Advice on comparing statistics across years

In 2022-23 we changed our investigation processes, contributing towards an increase in the average uphold rate across all complaints. Consider comparing individual council uphold rates against the average rate rather than against previous years.

In 2020-21 we received and decided fewer complaints than normal because we stopped accepting new complaints for three months due to Covid-19.

Surrey County Council

Annual statistics ?Find out more about annual statistics

  • Complaints upheld

    84% of complaints we investigated were upheld.

    This compares to an average of 80% in similar authorities.

    68 upheld decisions

    Adjusted for Surrey County Council's population, this is
    5.6 upheld decisions per 100,000 residents
    .

    The average for authorities of this type is
    3.4 upheld decisions per 100,000 residents.

    View upheld decisions

    Statistics are based on a total of 81 detailed investigations for the period between 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023

  • Compliance with Ombudsman recommendations

    100% of cases we were satisfied the Council had successfully implemented our recommendations.

    This compares to an average of 100% in similar authorities.

    Statistics are based on a total of 58 compliance outcomes for the period between 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023

  • Satisfactory remedies provided by the Council

    In 9% of upheld cases we found the Council had provided a satisfactory remedy before the complaint reached the Ombudsman.

    This compares to an average of 6% in similar authorities.

    6 satisfactory remedy decisions

    Statistics are based on a total of 68 detailed investigations for the period between 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023

    View all satisfactory remedy decisions

Annual letters

We write to councils each year to give a summary of the complaint statistics we record about them,
and their performance in responding to our investigations.

View annual letters

Public reports ?Find out more about public reports

In the last nine years, the Ombudsman has published the following public interest reports against Surrey County Council

The shortage of educational psychologists is having a significant impact on councils’ ability to set out the needs of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has said.

Surrey County Council has agreed to review how it arranges and monitors special educational needs support for children and young people in the county following a Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman investigation.

An elderly woman was left to die alone by Surrey care home staff while her daughter was waiting in a nearby room, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found.

A teenager who attends a special school missed the start of the school year because Surrey County Council did not tell his mum she needed to reapply for transport, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found.

Surrey County Council has been told to apologise again to the family of a boy with special educational needs because it failed to do what it promised to resolve problems highlighted in a previous Ombudsman complaint.

A Surrey family who struggled to cope with their disabled son’s behaviour were forced to begin legal action against the county council before it provided the right accommodation for him, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found.

The Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) and Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) have issued a joint report on an investigation into Surrey County Council and Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Trust.

7

Public reports for Surrey County Council

View all

Service improvements ?Find out more about service improvements

Since April 2018, the Council has agreed to make the following improvements to its services following an Ombudsman investigation. We list up to 10 cases below – click ‘view all’ if there are more.

Case reference: 23 007 333

Category: Education

Sub Category: Special educational needs

  • The Council has agreed to share a copy of this decision with relevant staff to identify learning fromthis complaint.
  • The Council has agreed to share a copy of the decision and the learning outcomes with the relevantscrutiny committee or cabinet member.
  • The Council has agreed to remind relevant staff of the Council’s policy on children missing education andthat children with EHC plans where all the provision is not in place should bekept under review to ensure cases do not drift.

Case reference: 23 006 680

Category: Education

Sub Category: Alternative provision

  • Carry out a review of the alternative education services commissioned by the Council to ensure there is adequate capacity to meet demand.

Case reference: 23 006 091

Category: Education

Sub Category: Special educational needs

  • The Council will create a handover template to use where a new case worker is assigned to a child with an Education, Health and Care Plan's case. The template will capture a summary of the case including relevant dates, decision and agreed next actions. The template will ensure a clear and comprehensive handover to avoid drift and delay. The completed handover template will be discussed during the Council’s handover meeting with a senior case manager and documented on the running case record for each handover.
  • The Council will remind staff responsible for identifying school placements for children with Education, Health and Care Plans to make timely and accurate consultations to schools and to provide the most up to date information for the child.

Case reference: 23 005 853

Category: Adult care services

Sub Category: Charging

  • The Council will remind relevant staff of the importance of giving full information about paying for the costs of care, including information about how a person's contribution to those costs will be calculated, and about personal budgets and what happens if a person chooses a care home or care package that exceeds this.
  • The Council will remind relevant staff of the importance of ensuring that bests interests decision are kept under review.
  • The Council will remind relevant staff of the importance of not setting arbitrary limits on the amount it will pay for a person's care and ensuring that in reaching decisions on any potential changes to their care, such as moving them to a care home or a cheaper care home, it assesses the likely impact of the proposed change on the person's wellbeing.

Case reference: 23 005 178

Category: Education

Sub Category: Special educational needs

  • The Council will share with the Ombudsman its review of its record keeping procedures. This was to ensure it progresses cases where children and young people are unable to engage with their education without delay, and communicates its outcomes with parents.
  • The Council will remind its special educational needs and disability staff of the Council’s duty to ensure it reviews Education, Health, and Care plan at least every 12 months and issues its decisions to cease, maintain, or amend such plans within the statutory timescales.

Case reference: 23 004 581

Category: Children's care services

Sub Category: Adoption

  • The Council has delayed in reviewing its post adoption support procedure. It has agreed to carry out the review.

Case reference: 23 003 807

Category: Children's care services

Sub Category: Friends and family carers

  • The Council will carry out a training session for social workers to ensure they know about the Council’s responsibilities under the Children’s Act and the Council’s family and friends policy. That training should include information about what advice and support should be provided to those potentially taking on the care of a child and the information to be given about the options, including financial.

Case reference: 23 003 593

Category: Education

Sub Category: Special educational needs

  • The Council will report back to us on the progress of its review of its SEN services and its recovery programme to resolve any out of date actions within its statutory SEN service.
  • The Council will report back to us on what it is doing to share the review findings and planned actions with interested parties.

Case reference: 23 003 549

Category: Education

Sub Category: Special educational needs

  • The Council will undertake a written review of its handling of the Education, Health and Care needs assessment. The review should include how the Council managed the case and the quality of the communication.

Case reference: 23 003 405

Category: Education

Sub Category: Special educational needs

  • The Council will remind all relevant special educational needs staff responding to stage one and stage two complaints of the importance of clearly setting out their finding on each point of complaint, with reference to our Guidance on Effective Complaint Handling for Local Authorities.

128

Service improvements agreed by Surrey County Council

View all

Last updated: 4 April 2015

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