West Sussex County Council apologises and pays £500 to woman after causing ‘distress and anxiety’ in the way it handled complaint

The woman – known as Mrs A – complained to the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman about the way the council had handled her late mother’s care and support.

Mrs A claimed ‘inappropriate care assessments’ had been carried out and that there had been poor practice in managing meetings and the sign-posting of appropriate services for her mother.

While the Ombudsman did not uphold Mrs A’s complaint, there was criticism of the way her initial complaint to the council had been handled.

The report stated that she lodged a complaint in October 2022 but did not receive a response until March 2023, with a ‘final response’ sent in July 2023.

The report said there was ‘evidence of poor practice and delay’ in the way the council managed the complaints process.

It added: “There was a delay of over six months in the initial response to the complaint. There was confusion in the period between March and July 2023 over whether or not the council’s response had been final, which caused further inconvenience and frustration for Mrs A in bringing her complaint to the Ombudsman.”

A council spokesman said: “We accept the findings in the Ombudsman’s report. We have apologised to the complainant and made the payment recommended.”