Service improvements

London Borough of Camden

Showing service improvements between 1 April 2021 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 11 - 20 of 31 cases with service improvements

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

  • London Borough of Camden (23 021 195)

    Category: Housing Date: 28-Jan-2025

    Summary

    Mr X complained about how the Council handled his homelessness after he received an eviction notice in 2022 and 2023. The Council failed to take steps to provide Mr X with appropriate help and support to alleviate his risk of homelessness between October 2022 and January 2024. This meant Mr X and his family remained in a property with the risk of eviction. The Council agreed to apologise and make a payment to Mr X to recognise the distress and uncertainty this caused.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to remind officers of the importance of notifying homelessness applicants of the correct homelessness duty and ensuring the Council accepts and ends the correct duties at relevant times.The Council has agreed to remind housing officers of the importance of making the main housing duty after 56 days, only extending this in the specific circumstances in line with the Homelessness Code of guidance.The Council has agreed to review its processes to ensure Personalised Housing Plans are reviewed in a timely manner and appropriate oversight is maintained of homelessness cases where the relief duty extends over 56 days.

  • London Borough of Camden (23 018 496)

    Category: Housing Date: 09-Dec-2024

    Summary

    Ms X complained the Council delayed considering the environmental health concerns she raised about her previous property. Ms X is also unhappy with how the Council considered her application for social housing and said it did not give her the correct priority points. Ms X said this impacted her mental and physical health. The Council did accept some fault and offered Ms X £250. There was fault in the way the Council delayed making decisions about Ms X's homelessness and did not suitably act to resolve the condition of the property. There was also fault in the priority points allocation and complaints process. Ms X was distressed and frustrated by the Council’s actions. Ms X and Y remained living in an insanitary property. The Council has agreed to apologise, make a financial payment and train its staff in the Council’s responsibilities.

    Service improvements

    Remind relevant staff of the importance of effective complaint handling.Remind staff of the importance of keeping records of all actions, including property inspections.Provide training or guidance to all relevant staff of the Council’s responsibilities to homeless applicants and those in insanitary private rented accommodation.

  • London Borough of Camden (23 016 957)

    Category: Housing Date: 20-Feb-2025

    Summary

    Miss X complains about the Council’s handling of her homelessness application. We find fault with the Council for delay with the points review, and for sending correspondence to her old address after she told it not to. We have agreed a symbolic payment for the frustration and distress caused.

    Service improvements

    The Council should advise the Ombudsman of what action it has taken to ensure correspondence is sent to the correct address and flag up change of address is domestic abuse cases.

  • London Borough of Camden (23 011 115)

    Category: Housing Date: 02-Jul-2024

    Summary

    Ms X complained about the length of time the Council took to make and fit a replacement external door at her home. We found fault because the Council did not submit measurements it took for the door which then led to avoidable delays in the new door being made and fitted. Ms X suffered avoidable distress and frustration. To remedy the injustice caused by this fault, the Council has agreed to apologise, make a payment to Ms X and issue reminders to officers.

    Service improvements

    The Council will remind relevant officers of the need to check that measurements for non-emergency property repairs have been submitted and that this information is checked when residents ask for progress updates. This will help to ensure that any errors in submitting measurements are identified quickly.The Council will remind relevant officers and managers they can exercise discretion to speed up non-emergency property repairs if the reason for any delay is down to error by the Council. This will help to ensure repairs are completed as quickly as possible.

  • London Borough of Camden (23 010 491)

    Category: Housing Date: 19-Sep-2024

    Summary

    Mr B complained how the Council handled his application to rejoin the housing register. He says the Council has not properly considered his medical evidence and mobility issues, and it has taken too long to complete its review. He also complained the Council has failed to provide him with adult social care support despite his repeated requests. We find the Council was at fault for its significant delays in dealing with Mr B’s review request. It was also at fault for how it handled Mr B’s requests for adult social care support. The Council has agreed to our recommendations to address the injustice caused by fault.

