Service improvements

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council

Showing service improvements between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023

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 - 9 of 9 cases with service improvements

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

  • Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (22 009 552)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 30-Mar-2023

    Summary

    Mr B complained that his mother’s care home failed to keep a proper record of Mrs D’s dental care, failed to provide the dental care in line with the care plan and did not amend the care plan appropriately. The Home also did not properly monitor Mrs D’s hydration towards the end of her stay at the care home and failed to act soon enough when Mrs D’s nutrition intake and her weight declined. We have found fault and the Council has agreed to apologise, pay a financial remedy and remind the care home of its duties.

    Service improvements

    Remind the Home of the importance of appropriate record keeping and the importance of alerting relevant staff if the care plan is not being followed and needs to be amended.

  • Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (22 008 901)

    Category: Benefits and tax Date: 30-Nov-2022

    Summary

    Ms B complained that the Council incorrectly used an attachment of earnings to recover council tax arrears directly from her wages when she was making payments in accordance with an agreed arrangement. It also delayed in responding to her complaint. We found fault with the Council’s actions. It has agreed to pay Ms B £250 and improve the operation of its complaints procedure.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to consider what steps it can take to improve its procedures to enable the Council to respond to complaints in accordance withits published complaints procedure.

  • Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (22 001 734)

    Category: Planning Date: 04-Oct-2022

    Summary

    Mr X complained the Council delayed dealing with his planning enforcement complaint, putting him to time and trouble and causing distress. We found the Council at fault for delay. We recommended it apologise to Mr X, pay him £100 for time and trouble, pay him £100 for distress and, investigate his complaint. Further, that it take action to prevent recurrence.

    Service improvements

    The Council will take action to ensure it has a process in place to inform planning enforcement complainants of any significant delays in casework, to manage expectations.The Council will take action to ensure it has a process in place to monitor service complaint outcomes; that is to ensure agreed actions are completed.The Council will publish its complaints policy on its website.

  • Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (22 001 561)

    Category: Housing Date: 01-Dec-2022

    Summary

    Miss C complained about the suitability of the temporary accommodation provided by the Council which left her in unsuitable accommodation for longer than necessary with her young child. We have found fault by the Council but consider the agreed action of an apology, payment and service improvement provides a suitable remedy.

    Service improvements

    The Council will make arrangements to actively monitor all cases where families are in Bed and Breakfast to find alternative accommodation before the six week limit is reached.

  • Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (21 019 077)

    Category: Children's care services Date: 04-Aug-2022

    Summary

    Mrs X complained the Council failed to review a Special Guardianship Order for her grandchild, Y. This caused Mrs X distress as she considered a review may have led to Y having increased contact with her birth parents. The Council was at fault, but this did not lead to the injustice Mrs X has described. We have exercised discretion to investigate this complaint and it would have been reasonable to expect the Council to do the same. Mrs X has been caused frustration by the Council’s refusal to consider exercising discretion to investigate the complaint.

    Service improvements

    Remind staff of the need to consider exercising discretion when considering historic matters which fall within the remit of the statutory children’s complaints process.

  • Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (21 018 143)

    Category: Education Date: 18-Oct-2022

    Summary

    Mr X complains the Council refused his request for a personal transport budget. This request was to cover the mileage costs of driving his son, F, to and from school. We have decided to uphold Mr X’s complaint because there is evidence of fault in the Council’s decision-making. This caused Mr X uncertainty and confusion. To remedy this, the Council has agreed to apologise to Mr X, make him a payment, retake its decision and make a service improvement.

    Service improvements

    the Council has also agreed to review its Home to School/College and Adult Learner Transport Policy to ensure it is clear to staff that the cost and suitability assessment of school transport arrangements should be clearly recorded. There should be clear guidance on the statutory guidance’s requirement that for travel arrangements to be suitable, Council staff must be satisfied the travel arrangement is “safe and reasonably stress free, to enable the child to arrive at school ready for a day of study”.

  • Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (21 017 734)

    Category: Housing Date: 08-Sep-2022

    Summary

    Mrs X complains the Council wrongly bypassed her bids for a registered provider property. The Council is at fault as it did not properly record the medical advisor’s recommendations. The Council would have forwarded Mrs X’s nomination to the registered provider if it had properly recorded the medical advisor’s recommendations. However, we cannot know if the registered provider would have offered the property to Mrs X. The Council’s fault caused uncertainty to Mrs X which it has agreed to apologise for and make a payment of £300 to her. The Council will also review its housing allocations policy.

    Service improvements

    Reviews its housing allocations policy to:•ensure applicants are aware that registered providers may have their own occupancy and eligibility criteria and the Council can skip a bid if an applicant does not meet the registered providers eligibility criteria;•ensure it operates in accordance with the Equality Act 2010 and address the potential discrimination risk to applicants with medical priority who may not be considered for all the properties they bid on due to registered providers’ eligibility criteria.

  • Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (21 017 233)

    Category: Education Date: 07-Aug-2022

    Summary

    Miss X complained the Council wrongly decided not to fund school transport for her son Y to the school named in his Education, Health and Care Plan, and blamed Miss X for not choosing a closer school. The Council was at fault for failing to provide Y travel assistance and not properly considering Y’s eligibility. The Council agreed to reimburse Miss X’s financial loss in driving Y to and from school between September 2019 and July 2022, and pay her £300 to recognise the distress and uncertainty caused to her. The Council agreed to arrange travel assistance for Y from September 2022.

    Service improvements

    The Council will remind relevant staff of the government guidance in considering and responding to school travel assistance requests and appeals, including telling the applicant about the factors the Council considered and how it made its decision.The Council will provide training to relevant staff about Special Educational Needs travel eligibility where the qualifying school is named on an Education, Health and Care plan.The Council will review all Special Educational Needs transport requests it has declined since September 2021 and identify if it has declined travel assistance to schools named on Education, Health and Care plans. If any are identified the Council will take appropriate steps to remedy any injustice caused by that decision.

  • Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (21 012 086)

    Category: Benefits and tax Date: 30-May-2022

    Summary

    Mr X complained about the Council’s handling of his council tax account. We found fault by the Council, including avoidable delay and taking council tax recovery action after Mr X appealed to the Valuation Tribunal. Mr X experienced avoidable distress and unnecessary time and trouble before the Council adjusted his council tax bill to show a credit balance. To put matters right, the Council agreed to apologise to Mr X, pay £ 450 in recognition of his distress, time and trouble and refund his council tax credit.

    Service improvements

    The Council agreed to tell officers to place a minimum 28 day hold on recovery action on council tax accounts when it received a resident's council tax appeal. The Council also agreed to a senior officer reviewing such cases before removing a hold on recovery action from a council tax account.

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