Case Ref: 24 014 544 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• o Implement service improvements to ensure staff are reminded not only:· that conducting an assessment is a legal obligation, not a matter ofdiscretion; and
• ensure staff are reminded not only: of the requirement to issue decisions that clearly outline statutory review rights, even in cases where there is no change to the applicant’s banding.

Case Ref: 24 002 836 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Disabled facilities grants

• The Council has agreed to share a copy of this decision with staff in the relevant departments to identify learning from this complaint.
• The Council has agreed to remind relevant staff that council tenants can apply for a DFG and that the Council’s policy is to use the same process for all adaptations, regardless of tenure. This means the Council must approve works if the legal tests are met.
• The Council has agreed to remind relevant staff that the tests of “necessary, appropriate, reasonable and practicable” apply to each adaptation separately and provide training or guidance as needed.
• The Council has agreed to ensure the Council keeps any warning flags, such as “potentially violent”, under regular review and updates all relevant departments where this flag is removed or changed.

Case Ref: 24 012 725 Category: Transport and highways Sub Category: Parking and other penalties

• The Council will remind officers that they can always correspond about a Penalty Charge Notice at any stage and there is discretion to cancel a Penalty Charge Notice, where appropriate.

Case Ref: 24 009 764 Category: Environment and regulation Sub Category: Antisocial behaviour

• the Council has agreed to circulate guidance to relevant staff, to highlight that officers do not need to witness a nuisance in person to substantiate that it amounts to a statutory nuisance; and
• review and amending its published ASB case review criteria to ensure it is adherent to the law, and circulate a notice to relevant staff to highlight this change.

Case Ref: 24 008 874 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Domiciliary care

• The Council will review its record keeping to ensure it consistently records all Mental Capacity assessments carried out for people for whom the Council provides care services.
• The Council will ensure there is a clear process in place when a person for whom the Council provides care services lacks mental capacity and has nobody to take decisions about their welfare or finances. All social workers and their managers will be trained in this process.

Case Ref: 24 006 609 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• Remind relevant staff of the importance of effective complaint handling.

Case Ref: 24 006 498 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Other

• The Council was at fault for delay in chasing up the Department for Work and Pensions' (DWP) response to its application to become the financial appointee; for failing to act when it became aware there were isues with the application; and for poor communication with the previous financial representative.The Council will explore why such significant periods of time elapsed before it chased the DWP for a response to its application to become responsible for the benefits payments. It will also explore why it failed to identify and act on the issues with its application to the DWP. The Council will identify what steps it needs to take to prevent similar fault in future and send the Ombudsman an action plan setting out what those steps are and when it will complete them by.

Case Ref: 24 005 438 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council was at fault for not completing a review of its decision on a housing allocations banding. The Council will remind relevant staff to keep people informed where it is likely to, or has, missed a deadline it has set for itself to complete an action as a result of a complaint.
• The Council identified other people who have also been affected by the delay in completing council housing allocation review requests. The Council will provide the Ombudsman with an update on its progress clearing the backlog of the review requests.

Case Ref: 24 003 972 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council has agreed to provide training or guidance to relevant staff on making decisions about medicalpriority and housing needs resulting from medical conditions, using thisdecision as an example and with reference to LGSCO's guidefor practitoners.
• The Council has agreed to remind relevant staff that the Council has discretion to address overcrowdingas well as risk when approving a management transfer and ensure records showthe Council has considered whether to exercise this discretion.
• The Council has agreed to amend the decision review process for management transfer applications toensure the Council tells applicants about their statutory review rights, as setout in the Housing Act 1996.

Case Ref: 24 003 176 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• The Council will issue a reminder to relevant staff of the importance of reviewing care plans in line with the Care Act 2014 and particularly when someone’s needs may be changing rapidly.
• The Council will review its procedures to ensure care plan review requests are correctly monitored.
• The Council will review its guidance to care providers about how to respond to changing care needs and how to initiate reviews of care plans as necessary.
• The Council will review its procedures to ensure that carers assessments are completed in accordance with the statutory guidance.