Northamptonshire County Council (20 005 888)

Statement Upheld Assessment and care plan 14-Apr-2021

Summary: Mrs D complained the Council delayed providing her with a copy of her late husband’s care and support plan. She also complained the Council failed to provide her with adequate information on direct payments, unreasonably sought repayment of the remaining direct payments funds and failed to facilitate care to enable her late husband to be discharged from hospital. We find the Council delayed providing Mrs D with a copy of her late husband’s care and support plan. The Council has agreed to our recommendations to address the injustice caused by fault.

Northamptonshire County Council (20 011 094)

Statement Upheld Charging 03-Jun-2021

Summary: The Ombudsman finds fault with the Council for not adequately explaining an assessed contribution towards the costs of a care home placement and for giving wrong calculations of the outstanding amount. This caused the complainant significant distress and confusion. The Ombudsman also finds fault with the Council for poor complaint handling. The Council has agreed to set up a payment plan for the amount agreed in its final decision and pay a financial remedy to the complainant in recognition of the distress caused.

Northamptonshire County Council (20 008 039)

Statement Upheld Direct payments 30-Jun-2021

Summary: Mr D complained the Council failed to advise his parents until March 2019 that his father’s transport funding had stopped in 2016 and they should not use his direct payments for this purpose or socialising. Mr D says his parents were faced with an unexpected bill and suffered unnecessary upset and distress which particularly affected his father’s health. We have found fault by the Council but consider the agreed action of an apology, removal of charges and a review of procedures is enough to provide a suitable remedy.

Northamptonshire County Council (20 009 296)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 19-Jul-2021

Summary: The Council was at fault because it did not take timely action to respond to Mrs X’s concerns about her daughter Y’s non-attendance at school. The delay caused Y a loss of three months’ education. To remedy the injustice, the Council will apologise and make payments set out in this statement.

Northamptonshire County Council (19 019 379)

Statement Upheld Charging 21-Jul-2021

Summary: Mr C considers that the Council was wrong to treat spending from his late father’s bank account as deprivation of assets, and that it should contribute towards the cost of his residential care. The Ombudsman has found fault because the Council did not take into account the reasons that Mr C put forward for the spending. The Council should carry out a new assessment taking proper account of the reasons Mr C puts forward. It should also ensure that officers are familiar with the relevant guidance on deprivation of assets.

Northamptonshire County Council (20 003 586)

Statement Upheld Charging 23-Jul-2021

Summary: Mrs E complains about the Council’s demand that she pay £40,805.15 for her late husband’s care home charges, and about the lack of advice provided to her. The Ombudsman considers the Council was wrong to seek to recover this sum, did not advise her properly about her husband’s Personal Expenses Allowance or carry out annual reviews of her husband’s care. The Council has agreed to cancel the £40,805.15 care home charge, apologise to her, pay her £1,120 in recognition of the distress caused and costs unnecessarily incurred, and review its procedures.

Northamptonshire County Council (20 003 633)

Statement Upheld Fostering 03-Aug-2021

Summary: Mr X complained that the Council did not deal with allegations made against him, as a foster carer, fairly. We found there was fault in the Council’s decision. The Council agreed to apologise, make a payment to Mr X and reconsider its decision.

Northamptonshire County Council (20 004 256)

Statement Upheld Charging 28-Sep-2021

Summary: Mr B complains that the Council provided an inaccurate redemption statement for his mother’s Deferred Payment Agreement for care home charges and delayed in issuing an invoice for an overpayment of Direct Payments for home care. The Ombudsman considers that some of the information provided was unclear and there was delay in issuing the Direct Payment invoice. The Council’s offer to write off the debt apart from the outstanding care home fees of £2,804.12 is a suitable remedy for any injustice caused to the family.

Northamptonshire County Council (20 001 023)

Statement Upheld School transport 11-Oct-2021

Summary: Mrs B complains that the Council did not properly consider her application for school transport for her son D, who has Special Educational Needs. The Ombudsman has found fault in the way the Council considered D’s application. The Council has already exercised discretion to provide transport from the start of the calendar year. It has also agreed to the Ombudsman’s recommendation that it reimburse Mrs B’s transport costs for D from the start of the school year, amend its policy and remind officers of the correct test for deciding whether to provide transport.

Northamptonshire County Council (20 010 941)

Statement Upheld Assessment and care plan 21-Oct-2021

Summary: Mrs X and Miss P complained about the delay in making arrangements to assess and provide support to Mrs X. We have found the Council was at fault. To remedy the injustice caused, the Council has agreed to apologise, make a payment to Miss P in recognition of the financial losses she incurred whilst providing care for Mrs X and review its practices.