Service improvements

Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council

Showing service improvements between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2027

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 12 cases with service improvements

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Downloads the current filtered list of service improvement decisions for Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council as a CSV file.

  • Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council (25 010 304)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 19-Jul-2026

    Summary

    Ms X complains the Council failed to properly manage and respond to issues arising between her brother, Mr Y, and another resident at the supported living accommodation they shared.

    Service improvements

    The Council also agreed to circulate learning from this investigation and review its safeguarding procedures to ensure officers appropriately engage with family members and authorised representatives, and share information in a timely manner, with any decision to withhold or redact information properly justified and clearly recorded.

  • Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council (24 015 718)

    Category: Education Date: 12-Jun-2025

    Summary

    Mr X complained the Council failed to suitably consider his application and appeal for home to school transport for his child. We did not find fault with the Council’s decision to refuse home to school transport for Mr X’s child. We did find fault with the Council failing to follow its process. The Council agreed to apologise to Mr X for failing to follow its process. The Council also agreed to provide training to staff about following its process and including relevant information about how to appeal decisions.

    Service improvements

    Provide training to staff about the importance of following its home to school transport appeal process and about including suitable information to people about how a person can appeal decisions.

  • Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council (24 009 635)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 06-Apr-2025

    Summary

    Mr X complains about the Council’s failure to backdate his personal budget to 8 April, when he moved out of the family home. The Council failed to consider exercising its discretion to allow Mr X to employ his mother as his personal assistant when he was still living with her. But this did not cause injustice to Mr X as there were other option open to him. Nevertheless, the Council has plans to take action which will ensure officers are aware of the scope to exercise the Council’s discretion.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to consider what changes it needs to make to ensure officers, including locum members of staff, are aware of the scope to exercise discretion over using direct payments to employ a close family member living in the same household as a personal assistant.

  • Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council (24 002 363)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 20-Feb-2025

    Summary

    Mr C complains about delays in adaptations for his father, Mr D. The Council is at fault for failing to properly approve a grant application and in its communication with Mr C. This has resulted in delays in Mr D’s adaptations, and caused Mr C frustration, time and trouble. To remedy the complaint the Council has agreed to make an apology, symbolic financial payment and service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council will provide an update on the lessons learnt actions it has agreed to take.

  • Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council (23 019 082)

    Category: Environment and regulation Date: 31-Jul-2024

    Summary

    Mr X says the Council has failed to deal with his complaints of noise from a nearby club. He says this caused him and his family distress. We have found fault in the actions of the Council for failing to issue a decision on the noise complaint and the Council has agreed to apologise to Mr X.

    Service improvements

    Remind staff in writing to confirm to complainants the outcome of investigations into whether a statutory nuisance has occurred.

  • Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council (23 011 518)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 02-Jun-2024

    Summary

    Ms Y complained on behalf of Mrs X about the time taken by the Council to complete adaptations to Mrs X’s home. We have found the Council at fault for delaying completing adaptations to Mrs X’s property. As a result, Mrs X has lived in her home without adaptations she needed. To remedy the injustice caused the Council agreed to apologise, make a financial payment to Mrs X and Ms Y and look at how it could improve its procedures around communication.

    Service improvements

    Provide the Ombudsman with confirmation as to what changes it has made to its communication process for Disabled Facilities Grants, following the review it carried out after this complaint.

  • Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council (23 009 491)

    Category: Education Date: 30-Sep-2024

    Summary

    There was fault by the Council. It failed to amend Y’s Education, Health and Care Plan following an annual review in December 2021 and failed to complete annual reviews in 2022 or 2023. It also failed to secure the special educational provision in Y’s Plan and delayed responding to Ms X’s complaint. This caused a loss of special educational provision, a loss of appeal rights, avoidable frustration, distress and time and trouble complaining. The Council will issue an apology, make payments for missed educational provision, complete a further annual review and devise a new policy and training for officers.

    Service improvements

    The Council should create a policy on managing the cases of children with Education Health and Care Plans who receive Education Other Than At School or are Electively Home Educated and provide training to officers in the inclusion and special educational needs teams on it.

  • Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council (23 004 393)

    Category: Housing Date: 29-May-2024

    Summary

    Mr X complained about the way the Council dealt with disrepair at his private rented accommodation and his priority banding on its housing register. We have found fault by the Council in its delay in dealing with the disrepair issues and failing to properly consider his requests for a change in his priority banding. These faults caused injustice. The Council has agreed to remedy this injustice by apologising to Mr X, making payments to reflect the upset and worry, and impact of living in unsuitable accommodation for longer than they should have done, together with service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to review its procedures for:• responding to, and recording decisions on, requests for a change inpriority banding; and• notifying applicants of the outcome of their requests and their right to ask for a review.The Council has agreed to review its procedures for:• assessing criteria for Band B in cases of unsuitable conditions inprivately rented properties; and• information sharing between its housing standards and housing standards teams in these cases.

  • Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council (22 007 579)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 12-Sep-2023

    Summary

    Mrs X complained the Council commissioned care home, failed to provide her mother, Mrs Y, with appropriate care and support which led to a hospital admission and the Council failed to carry out a safeguarding investigation about this. The care provider was at fault for poor record keeping. The Council was also at fault for poor communication, failure to undertake a formal safeguarding investigation and delays in responding to Mrs X’s complaint. This caused Mrs X and Mrs Y distress, frustration and uncertainty. The Council has agreed to apologise, make a payment and provide evidence it has undertaken further staff training in safeguarding.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to provide safeguarding refresher training to relevant adult social care staff.

  • Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council (22 001 690)

    Category: Housing Date: 05-Feb-2024

    Summary

    Miss X complains about the Council’s handling of her concerns about disrepair in her privately rented property from December 2021 to May 2023, when she moved out. The Council was at fault for not taking formal enforcement action against the landlord when it identified category 1 hazards in the property, which caused injustice. The Council’s determination the landlord’s eviction attempt was not retaliatory was unclear but did not cause Miss X significant injustice. The Council has agreed to apologise and make a payment to Miss X. It will also share this decision statement with relevant staff to reinforce the recent training it has already completed.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to share this decision statement with relevant staff in the Private Sector Housing Team to reinforce the learning exercise the Council has already completed.

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