Council guilty of missed care home visits and delayed mental health assessment

Westminster: A woman recently got £100 and an apology from the council after they missed two care visits when she came home from the hospital. The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found that the council also delayed her mental capacity assessment.

This all started back in June 2022 when Ms. C was hospitalized with an infection. After her discharge, she was supposed to have three daily visits from Sagecare. But when she was readmitted the next month, the council decided to increase her visits to four. However, when her carers checked in a couple of days later, they found no one had come by.

In December 2023, a social worker visited Ms. C after concerns were raised about her declining health. The social worker found she could stay at home with some help, so the council cut her visits back to two. But in January 2024, Sagecare raised alarms again about her care, leading to her son filing a complaint.

The council said they were waiting for a GP assessment and couldn’t force her into supported housing. They also mentioned they requested a mental capacity assessment. The Ombudsman pointed out that the council should have checked if Ms. C had the capacity to refuse care when concerns were first raised. They took too long to act, which was a mistake.

Fortunately, the Ombudsman found that Ms. C could make her own care decisions. They also noted the missed visits were a problem. The council has since apologized and paid her £100, promising to improve their processes to prevent this from happening again. Both the council and Sagecare have committed to reviewing their procedures to ensure better care in the future.