Service improvements

Buckinghamshire Council

Showing service improvements between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024

Find out more about service improvements

When we find fault, we can recommend improvements to systems and processes where they haven’t worked properly, so that others do not suffer from these same problems in future. Common examples are policy changes; procedural reviews; and staff training. Service improvements from decisions are published for 5 years and those from reports are published for 10 years.

Showing 1 - 10 of 11 cases with service improvements

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Downloads the current filtered list of service improvement decisions for Buckinghamshire Council as a CSV file.

  • Buckinghamshire Council (23 012 172)

    Category: Education Date: 21-Mar-2024

    Summary

    There was service failure by the Council. An assessment for an Education, Health and Care Plan was delayed by five months due to a shortage of Educational Psychologists. There was no loss of education during the delay so a payment towards the complainant’s frustration and an apology remedies the injustice.

    Service improvements

    Review its processes to ensure it issues final EHC Plans within statutory timescales.

  • Buckinghamshire Council (23 009 068)

    Category: Environment and regulation Date: 07-Feb-2024

    Summary

    Mr X complained about the Council’s waste collection service. He says despite the Council’s monitoring of his waste collection, it has failed to return his bins to the agreed point and has carried out partial collections. Mr X says the Council’s actions have caused him avoidable frustration. We found fault by the Council and the Council has agreed to apologise to Mr X and create an action plan to identify ways of improving its performance.

    Service improvements

    Remind staff to accurately record reports of missed or partial collections and non-returned bins.Review its waste collection monitoring arrangements to ensure they are robust and effective in identifying and resolving any problemsProduce an action plan to identify ways of improving its staff performance regarding its waste collection service. The action plan should include a timeframe for any action to be taken.

  • Buckinghamshire Council (23 002 064)

    Category: Transport and highways Date: 18-Jun-2023

    Summary

    We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council not accepting his complaint about a local maintenance issue. We are satisfied with the Council’s agreed actions, to put his complaint through its internal complaints process and review its process for similar future complaints.

    Service improvements

    Review your Council’s complaints policy on accepting and dealing with complaints fromserving Parish Councillors when they are complaining as members of the public. Youshould review that policy within two months of today’s date and advise us ofthe outcome as soon as the review is complete.

  • Buckinghamshire Council (23 000 953)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 30-Nov-2023

    Summary

    Ms C complains the Council failed to provide a direct payment to pay towards the cost of a live in carer for her mother, Mrs D. The Council is at fault for not properly considering Ms C’s request. However we cannot say on balance this would have caused Mrs D additional financial injustice. To remedy the complaint the Council has agreed to apologise to Mrs D, make a symbolic payment to Ms C for her time, trouble, and distress. It will also remind and where necessary provide staff training about the completion of assessments and setting personal budgets.

    Service improvements

    Remind staff and if suitable provide training about completing assessments, setting personal budgets and support planning which is holistic and considers individual preferences and goals.Remind staff and if appropriate provide training about the importance of best interest decisions and considering the least restrictive options when considering how to meet needs.

  • Buckinghamshire Council (22 016 460)

    Category: Education Date: 03-Jul-2023

    Summary

    Mrs X complained about how the Council has managed her son, B’s, education and special educational needs since September 2021. We find the Council was at fault. This caused significant distress to Mrs X and B. The Council has appropriately remedied the injustice to Mrs X. To address the injustice to B, the Council has agreed to pay Mrs X an additional £3,069.24. The Council has also agreed to issue guidance to relevant staff.

    Service improvements

    Issue written reminders to relevant staff to ensure they are aware of:• The Council’s duties under section 19 of the Education Act 1996 to provide provision or suitable education for children of compulsory age who cannot attend school because of exclusion, medical reasons or otherwise.• The statutory guidance for Councils ‘ensuring a good education for children whocannot attend school because of health needs’ which states the law does not define full-time education but children with health needs should have provision which is equivalent to the education they would receive in school.

