Miss A complained about the care provided to her late grandmother whilst she was in a nursing home, funded by the Council, between September and December 2022. Miss A raised safeguarding concerns with the home, the social worker and the Council in relation to hygiene, supervision and record-keeping. Miss A said that the Council did not provide adequate support. Miss A was dissatisfied with the outcome of the safeguarding review and the information that was considered at the strategy meeting. Miss A further complained about the Council’s handling of her complaint.
The Ombudsman found that there was inadequate communication regarding the safeguarding and complaints processes and a delay in complaints handling. The Ombudsman decided to settle the complaint without an investigation.
The Ombudsman sought and gained the Council’s agreement to, within 10 working days, identify and appoint an Independent Investigator to undertake a Stage 2 complaint investigation to consider all complaints and to provide Ms A with a written apology for not providing clear information on the next steps after the safeguarding investigation had concluded, and for the delays in appointing an investigator at the informal complaint stage and sending out a complaint response.