Council to pay woman £3,000 for care plan delay

Wokingham Borough Council caused distress and frustration, the ombudsman said

A council has been ordered to pay £3,000 to a woman with mental health issues who had no care for 15 months.

The woman requested help from Wokingham Borough Council in August 2022, the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) reported.

She was eventually assessed as needing assistance with meals, managing day-to-day living and other needs, the ombudsman said.

However, she did not receive care until November 2023, causing her distress and undermining her mental health, the LGO concluded.

It said the Berkshire council took six weeks to pass the case to the Community Mental Health Team, jointly run by the authority and the NHS.

An unnamed worker, referred to as Officer 1, then failed to put wheels in motion, the LGO said.

Its report concluded: "The council was aware Officer 1 had not been progressing cases appropriately yet failed to identify the drift and delay in Ms X’s case.

"The council transferred [the] case to Officer 2 who it described as being inexperienced, and failed to provide sufficient oversight to ensure the case progressed quickly."

It said the council was also at fault for keeping poor records and for not seeking care providers quickly after the assessment.

The woman should have had care five months earlier, the LGO concluded.

It ordered the council to apologise for the "avoidable frustration, uncertainty and distress and lost care and support caused to her".