WARRINGTON Borough Council says it has a “robust complaints procedure” with very few complaints referred to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.
Of the nine complaints received 89% of complaints investigated were upheld. In 100% of cases the Ombudsman was satisfied the Council had successfully implemented their recommendations.
The council was criticised for 15-minute care calls which the Ombudsman described as ‘rarely enough,’ stating councils need to ensure any care visits they arrange, give enough time for care workers to do their job properly.
There were a total of 14 service improvements which have all been actioned can be viewed below. In every case the council agreed with the proposed actions.
https://www.lgo.org.uk/your-councils-performance/warrington-council/serviceimprovements
A Warrington Borough Council spokesperson said: “We have liaised fully with the ombudsman throughout their enquiries. Where the ombudsman made recommendations to the council about potential service improvements on the basis of what we learned through the complaints process, in every case we agreed with the proposed actions and worked quickly to embed changes into practice.
“We have a robust complaints process, and as a result, only very few complaints are referred to the ombudsman. We work hard to get the basics right and deliver quality services for residents. When looking at each complaint, we are ready to listen and take on board any recommendations.”
Meanwhile, the Ombudsman’s annual complaints statistics for the North West once again back up the harsh realities many people face in key areas of their lives – how their children are educated, how elderly relatives are cared for, and the houses they call home.
Now in its tenth year, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s annual review of complaints offers a unique insight into the health of local government services in England.
Through the lens of escalated complaints, the report details the common issues seen over the past 12 months, with key areas of concern including Special Educational Needs and Disabilities provision for children and young people, Adult Care Services, and Housing.
This year in the North West, the Ombudsman upheld 318 complaints against 33 local authority areas.
Although the North West accounts for 13% of the English population, just 11% of the Ombudsman’s complaints were from people living in the region.
A quarter of complaints and enquiries received were about Children and Education (25%), just above the average for all regions (24%).
Similarly, 19% of complaints and enquiries received were about Adult Care Services. This was higher than the average for all regions (13%).
Only 7% of complaints and enquiries received were about Housing, less than the average for all regions of 15%.
The overall uphold rate for the region stood at 75%, compared with an average of 74% for all regions, with uphold rates highest in Children and Education (83%) and Adult Care Services (78%).
Paul Najsarek, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said:“We all want decent education services for our children, quality care for our loved ones when they are in need, and the reassurance of a safety net if we fall on hard times but all too often the complaints we receive show this isn’t what people experience.
“We know councils face huge challenges, so it is more important than ever for them to focus on the getting the basics right in services for residents and handling complaints effectively. Although local authorities often get things right, we frequently find councils repeating the same mistakes, ploughing ahead and not taking a step back to see the bigger picture.
“Our latest statistics shed light on the harsh realities people across the country face in crucial aspects of their lives. Council leaders now need to focus on learning from common faults and injustices so they can make a significant difference to the people our local authorities serve.”
The Ombudsman remedies individual injustice and, by sharing the learning from the complaints it investigates, improves local public, and adult social care, services
Published today, its annual review also shows over the past year, from 15,488 complaints and enquiries it received, the Ombudsman made more recommendations to improve council services than ever before (2,412). These remedies can include improving staff training, revising policies and procedures and reviewing records to identify other people who have also been affected by the problems identified.
It also made 4,907 recommendations to remedy individuals’ personal injustice, with remedies including apologies, reimbursement of fees and reassessments for services which should have been provided.
Over the past year, in 99.3% of cases, local authorities have complied with and implemented the Ombudsman’s recommendations.
The review report is available from the Ombudsman’s website at www.lgo.org.uk/information-centre/reports/annual-review-reports alongside data sheets to compare statistics for each local authority.
A visual representation for each authority is available at the Ombudsman’s council performance map www.lgo.org.uk/your-councils-performance
