The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has launched a new guide for complaints about adult social care services.

The guide sets out how local authorities in England should handle complaints about adult social care, based on the Local Authority Social Servies and National Health Service Complaints Regulations 2009.

It includes a new model for handling complaints which allows councils to try to resolve complaints early, before moving on to having a closer look at issues raised where this is not possible.

Although the guide is aimed at people working for local authorities, it will also help service users and their families understand what they should expect when challenging decisions or making a complaint about the care they or their loved ones have received.

Ombudsman, Ms Amerdeep Somal said:

“Good, effective systems that allow people with care needs and their families to raise concerns and challenge decisions are at the heart of enabling people to live independently and with dignity while also promoting their rights.

“When things go wrong, service users should expect the same quality of complaints handling wherever they are in the country, but sadly this is not the case.

“Through our investigations, we have found a number of councils unaware of the legislation around handling adult social care complaints and we continue to see councils operating two stage complaints processes, despite the legislation only allowing for a single stage.

“In issuing this guide I hope service users will better understand their rights and local authorities their responsibilities for a more consistent approach to complaints handling.”

The guide is available on the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s website.

Article date: 10 February 2025