Advice on comparing statistics across years

In 2022-23 we changed our investigation processes, contributing towards an increase in the average uphold rate across all complaints. Consider comparing individual council uphold rates against the average rate rather than against previous years.

In 2020-21 we received and decided fewer complaints than normal because we stopped accepting new complaints for three months due to Covid-19.

Essex County Council

Annual statistics ?Find out more about annual statistics

  • Complaints upheld

    79% of complaints we investigated were upheld.

    This compares to an average of 80% in similar authorities.

    41 upheld decisions

    Adjusted for Essex County Council's population, this is
    2.7 upheld decisions per 100,000 residents
    .

    The average for authorities of this type is
    3.4 upheld decisions per 100,000 residents.

    View upheld decisions

    Statistics are based on a total of 52 detailed investigations for the period between 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023

  • Compliance with Ombudsman recommendations

    100% of cases we were satisfied the Council had successfully implemented our recommendations.

    This compares to an average of 100% in similar authorities.

    Statistics are based on a total of 41 compliance outcomes for the period between 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023

  • Satisfactory remedies provided by the Council

    In 2% of upheld cases we found the Council had provided a satisfactory remedy before the complaint reached the Ombudsman.

    This compares to an average of 6% in similar authorities.

    1 satisfactory remedy decision

    Statistics are based on a total of 41 detailed investigations for the period between 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023

    View all satisfactory remedy decisions

Annual letters

We write to councils each year to give a summary of the complaint statistics we record about them,
and their performance in responding to our investigations.

View annual letters

Public reports ?Find out more about public reports

In the last nine years, the Ombudsman has published the following public interest reports against Essex County Council

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found Essex County Council at fault in how it considered two separate women’s Disability Related Expenses (DREs).

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is reminding councils of their duty to monitor and ensure education provided to children educated out of school is suitable, following an investigation into a complaint against Essex County Council.

Social workers moved a vulnerable Essex teen from her aunt and uncle’s care without any warning, the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) said.

The clarity of information provided by Essex County Council to parents about a new school transport policy has been criticised by the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) in a report.

In a recent case involving an elderly man, Essex County Council social workers delayed acting on a family’s concerns when they claimed their relative was being exploited by a younger female friend.

5

Public reports for Essex County Council

View all

Service improvements ?Find out more about service improvements

Since April 2018, the Council has agreed to make the following improvements to its services following an Ombudsman investigation. We list up to 10 cases below – click ‘view all’ if there are more.

Case reference: 23 007 958

Category: Children's care services

Sub Category: Other

  • The Council will review all the complaints considered at stage two of the children's statutory complaint procedure for more than 13 weeks and:identify reasons for the delays in completing the stage two investigation;prepare a plan of action with the timescales to ensure the stage two investigations are completed without any further delay.The Council will provide us with evidence of completing this actions.

Case reference: 23 007 358

Category: Education

Sub Category: Special educational needs

  • The Council will review why there was such excessive delay in the handling of this complaint and the EHC plan review process and consider if this part of a wider systemic problem. It will advise the Ombudsman what actions it intends to take to improve timeliness of annual reviews and complaint handling.

Case reference: 23 005 361

Category: Adult care services

Sub Category: Charging

  • The Council will review its process of registering referrals for financial assessments to ensure theCouncil records any requests for a financial assessment and the date of sending financial assessments with all the attached documents to the service user.
  • The Council will review its Deferred Payment Agreement process to ensure:a) service users receive detailed information tailored to their individual circumstances at the beginning of the process;b) the Council makes a decision on eligibility without delay;c) service users have clarity what documents they have to provide for a DPA;
  • The Council will improve communication between various teams providing Adult Social Care services to ensure there is an exchange of information and communications without involving service users;
  • The Council will train its staff dealing with Adult Social Care complaints to ensure the compliance with the Council’s Complaints and Representations Policy 2022.

Case reference: 23 004 613

Category: Education

Sub Category: Special educational needs

  • As a result of this complaint, the Council recognised that it needed better communications with parents when education, health and care plans were subject to delay. It agreed that it would consider policy options for how it could improve these, including providing parents with regular updates (say at four or six weeks) when assessments were delayed waiting for education psychology advice or once the 16 week limit had passed for saying if it would issue an education, care and health plan.

Case reference: 23 004 198

Category: Education

Sub Category: Special educational needs

  • The Council has agreed to circulate guidance to all relevant staff, to remind them a decision to refuse a personal budget request carries a formal right of review, and the statutory guidance requires them to inform a requestor of this right, when writing to inform them of the Council’s decision.

Case reference: 23 002 999

Category: Transport and highways

Sub Category: Highway repair and maintenance

  • The Council will review the wording on its website to be clearer in what type of photo and map evidence is required to make an insurance claim for vehicle damage. This will help to ensure that those making a claim are fully aware of the type of evidence required.
  • The Council will share the Ombudsman’s report “Equal Access” with relevant senior managers. This will help to promote good practice when considering how it deals with requests for reasonable adjustments to be made.
  • The Council will issue written reminders to relevant officers regarding the Equality Act 2010. This will help to ensure that officers understand their obligations to provide reasonable adjustments.

Case reference: 23 001 990

Category: Education

Sub Category: Special educational needs

  • Share with staff the Ombudsman’s focus report ‘Equal Access: Getting it right for people with disabilities’, and remind them of the Council’s anticipatory duty to make reasonable adjustments.
  • Share this decision with the relevant staff.

Case reference: 23 001 498

Category: Adult care services

Sub Category: Charging

  • confirm if/how many other service users have been similarly affected and the action taken to remedy any injustice caused.

Case reference: 23 001 123

Category: Education

Sub Category: Special educational needs

  • Look at what went wrong in this case and why there were significant delays and produce an action plan to demonstrate how the Council will meet statutory timescales for annual reviews.

Case reference: 23 000 503

Category: Education

Sub Category: Special educational needs

  • The Council is making service improvements to respond to the increased demand of Education Health and Care Plan assessments and a shortage of Educational Psychologists.

134

Service improvements agreed by Essex County Council

View all

Last updated: 4 April 2015

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