West Sussex County Council has paid £400 to a woman who complained about the level of care received by her brother after he suffered a stroke.
A report from the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman said the council was at ‘some fault’ for the care given by an outside provider to the man, known as Mr B.
While Mr B has since died, his sister, known in the report as Ms C, raised a string of issues with the ombudsman about his treatment in an extra care accommodation complex.
Extra care accommodation allows residents to live independently while receiving support at scheduled times for tasks such as washing, using the toilet and taking medication.
The issues raised by Ms C included the provider failing to give the agreed hours of support, failing to respond to Mr B’s emergency bell in a timely manner, failing to organise night-time bags for his catheter, and failing to hoist him correctly on several occasions, ‘which was very uncomfortable and painful for him’.
She also said the manager and some of the staff ‘had an uncaring and unprofessional attitude’ towards her brother.
The council, however, said the relationship between the Ms C and the manager had been ‘difficult’ and its extra care team had ‘no concerns about the scheme manager and the way she communicates with customers and their families’.
The ombudsman’s report acknowledged that Mr B had made his situation ‘more difficult to manage’ by refusing to take his pain relief medication.
The report added: “This made things more uncomfortable and painful for him, which resulted in more and urgent requests for support.” But the ombudsman agreed there appeared to have been ten incidents during April and May 2020 where there was a ‘significant delay in the care provider’s response’ to Mr B.
A council spokesman said: “The council has accepted the findings and recommendations from the Local Government Ombudsman’s investigation.
“We have apologised in writing to the complainant and made the payment recommended by the ombudsman.
“We continue to work in partnership with the provider to address the area of concern identified and improve the quality of the service.”
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