Service improvements

Durham County Council

Showing service improvements between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2026

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 21 cases with service improvements

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

  • Durham County Council (25 005 117)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 06-Feb-2026

    Summary

    Mrs B complains about invoices relating to adult social care support. Mrs B says the Council sent her an invoice late in 2023 and that there were multiple and repeated errors in the invoices from 2024. We have found fault in relation to the late invoice but there were no errors in the later invoices. The Council has agreed to apologise and to carry out a service improvement.

    Service improvements

    Ensure all relevant staff understand the Council’s duty to carry out financial assessments and send out invoices in a timely manner. It will provide training or guidance as needed.

  • Durham County Council (25 004 361)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 04-Feb-2026

    Summary

    Ms Y complained the Council failed to arrange transport for her daughter to attend a day centre. We find fault in the Council’s handling of the matter, including poor communication, delay, inadequate consideration of the circumstances, and a failure to properly address the unmet transport and care support needs. This caused ongoing uncertainty and distress for Ms Y. The Council has agreed to apologise, address the outstanding support gap, make a payment to Ms Y, and take action to improve its practice.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to, using this case as an example, remind relevant Adult Social Care Staff of the need to:properly record discretionary decisions, including the reasons for them;clearly explain the consequences when families decline a proposed service; anddistinguish between a service user’s eligible needs and a carer’s support needs, in line with the Care Act 2014.

  • Durham County Council (24 021 099)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 25-Sep-2025

    Summary

    Ms X complained the Council did not explain the fees and charges for her father’s (Mr F’s) care when he moved into supported accommodation. She said the Council did not charge him properly or communicated with him or Ms X for the last three years and has now issued a large invoice for his care.

    Service improvements

    The Council agreed to review how it monitors cases and create an action plan to alert staff when a review of an individual’s care plan is required (both at six to eight weeks after a new plan, and annually).The Council also agreed to remind staff to update the appropriate systems to ensure invoices are raised in a timely manner and to check this has been effective.The Council agreed to remind staff of the importance of good record keeping and communication.

  • Durham County Council (24 017 370)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 13-May-2025

    Summary

    We have upheld Mrs X’s complaint about a lack of advice about the costs of adult social care. The Council has agreed to apologise and make a symbolic payment to Mrs X to remedy the uncertainty caused. It will also remind relevant staff about the importance of providing appropriate information about charging for adult social care.

    Service improvements

    The Council will remind relevant staff of the importance of providing advice about adult social care charging when assessing needs so families can make an informed choice about care and support, to ensure the advice is properly recorded and to provide written advice about charging, for example, by sending a leaflet or a link to relevant information on its website.

  • Durham County Council (24 012 474)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 05-Feb-2026

    Summary

    Mr B complained about how the Council and Trust assessed and planned Ms C’s care, and arranged discharge from hospital. We found fault with the way the Council handled Ms C’s care assessment and hospital discharge, causing distress to Ms C and distress and uncertainty to Mr B. The Council agreed to apologise to Mr B, make a symbolic payment, and make service improvements. We found no fault in the Trust’s actions.

    Service improvements

    The Council will review its systems and procedures relating to care act assessments and involving families and advocates, to improve future practice.

  • Durham County Council (24 009 519)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 18-May-2025

    Summary

    Ms D complained the Council ignored her requests to discuss her mother’s (Ms M’s) return home after being told she needed to be in a care home. This caused Ms D and her mother emotional distress and potential financial distress for Ms M. The Council is at fault for poor communication and failing to proactively manage Ms M’s assessment. This has caused Ms M and Ms D distress. I have recommended a package of remedies.

    Service improvements

    The Council agreed to remind staff about the importance of communication with the individual receiving support and their family and keeping them updated throughout the assessment.The Council agreed to remind staff about the importance of providing a timely explanation of the financial assessment and the potential charges. Any verbal explanation should be followed in writing.

  • Durham County Council (24 003 695)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 25-Feb-2026

    Summary

    Mr B complained on behalf of his mother, Ms C, that the Trust did not provide suitable rehabilitation in hospital, that the Trust and Council failed to communicate changes to Ms C’s care plan, and that the Council did not communicate with Ms C about charges for care and wrongly charged her. We found fault with how the Council communicated with Ms C about charges, and that this caused uncertainty and distress to Ms C and Mr B. The Council has agreed to apologise, make a symbolic payment, and improve services. We found no fault in the Trust’s actions.

    Service improvements

    The Council agreed to review its guidance to improve communication with people about the need to make a financial contribution towards care.

  • Durham County Council (24 007 103)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 30-Mar-2025

    Summary

    Mr X complains the Council failed to arrange suitable support for him when he left hospital in April 2024, leaving him without the support he needed. The Council delayed in identifying the need to reassess Mr X’s needs, review his financial assessment with him, and review his risk management plan. These delays caused avoidable distress to Mr X, but he was left without the support he needed because he was not prepared to pay for it. The Council needs to apologise for the distress it caused and take action to improve its services.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to take action to ensure people in Mr X’s circumstances can self-refer for an assessment of their needs;work with the Handyman Service with a view to it accepting referrals from the Council without the need for the person to then prove their eligibility to use the service.

  • Durham County Council (24 007 054)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 10-Feb-2025

    Summary

    Mrs F complained about the Council’s actions in respect of the payment of fees for care in a residential care home for her father (Mr G). We found the Council failed to keep Mrs F informed of its actions and gave inaccurate information in its initial response. The Council has agreed to make a symbolic payment of £400 to Mrs F and to improve its procedures for the future.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to ensure all social work staff are aware of the correct procedure to follow when a person goes into residential care.

  • Durham County Council (24 001 522)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 15-Jan-2025

    Summary

    Mr X complained he was incorrectly discharged from Section 117 aftercare. We found the Trust, the Council and the ICB did not follow the relevant guidance when discharging Mr X from Section 117 aftercare. This caused uncertainty to Mr X over whether he should have received additional mental health support in the period that followed, and whether this may have prevented his health from deteriorating. The Trust, Council and ICB agreed to provide a remedy to Mr X by reassessing his Section 117 needs, and making service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council together with the ICB and Trust, will ensure staff are trained on how to apply the current Section 117 aftercare policy when discharging people from Section 117 aftercare, including fully involving people and their carers or advocates in the decision.

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