Lincolnshire County Council (23 007 626)

Statement Upheld Alternative provision 14-Apr-2024

Summary: Mr B complained the Council did not support his child with education during the 2022 / 23 academic year. We found fault because the Council’s medical support panel did not take account of all relevant information known to it, or else that it could have obtained. It also failed to tell Mr B that it refused a request to carry out an education, health and care needs assessment. We consider these faults caused injustice as Mr B’s child did not receive additional support with his education when recovering from a major operation. Mr B also suffered distress. The Council has accepted these findings and at the end of this statement we set out the action it has agreed to remedy his injustice and make service improvements for the future.

Lincolnshire County Council (23 018 939)

Statement Upheld Traffic management 29-Apr-2024

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the actions of a member of staff and failure to provide information. The Council has apologised for the actions of the staff member and provided the information sought. We therefore consider the tests set out in are Assessment Code which establish what complaints we investigate are not met.

Lincolnshire County Council (23 013 555)

Statement Upheld Direct payments 16-May-2024

Summary: Mr X complained about the way the Council dealt with his mother, Ms Y’s, care package. Mr X said the Council removed services from Ms Y’s care plan. He said the package is no longer flexible to meet her needs. Mr X said this impacted Ms Y’s health. There was fault in the way the Council delayed completing the support plan. This fault frustrated Ms Y. The Council has agreed to apologise, make a financial payment and remind staff of the importance of promptly reviewing and issuing support plans.

Lincolnshire County Council (22 007 447)

Statement Upheld Residential care 05-Jun-2024

Summary: There is evidence of a poor standard of care by the Council’s commissioned care provider, and a safeguarding investigation upheld Mr A’s complaints about neglect which affected his brother Mr X. The Council has waived the fees for the period of care and offered a sum in recognition of the time and trouble Mr A went to in making the complaint. It agrees to offer a greater sum to recognise the distress caused by the poor standard of care, and evidence the action taken to ensure service improvements at its commissioned provider.

Lincolnshire County Council (22 014 198)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 29-Aug-2024

Summary: Mrs X complains the Council issued multiple Education, Health and Care plans that named unsuitable placements and provisions, which meant her child was unable to attend education. The Ombudsman intends to find fault with the Council for its delay during the Education, Health and Care plan process, and for not communicating its decisions to Mrs X, however this did not cause significant injustice to Mrs X. The Ombudsman does not find fault with the Council for how it considered its alternative provision duty. The Council has agreed to apologise to Mrs X and carry out service improvements.

Lincolnshire County Council (24 003 431)

Statement Upheld Charging 29-Sep-2024

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s handling of care arrangements because there is not enough evidence of fault by the Council to warrant it, nor of the Council causing significant enough injustice to meet the tests in our Assessment Code, and we could not achieve a significantly different result so long after the original events.

Lincolnshire County Council (23 011 708)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 10-Oct-2024

Summary: Miss X complained the Council failed to provide her child, Y, with the special educational provision set out in his Education, Health and Care Plan. The Council accepted fault for failing to provide Y with the special educational provision. The Council has agreed to apologise and make symbolic payments to Miss X to remedy the injustice caused.

Lincolnshire County Council (24 003 649)

Statement Upheld School transport 21-Jan-2025

Summary: Mr F complained the Council ignored his concerns about the school transport for his son who has special educational needs. There was fault which caused uncertainty and for Mr F to miss out on a personal travel budget. The Council has agreed to make payments to remedy this injustice.

Lincolnshire County Council (24 013 848)

Statement Upheld Assessment and care plan 05-Feb-2025

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint that the Council placed his mother into a care home against her wishes and that she did not receive the free six weeks of care she was entitled to. This is because the likely fault has not caused any injustice to Mrs Z. Further, the Council has appropriately remedied the injustice caused to Mr X and so an investigation would not lead to a different outcome.

Lincolnshire County Council (24 005 025)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 19-Feb-2025

Summary: Mrs X complained that the Council failed to secure the provision set out in her son’s education, health and care plan and, as a result, he was denied provision to which he was entitled. We found the Council was at fault. It has agreed to make a payment to Mrs X in recognition of the injustice caused.