Its been 8 months since I logged a complaint to the ombudsman submitted several documents before lockdown acutally January 2020 they have now responded last week saying they need more information and what my viewpoint on the matter?
Im glad they havent out right rejected it so for them to be asking for more information does that seem to be more balanced and I may have a chance?
Has anyone been successful with the care ombudsman in getting payments backdated and services resumed? This has been running on since June 2018 2 years and 2 months!
My son has severe learning difficulties.
I have been asking for years for him to have support so that he can have someone knowledgeable with him to go to steam rallies, not a girl wearing “ballet pumps” as M put it!! £40 to go to the largest steam show in the world and they were back by 2pm as staff didn’t have the right footwear, didn’t know what she was looking at, and didn’t know any of the engine owners. Unlike M who has been going to rallies since he was 6 weeks old, has been part of the local steam fraternity all his life, all the local engine owners know him.
The LGO said in his summary “If he wants a PA and Direct Payments he can ask for them himself”.
Apparently he doesn’t understand what severe learning difficulties and speech problems mean!
According to the say-so of the local authority, my son’s seizures are ‘behavioural’ not part of his epilepsy. When challenging an explanation as to why the Ombudsman thought it was appropriate to use this as factual information, they said it wasn’t them that had said it. Of course, it made no sense whatsoever since the Ombudsman continued to use this to uphold the council’s inaction. They couldn’t find them at fault apparently.
More like they didn’t wish to fault them regardlessly.
Do they actually do an indepth investigation into councils by speaking to people and visiting councils to hold people accountable or do they just go off of paperwork supplied by the claiment? Why do they keep asking for more information? Shouldn’t there job be to find out more and put things right?
Mine took even longer. The LGO said that if my son wanted Direct Payments and a PA he could ask the LA himself. Really, he has the mental age in some areas of a 3 year old. Would you expect a child to do this??
I have a sneaky feeling the LGO’s were told to clear their desks asap. It was very clear from the final decision that he did not read my letter which raised an issue of law.
They bin letters and cover it calling it a technical error/admin error and they get away with it if the apologise as its seen as an aknowledgement that the ombusman accept as resonable! Also, they dont notify you or an admin error delaying everything. The do it on purpose so you stop contacting them.