Mrs A complained that Caerphilly County Borough Council (“the Council”) failed to provide her with information about homecare charges and was delayed in commencing the financial assessment, which resulted in a large and unexpected cost for care fees.
The Ombudsman found that the Council had failed to provide relevant written guidance when homecare services commenced and did not provide a reminder or written confirmation when a second episode of care commenced. The Council did not request details to inform a contributions letter nor a letter advising of the cost of her homecare contribution until over a year after the care had commenced. The Council has also not addressed what steps have been taken to improve communication. The Ombudsman considered that the failure to provide information and the sustained period of poor/delayed communication by the Council resulted in a significant balance accruing which had an unexpected financial impact.
The Ombudsman sought and gained the Council’s agreement to reduce the owed care fees by £500, agree to a flexible repayment plan for the remainder of the fees, complete a review of internal processes to improve communication and write to Mrs A to set out what was identified and what steps have been taken to improve communication processes.