| Please note: our decisions are published six weeks after they are issued to councils, care providers and the person who has made the complaint. The cases below reflect the caselaw and guidance available at the time of issue and the individual circumstances of each case. London Borough of Hillingdon (23 016 587) Statement Upheld Assessment and care plan 14-Jan-2025 Summary: Miss X complained about the Councilâs lack of action when she reported serious concerns for her brother, Mr Y. She said there have been significant delays which are ongoing. We find the Council was at fault. This caused significant distress to Miss X and Mr Y. We make several recommendations to address this injustice caused by fault. West Sussex County Council (24 002 369) Statement Upheld Other 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. West Sussex County Council (24 004 519) Statement Upheld Assessment and care plan 14-Jan-2025 Summary: Mrs Y, on behalf of Mrs X, complained the Council delayed completing a financial assessment for Mr Xâs 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. Durham County Council (24 012 766) Statement Closed after initial enquiries Charging 14-Jan-2025 Summary: We will not investigate Mr Xâs complaint about the Councilâs management of and charges for domiciliary care provided to his late brother Mr Y. There is not enough evidence of fault by the Council to warrant us investigating. Nottinghamshire County Council (24 012 403) Statement Closed after initial enquiries Safeguarding 14-Jan-2025 Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about adult safeguarding. There is not enough injustice to the complainant to justify our involvement, nor is there a worthwhile outcome achievable. London Borough of Bromley (24 012 272) Statement Closed after initial enquiries Charging 14-Jan-2025 Summary: We will not investigate Mr Xâs complaint about the contract the Council agreed with the care home where his brother lived. There is insufficient evidence of fault and insufficient injustice caused to justify our involvement. London Borough of Harrow (24 015 086) Statement Closed after initial enquiries Transport 14-Jan-2025 Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about an unsuccessful application for a Blue Badge. This is because the complainant will make a new application. Peterborough City Council (23 010 858) Statement Closed after initial enquiries Safeguarding 13-Jan-2025 Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a safeguarding investigation involving Mr X. This is because the Council investigated Mr Xâs complaint and further investigation by us would not lead to a different outcome. Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council (23 013 452) Statement Closed after initial enquiries Safeguarding 13-Jan-2025 Summary: We will not investigate Mr Xâs complaint that the Council failed to provide an independent social worker to complete his care assessment and that it had redacted pages of his information access request without good reasons. This is because an investigation would not lead to any worthwhile outcomes. In addition, there is another body better placed to consider his complaint. Asus Care UK Limited (24 004 103) Statement Upheld Domiciliary care 13-Jan-2025 Summary: Ms X complains about the quality of care provided for her mother, Mrs Y, by Asus Care UK Limited. The care provider is responsible for the fact one of its care workerâs was not in a fit state to care for Mrs Y for four days. It needs to refund Mrs Y what she paid for those four days. The care provider also failed to deal properly with the introduction of a new contract, which caused avoidable distress to Ms X. It needs to apologise and make a symbolic payment for the distress caused. Lancashire County Council (24 008 289) Statement Closed after initial enquiries Direct payments 13-Jan-2025 Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a remedy payment from the Council impacting Miss Xâs apparent financial circumstances in the following tax year. We could not achieve the outcome Miss X seeks, and it is open to her to pursue the matter via the courts, if necessary, or alternatively with His Majestyâs Revenue and Customs. Staffordshire County Council (24 008 352) Statement Closed after initial enquiries Residential care 13-Jan-2025 Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the quality of care Mrs Xâs mother received while in residential care. The issues complained about largely took place between 2020 and 2021. Given the passage of time, there is not a realistic prospect of reaching a sound, fair, and meaningful decision in the complainantâs case. Lincolnshire County Council (24 009 666) Statement Closed after initial enquiries Safeguarding 13-Jan-2025 Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about adult safeguarding. There is not enough evidence of faut to justify our involvement. Saint Jude Residential Care Home Limited (24 011 569) Statement Closed after initial enquiries Charging 13-Jan-2025 Summary: We will not investigate Mrs Xâs complaint about a care homeâs refusal to full refund the fees she paid in advance. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault. North Somerset Council (24 011 879) Statement Closed after initial enquiries Disabled facilities grants 13-Jan-2025 Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council refusing to complete a housing needs occupational therapy assessment. There is not enough evidence of fault to justify our involvement. Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council (24 012 190) Statement Closed after initial enquiries Charging 13-Jan-2025 Summary: We will not investigate Mr Xâs complaint about the Councilâs charges for his mother, Mrs Yâs, adult social care because there is insufficient evidence of fault causing sufficient injustice to justify our involvement. London Borough of Brent (24 012 214) Statement Closed after initial enquiries Residential care 13-Jan-2025 Summary: We will not investigate Mr Xâs complaint about decisions made by the Councilâs Adult Social Care Service. There is insufficient evidence of fault to warrant an investigation. London Borough of Hackney (24 000 618) Statement Upheld Assessment and care plan 10-Jan-2025 Summary: There was no fault by the Council when it decided not to progress with a safeguarding enquiry when Mrs B fell. There was fault, however, when the Council took too long to review Mrs Bâs care needs as intended, and took too long to deal with the complaint made on her behalf about this. The Councilâs shortcomings caused both Mrs B and her family distress, frustration and uncertainty. It has agreed to take action to remedy this. Hallmark Care Homes (Banstead) Limited (24 001 768) Statement Upheld Residential care 10-Jan-2025 Summary: