Ombudsman reveals huge safeguarding backlog at London council

Date of article: 02/10/2025

Daily News of: 03/10/2025

Country:  United Kingdom

Author: Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

Article language: en

More than 500 unread police welfare reports were uncovered during a Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman investigation into a safeguarding complaint about London Borough of Haringey.

The Ombudsman was contacted by a woman who complained that Haringey did not act quickly enough when she reported concerns about a friend’s living situation.

The woman said the council had not done enough to help the friend in the year before he had a fall during a seizure, leaving him with a life-changing injury. Both she and the emergency services had alerted the council to their concerns about the man’s health and vulnerability, including that he was at risk of being made homeless.

During the Ombudsman’s enquiries into the woman’s complaint, the council revealed it had more than 1,100 unread emails in its social work inbox, including 500 police reports.

Julie Odams, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman Chief Executive, said:

“Because of the council’s inertia, the man at the centre of this case was left at risk of significant harm.

“While we cannot say the accident which caused such a major injury would have been prevented if the council had acted sooner, the man’s friends and family are left not knowing whether things might have turned out differently if he’d had the help he needed earlier.

“The council has agreed to put in place an action plan to improve how it responds to safeguarding alerts like these, including training staff on dealing with safeguarding referrals. I hope this shocking case will spur the council into making lasting changes which will benefit other vulnerable people in the borough.”

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman remedies injustice and shares learning from investigations to help improve public, and adult social care, services. In this case the council has agreed to apologise to the woman and her friend, and pay the friend £2,000 for leaving him at risk of harm. It will also pay the woman £200 to acknowledge the time and trouble spent pursuing the complaint.

The Ombudsman has the power to make recommendations to improve processes for the wider public. In this case the council has agreed to review what has gone wrong, including reviewing its safeguarding policy, and provide training to staff on accepting safeguarding referrals, and on effective complaint handling.

It will also refer the Ombudsman’s report and its action plan to the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and the relevant scrutiny committee and keep both updated on progress.

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Ombudsman investigation uncovers significant delays in Yorkshire council’s EHC Plan process.

Date of article: 25/09/2025

Daily News of: 26/09/2025

Country:  United Kingdom - England

Author: Local Government Ombudsmen for England

Article language: en

Leeds City Council has been criticised for significant delays in making decisions about support for children with special educational needs. An investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found delays by the Council in nearly eight out of 10 Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plans even after specialist advice had been obtained.

The Ombudsman was asked to investigate a father’s complaint after the council took 72 weeks to produce his child’s EHC Plan – the document which sets out in law what additional support children must receive. Statutory guidance says it should take no more than 20 weeks.

During the period investigated by the Ombudsman, the council revealed it had issued 791 EHC Plans. The majority of those (614 or 78%) were issued more than 30 weeks after an educational psychologist’s advice was provided.

Julie Odams, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman Chief Executive, said:

“We have previously raised the issue of how a national shortage of educational psychologists is adding to the delays many families face when councils are creating EHC Plans for their children and young adults.

“However, in Leeds we have found significant delays after this specialist advice has been received – with EHC Plans routinely taking a further seven months to finalise.

“These significant delays are clearly having a major impact on hundreds of families across the city.

“I hope the action plan the council has now agreed to put in place will allow it to get a firm grip on its systems for supporting children, young people and their families.”

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman remedies injustice and shares learning from investigations to help improve local government and adult social care services. In this case the council has agreed to apologise to the father who brought the complaint to the Ombudsman. It will also pay him £1,000 to reflect the frustration and uncertainty caused by the delay.

The Ombudsman has the power to make recommendations to improve processes for the wider public. In this case the council has agreed to highlight current timescales on relevant webpages, so parents and carers are aware of potential delays.

It will also provide an action plan showing how it will improve its timeliness in issuing EHC Plans and improve its communication with families who are waiting for their plans.

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Windrush Compensation Scheme improvements called for after another family impacted by failings

Date of article: 18/09/2025

Daily News of: 23/09/2025

Country:  United Kingdom

Author: Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

Article language: en

The Parliamentary Ombudsman has called for improvements to the Windrush Compensation Scheme after it failed to provide proper compensation to a family, a year after other similar failings had been identified.  

In 2024 the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) published a report highlighting that the Scheme, set up by the Home Office in response to the Windrush scandal, was in some cases making wrong decisions and withholding payments.  

Failings included wrongly telling people they were not eligible for compensation and not looking at all the evidence provided. 

PHSO’s latest investigation looked at a complaint from a father and daughter who said the Scheme had not properly addressed their claims. The Ombudsman found that the Scheme had failed to properly compensate the family because it excluded from the claim the father’s private pension loss. 

Following the investigation, Thomas Tobierre, 71, and his daughter Charlotte, 40, will now receive £25,000 between them and the Home Office is reviewing its decision to exclude private pension losses from claims. This could mean others are entitled to more compensation.  

Thomas was seven when he came to the UK from St Lucia in 1960. He married Caroline, a British citizen, in 1975.  

After working for over 40 years, he was made redundant in June 2017. He was unable to start a new job as he did not have documentation to prove he could live and work in the UK. He was forced to live on his savings and cash in his private pension worth around £14,000. 

Following the Windrush scandal, Thomas was granted the right to live and work in the UK and he returned to work in 2018. Sadly, within a few weeks his wife Caroline was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer and later a brain tumour.  

In July 2019 Thomas made a claim to the Scheme for loss of access to employment and the impact this had on his life. After several reviews he accepted an offer in January 2021. 

