Hampshire County Council has been criticised by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman after it failed to meet an elderly man’s needs when his finances ran short.

The man, who has dementia, had initially paid for the care he received in his home. But, in Spring 2019, when a relative alerted the council that the man’s capital had fallen below the £23,250 threshold, it did not complete a Care Act compliant assessment.

Because of this, the council failed to address the man’s needs for help to maintain his home, leaving the man to pay for the support he needed.

The relative gave the council evidence that his needs had increased in September 2019, and care workers’ records showed they were having to stay longer to meet his needs. This should have triggered a review of his needs by social workers, but none was carried out until June 2020. At that point, the council increased the man’s budget.

The Ombudsman’s investigation found the council failed to carry out a Care Act compliant assessment and delayed implementing the man’s personal budget. It also failed to review the man’s needs in 2019, and either failed to produce or to retain a care and support plan for him and therefore did not identify and meet his eligible need for help to maintain his home.

Michael King, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said:

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