LGO Individual Decisions

Summary: Ms X complained about poor care in a care home including about a failure to ensure she had all her medicines and a failure to apply a device to reduce swelling after surgery. We upheld the complaint. The Care Provider will apologise and make a symbolic payment to reflect the avoidable distress and confusion.

Summary: Mrs X complained about the standard of care she received while staying at a care home. Mrs X said this caused her health to worsen. We have found the actions of the care provider caused injustice to Mrs X. To remedy the injustice caused the care provider agreed to apologise to Mrs X, make a payment to her to recognise the distress caused and carry out a service improvement.

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about a Care Provider because it is better dealt with by the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Summary: Mr X complains that Chichester Grange Care Home failed to provide adequate care to his mother, Mrs Y. The care home failed to adequately assess Mrs Y’s needs when she was discharged from hospital and it cannot show how it dealt with Mr X’s concerns about Mrs Y becoming dehydrated. The faults caused distress to Mr X and Ms Z which the Care Provider has agreed to remedy by sending a written apology and making a payment of £300 to each of them.

Summary: We upheld complaints about mouthcare and spectacles. The Care Provider accepted our recommendations to apologise and make changes to record-keeping.

Summary: We have found fault with pressure care management and record keeping by a care home. On balance we do not consider this caused harm, but it has led to uncertainty around pressure care and the speed of recovery. The Council and the care home accepted our recommendations, which included action to address the faults with record keeping and maintaining care plans, and to apologise to the complainant for the distress caused by the uncertainty.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about adult social care in a residential care home. This is because it is unlikely we could add to investigations already undertaken by the coroner and the local authority safeguarding team.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the standard of adult social care in a care home, because Mrs B does not have a significant personal injustice. The Care Quality Commission is already taking action to improve service for others; it is unlikely the Ombudsman could add anything further.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about adult social care in a residential care home, because it is unlikely we could add to the Care Provider’s investigation, or that further investigation would lead to a different outcome.

Summary: Mrs X complained about the care her father received and the accuracy of notes that were taken while he was resident in a care home. Mrs X said the poor care meant her father’s health deteriorated rapidly. We find the Care Provider at fault for failing to take and keep accurate records. We recommend the Care Provider apologise to Mrs X, make a payment for uncertainty and distress, and remind its staff of the need to take accurate records going forward.

Summary: Mrs C complains the Care Provider was not transparent over care fees and failed to provide suitable care to Mr C which resulted in a decline in his health. The Care Provider is at fault for failing to keep full contemporaneous records about the support it provided Mr C and for failing to properly consider his communication needs. To remedy the uncertainty, anxiety and distress these actions caused Mr C and Mrs C, the Care Provider has agreed to apologise to Mr C and Mrs C, pay £300 to Mr C and £150 to Mrs C. It will review how it documents daily living activities and communication nee

Summary: Mr X complained that he was refused admission to Gracewell of Woking care home on the day he was due to move in. He was told this was because of his HIV status which he had disclosed months previously and which he did not need to disclose. This caused him shock and devastation and he had packed up his life ready for moving. We find the Care Provider caused significant injustice; it did not communicate adequately with Mr X and did not deal properly with his complaint about this. We recommend the Care Provider apologise and pay Mr X £500 and take action to avoid similar problems in futu

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a care home’s actions. This is because it is unlikely an investigation will lead to a different outcome as there is insufficient evidence of fault.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about care provided to Mr X’s late mother, Ms Y. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault in the Care Home’s actions.

Summary: There is no evidence of proper oral care for Mr X. Mr X incurred dental fees as a consequence which the care provider has reimbursed. There was poor maintenance of some fluid and hygiene records although their absence is mitigated by the detail in the daily records. Beyond the failure to provide the proper standard of oral hygiene, which the care provider has already remedied, there is no evidence the care provider’s actions caused injustice to Mr X.