Mrs A complained that Conwy County Borough Council had failed to provide her son with a space within their home that met his medical needs and which promoted dignity and respect. In this respect, Mrs A raised significant concerns that the Council had not undertaken a comprehensive Occupational Therapy assessment which took into account her son’s deteriorating health as well as the needs of the whole family.
In considering Mrs A’s complaint, the Ombudsman was concerned that Mrs A had not yet received any form of formal response to the complaint that she originally submitted to the Council on 7 March 2023. To try to address Mrs A’s complaint, the Council had arranged for an external review to take place but this had still not been received by Mrs A by the time that she approached the Ombudsman’s office. The Ombudsman’s office contacted the Council and was later informed that the external review had since been received. The Council agreed to settle Mrs A’s complaint on the basis that, within 1 month, it shared the findings of the external review with her and confirmed what action it was going to take as a result of the report’s recommendations. The Council also agreed to apologise to Mrs A for the delay in providing a response to her complaint, and to offer her a payment of £250 in recognition of the time and trouble that she had been put to in pursuing the complaint.