Bedford council ordered to pay compensation to woman after complaints over her care and support

Bedford Borough Council has been ordered to pay compensation following an investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

Mrs B. complained to the Ombudsman over how the borough council “failed” to take adequate action to address her care and support needs.

She said that the council delayed providing care and support, it failed to complete and record assessments and failed to ensure she has adaptations to her house so she can live independently, adding that this caused “significant distress and upset”.

Following an investigation the Ombudsman made recommendations for the council to address the “injustice caused by fault”.

This included the council apologising to Mrs B. for the frustration and uncertainty caused by the further faults identified.

It was also told to pay £500 to reflect the frustration, distress and uncertainty from how it handled her care and support needs, and a further £150 to reflect the frustration caused by not dealing with her complaint about the care agency being used to provide support.

The council also has to remind relevant staff of the actions they must take in cases such as this one.

A Bedford Borough Council spokesperson said: “We have taken on board the learning from this case, and have taken action in our services to review the areas which were found to have caused distress, for which we have apologised to Mrs B.

“We ensured we responded in line with the ombudsman’s recommendations. Bedford Borough Council continues to take complaints seriously.”