Case Ref: 23 012 847 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Disabled facilities grants

• The Council will provide evidence showing the processes it now has in place to ensure greater scrutiny of contractors appointed to complete DFG work.

Case Ref: 23 011 217 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• Deliver refresher training to all caseworkers on writing good quality decisions.

Case Ref: 23 009 571 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Other

• The Council will consider reviewing how it logs and decides on which type of complaint it is being presented with by a resident. This will help to ensure it uses the correct sign off in its initial complaint response and does not offer an escalation route if the type of complaint does not warrant it.
• The Council will put a process in place to ensure people are not disadvantaged by supplier failure or delay when providing assistance equipment to those who need it. This will help to ensure that equipment is provided in a timely manner.

Case Ref: 23 009 270 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Disabled facilities grants

• The Council delayed in completing bathroom adaptations agreed under a disabled facilities grant, and in providing the replacement equipment. It failed to keep clear, accurate and complete records which likely contributed to drift and delay. It will remind relevant staff members to keep clear, accurate and comprehensive records, and to ensure there is a clear record of any meeting held.
• The Council will share the outcome and learning points from the Ombudsman's investigation with relevant staff members including the occupational therapist and adaptation surveyors.

Case Ref: 23 007 469 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Disabled facilities grants

• Provide the Ombudsman with evidence of the following service improvements the Council has put in place to prevent future delays, as mentioned in its responses to Ms X and Ms Y’s complaint:a)recruit additional staffb)review the way specialist adaptations were orderedc)arrange an external provider to carry out OT assessments on its behalf.
• Share a copy of this decision with staff in the relevant departments to identify lessons learnt from Ms X and Ms Y’s complaint.
• By training or other means remind relevant staff of the importance of communicating effectively with service users and in a timely manner about their DFG applications and explain the stages of the DFG process.
• Provide the Ombudsman with an action plan to demonstrate how the Council will prevent significant delays for dealing with DFG applications and completing agreed and suitable adaptations for service users.

Case Ref: 23 001 938 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• Put in place new procedures to ensure that people are kept up to date when they request an assessment of their care needs, and are told of any delays in processing this request.

Case Ref: 23 001 282 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• Issue guidance to staff to ensure homeless applicants in temporary accommodation are not treated as secure tenants and not prevented from bidding.

Case Ref: 23 009 665 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Other

• Remind relevant officers of the guidance regarding ordinary residence and the expectations in terms of timescales for assessments.

Case Ref: 23 009 249 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• Issue a reminder to staff that complaints about the condition and suitability of temporary accommodation should be signposted to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, not the Housing Ombudsman.

Case Ref: 23 005 402 Category: Benefits and tax Sub Category: Housing benefit and council tax benefit

• •provide the Ombudsman with an action plan (with timescales) setting out how the Council will: a)resolve its ongoing technical / system issues b)reduce the current claimants’ appeal application backlogc)continue to deal with claimants’ appeal applications in a timely manner.