The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about a bill she received for care charges. This is because the Council has already waived the bill and so the matter is resolved.
The complaint
The complainant, whom I shall call Mrs X, complained about a bill she received for just over £140 for her domiciliary care package.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse effect on the person making the complaint, which we call ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start an investigation if the tests set out in our Assessment Code are not met. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended) We may decide not to start an investigation if we are satisfied with the actions an organisation has taken or proposes to take. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(7), as amended)
How I considered this complaint
I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
Mrs X complained to the Council about a bill she received for just over £140 for her domiciliary care package. Mrs X said she did not know she would need to pay for her care. As soon as she was told the cost she cancelled it.
Prior to the Ombudsman assessing this complaint, the Council told us it had decided to waive the full bill. It has written to Mrs X to confirm this.
Final decision
We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint because the matter complained about has already been resolved.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman