Service improvements

London Borough of Newham

Showing service improvements between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024

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 - 4 of 4 cases with service improvements

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

  • London Borough of Newham (23 004 467)

    Category: Housing Date: 20-Nov-2023

    Summary

    Mr X complained the Council did not involve him in creating his personalised housing plan (PHP) and delayed reviewing his PHP when he requested. Mr X said this caused him distress when he was facing eviction from his home. There was fault in the way the Council did not include Mr X creating his PHP and delayed completing the review. Mr X did not suffer any personal injustice due to this fault. The Council should remind its staff of the importance of accurately recording communications to inform decision making.

    Service improvements

    •Remind all relevant staff of the importance of fully recording communications. This would enable the Council to evidence its decision making.•Remind all relevant staff of the importance of completing timely reviews.

  • London Borough of Newham (23 003 461)

    Category: Housing Date: 09-Feb-2024

    Summary

    Miss X complains the Council placed her son, Mr Y, in unsuitable accommodation following his discharge from hospital. We have found fault in the way the Council made its decision to place Mr Y in a hostel when he was threatened with homelessness. There was also poor communication with Miss X and Mr Y about a proposed move to an alternative temporary accommodation. These faults caused serious injustice to Mr Y who is vulnerable because of his mental health issues. We have also found fault in the Council’s communication with Miss X and the handling of her complaint. The Council has agreed to apologise, make a financial payment and service improvements for the injustice caused to Mr Y and Miss X.

    Service improvements

    The Council will remind officers of the need to carry out a suitability assessment before placing a homeless applicant in shared or other interim accommodation.The Council will remind officers of the need to investigate complaints once they are submitted in accordance with the timescales set out in its complaint procedure.

  • London Borough of Newham (23 003 139)

    Category: Housing Date: 04-Jan-2024

    Summary

    Miss X complained about the Council’s failure to house her and her children, one of whom is disabled, in suitable accommodation when she became homeless. There was fault by the Council which meant Miss X and her children lived in unsuitable bed and breakfast accommodation for over six months after they became homeless. Miss X also experienced a financial loss because she had to pay for separate storage for her belongings while waiting for suitable accommodation. The faults also caused avoidable distress, time, and trouble for Miss X. The Council agreed to pay a financial remedy, review relevant processes, and issue reminders and a copy of our decision to its staff.

    Service improvements

    The Council agreed to review relevant processes, and share a copy of our final decision with/ issue reminders to, relevant housing staff, to ensure:it tells homelessness applicants about its duties under section 211 of The Housing Act 1996 to protect their personal property if there is a risk it may be lost or damaged;if 56 days have passed since it accepted the relief duty, and no suitable accommodation offer has been refused, it accepts the main housing duty to meet statutory timescales; it meets the Council’s duties under The Equality Act 2010, including the reasonable adjustment duty. It should properly record and consider all requests for reasonable adjustments, so all staff interacting with a homelessness applicant apply adjustments the Council has already agreed to; and where it upholds a complaint about homelessness it properly completes follow-up actions it has agreed to, in good time.

  • London Borough of Newham (22 003 173)

    Category: Housing Date: 27-Apr-2023

    Summary

    Miss X complained the Council provided her with unsuitable accommodation and failed to resolve her reports of infestations and disrepair. We do not find fault with how the Council responded to Miss X’s reports. We find the Council at fault for failing to provide Miss X with its view of suitability on one of the properties it provided and her right to have this reviewed. We recommend the Council apologise to Miss X and act to prevent recurrence.

    Service improvements

    The Council will remind its property managing agents of the importance of liaising with the Council prior to moving tenants so it can fulfil its duty to provide a view on an accommodation’s suitability and the tenant’s right to request a review.

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