London Borough of Hounslow
Annual statistics ?Find out more about annual statistics
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Complaints upheld
93% Complaints upheld by London Borough of Hounslow
93% of complaints we investigated were upheld.
This compares to an average of 85% in similar authorities.
22 upheld decisions
View upheld decisionsAdjusted for London Borough of Hounslow's population, this is
7.6 upheld decisions per 100,000 residents.The average for authorities of this type is
8.2 upheld decisions per 100,000 residents.Statistics are based on a total of 24 investigations for the period between 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024
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Compliance with Ombudsman recommendations
100% of cases were successfully implemented by London Borough of Hounslow
100% of cases we were satisfied the Council had successfully implemented our recommendations.
This compares to an average of 99% in similar authorities.
Statistics are based on a total of 22 compliance outcomes for the period between 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024
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Satisfactory remedies provided by the Council
9% Complaints with satisfactory remedy provided by London Borough of Hounslow
In 9% of upheld cases we found the Council had provided a satisfactory remedy before the complaint reached the Ombudsman.
This compares to an average of 12% in similar authorities.
2 satisfactory remedy decisions
Statistics are based on a total of 22 upheld decisions for the period between 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024
View all satisfactory remedy decisions
Annual letters
We write to councils each year to give a summary of the complaint statistics we record about them,
and their performance in responding to our investigations.
Reports ?Find out more about reports
In the last nine years, the Ombudsman has published the following reports against London Borough of Hounslow
Hounslow refusing “to do right” by homeless pregnant woman it failed
Hounslow council is refusing to offer a home to a young mother despite making a catalogue of errors which left her homeless and sofa surfing while pregnant.
Heavily pregnant woman left to ‘sofa surf’ by Hounslow council
A homeless woman left to sofa surf by London Borough of Hounslow while heavily pregnant, has been given permanent accommodation during a Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman investigation.
Man forced to sleep on sofa after London council offers inadequate support
A man with mental health problems was forced to sleep on his parents’ sofa for 18 months because London Borough of Hounslow failed to support him properly.
London council based care decision on historic needs assessment
Councils must make timely, thorough and informed assessments of people when deciding care needs, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has said.
Proper timescales must be followed when deciding homelessness applications, LGO reminds councils
Councils are being reminded to decide homeless applications promptly and effectively by the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO), following an investigation about a London council.
Service improvements ?Find out more about service improvements
Since April 2018, the Council has agreed to make the following improvements to its services following an Ombudsman investigation. We list up to 10 cases below – click ‘view all’ if there are more.
Case reference: 24 005 241
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- The Council has agreed to review its procedures to ensure interim/emergency reviews of Education, Health and Care Plans are arranged in a timely manner when it is clear a placement is ending and a new placement is yet to be identified.
- The Council has agreed to review how it consulted schools to identify whether any lessons can be learned particularly in relation to the better targeting of consultations for a school place, following up responses to consultations and ensuring the reasons given for refusing a place are adequately provided.
Case reference: 24 005 013
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- The Council agreed to decide what changes are needed to its Education, Health, and Care (EHC) Plan processes, or staff training, to ensure it has systems in place to:ensure its staff are clear about its non-delegable duty to ensure EHC Plan provision is in place;check EHC Plan provision is in place when it issues a new or substantially different EHC Plan, and properly investigate complaints or concerns that provision is not in place at any time;ensure arrangements are clear for how support from therapy services will be provided where it maintains an EHC Plan for a child that attends a school in a different council’s area; andensure effective case management of EHC Plans when staff leave and are replaced, so statutory timescales are met and issues responded to in good time.
Case reference: 23 020 264
Category: Housing
Sub Category: Allocations
- The Council has agreed to circulate our ‘Guide for Practitioners: Medical assessments for housing applications (July 2024)' to all staff involved in making decisions on medical priority;
- The Council has agreed to arrange a training session to those staff on the content of the guidance to ensure the Council:1. makes its own decisions on medical priority and does not simply adopt the medical adviser’s view;2. considers all the evidence submitted in reaching its decision; and3. provides clear reasons why a person does not qualify and why their evidence has been discounted.
- The Council has agreed to remind medical advisers that their role is to make a recommendation (not a decision) on medical priority based on the evidence provided with clear and relevant reasons.
Case reference: 23 019 692
Category: Other Categories
Sub Category: Leisure and culture
- The Council will review its Community Trigger procedure to ensure this is aligned with the relevant legislation and guidance.
Case reference: 23 016 743
Category: Adult care services
Sub Category: Other
- The Council will remind relevant officers and managers of the need to swiftly and properly investigate concerns raised about care being delivered by adult care providers acting on its behalf. This will help to ensure concerns are acted on in a timely and transparent manner.
- The Council will review its stance that quality alerts about adult care providers are not investigated when those receiving adult care delivered on behalf of the Council are hoping to move or have been placed out of the Council’s own area.
Case reference: 23 016 007
Category: Adult care services
Sub Category: Safeguarding
- Share the decision with all staff involved in safeguarding investigations to ensure lessons are learn and similar delays do not occur in the future
Case reference: 23 015 313
Category: Housing
Sub Category: Managing council tenancies
- The Council will considerand plan how it can better communicate with landlords and manage theirexpectations about when they might receive their empty property back.
Case reference: 23 013 539
Category: Housing
Sub Category: Homelessness
- The Council agreed to develop and share with the Ombudsman an action plan to ensure it can process housing register review requests within the timescales set out in its allocations policy.
- The Council agreed to ensure all relevant staff have read our practice guidance on Medical assessments for housing application.
- The Council agreed to remind relevant staff that when making decisions about medical priority :for housingit is for the Council to make the decision about priority;decision makers should not simply accept the view of the Council’s medical adviser, but should weigh all the evidence, including any medical advice, before making their own decision; andthey should ensure there is a clear record of the issues considered and how the decision was made.
Case reference: 23 011 292
Category: Adult care services
Sub Category: Safeguarding
- The Council should ensure a local adult social care provider has adequate health and safety checks in place to prevent a reoccurrence of the faults identified in this case.
- The Council should work with a local adult social care provider to ensure it has a process in place to inform Social Services when residents refuse care.
- The Council should remind its staff to consider personal remedies where it identifies, in the course of its safeguarding or complaints process, a person has experienced an injustice.
Case reference: 23 010 319
Category: Children's care services
Sub Category: Friends and family carers
- The Council has agreed that it will publish a written policy on family and friends foster carers.
- The Council has also agreed to publish a leaflet for potential family and friends foster carers settingout the different options for children who cannot live with their parents andexplaining the financial implications of each for the carer.
Last updated: 4 April 2015