A watchdog has ordered a council to pay more compensation to a family after it missed a deadline.
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has upheld a complaint from a person, identified as Mrs B, and ordered Westmorland and Furness Council to pay £500 more compensation to a family after the authority missed the previous payment deadline.
In March the ombudsman concluded an investigation into a complaint related to the care provided to Mr D by a care agency, a lack of clarity in Mr D’s care plan and the agency’s response to allegations made against a person known as Mrs C.
Following a recommendation from the ombudsman, the council agreed to apologise to Mr D and his mother Mrs B, acknowledge the faults that had been identified and pay Mr D £1,000 and Mrs B £500 within a month of the complaint being upheld.
However, Mrs B complained that nearly four months after the complaint was upheld, the council had not yet delivered the remedy.
Mrs B said the continuing failure of the council to deliver the remedy had affected her and Mr D.
She said the council’s apology letter to her did not address all the complaints that had been upheld and added that a letter to her was not an apology to Mr D.
The report added: “Mrs B said she wanted closure on what had happened but felt that the council’s failure to provide the remedy showed that the council was still refusing to accept any accountability for its actions, which was not only frustrating but also upsetting, as it gave the impression that the council did not care or take responsibility for what she and Mr D had gone through.”
She was also worried that it meant that the council had not learnt any lessons from her complaint or the ombudsman’s decision, the report said.
The ombudsman’s report said: “The ombudsman offered the council a chance to put right its previous failures by providing the remedy.
“I agree that, by failing to provide the remedy, the council has added to Mr D and Mrs B’s distress. I therefore recommend a further payment of £250 to Mr D and Mrs B to reflect the additional distress they have suffered.”
The council agreed that within a month of the final decision it will write a letter of apology to Mr D for the fault that the ombudsman initially identified, pay Mr D £1,250 and Mrs B £750.
The authority also agreed to review its internal procedures for ensuring that agreed actions are delivered following an ombudsman investigation.
Westmorland and Furness Council have been contacted for comment.
