Oxfordshire County Council (23 007 097)
Category : Adult care services > Charging
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 15 Oct 2023
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about charges for adult care services. This is because it is a late complaint.
The complaint
- Ms X complains about the Council’s charges for adult care services. In particular, she disagrees with the date the Council say her care services ended and the amount it says she owes. Ms X says that this has caused her anxiety and frustration.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
- We cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council or care provider has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Ms X complained to the Council in June 2021. In this complaint she disputed a number of charges and the date the Council said her care package had ended. It is evident Ms X knew about these issues in June 2021. She did not bring her complaint to the Ombudsman until August 2023, and so the complaint is made late to us. I consider it is reasonable to expect Ms X to have complained to us within 12 months of her knowing about the problem and as such, I do not consider there are good reasons to investigate this late complaint now.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint because it is a late complaint.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman