Ms A complained about the Council’s failure to properly implement the terms of an early resolution undertaken in September 2020. Ms A was aggrieved that a Carer’s Assessment was not properly completed and that there remained significant uncertainty about respite care.
Ms A was also aggrieved that the Council appeared to take an inconsistent approach to Direct Payment uplift.
The Ombudsman was satisfied that the terms of the early resolution had been met, based on the information available at the time. However, it since transpired that the information provided by the Council in respect of the Carer’s Assessment had been inaccurate. The matter had progressed significantly since then and the assessment had become outdated. The Ombudsman, therefore, sought and obtained the Council’s agreement to arrange a ‘fresh’ Carer’s Assessment, with the same Independent Social Worker as previously used, within 6 weeks.
The Ombudsman also sought and obtained the Council’s agreement to write to Ms A within 6 weeks to provide clarity regarding respite care and its provision.
It was determined that Ms A should complain about the Direct Payment uplift issue to the Council, in the first instance, to provide it with an opportunity to investigate and respond, before bringing any complaint about that issue to this office.