Council blasted over autistic woman’s care
WATCHDOG CRITICISES ‘SIGNIFICANT FAULT’ – BUT PRAISES TOWN HALL’S ‘VERY POSITIVE’ RESPONSE
AN AUTISTIC woman was left without proper support after a council didn’t review her care plan for more than five years, the local government and social care ombudsman has found.
Salford town hall also failed to carry out any autism awareness training for its staff – meaning that more people could have been affected by the same problem, the regulator’s investigation suggested.
The council has agreed to pay the woman £1,200 for her distress and the time bringing the complaint.
A town hall spokesman said they had apologised to her and had put an action plan in place to avoid something similar happening again.
The ombudsman’s investigation said that local authorities have a responsibility to review care and support plans at least every 12 months.
But in the case of the woman, known as Mrs W in the report, it was not properly reassessed for more than five years, the watchdog found.
Mrs W had received care and support with her domestic tasks – like managing her medication and dealing with her mail – under a care plan since 2013. After that, the council said that she had received ‘regular reviews’ at a nurse-led clinic, after which letters were sent to her GP with up-to-date information.
The council said this ‘counted as her care plan.’ But the ombudsman’s report described this as a ‘significant fault.’
It said: “We do not agree these letters are a substitute for a proper care plan. They do not explain Mrs W’s needs, the risks and difficulties her needs create, the support she needs to manage her needs, or when and how this support will be provided. The letters also make no mention whatsoever of how the support will be funded.”
The report also found that in 2018, her support agency withdrew its services because she had not paid the workers’ expenses.
Originally, the council had paid for this service but hadn’t let her know when the payment system changed.
The ombudsman said that the council’s response to its report had been ‘very positive.’
Coun Gina Reynolds, lead member for adult services, health and wellbeing said: “The council, along with our health partners, has accepted the findings of the Local Government Ombudsman report published on 10 October and we apologise again fully to the complainant. As the ombudsman recognises, we have put a robust action plan in place to improve the service above and beyond their recommendations.”