Social care ombudsman sees 'relentless rise' in upheld complaints reflecting 'failing social care system'

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s latest annual review of complaints shows a 'relentless rise over the last decade in the proportion of cases in which care users and their families have been let down by local services'.

The Ombudsman’s annual review of social care complaints shows the service found fault in 72 per cent of the complaints it investigated last year, up by three per cent on the previous year.

The faults in the Ombudsmen's investigations were often not due to one-off errors caused by staff working under pressure but increasingly caused by the measures employed by councils and care providers to mitigate the squeeze on their resources, according to its report.

Michael King, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said: “Viewed through the lens of complaints from the public, and our impartial findings, the adult social care system is progressively failing to deliver for those who need it most.

“Increasingly it is a system where exceptional and sometimes unorthodox measures are being deployed simply to balance the books – a reality we see frequently pleaded in their defence by the councils and care providers we investigate."

He added: “At a time of such pressure, it is now more important than ever to listen to public concerns in the form of complaints: they provide free intelligence to spot problems and drive improvement.

“Following on from the recent government announcement, I hope this report and the evidence it contains can help contribute to the debate about what a more sustainable care system will look like in the future.”

'The Ombudsman is right to stress the importance of learning from such cases'

Stephen Chandler, ADASS president, welcomed the report and highlighted the need for “funding” and “reform” in social care.

“Whenever older and disabled people, carers and families do not experience the high-quality care and support that they expect, it is essential their concerns are listened to and addressed.

"We welcome this report. The Ombudsman is right to stress the importance of learning from such cases and we support the call for greater awareness of how to express concerns.

"This report quotes the latest ADASS Spring Survey which cites the ‘growing disconnect between increasing social care need and the financial ability and confidence of directors to meet that need’ and underlines the urgent need for funding and reform that ensures that councils have the resources required to meet the needs of their local communities.”

'We also need to apply the lessons learnt from our response to COVID-19 in any future reforms'

Responding to the report, Cllr David Fothergill, Chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “The Government’s recent social care plan has some potential promise on charging reform, but has left open many more questions which need answering urgently.

“The Spending Review should be used to set this plan straight and provide upfront, desperately needed new funding to meet immediate demands and pressures in our care system so that people can live their best life.”