A Lincolnshire family has been forced to complain to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman for the second time about the way a relative’s care home fees were charged because the county council failed to improve its policies quickly enough.

The woman had already complained to the Ombudsman in 2017 after the council’s practice of allowing care homes to collect third-party top-up fees on its behalf led to confusion when her father went into a care home. At the time, the Ombudsman said this practice left families at the mercy of loved ones being evicted when they could no longer afford the fees, and was not in line with the Care Act.

The council initially disagreed with the Ombudsman’s findings. It later agreed to implement a new charging policy, in November 2020, in which the council would collect the top-up fees and then pass these on to care homes.

The woman needed to place her mother in a care home in 2020, but because the new charging policy was not yet in place, she again had to pay a top-up fee to the home. This caused significant confusion as the council, the care home and the woman were all having different conversations about the fees. Despite the woman being concerned the care home was not affordable in the long-term, the council persuaded her to go ahead with the placement.

Once the mother’s flat had been sold, she had to fund the care home place herself. But the fees were now too high, and the family moved their mother to a more affordable care home. The woman said she would not have placed her mother in the care home had she known she would not be able to stay long-term.

The woman complained to the Ombudsman about the way the council dealt with their case. The Ombudsman’s investigation criticised the advice and information provided by the council and the lack of clarity given to the family when deciding their care options.

The investigation also found there was confusion and delay by the council when dealing with top-up agreement forms, exacerbated by the council sending three copies of the form with different and inaccurate figures and no explanation.

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

“While I welcome the council’s acceptance of my previous report, had it implemented the recommendations from my earlier investigations more promptly, the family might not have been failed a second time.

“Despite the council eventually agreeing to bring its payment arrangements in line with the Care Act and statutory guidance, it has still not implemented the changes. I urge the council to do so as a matter of urgency to ensure no other family is affected.”

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s role is to remedy injustice and share learning from investigations to help improve public, and adult social care, services. In this case the council should provide a formal apology to the daughter and pay her £600 for the time, trouble and distress she has experienced.

The Ombudsman has the power to make recommendations to improve processes for the wider public. In this case the council should complete the changes to its payment process in line with the Ombudsman’s previous recommendations as a matter of urgency.

Article date: 15 July 2021

Tribunal de Justicia de la Unión Europea

COMUNICADO DE PRENSA n.° 137/21

Luxemburgo, 15 de julio de 2021

Sentencia en el asunto C-30/20 Volvo y otros

Práctica colusoria sobre los precios de venta de camiones pesados: el Tribunal de Justicia precisa qué órganos jurisdiccionales son competentes para resolver sobre las acciones de indemnización

A falta de un tribunal nacional especializado para esa clase de demandas, una empresa que haya hecho sus compras en varios lugares podrá acudir al tribunal en cuya demarcación se halle su domicilio social

RH es una empresa con domicilio social en Córdoba, donde adquirió, entre 2004 y 2009, cinco camiones a un concesionario de Volvo Group España (sociedad con domicilio social en Madrid). El 19 de julio de 2016, la Comisión adoptó una decisión por la que declaró la existencia de un cártel en el que participaron, del 17 de enero de 1997 al 18 de enero de 2011, quince fabricantes internacionales de camiones, entre ellos Volvo (Suecia), Volvo Group Trucks Central Europe (Alemania) y Volvo Lastvagnar (Suecia), que afectaba a dos categorías de productos: los camiones con un peso de entre 6 y 16 toneladas y los camiones de más de 16 toneladas, tanto camiones rígidos como cabezas tractoras. 1 La Comisión consideró que el cártel abarcaba la totalidad del Espacio Económico Europeo (EEE). Impuso multas a todas las empresas participantes salvo a una que obtuvo una dispensa total. (...)

Durch die Ankündigung des Bürgermeisters von Wiener Neudorf, Herbert Janschka, die „Pforten“ des Badeteichs nun auch wieder für Auswärtige, die bisher vom Zugang zum Kahrteich ausgeschlossen waren, wieder zu öffnen, stellt die Gemeinde endlich wieder einen rechtskonformen Zustand her. Die Volksanwaltschaft hat erst in der letzten Sendung des „Bürgeranwalt“ die Problematik neuerlich thematisiert.

