Service improvements

London Borough of Barnet

Showing service improvements between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023

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 11 - 17 of 17 cases with service improvements

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Downloads the current filtered list of service improvement decisions for London Borough of Barnet as a CSV file.

  • London Borough of Barnet (21 018 130)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 02-Mar-2023

    Summary

    Mr X complained about the way the Council dealt with his request for a care needs assessment and took over two years to provide support. He says this caused him much stress and anxiety and affected his mental health. We find the Council was at fault and caused Mr X an increased risk of harm, undue stress and anxiety, time and trouble. We recommended it apologise, reimburse him for the care he paid for, with an amount equivalent to his direct payment, and £600 for the injustice it caused. We also recommended it take action to improve its practice in future. The Council agreed to these recommendations.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to review its processes to ensure preparing care and support plans for people with eligible care needs is an integral part of the assessment process. It should make sure all front-line staff are aware that assessments must be carried out in line with the statutory guidance.The Council has agreed to provide details of its process for prioritising assessments and reviews, and details of actions taken to reduce waiting times. The Council has already provided this information in response to my draft decision. It advises that it has reduced the waiting times and has achieved 80% of assessments within 28 days.The Council has agreed to put in place an ongoing programme of training in autism so that all assessors and their managers, have regularly updated specialist training. All staff should receive autism awareness training within the general equality and diversity training programme.The Council has agreed to review its complaint handling to ensure complaints are responded to in line with the Council’s policy.

  • London Borough of Barnet (21 016 885)

    Category: Benefits and tax Date: 19-Oct-2022

    Summary

    Mr X complains the Council incorrectly decided to pursue him for historic council tax and rent arrears. Mr X says he had applied for discretionary payments from the Council to clear the outstanding amounts. The Council has accepted it failed to respond to Mr X’s original request for a discretionary relief payment for the council tax arrears. It has now written off Mr X’s debt and withdrawn his account from the Bailiffs. We also found the Council failed to respond to Mr X’s original request for a discretionary housing payment for the rent arrears. To remedy this, the Council has agreed to apologise to Mr X, make him a payment to recognise the uncertainty and distress caused, including by passing his council tax debt to the Bailiffs, and it has offered to award a discretionary housing payment on part of the rent arrears. The Council also agreed to make several service improvements.

    Service improvements

    the Council has also agreed to review its DHP Scheme to ensure it is clear to staff how to handle requests for a DHP when the applicant has: a shortfall between their weekly rent and the housing benefit/housing element of UC awarded; and weekly overpayment deductions to their account that are less than the applicant’s housing benefit/housing element of UC entitlementthe Council has also agreed to circulate a reminder to relevant staff that complaints concerning discretionary relief payments and discretionary housing payments should be signposted to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman at the end of the complaints process (not the Housing Ombudsman); and,the Council has also agreed to share this decision with relevant staff.

  • London Borough of Barnet (21 016 847)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 02-Oct-2022

    Summary

    Ms X complains about poor care provided to her mother, Ms Y, and poor communication from a Council-commissioned home care provider between June 2021 and February 2022. She said the poor care and poor communication have caused her and her mother distress. The Council was at fault. The care provider did not administer Ms Y’s medication safely, there was poor record keeping which has caused uncertainty and poor complaints handling. The faults did not cause Ms Y any harm, but the Council has agreed to apologise to Ms X and pay her £200 in recognition of the distress and uncertainty caused.

    Service improvements

    The Council will hold a quality assurance meeting with a Council-commissioned care provider to discuss: the safe adminstration of medications;record keeping;its response to complaints.It will take appropriate action to assure itself that the care provider is delivering a safe and high quality service and provide evidence to the Ombudsman of the meeting and any resulting action plan.

  • London Borough of Barnet (21 014 395)

    Category: Benefits and tax Date: 22-Sep-2022

    Summary

    Mr X complained the Council failed to put in place reasonable adjustments, due to his disability, to assist him in accessing and paying his Council Tax. We found fault with the Council. The Council agreed to our recommendation to write-off the balance of £270.29 owed for the Council Tax bill to address the distress, frustration and inconvenience caused and to provide training to staff about considering and implementing reasonable adjustment requests.

    Service improvements

    Provide training to staff about considering and implementing reasonable adjustment requests.

  • London Borough of Barnet (21 012 867)

    Category: Education Date: 08-Feb-2023

    Summary

    Ms Y complained the Council failed to follow the proper process for, or provide the support set out in, her son’s Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan. She complained it failed to provide an appropriate school placement and did not communicate properly with her. We have found fault by the Council in the way it structured the EHC Plan, failed to make appropriate provision, delays in the process and communication failures, which caused injustice. The Council has agreed to remedy this by apologising, making payments to acknowledge Z’s loss of education and reflect Ms Y’s time and trouble, and making a service improvement.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to review the way it structures the content of section F (for example the use of headings and sub-headings to identify and separate the specified provision from strategies) with a view to making it clear to parents and all those working with the child which part of section F sets out the specified provision and which the strategies.

  • London Borough of Barnet (21 009 273)

    Category: Benefits and tax Date: 12-Apr-2022

    Summary

    Ms X and Mr Y complained the Council failed to start billing them for council tax when they moved back into their refurbished property, causing a debt to build up over four years. The Council did not follow the correct process when Ms X and Mr Y told it they had moved back into the property. The resulting debt caused them avoidable stress and financial pressure, for which the Council agreed to apologise and pay a financial remedy. It also agreed to restate its offer of a repayment plan and remind its staff of the correct process.

    Service improvements

    The Council agreed to remind relevant staff of the correct process for reporting completion of new build, converted, or refurbished properties to the Valuation Office Agency and relisting them for council tax.

  • London Borough of Barnet (21 008 272)

    Category: Environment and regulation Date: 30-May-2022

    Summary

    Miss X complains about the Council’s handling of her reports of anti-social behaviour and poor housing conditions. We have found fault with the Council for failing to signpost Miss X to the Community Trigger mechanism, causing Miss X an injustice. We have made recommendations to remedy the injustice caused. We have also found the Council at fault for not conducting a formal risk assessment, although this did not cause Miss X an injustice. We have not found fault with how the Council engaged with the Police or responded to Miss X’s complaints about poor housing conditions.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to provide guidance to relevant staff on the importance of conducting risk assessments in cases involving anti-social behaviour.The Council has agreed to issue guidance reminding staff of the community trigger process, and the importance of advising victims of anti-social behaviour of their right to request a review using this process.

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