Ombudsman criticises council after man left in unsuitable care home

A local authority has agreed to pay £2,000 to a man left in an unsuitable care home for 11 months longer than he should have been.

Herefordshire Council is to make the payment following an investigation by the Local Government Ombudsman.

According to the LGO, the young man, who had a range of needs including autism spectrum disorder, was living in a care home in Herefordshire, but an assessment found that home could not adequately meet his needs. 

Staff at the home were concerned about the man’s behaviour; he was becoming increasingly withdrawn and isolated and spent a lot of his time in his room.

The Ombudsman said social workers had agreed to find a new home for him in the ‘medium term’, however despite his mother pushing the council to find him a new home, and suggesting a possible placement, it took social workers almost a year to re-house him.

During that time, the man lost out on one suitable placement because social workers did not pursue that home when it had a vacancy.

Staff also struggled to implement the recommendations of a speech and language therapist for the man and did not develop a specific communication plan for him.

The LGO added that Herefordshire did not ensure the care home developed the plan, and did not ensure the home implemented all the speech and language recommendations.

The £2,000 payment will be made available for activities the man would enjoy or possessions he would like.

The council has also agreed to apologise to the man and his mother and provide further training for social workers. It will provide £500 to the mother in recognition of the time and trouble she went to in pursuing the complaint.

Dr Jane Martin, Local Government Ombudsman, said: “As a result of our investigation, the council recognises it should have done more to proactively find the young man a suitable care placement. 

“It could have concurrently made enquiries with a number of homes to speed up the process. Care Act Guidance states that choice of care should not be limited to placements within a council’s area or those with which they already work.

“The council also acknowledged workload pressures as a factor in the delay; councils need to ensure social workers get adequate support to meet their casework needs.

“I welcome the steps Herefordshire council has now taken to remedy the complaint. The young man has now been appropriately placed and is making positive progress in the new setting.”