Service improvements

Cheshire East Council

Showing service improvements between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2027

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 - 4 of 4 cases with service improvements

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

  • Cheshire East Council (25 009 093)

    Category: Education Date: 01-Apr-2026

    Summary

    The Council was at fault for not issuing the final amended EHC Plan for Mrs X’s child, Y within statutory timescales following an annual review. The Council was also at fault for issuing delayed responses to Mrs X’s complaint. The Council has agreed to apologise and make a symbolic payment to remedy the distress, frustration and uncertainty caused to Mrs X.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to remind complaints officers by way of staff training or a briefing to issue complaint responses within the timescales set out in the corporate complaints policy.

  • Cheshire East Council (25 007 240)

    Category: Education Date: 13-Apr-2026

    Summary

    Mrs Y complains the Council failed to ensure her child received suitable provision once they stopped attending school. In our view, the Council did not properly consider whether it had a duty to arrange alternative provision once it became aware the child was not in school. The Council also insisted on certain medical evidence which is not in accordance with statutory government guidance. The Council will complete the agreed actions to remedy the injustice caused by fault.

    Service improvements

    The Council will remind relevant officers to record clear decisions about whether a child can reasonably attend school and whether alternative provision is required. Where the Council decides alternative provision is not necessary, it will record the reasons for that decision and the evidence it relied on.The Council will remind relevant staff that they should not insist on medical evidence from specific professionals, such as consultants or CAMHS clinicians, before considering whether the Section 19 duty applies. Officers should consider all available information about the child’s circumstances, recognising that some families may not be able to obtain evidence from specialist services.The Council will review its ‘Medical Needs Tuition’ policy (September 2022) to make sure it reflects the Department for Education’s statutory guidance, which says councils should consider all available medical evidence, including evidence from GPs, when deciding what education a child may need. The Council’s current policy requires consultant level evidence at the point of referral and only accepts GP evidence in limited circumstances and on an interim basis.

  • Cheshire East Council (25 006 085)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 13-Apr-2026

    Summary

    Ms H complained about the support her father received from a care home commissioned by the Council, and how they communicated with her. She said as a result he did not receive enough equipment, missed out on NHS funding, and she experienced distress. We did not find fault by the Council on the substantive parts of the complaint. However, there was some fault in the communication with Ms H which was not timely or clear. The Council will apologise to her to acknowledge the distress and uncertainty this caused.

    Service improvements

    The Council will share this decision with the care home for it to review how it can ensure communication with relatives is clear. This includes when referrals are made or outcomes are known, and may also include guidance on who a relative can approach if they disagree with decisions made by other bodies.

  • Cheshire East Council (25 000 499)

    Category: Children's care services Date: 14-Apr-2026

    Summary

    Ms X complained about the Council’s handling of allegations made against her and the conduct of its safeguarding procedures. We have not found the Council at fault for its conduct or communication during its initial visit to Ms X’s home, or in how it accounted for the information received in its decision-making. We have found the Council at fault for not appropriately providing Ms X with a copy of its assessment and for delay in issuing its closure letter. We believe this caused Ms X avoidable distress and uncertainty. We found the Council at fault for not making clear Ms X could have been accompanied during an interview. For the reasons set out in the decision, we do not believe this caused a significant injustice. The Council has agreed to apologise to Ms X and pay a symbolic financial remedy to recognise the avoidable distress caused. The Council also agreed to remind staff that individuals can be accompanied in interviews where appropriate.

    Service improvements

    The Council will remind its officers that statutory guidance confirms individuals can be accompanied by others during interviews by social workers as part of protection proceedsings, where appropriate, and that individuals should be advised of this right ahead of interviews taking place.

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