Ms A complained that Caerphilly County Borough Council declined to investigate her complaint about the respite care it commissioned for her father.
The Ombudsman decided that the Council misinformed Ms A that because the care home was in a different area, it could not deal with the complaint and that she had to contact another local authority for a response. This caused unnecessary delay. The Ombudsman decided to settle the complaint without an investigation.
The Ombudsman sought and gained the Council’s agreement to offer Ms A an apology that it did not accept her complaint, and that she had to approach a different local authority and the Ombudsman to obtain a response. The Council also agreed to investigate Ms A’s complaint under Stage 2of the Social Services complaints process within 30 working days.