Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council dealt with Mr X regarding matters relating to his mother’s Care Provider. This is because the issues raised have not caused Mr X a significant enough injustice to warrant investigation.

The complaint

1. The complainant, who I will call Mr X, complains about how the Council dealt with meetings and responded to his communications in regard to concerns about his mothers Council commissioned Care Provider.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint, which we call ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We do not start or continue an investigation if we decide any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. Mr X’s mother was receiving care from a Council commissioned Care Provider at the time she sadly passed away in June 2023. Mr X complained about matters relating to the care of his mother and that he was prevented from seeing his mother by the Care Provider. The Care Provider responded to Mr X’s complaint and the Ombudsman is currently investigating these matters.
6. Mr X subsequently raised a complaint with the Council about related matters. He says that the Council delayed arranging meetings, failed to provide him with copies of minutes of meetings and failed to respond to his emails.
7. I will not investigate Mr X’s complaint this is because having considered Mr X’s complaint I do not consider that the issues he is raising in his new complaint about the service he received from the Adult Social Care team cause Mr X an injustice significant enough to warrant our further involvement.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because the issues raised with the Council have not caused him a significant enough injustice to warrant our further involvement.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman