Service improvements

London Borough of Enfield

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 1 - 10 of 11 cases with service improvements

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

  • London Borough of Enfield (22 009 071)

    Category: Housing Date: 08-Feb-2023

    Summary

    Ms X complained the Council did not give enough medical points to her housing register application. She also complained the Council delayed deciding her housing register application and her review request. The Council was not at fault for the medical points awarded for her housing register application. The Council was at fault for poor communication and the delay in issuing Ms X’s housing application and review decisions. The Council will apologise to Ms X, pay her £100 and produce an action plan to avoid reoccurrence of the fault.

    Service improvements

    The Council will provide a plan to show how it intends to reduce delays in dealing with housing applications for medical priority.

  • London Borough of Enfield (22 006 368)

    Category: Environment and regulation Date: 23-Mar-2023

    Summary

    Mr X complained about repeated missed waste collections by the Council and very early morning collection times. We have found fault with the Council for its poor communication and not acting promptly to resolve the issues. The Council has agreed to our recommendations to remedy the injustice caused and to take action to improve its complaints handling.

    Service improvements

    The Council will identify what key steps it will take to ensure it improves its complaint handling, providing evidence of this.

  • London Borough of Enfield (22 006 022)

    Category: Other Categories Date: 25-Nov-2022

    Summary

    The Council caused avoidable frustration and inconvenience to Ms X by failing to attend several appointments to fix the door of the garage that she leases from the Council. The Council caused Ms X further frustration when it failed to inspect the works done to the garage following reports of them being poorly carried out and damaging Ms X’s car. The Council has agreed to inspect the works and if these were not carried out properly, to refund Ms X the fees she has paid for her garage since January 2022. The Council has already refunded Ms X for the fees paid since the garage was unusable prior to January 2022. The Council was not at fault for refunding Ms X for loss of use of the garage starting in April 2021, as this was the date the Council first became aware that repairs were needed.

    Service improvements

    The Council was at fault for failing to attend several appointments to assess and repair a garage door. It has agreed to investigate why several appointments were missed and why no records were kept regarding the post-works inspection.The Council has agreed to remind staff of the importance of informing residents when a repairs appointment will be cancelled or changed, in good time, or as soon as possible, as many will have taken time away from work.The Council has agreed to improve its systems for monitoring outstanding repairs and inspection works to its garages and where works are unduly delayed, develop a process for refunding residents who have been unable to access their garages for long periods of time.

  • London Borough of Enfield (22 002 992)

    Category: Housing Date: 27-Oct-2022

    Summary

    We found fault by the Council on Mr J’s complaint about how it left him in unsuitable accommodation after accepting it owed a duty to house him as he was homeless. It accepts it left him in unsuitable accommodation and failed to fully support him during a stay in a hotel. He ended up street homeless for several weeks. The agreed action remedies the injustice caused.

    Service improvements

    The Council agreed to review why unsuitable accommodation was used for so long.The Council agreed to review what administration and data errors were made.

  • London Borough of Enfield (21 015 033)

    Category: Housing Date: 05-Dec-2022

    Summary

    Miss Y complained about the length of time she and her family have spent on the Council’s housing register waiting for an offer of permanent accommodation. She also complained about a delay by the Council in transferring her to suitable alternative temporary accommodation. We have not propose found fault by the Council in the way it has dealt with Miss Y’s housing application. We have found fault in its delay transferring Miss Y to suitable accommodation, causing her injustice. The Council has agreed to remedy this by apologising, making a payment to Miss Y for the time spent in unsuitable accommodation and providing us with evidence of the service improvements it has made.

    Service improvements

    provide us with details of the new guidance and procedures for managing temporary accommodation transfers it put in place in Summer/Autumn 2021.

  • London Borough of Enfield (21 014 334)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 24-Aug-2022

    Summary

    There was a delay in completing an occupational therapy assessment for Ms Y which caused avoidable inconvenience and frustration. The Council will apologise, make payments of £500 to Ms Y and £150 to Mr X for his avoidable time and trouble. It will also review procedures as described in this statement.

