Service improvements

Cornwall Council

Showing service improvements between 1 April 2018 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 21 - 30 of 71 cases with service improvements

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

  • Cornwall Council (24 003 458)

    Category: Education Date: 27-Mar-2025

    Summary

    Mrs X complained the Council failed to provide appropriate education for her child, Y and delayed issuing him with a final Education Health and Care Plan. She also complained its communication with her was poor. We found fault by the Council on all parts of Mrs X’s complaint. As a result Y missed education he was entitled to, and he and Mrs X were caused distress, frustration and put to avoidable time and trouble. The Council agreed to apologise and make a payment to Mrs X and Y in recognition of the injustice caused to them.

    Service improvements

    The Council will share a copy of the decision with its education welfare and special educational needs staff to identify learning from this complaint.

  • Cornwall Council (24 001 518)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 29-Sep-2024

    Summary

    Mrs X said the Council’s handling of Mr X’s added care costs after he left hospital was unnecessarily time consuming, caused distress and significantly affected her finances. We found there was avoidable delay by the Council and a failure to properly process Mrs X’s complaint about the costs. To put matters right, the Council agreed to apologise to Mrs X and make a symbolic payment of £1,000. The Council also agreed to remind its officers of the need to deal with complaint correspondence in a timely manner.

    Service improvements

    The Council agreed to send a written reminder to its Adult Social Care officers about the need to handle residents’ complaints in a timely manner by either responding directly or referring them its Feedback Team.

  • Cornwall Council (24 000 808)

    Category: Education Date: 19-Mar-2025

    Summary

    The Council failed to consider whether it owed Mr X’s child, Z, a duty to provide alternative education when they could not attend school due to ill health. It also failed to ensure Z received all the support in their Education, Health and Care Plan and failed to do what it said it would following key meetings. The Council’s faults caused Z to miss out on a term of provision and caused Mr X significant uncertainty, frustration and time and trouble. In recognition of the injustice caused, the Council has agreed to apologise, arrange additional provision to make up for some of the sessions Z missed, pay Mr X £2,700 and carry out service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to instruct all Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) staff and staff dealing with alternative provision to ensure that case records and meeting notes - including annual review meetings - must record which organisation is responsible for carrying out any agreed actions, with respect to children and young people’s referrals for education and support.The Council has agreed to inform its complaint handling staff that while proactively contacting complainants to resolve complaints is welcome, this is not a replacement for providing them with a complaint response.The Council has agreed to look into what caused the delays in the Council making decisions and finalising Education Health and Care Plans in this case and outline what action it has taken to prevent recurrence of these delays in future.

  • Cornwall Council (24 000 115)

    Category: Housing Date: 22-Sep-2024

    Summary

    We found fault on Mrs K’s complaint about the Council failing to allow her to bid for two-bedroom properties which left her in a property which does not meet her needs. It failed to show it properly considered her evidence when reaching its decision. The agreed action remedies the injustice caused.

    Service improvements

    The Council will review all the evidence sent and make a fresh reasoned decision on the request for a two-bedroom property showing it took account of all relevant evidence provided in support.The Council agreed to remind all relevant staff involved with the making of decisions about bedroom entitlement of the need to: i) give reasons in support of itsdecisions; and ii) show they considered all relevant evidence against the requirements of its policy.

  • Cornwall Council (23 021 362)

    Category: Education Date: 10-Jan-2025

    Summary

    Mrs X complained the Council failed to provide the provision in her daughter, Miss Y’s, Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan since May 2023 and delayed completing an annual review of the EHC Plan in June 2024. Mrs X also complained the Council delayed in responding to her complaint about the matter. The Council was at fault. The Council will apologise and make payments to Mrs X for the frustration she was caused and Miss Y for the provision she missed.

    Service improvements

    The Council will review its policy for handling complaints on special educational need matters and ensure the policy requires complaint investigations to consider appropriate remedies for injustice caused by any fault it upholds.Following a review of the relevant policy the Council will remind relevant staff to consider appropriate remedies in its complaint responses for any injustices it identifies as a result of a Council fault.

  • Cornwall Council (23 020 604)

    Category: Environment and regulation Date: 22-Jul-2024

    Summary

    Mrs X complained the Council failed to properly assess her property and provide her with a wheelie bin in accordance with its eligibility criteria. The Council is at fault because it failed to fully assess Mrs X’s property for the storage and collection of a wheelie bin in line with its policy. The Council has agreed to carry out a new assessment of Mrs X’s property which remedies any injustice caused.

    Service improvements

    The Council will remind relevant officers to carry out wheelie bin assessment reviews within timescales outlined in its policy.

  • Cornwall Council (23 020 576)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 12-Dec-2024

    Summary

    Mr C complains the Council delayed in sending a bill for his late brother’s residential care, and for failing to pay back his costs. The Council is at fault for a 12 month delay in completing a financial assessment but there is no fault in how it considered Mr C’s expenses. To remedy the shock, time and trouble Mr C had in receiving a large bill the Council has agreed to apologise and make service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council will:-a) review and if necessary update processes on the procedure of advising people about charges where the person they are supporting lacks capacity and they have no legal authority to deal with their finances on their behalf;b) remind staff by a staff circular or team meeting about the importance of recording any advice give about charges;c) remind staff by a staff circular or team meeting about the importance of providing information about residential care charges to people using the service or those acting on their behalf.

  • Cornwall Council (23 019 534)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 24-Sep-2024

    Summary

    Miss Z complained on behalf of her father that the Council wrongly charged him for 45 minute care calls after agreeing to reduce them to 30 minutes. The Council accepts it did not act in a timely manner and has proposed a suitable remedy. This includes refunding the cost of the extra 15 minutes and making a symbolic payment to Miss Z to recognise her inconvenience.

    Service improvements

    Share lessons learnt with the Practice Assurance Group which will review and amend working practices where necessary and provide briefings to staff of any changes.

  • Cornwall Council (23 019 223)

    Category: Education Date: 22-Oct-2024

    Summary

    Mrs X complains the Council failed to follow the statutory time limits for dealing with her son Y’s Education, Health and Care needs assessment and issuing his Education, Health and Care Plan. We find fault with the Council for delay and have agreed a symbolic payment for lost provision for Y, and the distress and frustration caused to Mrs X.

    Service improvements

    Within three months the Council will remind relevant staff to respond to complaints in line with the Council’s procedure;Within three months the Council will provide us with its plan to improve compliance with the EHC needs assessment timescales.

  • Cornwall Council (23 018 367)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 16-Dec-2024

    Summary

    Mr X complained about the Council’s failure to meet his care and support needs since 2020 and mismanagement of his direct payments since they were first made in 2016. This led to a large debt that Mr X cannot afford to repay and caused a significant decline in his mental health. We found the Council to be at fault. It failed to monitor the direct payment and address the surplus in his account. To remedy the injustice to Mr X, the Council has agreed to apologise, reduce the debt, and take action to improve its service.

    Service improvements

    The Council should carry out a review of how it supports, monitors and audits recipients of direct payments. This is to ensure all current and future recipients of direct payments are adequately monitored and audited in line with statutory guidance and to ensure similar matters such as this do not occur in the future. The resulting report should be considered by the appropriate Council committee.

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