ombudsmen complaint codes a birthday present for local services The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) and the Housing Ombudsman Service (HOS) have launched their aligned Complaint Handling Codes which will result in better services to the public and make good practice in complaint handling clearer for local authorities and landlords. They are launched on the day the LGSCO cel ...

Councils and NHS need to work more closely to improve local care Integrated Care Systems are not doing enough to put the vulnerable people they support at the heart of what they do, according to a new report issued jointly by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman and the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. Integrated Care Systems (ICS) are organisations made up of representatives ...

Manual for Councils Contents: Chapter index for Manual for Councils Updated: 14 May 2025 Manual for Councils search Search this content Submit search Part 4 • Signposting to the Ombudsman Signposting to the Ombudsman We expect councils and authorities to signpost to us, even if they have declined to accept a complaint. More information about this can be found in our Complaint Handling Code and ac ...

External consultations and inquiries 2025 May - LGSCO response to the MHCLG consultation on Supported Housing Regulation April – LGSCO response to Department for Education consultation on School Accountability reform March – LGSCO response to Department for Transport consultation on New Rail Watchdog March – LGSCO response to Public Accounts Committee inquiry into local government financial susta ...

Care home owners refuse to refund family despite investigation finding mother was neglected A Yorkshire care provider has been heavily criticised by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman after workers abused and neglected an elderly resident in the Bradford home it ran. The woman, who had dementia, moved to live in Hawthornes Care Home, run by Burlington Care, after her husband became se ...

Retention and disposal of casework records policy Contents: Chapter index for Retention and disposal of casework records policy Updated: 22 January 2025 Retention and disposal of casework records policy search Search this content Submit search Part 5 • 5. Exceptions to the 12-month retention period In exceptional cases, all or part of the file will be retained for a longer period because: it is r ...

Ombudsman urges councils to scrutinise services for children in care The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is highlighting the experiences of children in the care system – and the difficulties they face when councils get things wrong. In a new report published today, the Ombudsman is sharing the cases of children who have been let down by the very authorities who should be looking after ...

Assessment Manual Contents: Chapter index for Assessment Manual Updated: 01 October 2024 Assessment Manual search Search this content Submit search Part 6 • 5. Early Discretionary Decisions Cases passing the jurisdictional tests in the Assessment Code must then be assessed using the four discretionary tests: Public interest Injustice Fault Remedy In some cases, the combined effect of two or more ...

Adult social care complaints – frequently asked questions Why have you sent this complaint to me as the registered care provider? The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) has powers to investigate complaints made by people who self-fund their care or have arranged it themselves. This means they are in a direct contractual arrangement with you as their care provider. If instead their ...