Service improvements

Surrey County 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 - 5 of 5 cases with service improvements

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Downloads the current filtered list of service improvement decisions for Surrey County Council as a CSV file.

  • Surrey County Council (22 014 808)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 23-Mar-2023

    Summary

    The Council failed to assess Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards requests in accordance with the timescales set out in the Mental Capacity Act regulations. People may have been restricted unnecessarily or wrongly deprived of their liberty. The Council has agreed our recommendation to address the delays.

    Service improvements

    The Council should create an action plan addressing the delays that have occurred in assessing Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards requests. The Council should state how it will reduce the backlog of outstanding requests and respond to ongoing new requests in a timely manner.The action plan should consider a remedy in line with our published Guidance on Remedies for those cases where a request is not approved, and an unlawful deprivation of liberty has had a potentially harmful impact on that person.The action plan should consider a remedy in line with our published Guidance on Remedies for those cases where a request is approved but with less restrictive measures, and an unlawful restriction of liberty has had a potentially harmful impact on that person.

  • Surrey County Council (22 009 371)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 10-Mar-2023

    Summary

    Mr C complained about the Council’s handling of his father’s respite and subsequent permanent care placements. We found fault in how the Council handled Mr X’s transition from respite into permanent care. There was no other fault, or significant injustice on other parts of the complaint. The Council should apologise and make payment to Mr C to acknowledge the distress and time and trouble its fault caused him.

    Service improvements

    The Council will remind its Financial Assessment Team to include the Council’s rates with care providers in its communication with individuals and their representatives when arranging care placements. This is to ensure individuals has a clear understanding of their care costs at the time and any potential top up payments.The Council will remind its staff to progress permanent care placement without delay before respite placement ends in line with wishes of the person care for, or their representatives.

  • Surrey County Council (21 016 582)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 08-May-2022

    Summary

    There was fault by the Council because it failed to identify promptly that a different council was responsible for funding Mrs Y’s care and support. This caused avoidable confusion and distress. The Council needs to make symbolic payments and arrange training for relevant staff.

    Service improvements

    The Council will organise training for adult social care and finance staff about ordinary residence.

  • Surrey County Council (21 013 360)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 11-May-2022

    Summary

    Mrs X complained about the Council’s decision to charge her daughter for care, causing distress and financial loss. We found no fault in the Council’s decision making but we found fault in its communications. We recommended the Council take action to prevent injustice to others in future.

    Service improvements

    The Council will amend its standard letters to ensure it notifies service users of the right to request a full financial assessment should they be unhappy with the outcome of any light touch assessment regarding their care charges.

  • Surrey County Council (21 012 304)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 27-Jan-2023

    Summary

    We found fault with the Trust’s handling of Mrs D’s hospital discharges in March 2020. We also found fault with the handling of the subsequent complaint from Mrs D’s daughters by the Trust and Surrey Downs. We recommend the Trust and Surrey Downs apologise for this fault and pay a financial remedy to Mrs D’s daughters in recognition of their distress, time and trouble.

    Service improvements

    The Trust, Council and Surrey Downs will complete a joint review of their complaints procedures. This review should seek to agree a clear process for handling joint complaints that reflects their duty to cooperate as set out in the complaints regulations. The review should also agree a standardised format for joint responses.

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