Service improvements

Kent County Council

Showing service improvements between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024

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 - 8 of 8 cases with service improvements

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

  • Kent County Council (23 006 015)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 23-Feb-2024

    Summary

    Ms C complains the Council took unnecessary safeguarding action, did not follow her advice, and placed her son, Mr D at risk. The Council is not at fault for carrying out safeguarding, there are faults however in the process it followed and in its communication with Ms C. To remedy the complaint the Council has agreed to apologise to Ms C, make a symbolic payment, and remind staff about the policies they need to follow when completing safeguarding.

    Service improvements

    The Council will:a) remind and if appropriate provide training to staff members about1. the importance of including vulnerable people within the safeguarding process;2. assessing mental capacity in line with the safeguarding policy;3. providing an advocate in line with the safeguarding policy.b) review how safeguarding concerns were acted on in this complaint in particular the initial delay after the November 2022 concern;c) remind staff and the Care Provider about the importance of completing risk assessments when issues are raised.

  • Kent County Council (23 005 403)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 05-Dec-2023

    Summary

    Mr C complained that the Council failed to properly communicate with him about funding for his aunt’s (Mrs D’s) care home fees. This caused him distress and uncertainty about whether she would have to move and how much it would cost. We found the Council delayed in reaching a clear decision on Mrs D’s case and failed to communicate adequately with Mr C. The Council has agreed to apologise to Mr C, pay him £300 and improve its procedures for the future.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to review its assessment and funding procedures to ensure there are clear timescales for funding decisions to be made and communicated to service-users and their families.

  • Kent County Council (22 017 446)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 01-Aug-2023

    Summary

    Mrs X complained the Council agreed to allow her late father Mr Y to leave residential care and return home despite him having dementia, fluctuating mental capacity and a high risk of falls and self-neglect. The Council was not at fault in the way it assessed Mr Y’s capacity and allowed him to go home. It has already acknowledged poor communication and a delay in referring Mrs X for a carers assessment in its complaint response. It has already apologised for this which was appropriate. It has agreed to provide us with evidence it has carried out the actions it said it would take to prevent a recurrence of these faults in future.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to provide the Ombudsman with evidence it has shared with the principal social worker the need to review practice in the operational teams to encourage early carer referrals.The Council has agreed to provide the Ombudsman with evidence it has developed a step by step overview of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards process to be shared with families, carers and relatives of those subject to assessment.The Council has agreed to provide the Ombudsman with evidence it has reminded senior managers to have conversations with families and carers who have concerns where matters are escalated to them.

  • Kent County Council (22 015 377)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 19-Jun-2023

    Summary

    There was fault in the care that was provided to Mr C and there was poor communication relating to the safeguarding enquiries into the care. Both councils have agreed to apologise, to pay a financial remedy and to remind staff of the importance of involving the person at the centre of a safeguarding enquiry in the enquiry.

    Service improvements

    •Remind relevant staff of the importance of keeping the adult who is the subject of a safeguarding enquiry at the centre of the enquiry.

  • Kent County Council (22 014 771)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 17-Oct-2023

    Summary

    The Council’s stated process for care needs and financial assessments appears to be in accordance with The Care Act 2014 but in practice 87% of cases do not follow this process. Failure to provide a personal budget as part of the care and support plan and before services are provided, is fault. The Council should review its processes to ensure cases are assessed in accordance with the Care Act requirements.

    Service improvements

    Review the care and financial assessment processes to enable the financial assessment to be completed prior to a care package starting.

  • Kent County Council (22 011 911)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 23-Aug-2023

    Summary

    Mrs Y complained on behalf of her late sister, Mrs X, that the Council unnecessarily decided to store Mrs X’s unwanted belongings when she went into residential care, resulting in substantial storage charges. The Council was at fault for not consulting Mrs Y about its decision and for not carrying out a best interests assessment.

    Service improvements

    The Council agreed to carry out refresher training for staff around protection of property.The Council agreed to remind staff about the importance of clear communication and involving family members at relevant times regarding protection of property.

  • Kent County Council (22 010 884)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 19-Apr-2023

    Summary

    Mrs X complained on behalf of her son, Mr Y. She complained the Council has not considered all Mr X’s disability related expenditure (DRE). Mrs X also complained about the lack of clear information available to her, poor communication and delays from the Council. She says this caused distress and anxiety and Mr Y has paid more for his care than he should have. There was fault in the way the Council considered disability related expenditure, did not provide clear information and there were delays in this case. Mrs X and Mr Y suffered from the uncertainty about the financial contributions to Mr Y’s care and Mrs X was put to time and trouble to complain. The Council should apologise to Mrs X and Mr Y, pay Mrs X £200 to acknowledge the time and trouble she has been put to, reassess Mr Y’s disability related expenditure and remind its staff to consider each case individually.

    Service improvements

    Remind staff of the Council’s responsibility to consider each complaint individually and not provide standard responses.Provide evidence the Council has delivered the training on financial and Disability Related Expenditure assessments.

  • Kent County Council (21 017 455)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 25-Apr-2023

    Summary

    We found fault by the Council and Trust with regards to the care and treatment they provided to Mr Y when he was resident in a local care home. The Council and Trust will apologise to Mr Y’s daughter, Miss X, and pay her a financial sum in recognition of the distress caused to her by this fault. They will also take appropriate action to prevent similar problems occurring in future.

    Service improvements

    Within three months of our final decision, the Council will explain what action it will take to ensure the care home has an effective communication policy and procedure in place. This should include clear guidance for staff on the importance of effective communication with residents and their families, particularly when a resident is near the end of their life.Within three months of our final decision, the Council will explain what action it will take to ensure the care home has robust nutritional and hydration procedures in place. These should emphasise the importance of regular nutritional reviews and the need to seek appropriate specialist input in the event that a resident's nutritional needs change.

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