Seit mehr als einem Jahr ist es lediglich für Inhaberinnen und Inhaber einer „Wiener Neudorf Card“ möglich den Badeteich zu nutzen. Diese Card war allerdings nur von Personen erwerbbar, die einen Wohnsitz in Wiener Neudorf haben. Die Gemeinde rechtfertigte diese Maßnahme stets mit der Corona-Situation und den damit verbundenen, notwendigen Beschränkungen.

„Diese Maßnahme der Gemeinde widerspricht aber ganz klar sowohl europarechtlichen Verpflichtungen (Art. 18 AEUV, ex Art. 12 EG und Art. 49 AEUV, ex Art 49 EG), als auch dem Gleichbehandlungsgebot der Bundesverfassung (Art. 7 BVG) und dem Staatsgrundgesetz (Art. 2 STGG)“, so Volksanwalt Werner Amon.

„Die Volksanwaltschaft begrüßt das Einlenken des Gemeinderates und des Bürgermeisters“, so Amon weiter. „Es ist nicht akzeptabel sich außerhalb des vorgegebenen Rechtsrahmens zu bewegen und dies mit ‚Scheinargumenten‘ zu begründen“, so der Volksanwalt.

„Nicht von großer Einsicht scheint auch die Argumentation zu sein, dass sich der Teich jetzt erholen konnte und deshalb diese Maßnahme sinnvoll gewesen sein soll. Niemand hätte etwas dagegen gehabt, die Zahl der Badegäste einfach zu beschränken. Dies hätte sowohl den Corona-Maßnahmen Rechnung getragen, als auch dem Teich gutgetan“, so der Volksanwalt weiter.

„Eine Diskriminierung aufgrund des Meldezettels vorzunehmen ist aber eben rechtswidrig“. Amon: „Man stelle sich vor, das würden alle machen. Es wäre vorbei mit dem Baden in den Wiener Bädern, wenn man keine Wienerin oder Wiener ist oder mit dem Baden in der Adria, wenn man Österreicherin oder Österreicher ist“. „Schön, dass die Gemeinde nun auf den Boden der Rechtsstaatlichkeit zurückgefunden hat“, zeigt sich der Volksanwalt erfreut.

La Carta Social Europea Revisada (CSER) ha entrado en vigor este mes de julio en España. El nuevo tratado presta una especial atención a los colectivos vulnerables, como pueden ser: menores, mujeres, personas mayores, personas con discapacidad e inmigrantes. La Carta, supone un avance en la consecución y garantía de un amplio abanico de derechos humanos relacionados con el empleo, la seguridad en el trabajo, la igualdad de oportunidades, la salud, la educación,  la vivienda, la protección contra la pobreza y el bienestar social.

La CSER sustituye a la primera Carta Social Europea (1961) para dar cabida a “los cambios sociales fundamentales que se han producido con posterioridad a su adopción”. Cuando los Estados la ratifican, se comprometen a “salvaguardar y promover los ideales y principios que son su patrimonio común, y favorecer su progreso económico y social, en particular mediante la defensa y desarrollo de los derechos humanos y de las libertades fundamentales”.

Věra Jourová, Vice President of the European Commission, expressed her gratitude to Adam Bodnar for his work as the Commissioner for Human Rights.

- The institution of ombudsman is a key element in the democratic system of checks and balances. It is essential and necessary in the development and maintenance of a transparent and accountable democracy. And since 2015, you, as the Polish Ombudsman, have ensured this role with the highest professionalism and dedication to assist people in defending rights and resolving conflicts or concerns. Your actions at national and European level be it regarding non-discrimination, gender equality, assisting the vulnerable groups, ensuring consumer protection or defending the rule of law and free media, to name only some areas, have been highly welcomed and recognized by the European Commission. As noted in the Commission’s 2020 Annual Rule of Law Report, the institution of the Ombudsman in Poland has been playing an important role in defending the rule of law and fundamental rights. It also plays a key role in promoting and protecting equal treatment of people living in Poland in its role of designated equality body under EU law – we read in the letter.