LGO Publishes Report On Adult Social Care Complaints

Care England welcomes the publication of the Local Government Ombudsman’s report on Adult Social Care complaints in 2014/15, and its emphasis on transparency, public awareness and increasing rates of reporting. The statistics within the report include data for all care providers and Care England is well placed to comment as it is the largest representative body for independent providers of social care, albeit charities, not for profit and private, in England.

Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England says:

“We are pleased to learn from the LGO that more people are exercising their right to report issues with their social care. We agree that the best care is carried out in an open culture where complaints can be dealt with between staff, service users and families. Where this is not the case, we see that the LGO plays a vital role as investigator and adjudicator. We are also pleased to see that increasing numbers of complaints are being upheld, while we note a need to increase public awareness about the different roles and responsibilities of the LGO and CQC.”

Martin continued:

“Importantly, this report highlights that poor communication is the cause of many complaints, and we would like to see local authorities communicating effectively to avoid situations where people’s care is affected and they are left confused. This is especially pertinent for complaints about the funding of care: local authorities must ensure that service users don’t experience delayed assessments or 15 minute care visits. The LGO notes that in care visits of this length, there is no time to properly communicate concerns.”