    Service improvements

    The Council will issue written reminders to relevant officers to ensure they fully address all the issues raised in a complaint within the timescales set out in the complaints policy.

  • London Borough of Camden (23 008 825)

    Category: Housing Date: 11-Aug-2024

    Summary

    The Council was at fault for failing to respond to a homelessness referral, wrongly telling Mr X he had to give up his tenancy in order to proceed with a homeless application and failing to accept homelessness duties to him. The Council has agreed to apologise, proceed with Mr X’s homeless application, make payments to him, and act to improve its services.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to share a copy of this decision with staff in the relevant departments toidentify learning from this complaint.The Council has agreed to remind relevant staff to check for and respond to duty to refer forms.The Council has agreed to provide training or guidance to relevant staff on the duty to make inquiries andaccept any resulting homelessness duty regardless of the applicant’s existingtenure if it has reason to believe they might be homeless or threatened withhomelessness.The Council has agreed to produce information or guidance for homeless applicants who are also securetenants in social housing setting out their housing options and theimplications for their tenancy of pursuing a homeless application.

  • London Borough of Camden (23 007 708)

    Category: Housing Date: 28-Mar-2024

    Summary

    Ms X complained the Council failed to promptly make decisions and communicate with her properly when she was homeless due to fleeing domestic abuse. Ms X also complained the Council failed to provide her with interim accommodation. The Council was at fault. These faults have caused Ms X distress, frustration and uncertainty regarding whether she could have accessed accommodation sooner than she did. The Council has agreed to apologise, pay Ms X £700 and carry out service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to remind its housing staff that where they decide to depart from a legal duty, such as treating an applicant as not in priority need for housing when it has reason to believe they are, that it send this decision to the applicant in writing and seek their agreement.The Council has agreed to remind its housing staff to record notes from its phone conversations with housing applicants on the same day as the conversation occurs to ensure reliability.The Council has agreed to demonstrate it has taken steps to improve its capacity to respond promptly to homeless applicants and ensure it does not miss important information through messages.The Council has agreed to demonstrate that it has looked into what led to its delays in the following areas and considered how to prevent these occurring in future:• processing the initial homelessness application;• deciding it owed a relief duty; and• deciding it owed a main housing duty.

  • London Borough of Camden (23 007 488)

    Category: Housing Date: 21-Feb-2024

    Summary

    There was no fault in how the Council decided the priority points award on Mrs K’s housing application. It properly considered her medical information in accordance with its policy. The Council delayed excessively in reviewing its decision. This caused Mrs K distress and uncertainty. The Council has agreed to remedy the injustice.

    Service improvements

    The Council will review how it deals with requests to review housing priority decisions. It should provide an updated action plan showing the actions it is taking to reduce delays and how this will be monitored.

  • London Borough of Camden (23 006 728)

    Category: Housing Date: 07-Mar-2024

    Summary

    Mr X complained about the way the Council dealt with his housing allocation. We find the Council at fault for incorrectly backdating Mr X’s waiting time points and for failing to carry out a review of Mr X’s medical needs. We recommend the Council apologise to Mr X, progress his application, make a payment to recognise the injustice caused and act to prevent recurrence.

    Service improvements

    The Council should review its housing allocations process to ensure measures are in place for progressing medical assessments in a timely manner and for ways to deal with any delays.

  • London Borough of Camden (23 003 910)

    Category: Housing Date: 08-Jan-2024

    Summary

    Ms X complains that the Council wrongly refused her applications for the housing register. The Council is at fault at it did not provide sufficient information to Ms X on how she could seek a review of its decision in 2023 that she was not eligible to join the housing register. This caused uncertainty to her. The Council has agreed to remedy this injustice by apologising to Ms X and giving her the opportunity to seek a review of its decision.

    Service improvements

    Review its template letters for housing register application decisions to ensure the Council provides a clear explanation of how applicants can seek a review of those decisions and to ensure the letters comply with the requirements set out in paragraph 5.23 of the statutory guidance.

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