What now for deprivations of liberty?
What will the effect of the postponement of the Liberty Protections Safeguards be on local authorities? Local Government Lawyer asked 50 adult social care lawyers for their views on the potential consequences.
SPOTLIGHT |
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has criticised Staffordshire County Council for failing to apologise to a woman in good time following an earlier investigation.
The woman, who has both mental as well as physical health needs, had raised her problems with the council to the Ombudsman on two separate occasions.
“Following the last complaint, where she complained about her care and support plan, the council agree to apologise to her, pay her a financial remedy and assign a social worker to reassess her needs,” the LGO said.
The Ombudsman then gave the council a deadline to carry out the actions it had agreed to take, but it failed to do so, the LGO claimed.
The Ombudsman’s latest investigation found the council at fault for:
Michael King, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said: “People can only have confidence in their local authorities if they stick to their word and carry out actions they have agreed. In this case, a vulnerable woman with mental health difficulties has been let down twice, and her trust in her local council has been eroded.
“I now urge Staffordshire County Council to agree to my recommendations and do what it can to ensure this woman receives the care she needs, subject to her engaging with the process.”
The LGO has now recommended that:
Philip Atkins, Leader of Staffordshire County Council, said: “This has been a complex and challenging case for the authority from the beginning and we have changed some of our procedures.
“All the things the Ombudsman has asked for have been enacted, but, given the sensitivities of this particular case we have focused on doing the right thing at the right time for the individual involved rather than insisting on certain actions simply to comply with the deadline.”