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 1 - 10 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 (24 012 207)

    Category: Education Date: 27-Mar-2025

    Summary

    Miss X complained about the Council’s actions in relation to her child, Y’s Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan. The Council was at fault. It delayed issuing a draft amended and final amended EHC Plan following an annual review meeting. As a result, Y missed out on some specialist educational provision. It also caused Miss X frustration and uncertainty. The Council has already apologised to Miss X. The Council will also pay Miss X a symbolic payment of £250 to recognise the injustice caused.

    Service improvements

    The Council will put together an action plan detailing what action it is or has been taking to reduce the delays of issuing draft and final amended Education, Health and Care Plans following annual review meetings.

  • West Sussex County Council (24 008 795)

    Category: Education Date: 24-Feb-2025

    Summary

    There was fault and delay by the Council in implementing an order of the SEND Tribunal. This delayed Y being able to attend the school the Tribunal had determined was suitable and caused distress and uncertainty. The Council also failed to consider a remedy payment under its own complaint process, which could have resolved the complaint without the need for Ms X to come to the Ombudsman. The Council has agreed to apologise, make a symbolic payment and make service improvements. The complaint is upheld.

    Service improvements

    The Council will ensure it has processes in place to follow up Tribunal orders and make sure they are fully implemented.The Council will ensure transport officers understand they can provide financial remedies (in addition to reimbursing mileage) via the complaints process and do need to signpost complainants to make insurance or litigation claims when there has been fault by the Council causing injustice.

  • West Sussex County Council (24 007 403)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 19-Mar-2025

    Summary

    Mr X complained that the Council wrongly stopped Mr T (suitable person) from managing his direct payment and it failed to tell him about its decision reasons. There was fault by the Council with its delays in completing Mr X’s care needs review assessment and his mental capacity act assessment. This caused distress, worry, uncertainty and frustration to Mr X. The Council will take action to remedy the injustice caused.

    Service improvements

    By training or other means remind relevant staff of the importance of completing service users’ care needs reassessments and mental capacity act assessments in a timely manner.

  • West Sussex County Council (24 004 519)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 14-Jan-2025

    Summary

    Mrs Y, on behalf of Mrs X, complained the Council delayed completing a financial assessment for Mr X’s package of care and then produced an incorrect assessment causing distress. The Council accepts fault in this case and has now paid the money owed. A suitable remedy for the injustice is agreed.

    Service improvements

    Provide an action plan showing the steps the Council has taken or intends to take to ensure cases are now being allocated promptly and that it is completing financial assessments within its four week target time.

  • West Sussex County Council (24 003 896)

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

    Summary

    Mr B complained about the way an NHS Trust and Council assessed him to decide whether he should be detained under the Mental Health Act. He also complained about his care and support while he was waiting to be transferred to an in-patient “mental health bed”. We found fault by both organisations. The Trust did not properly inform Mr B about his legal rights and status under the Mental Health Act. The Council did not ensure the medical recommendations remained valid when it reassessed Mr B under the Mental Health Act. These failings caused Mr B avoidable distress and upset. The organisations have agreed to apologise, pay a financial remedy, and take actions to improve their services.

    Service improvements

    Within three months, the Council should consider the lessons learned from this complaint. It should write to Mr B and set out the action it has already taken, and any further planned action, in relation to:• ensuring s12 medical recommendations have not expired / are about to expire when a repeat MHA assessment is carried out by an AMHP • ensuring complaints about s12 doctors under the MHA are routed to the appropriate organisation to investigate and respond to.

  • West Sussex County Council (24 003 881)

    Category: Education Date: 26-Nov-2024

    Summary

    There was a delay of almost six months in completing a post-16 transfer review and amendment of an Education, Health and Care Plan. This meant there was inadequate transition and the right to appeal the placement before the start of the school year was lost. The Council will apologise, make a symbolic payment and carry out service improvements. The complaint is upheld.

    Service improvements

    The Council will remind staff about aspects of good complaint handling including checking the facts of the complaint and not misusing stock responses, providing realistic timescales for actions and keep complainants informed of delays.

  • West Sussex County Council (24 002 369)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 14-Jan-2025

    Summary

    Mrs X complained on behalf of her son Mr Y, that the Council failed to take action to provide him suitable independent living. There was delay and a lack of specific information about housing which was crucial to the process and which caused significant distress to Mrs X and her health while she continued to provide a significant level of care to Mr Y. A suitable remedy for the injustice caused by the fault is agreed.

    Service improvements

    Review processes to ensure that suitable information is available to service users, their families and council staff to ensure similar fault does not arise again.

  • West Sussex County Council (24 001 520)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 11-Dec-2024

    Summary

    Mr B says the Council wrongly stopped the person who had managed his direct payment for many years from doing so, failed to explain its decision, moved him to a Council managed budget without consent and refused to allow someone to attend his review. There is no evidence of fault in the Council’s decision to stop the person managing Mr B’s direct payments or in its decision to move him to a managed budget. The Council delayed making those decisions and failed to ask Mr B for his views on who to include in the review meeting. An apology, payment and reminder to officers is satisfactory remedy.

    Service improvements

    The Council will send a reminder to officers about what the care and support statutory guidance says about service users being able to have other people present at a review should they wish them to do so.

  • West Sussex County Council (23 021 450)

    Category: Education Date: 11-Mar-2025

    Summary

    Ms F complained the Council failed to provide her son (X) with an education in school or through an alternative provision placement since September 2023. She also said it communicated poorly and caused delays in its complaints handling. The Council agreed it was at fault. We found its proposed remedy was not enough. It will apologise to Ms F and make payment to her and X to properly acknowledge the injustice its faults caused them. We have also made service improvement recommendations to address the delays and faults.

    Service improvements

    The Council will review, or share the outcome of any recent review, of alternative provision placements available within the Council’s area for children with complex special educational needs. This is to ensure it can adhere to its duties under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996 without delay. If the Council find it lack alternative provision placements it should set out an action plan with how it intends to address this.The Council will share with the Ombudsman the steps the Council had taken and intends to take to address backlogs in its complaints handling, including an update on its current backlogs.

  • West Sussex County Council (23 020 491)

    Category: Education Date: 15-Aug-2024

    Summary

    Mrs X complains about the Council’s handling of her child, Y’s, special educational needs. She says the Council should have agreed to complete an Education Health and Care Needs Assessment without the need for an appeal. She also says the Council delayed in completing the Assessment and issuing an Education Health and Care Plan. Mrs X also says the Council failed to provide alternative provision for her child. Mrs X says this caused her and her family distress. We have found fault in the actions of the Council for the delay in issuing the Plan and for failing to provide alternative provision for Y. The Council has agreed to pay a financial remedy and implement service improvements.

    Service improvements

    Provide or produce a plan to confirm the actions taken to ensure EHC Plans are issued within statutory timescales including what actions the Council are taking to address the delays in allocating cases to Educational Psychologists.

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