Central Bedfordshire Council ordered to pay disabled resident over failings in care support
Central Bedfordshire Council must apologise to a disabled resident and make separate payments to her totalling £400 for failing to provide support in line with Care Act 2014 regulations and for poor communication.
The complainant receives a package of home care arranged and funded by Central Bedfordshire Council, according to a local government watchdog.
She complained about a social worker conducting an assessment of her needs by telephone without informing her, and telling the care provider to end her support, said a report from the local government and social care ombudsman.
“CBC arranged another assessment and reinstated her care, but it offered fewer hours. This affected her mental health, caused avoidable distress and a loss of care services in January 2025.
“She was receiving a daily support of 30 minutes, a weekly shopping call of one hour, and a monthly session of two hours to help her attend any appointments. The most recent review of her care plan before contacting us was in February 2022.
“She notified CBC about problems with her care agency, which aren’t part of her complaint to us. A social worker didn’t tell her she was completing an assessment and the resident thought it was about one-off support to attend a hospital appointment.
“She objected to the outcome of the reassessment, so CBC used the appeal procedure. A duty social worker carried out a second social care assessment in December 2024. The outcome was unchanged,” explained the ombudsman.
“The assessor noted in summary that she ‘has been reassessment (sic) to be deemed not eligible for care and support under the Care Act 2014 and she can manage all aspects of the eligibility criteria independently’.
“CBC provided the ombudsman with a letter dated November 29th, which doesn’t have her address on it. She said she received this letter in the middle of December.
“It said the council was stopping her care from January 3rd 2025 because she was no longer eligible. It enclosed a copy of her assessment and gave contact details for the customer care team, if she wished to discuss the letter.
“The care agency told her it would be stopping in January, before she received CBC’s letter. She wrote to the council in December, saying she was in desperate need of keeping her care package.
“A manager completed a further social care assessment in February. CBC said in March that her concerns were addressed through the appeal process, and her assessment and care plan had been updated.
“She complained to us,” added the ombudsman. “The case records indicate the social worker told her a plan review was being completed, rather than an assessment. This was poor communication and was fault.
“There was fault in the assessments of November and December 2024, which didn’t consider the pain, distress and anxiety she suffered when performing tasks associated with eligibility domains. This meant the eligibility decisions were flawed.
“The social worker’s letter should have mentioned her right to appeal against the decision. This was poor communication and was fault. CBC will apologise and pay £250 to reflect the loss of a month of care and support, and £150 for her avoidable distress.”