Service improvements

East Sussex County 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 31 - 40 of 48 cases with service improvements

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

  • East Sussex County Council (21 016 612)

    Category: Education Date: 03-Nov-2022

    Summary

    The Council failed to make sufficient and prompt efforts to find Ms X’s daughter, Z, a suitable educational placement when her school could no longer meet her needs. It was also more than seventeen weeks late in finalising Z’s Education Health and Care Plan (EHC Plan). The Council has agreed to pay Ms X £1,750 in recognition of the injustice caused by these faults and to make several service improvements. The Council was not at fault for refusing to provide a personal budget to Z for a gym membership.

    Service improvements

    This Council has agreed to remind its staff of the Council’s Section 19 duty to arrange suitable education at school or elsewhere for pupils who are out of school because of exclusion, illness or for other reasons, if they would not receive suitable education without such arrangements and whether or not they are on the roll of a school.The Council has agreed to remind its staff of the importance of removing children, if appropriate, from a school’s roll so it can refer them to temporary educational services.The Council has agreed to remind staff of the need for timely consultations with educational providers, particularly when the child is, or there is a risk of, the child being out of education.The Council has agreed to investigate the reasons why a final EHC Plan was issued more than 17 weeks late and produce an action plan to outline how it can prevent this kind of delay occurring in future.

  • East Sussex County Council (21 013 700)

    Category: Environment and regulation Date: 27-Jun-2022

    Summary

    The Ombudsman found fault by the Council on Mr J’s complaint. It failed to take effective action, and carry out repairs, to prevent road surface water run-off draining on to his land. There were failures to respond to his reports, delays arranging work, poor record keeping, a failure to deal with his formal complaint properly, and a failure to show how it considered and assessed his concerns. The agreed action remedies the injustice caused.

    Service improvements

    The Council agreed to review why Highways failed to properly respond and take action on the complainant's reports.The Council agreed to remind officers of the need to make and retain contact and evidence of liaison with the water board on future cases

  • East Sussex County Council (21 012 426)

    Category: Children's care services Date: 17-Jul-2022

    Summary

    The Council was not at fault for how it assessed Mrs X as a potential adopter for a child. However, it was at fault for failing to adequately manage Mrs X’s expectations throughout the process. As a result, Mrs X believed she would be able to adopt the child. The Council agreed to apologise, make a payment for the distress caused and take steps to improve its procedures for the future.

    Service improvements

    Consider what improvements the Council can make to its guidance to ensure prospective adopters are adequately informed about the process for carrying out viability assessments. The Council should report its findings back to the Ombudsman.

  • East Sussex County Council (21 011 082)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 11-Sep-2022

    Summary

    Ms D complains the Council and NHS Sussex refuse to pay for the full cost of her mother, Ms M’s, mental health aftercare. We have upheld the complaint and recommended remedies for Ms M and service improvements for the organisations. The Council and NHS Sussex accept our recommendations, so we have completed our investigation.

    Service improvements

    The Council will identify everyone in its area receiving section 117 aftercare services who is paying top-ups for aftercare services. It will then produce an action plan for checking the top-up payments are in line with the law and guidance, and reimbursing people who have been charged top-ups incorrectly.The Council will ensure relevant staff are aware of the law and guidance that applies to section 117 aftercare top-ups and that these cannot be used for aftercare in a person's own home.

  • East Sussex County Council (21 005 827)

    Category: Education Date: 08-Sep-2022

    Summary

    Mrs B complained that the Council did not properly consider her reheard appeal for transport assistance for her daughter, Y, to attend college. We found fault in the way the Council considered her reheard appeal. The Council agreed to apologise, pay Mrs B £100 for her frustration, and rehear her appeal. It will also carry out a lessons-learned exercise and allow parents who unsuccessfully appealed for sixth-form age transport for the 2021/22 school year a reassessment of their cases with the chance to make verbal representations to the panel.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to carry out a lessons-learned exercise regarding what a panel should do when it does not have evidence to back up its views about the flexibility of working parents, and how it should seek that evidence.The Council has agreed to review appeal decisions issued for the school year September 2021 where the panel refused sixth-form age transport to identify any parents who missed the opportunity of making verbal representations and offer them the opportunity of a reassessment with the chance to speak to the panel. If the panel then agrees transport, a remedy should be offered for the missed provision.

  • East Sussex County Council (21 002 898)

    Category: Education Date: 06-Apr-2022

    Summary

    We upheld a complaint from Miss X on behalf of her son Mr Y about the Council’s handling of his special educational needs provision. The Council failed to secure some of the therapeutic support in Mr Y’s plan. The Council agreed to apologise to Mr Y, make a payment to recognise his lost provision, and review its systems for checking provision is in place.

    Service improvements

    The Council will review its systems for checking special educational needs provision is in place when amended final education, health and care plans are issued

  • East Sussex County Council (20 012 515)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 03-Apr-2022

    Summary

    Mr C complained about the way the Council responded to the safeguarding concerns he raised about his son’s care, at the end of 2018. We found some fault with the way the safeguarding enquiry was handled and the way in which the Council responded to Mr C’s concerns about that. The Council has agreed to apologise to Mr C and pay him a financial remedy for the distress he experienced. It will also share the lessons learned with relevant staff.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to share the lessons learned with those involved in investigating adult safeguarding concernsThe Council has agreed to review its safeguarding process, to ensure it will always consider and record whether those involved in investigating the concerns are sufficiently independent.

  • East Sussex County Council (21 011 045)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 25-Mar-2022

    Summary

    Dr B complained ESC Council and the NHS Trust failed to properly safeguard her when it undertook an investigation into allegations of physical assault when she lived in a care home jointly funded by the CCG and BHC Council. She also complained about the home’s investigation and its decision to serve notice to end the placement. We found fault in the safeguarding protection plan put in place by ESC Council and as a result Dr B experienced avoidable distress. We also found fault in the way the jointly funded home completed its investigation, and this is likely to have meant Dr B missed an opportunity to have her views and outcomes properly recorded. The Councils and the CCG agreed to our recommendations and will arrange for Dr B to receive a written apology for the injustice caused. ESC Council will also remind its officers of the importance of updating safeguarding documentation.

    Service improvements

    The Council also failed to complete a safeguarding form correctly which would have helped Dr B's care provider understand the scope of investigation. The Council will remind its officers of the importance of safeguarding investigation documentation properly to include setting out the scope for provider investigations.

  • East Sussex County Council (21 006 916)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 04-Jan-2022

    Summary

    The investigation into the way the Council dealt with Mrs Y’s direct payments will be discontinued. The Council has proposed a fair remedy and we would not be able to add anything to the outcome.

    Service improvements

    Implement identified learning in relation to improving its advice and guidance to family members who are formally appointed via a direct payment agreement. The Council will also improve processes to ensure that all formal requirements are put in place from the outset of the agreement.

  • East Sussex County Council (21 006 531)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 28-Mar-2022

    Summary

    Mrs X complained the Council placed her in unsuitable care homes in 2017. She also complained it failed to support her in her payment dispute with a care home in 2021. We found the Council at fault for its failure to properly consider and support her with her payment dispute with the care home it placed her in. The Council has agreed to apologise to Mrs X. We have not considered Mrs X’s 2017 concerns. This part of her complaint was late.

    Service improvements

    b)remind its staff when the Council has assessed a person as eligible for support and it has arranged the provision of care, the Council remains responsible for care placements. This includes disputes about charges and payments for care provision delivered by third party care providers.

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