Merton Council reimburses £3k and apologizes after wrongly refusing care for an elderly woman with dementia.
The council also had to apologize. They ignored her son’s complaints at first. Ms. Y lived at home with dementia, and her son, Mr. X, handled her payments and provided care.
In 2021, a social worker said they’d visit after an occupational therapist made a recommendation. They wanted double-handed care for Ms. Y. But, this review never actually happened; the social worker left the council, and nothing changed. Mr. X followed up in August, and a new social worker visited, but didn’t make progress.
Mr. X complained in January 2022 because his mom’s condition was getting worse. He was paying for extra care out of pocket. The council finally increased her payments months later. However, they still wouldn’t pay for the expenses from the previous year.
Even after a review in 2023, Mr. X wasn’t happy, feeling they didn’t address his mom’s issues. He was still asking for backdated payments in November. He took his complaint to the ombudsman in March 2024.
The ombudsman agreed with Mr. X. Merton council left them in the dark. So, the council reimbursed Mr. X £3,858.73 and apologized for everything. The council offered Mr. X £200 too for his lost respite time.
The council said they learned from this incident. They also stated they’re reviewing their procedures to prevent similar issues in the future. They know these situations impact families heavily, so they plan to improve communication and care.