Disabled woman left for months without equipment

Oldham Council apologised after the woman was left without vital support

A disabled woman was left for 10 months without vital specialist equipment because of "missed opportunities" and "poor communication" by a council, according to a government watchdog.

The woman reported a problem with her adjustable bed in January 2023 and later her shower seat but was only given suitable replacements in October.

An investigation found the delays were caused by "confusion" about the process and "bad record keeping", meaning it took service providers several months to process the request - before providing equipment in the wrong size.

Oldham Council said the authority had apologised and would be reviewing its processes.

The council has a responsibility to provide equipment for eligible people who need support getting around or out of their homes.

However, during the 10 months the woman, referred to in a report as Miss X, received barely any updates about the progress of her complaint, despite a family member asking for updates on more than two occasions.

An inspector from the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman said: “There were periods of several weeks when there was no contact from the council.”

'Avoidable delays'

The ombudsman also concluded there had been "avoidable delays" and communication "was not as good as it should have been".

The inspector said Miss X was left with the impression that her "social needs and preferences were less important" to staff dealing with her case than they should have been.

The local authority paid £400 in compensation and apologised.

But it has been asked to "apologise further" for the "extra injustice" identified by the ombudsman.

The inspector wrote: “Overall, my view is the equipment service took a reactive, rather than proactive approach to the replacement and there was a lack of coordination and oversight.

"That was the fault which added to the initial delays.

“It also failed to communicate properly with Miss X or to take a proactive approach when the delays became prolonged.”

The ombudsman ordered the council to provide more evidence that it was doing everything in its power to ensure a similar situation does not happen again.

A council representative said: “As instructed, we have apologised to the resident involved and made the recommended payment.

“We are reviewing our processes around the provision of equipment to ensure we learn from this incident and embed the lessons learnt.”