Caroline, who was 64 at the time, applied for compensation in August 2021 when she had around six months to live. Her claim was expedited to allow her to organise her affairs, including her funeral, but the Scheme did not consider all the evidence properly. Caroline passed away in November 2021 before her claim was settled and Thomas accepted a revised offer a month after she died. The Scheme contacted the family seeking detailed financial information for an urgent payment following Caroline’s death to cover funeral costs and caused unnecessary and avoidable stress.  

Our investigation found a number of failings. The Scheme did not properly action Thomas’s claim, or properly consider its decision to exclude private pensions. Its decision-making and communication about its pensions approach was confusing and inconsistent. Thomas was not fully compensated for the impacts experienced, and the lengthy review process meant Thomas and his wife suffered financial hardship for longer than they should have. 

For Caroline’s claim, the Ombudsman found the Scheme did not properly consider the evidence she had provided. The Scheme also mishandled communication about a funeral costs payment and did so insensitively, while failings in the Home Office’s complaint-handling compounded the family’s distress and meant they missed out on precious time with Caroline ahead of her death.  

In addition to the £25,000 payment and the review of the Scheme’s decision to exclude private pension loss, the Ombudsman recommended the Scheme apologise to Thomas and Charlotte, review its complaint handling and communication, and reconsider its decision to exclude compensation for Thomas’s pension loss. The Home Office has agreed to comply. 

Charlotte said: 

“It almost feels like my mum and dad had done something wrong. It didn’t feel like they were victims at all, it felt hard and harsh and the time that it took was just unbelievable. 

 

“When I started the first claim about pension loss, we started it as a three, my Dad, me and my Mum, and it's sad that we end it with just me and my Dad. 

 

“It was exhausting. We were absolutely consumed by it and that overshadowed my Mum’s cancer journey. I felt sad afterwards thinking we wasted so much time talking about Windrush and we missed spending precious time together. 

 

“It was a relief and refreshing to have the experience with the Ombudsman. 

 

“I would urge everyone, if they are not happy with the Scheme, lodge a complaint. It really needs to be held to account.”  

Since 2021, PSHO has looked into 68 complaints about the Scheme and has secured over £430,000 in compensation for people wrongly denied payment.   

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Chief Executive Rebecca Hilsenrath KC (Hon) said: 

“The Windrush Compensation Scheme was set up to right wrongs, but complaints like this show it is not working as it should. Improvements in how the Scheme operates are needed and I hope the appointment of the new Windrush Commissioner will drive forward these much-needed changes. 

 

“The impact of this case has been profound for Thomas and Charlotte. Not only was the whole process long and confusing, but Thomas was not properly compensated for his pension loss. The Scheme’s insensitive handling added to the family’s grief after Caroline’s death and compounded their distress as they missed out on precious time together.  

 

“We know those impacted are less likely to make complaints. However, it is really important that people come forward with their concerns. We know that there is important learning we need to do nationally about how we develop effective, user-friendly compensation schemes. By making a complaint and sharing their story, those affected can help improve public services for everyone and help stop mistakes from being repeated.” 

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Ombudsman calls for reform of adult care complaints in annual review

Date of article: 18/09/2025

Daily News of: 23/09/2025

Country:  United Kingdom - England

Author: Local Government Ombudsmen for England

Article language: en

Complaints should be at the heart of any reform of adult social care in England, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is urging in its annual review of complaints.

Launched today, the Ombudsman’s annual review collates data from every complaint it has received over the past 12 months about both independent and council-funded care.

The report presses for greater accountability in the sector, with complaints and complaint-handling playing a central role in helping people raise concerns when things go wrong and support effective oversight of the sector through improved data and intelligence.

The past year has seen the Ombudsman’s adult care caseload rise by eight per cent, including a significant 28 per cent increase in complaints about charging for care services.

However this increase has not been seen across the board, and the Ombudsman is still seeing relatively few complaints from people who fund their own care. People who arrange their own care make up an estimated 23% of all care users, yet the number of complaints received from this group remains disproportionately low.

The Ombudsman has upheld nearly eight out of 10 complaints (79 per cent)  it has investigated about adult care over the past year.

The largest area of work for the Ombudsman focused on assessment and care planning, followed by charging for care. The area with the highest uphold rate in the period was residential care (83 per cent of 149 investigations upheld) followed by charging (81 per cent of 229 investigations).

Ms Amerdeep Somal, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said:

“We know wider reform is needed to deliver sustainable and effective adult social care services. Any reform must include changes to the complaints process.

“While such changes are debated, there is much that councils and care providers can do to improve services without a mandate to change.

“Many of the complaints we receive highlight poor communication with service users and their loved ones, often leaving them to feel like numbers rather than human beings.

“I urge all councils and care providers to prioritise clear, timely and compassionate communication, ensuring people are informed, consulted and empowered. This is not only the foundation of providing quality care, but also the most effective way to prevent dissatisfaction and complaints from arising in the first place.”

Key stats for 2024-25 include:

  • 3,231 complaints received
  • 3,008 complaints decided
  • 907 complaints investigated
  • 776 complaints upheld
  • 99% compliance with recommendations

Article date: 18 September 2025

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September Bulletin

Date of article: 12/09/2025

Daily News of: 16/09/2025

Country:  United Kingdom - Northern Ireland

Author: Northern Ireland Ombudsman

Article language: en

Catch up on our recent activities with the latest Quarterly Bulletin.

Included in this issue:

  • Our investigation into the Northern Ireland Housing Executive
  • The latest on the new rules to make it easier for the public to complain about public bodies
  • Links to reports on our investigations into two health trusts.
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Active facets

Link to the Ombudsman Daily News archives from 2002 to 20 October 2011