  • Buckinghamshire Council (22 015 839)

    Category: Education Date: 12-Sep-2023

    Summary

    The complainant (Miss X) said the Council failed to provide her son (Y) with alternative education and special educational provision listed in his Education Health and Care (EHC) plan since January 2022. She also complained about the social care support for Y, the delays in the reassessment of Y’s needs and the Council’s refusal to fund Y’s travel to and from his therapy providers. We found fault with the Council’s reimbursement of Miss X’s travel costs and also with the delays in issuing Y’s amended EHC plan after the reassessment of his needs. This fault caused injustice to Miss X and Y. We also found fault with the way the Council carried out the children’s statutory complaint procedure for Miss X, but this fault did not cause injustice to her or to Y. We did not find fault with the provision of alternative education to Y or with the delivery of his special educational provision. We recommend the Council apologise, make a payment to recognise her distress and carry out some service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council will review its personal budget process to ensure that when agreeing personal budget for children with EHC plans the Council provides their parents with the written agreement and detailed information on the documents needed before the Council makes direct payments.The Council will identify reasons for any delays in EHC needs reassessments and in the statutory children's complaint procedure and prepare a plan of action to ensure improvement.

  • Buckinghamshire Council (22 015 507)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 03-Jul-2023

    Summary

    The Council failed to accurately assess Mrs Y’s financial circumstances when she went into residential care. There are numerous and serious failings by the Council which demonstrate poor practice. This caused Mrs Y’s husband and daughter a significant and personal injustice. The Council has agreed to remedy this.

    Service improvements

    Following a detailed case review, the Council identified further learning in respect of its charging policy and use of third-party top-ups. It intends to organise focused sessions to highlight when it must apply a third-party top-ups.

  • Buckinghamshire Council (22 014 168)

    Category: Benefits and tax Date: 04-Jun-2023

    Summary

    Mrs Y complains the Council failed to consider its discretion to reduce the amount of council tax it asked her to pay on an empty property. The Council says it did use its discretion. The Ombudsman’s decision is it was fault that the Council did not advise Mrs Y she could review and appeal the decision, which its policy says it should have done. To remedy the injustice, we have asked the Council to invite Mrs Y to apply for discretionary relief. That would give her appeal rights to the Valuation Tribunal, in the event of the Council not agreeing to her request.

    Service improvements

    The Council should provide a written reminder to its relevant staff that they should inform customers who say they cannot pay their council tax of its Council Tax Discretionary Discount Policy.

  • Buckinghamshire Council (22 013 802)

    Category: Planning Date: 25-Jun-2023

    Summary

    Mr X complained the Council failed to take appropriate enforcement action against alleged breaches of planning control regarding the change of use of a business premises close to his home. Mr X says the users of the site are causing harm to the surrounding area and are negatively impacting his own property. We found the Council to be at fault with regard to its record keeping and incurring delays in its processes. The Council has agreed a remedy to address the injustice identified.

    Service improvements

    Remind staff of our expectations as set out in our Principles of Good Administrative Practice, in particular, maintaining records to demonstrate how the Council has made its decisionsCarry out a review of procedures to ensure reported breaches of planning control are not allowed to drift without action

  • Buckinghamshire Council (22 013 110)

    Category: Education Date: 15-May-2023

    Summary

    Ms X complains the Council did not provide suitable school transport for her disabled daughter. She says the taxi service provided by the Council caused her daughter stress and anxiety and was not reasonably safe. Ms X said the Council’s actions meant she had to take her daughter to and from school, incurring time and trouble to her. We found fault by the Council and the Council has agreed to provide a remedy to recognise the injustice identified.

    Service improvements

    Remind staff of the importance of retaining records to demonstrate how it has considered its general equality duty when making decisions and reviewing services.Remind staff that responses to Ombudsman enquiries provide all of the information requested and are checked for accuracy prior to issue.

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