Service improvements

West Sussex County Council

Showing service improvements between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025

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 21 - 26 of 26 cases with service improvements

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

  • West Sussex County Council (23 012 587)

    Category: Education Date: 16-Jul-2024

    Summary

    Mr X complained the Council failed to provide his relative, Z, with suitable education for around two years. We cannot investigate the suitability of the education provided as Mr X appealed to the Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) Tribunal about this. We cannot investigate his complaint that the Council failed to amend Z’s Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan for the same reason. However, the Council was at fault for taking more than a year to respond to Mr X’s complaint. This fault caused him avoidable frustration and put him to time and trouble. The Council has agreed to apologise, pay Mr X £150 and take action to improve its complaint handling.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to remind complaint handling staff that it should not delay local complaint handling about education and special educational needs provision because tribunal proceedings are active, doing so avoidably delays and frustrates complainants.The Council has agreed to set out its action plan for dealing with any continuing backlog of complaints, including any progress it has made to improve its complaint handling timescales to date.

  • West Sussex County Council (23 012 456)

    Category: Children's care services Date: 18-Mar-2025

    Summary

    Mrs X complained about the Council’s actions linked to its independent investigation into her complaints about its children’s services department. The Council has already agreed to some fault and offered an apology to remedy Mrs X’s injustice. We found additional fault in how long it took to address Mrs X’s complaints. We also considered that the injustice of the distress and time and trouble Mrs X experienced required a remedy greater than an apology. To remedy the injustice caused, the Council has agreed to apologise to Mrs X, make a payment to her and share good practice guidance with relevant staff.

    Service improvements

    The Council will share the Ombudsman’s good practice guidance on the children’s statutory complaints procedure (The Children Act 1989) with all relevant officers and managers. This will help to ensure the Council understands the process, especially in relation to the statutory timescales set out for it to be completed.

  • West Sussex County Council (23 012 062)

    Category: Education Date: 04-Sep-2024

    Summary

    Ms M complains the Council delayed in the review process for her child's Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) and providing them with support. This has caused distress. She would like the Council to issue the final EHCP and provide the correct support for her child. The Ombudsman has found the Council at fault for delay in the EHCP review process and complaint process.

    Service improvements

    The Council will produce an action plan to demonstrate how it will meet statutory timescales for the EHCP review process.

  • West Sussex County Council (23 011 722)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 29-Apr-2024

    Summary

    Ms C complains the Council inappropriately charged for residential care after her father died and the residential care it commissioned was inadequate. The Council is at fault for failing to respond to Ms C and there was service failure by the care home. This caused Ms C uncertainty and avoidable charges for care. To remedy the complaint the Council has agreed to waive some outstanding fees. It will also make Ms C a symbolic payment for the time, trouble and distress the Council’s actions caused her. As part of its commissioning role the Council will also review the Care Provider’s recording.

    Service improvements

    The Council will:a) review the communication shortfall both in the complaint handling and charging in this complaint and consider what actions the Council can take to prevent a reoccurrence; and,b) through contract monitoring with the Care Provider:-1. provide a reminder about the importance of consistent recording;2. consider how the Care Provider assesses and supports people who are at high risk of pressure sores and asphyxiation to ensure the processes are consistent and provide an accurate account of needs and the support required.

  • West Sussex County Council (23 010 868)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 27-Jan-2025

    Summary

    We upheld a complaint the Council gave wrong advice to a Care Provider supporting Mrs X’s late husband who wanted to enter a residential detox placement. We found the Council wrongly advised he would not be eligible for financial support because he jointly owned a home with Mrs X. The result of this wrong advice is that it caused Mrs X distress, as she does not know if later events, including the death of her husband, may have been different. The Council has accepted these findings. At the end of this statement, we set out the action it has agreed to remedy that distress (and that caused by some poor complaint handling) and to improve its service.

    Service improvements

    The Council agreed that it would brief officers who give advice on funding for social care, to stress the importance of finding out the facts around home ownership where someone is entering residential care from an address different to a property they own. The briefing would also cover the importance of recording the advice given. This action was agreed after the Council gave wrong advice on including part-ownership of a house as part of someone's capital, when the property remained occupied by their estranged partner and dependent children.

  • West Sussex County Council (23 010 680)

    Category: Education Date: 28-Apr-2024

    Summary

    Miss B complained about the education provision made for her child who has special educational needs. We upheld the complaint, finding service failure contributed to Miss B’s child suffering a loss of education provision. The Council has accepted our findings and at the end of this statement we set out the action it has agreed to remedy this injustice.

    Service improvements

    The Council agreed to prepare a communication plan with parents, for use when it learns of a school failing or closing within its area, or where children from its area attend. This is to ensure parents in such cases understand the approach taken by the Council towards questions such as how it will monitor school improvements or help children relocate to different schools.

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