Mrs C complains the Care Provider failed to properly care for her late mother, Mrs D, which resulted in her having to go into hospital where she died shortly after. There was service failure by the Care Provider which caused Mrs D and Mrs C distress and uncertainty. To remedy the complaint the Care Provider has agreed to apologise, refund money to Mrs Dâs estate, and make service improvements. London Borough of Haringey (24 005 621) Statement Upheld Disabled facilities grants 10-Jan-2025 Summary: Ms X complained the Council did not send her Occupational Therapy assessments and closed the case without telling her. She also complained the Council carried out work at her private rented property without the prior knowledge of the homeowner and did not repair damage. Ms X said this caused damage which created health and safety issues. Ms X said this distressed her and her family. There was fault in the way the Council did not send the assessments, did not tell Ms X it closed her case and delayed repairing the damage to her property. This frustrated Ms X. The Council has agreed to apologise and make a financial payment. North Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council (24 005 868) Statement Closed after initial enquiries Assessment and care plan 10-Jan-2025 Summary: Miss X complained that the Council placed her late father, Mr Y, in a care home that was not safe for him, that his care plan was incorrect, and that the Councilâs communication with Mr Yâs family was poor. We will not investigate Miss Xâs complaint, because it is unlikely we could add to the response she has already received from the Council. Shropshire Council (24 006 517) Statement Upheld Charging 10-Jan-2025 Summary: Ms X complained the Council has incorrectly calculated her contribution towards her care costs in her 2024 financial assessment. We found fault with the Council applying the 2023/2024 Disability Related Expense disregard rate rather than the 2024/2025 rate for Ms Xâs bedding disregard. We did not find fault with the Councilâs other decisions or calculations in Ms Xâs financial assessment. The Council agreed to apply the correct 2024/2025 bedding disregard rate to Ms Xâs financial assessment, backdates this to 1 April 2024 and apologises to Ms X. Staffordshire County Council (24 008 021) Statement Closed after initial enquiries Charging 10-Jan-2025 Summary: We will not investigate Mrs Xâs complaint about her late motherâs care fees. There is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council. We will also not investigate a delay sending an invoice. The Council has apologised for the delay and an investigation would be unlikely to lead to a different outcome. Warrington Council (24 011 805) Statement Closed after initial enquiries Domiciliary care 10-Jan-2025 Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about adult social care provision at home and recording contact information. This is because the complainant took more than 12 months to come to the Ombudsman from the time they knew of their concerns. We do not consider there are enough grounds to consider this late complaint. West Sussex County Council (24 012 765) Statement Closed after initial enquiries Disabled facilities grants 10-Jan-2025 Summary: We will not investigate Mr Xâs complaint about the Councilâs decision in relation to his fatherâs request for major adaptations to his home. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council. Birmingham City Council (23 020 889) Statement Upheld Disabled facilities grants 09-Jan-2025 Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Councilâs delay in responding to Ms Xâs request for disabled adaptations. The Council has upheld the complaint and agreed to apologise and make a payment to recognise the injustice caused. Staffordshire County Council (24 000 072) Statement Not upheld Residential care 09-Jan-2025 Summary: We found no fault with the end of life care provided to a woman, Mrs C, by the Care Home. Essex County Council (24 001 571) Statement Not upheld Transport 09-Jan-2025 Summary: Mrs X complained about the Councilâs consideration of her application to renew her blue disabled parking badge. We have not found fault with how the Council assessed and decided on the application. Northumberland County Council (24 007 546) Statement Upheld Other 09-Jan-2025 Summary: A support service commissioned by the Council failed to update its risk assessments and share key information about Ms Xâs son, Mr X, in the weeks before he died. The NHS Trust that jointly provided the service then failed to include some key information about Mr Xâs case in its internal review and made mistakes in its submissions to the coroner. As the Council commissioned the service, the Council was at fault. These faults caused Ms X avoidable uncertainty, frustration and distress. The Council has agreed to apologise, pay Ms X £800 and provide evidence of service improvements made by the NHS Trust and the support service. London Borough of Waltham Forest (24 011 255) Statement Closed after initial enquiries Assessment and care plan 09-Jan-2025 Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about adult social care because it is a late complaint and there is no good reason to consider it now. Nottinghamshire County Council (24 011 659) Statement Closed after initial enquiries Assessment and care plan 09-Jan-2025 Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about an adult social care needs assessment. The Council has completed an assessment and explained its decision. It is unlikely we would find fault or reach a different outcome for the complainant. James and Reuben Limited (24 011 849) Statement Closed after initial enquiries Residential care 09-Jan-2025 Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about adult social care in a residential care home. This is because we are unlikely to add to investigations already completed by the Care Provider and the local safeguarding authority. We are unlikely to reach a different outcome, and we cannot achieve the outcome the complainant wants as we cannot recommend dismissal of staff members. Kent County Council (24 012 026) Statement Closed after initial enquiries Charging 09-Jan-2025 Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about allegedly wrong advice on selling a home. There is not enough evidence of fault. It is unlikely investigation would find enough evidence. London Borough of Sutton (24 013 012) Statement Closed after initial enquiries Other 09-Jan-2025 Summary: We will not investigate Miss Xâs complaint about the Council failing to move a resident from the care home she manages despite the care home giving notice on the placement. This is because it is reasonable for the care home to continue to pursue the matter in court. | 