    Service improvements

    The Council will revise its procedures so they explain priorities and what an urgent and non-urgent adaptation is and set out target timescales, taking account of good practice guidance.The Council will ensure people who have requested an occupational therapy assessment receive a letter confirming they are on the waiting list and an approximate timeframe for completion of the assessment.

  • London Borough of Enfield (21 013 007)

    Category: Housing Date: 25-Aug-2022

    Summary

    Miss A complains the Council has failed to consider important information in her application to the housing register. Miss A says this means the Council has not awarded her the correct points, and she therefore cannot bid. The Ombudsman finds fault with the Council for failing to show reasonable decision-making. The Council has agreed a financial remedy, a reassessment and service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to review how it considers evidence from applicants and professionalsto ensure all relevant information is considered during the review process forapplications to the housing register.The Council has agreed to ensure that it includes signposting to Ombudsman services in its review decision and complaints handling.

  • London Borough of Enfield (21 012 853)

    Category: Education Date: 29-Mar-2023

    Summary

    X complained about how the Council supported her daughter’s special educational needs. There was fault in how the Council managed the Education Health and Care plan process, considered whether it needed to arrange alternative education and responded to X’s complaint. The Council agreed to apologise, pay a financial remedy and review its procedures.

    Service improvements

    The Council agreed to review how it manages and monitors the Education Health and Care process to ensure it complies with the statutory timescales.The Council agreed to remind relevant staff that they should act on reports, from parents, of children being our of school and missed education to ensure it properly considers its duties to arrange alternative education.The Council agreed to review how it records and monitors the advice it requests during Education Health and Care assessments. It should ensure it has adequate processes to make sure it receives the advice it needs before making Education Health and Care plans.

  • London Borough of Enfield (21 012 032)

    Category: Benefits and tax Date: 08-Jun-2022

    Summary

    Ms X complained the Council did not award her business the expanded retail discount, which would reduce the business rates it had to pay. We have found fault as we find the Council reached its decision on eligibility without taking account of all relevant factors. This created uncertainty. The Council accepted these findings and agreed to review its decision as one of several actions set out at the end of this statement.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to put in place an administrative system that will ensure: those making suchenquiries/complaints receive advice on how long it anticipates taking to answertheir enquiries/complaints; and how it will keep in touch if itis unable to keep to such timescales;The Council will give advice to officers deciding whether to apply the expanded retail discount on non-domestic rates bills on the appropriateness, relevance and limitations of basing decisions on eligibility through use of measurements of floorspace.only.

  • London Borough of Enfield (21 011 335)

    Category: Education Date: 30-Aug-2022

    Summary

    Mrs Y complains the Council failed to complete the annual review of her daughter’s Education, Health and Care Plan within the statutory timescales for doing so. She says this meant her daughter, Miss B, missed out on a college placement during 2021/22. We have decided to uphold Mrs Y’s complaint. We have also upheld Mrs Y’s complaint that the Council failed to register her complaints. The fault caused Mrs Y significant distress and she was put to time and trouble. Miss B missed out on educational provisional and a Plan that fully reflected her needs. To remedy this, the Council has agreed to: apologise to Mrs Y and Miss B, make them several payments and carry out a reassessment of Miss B’s needs. The Council has also agreed to make certain service improvements.

    Service improvements

    establish a mechanism to identify any annual reviews that are outstanding and take prompt action to seek to resolve any such cases. The Council should report back on this, including how it intends to monitor this mechanism;send a reminder to relevant staff on the circumstances where children and young people with EHC Plans should be offered an independent advocate;circulate a reminder to relevant staff that within four weeks of a review meeting, the Council must notify the child’s parent of its decision to maintain, amend or cease the EHC Plan. When the Council decides to end an EHC plan, it must continue to maintain the EHC plan until the time has passed for bringing an appeal or, when an appeal has been registered, until it has been concluded;circulate a reminder to relevant staff members that complaints received by a Council department should be treated as such and be put through the Council’s complaints processshare this decision with relevant staff members.

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