Council told to apologise after care home errors

The ombudsman made a number of recommendations to Shropshire Council

Shropshire Council has been ordered to apologise by the ombudsman, after an elderly man with dementia was placed in an unsuitable care home.

It also failed to consult the man's wife, who had lasting power of attorney for his health and welfare.

The Local Government Ombudsman found the local authority did not arrange a proper handover for his transfer, meaning the home was not expecting him.

Shropshire Council has apologised and said it had made improvements.

The man, identified in the ombudsman's report as Mr X, has since died, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

As well as ordering the council to apologise, it said it should make a symbolic payment of £200 to the man's wife, as well as making improvements in arranging handovers and involving representatives in decisions about placements.

A spokesperson for the local authority said: "Shropshire Council regrets that this situation has occurred and has acknowledged that improvements could have been made in the service received by this individual."

It said it had set up a new process to prevent similar mistakes and would comply with the ombudsman's recommendations.

It said it supported "many hundreds of people" moving from hospital to care homes every year and "sincerely regrets there was not a good outcome in this case".

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [e-mail]