West Sussex County Council
Annual statistics ?Find out more about annual statistics
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Complaints upheld
88% Complaints upheld by West Sussex County Council
88% of complaints we investigated were upheld.
This compares to an average of 85% in similar authorities.
36 upheld decisions
View upheld decisionsAdjusted for West Sussex County Council's population, this is
4 upheld decisions per 100,000 residents.The average for authorities of this type is
4.5 upheld decisions per 100,000 residents.Statistics are based on a total of 41 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 West Sussex County Council
100% of cases we were satisfied the Council had successfully implemented our recommendations.
This compares to an average of 100% in similar authorities.
Statistics are based on a total of 26 compliance outcomes for the period between 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024
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Satisfactory remedies provided by the Council
3% Complaints with satisfactory remedy provided by West Sussex County Council
In 3% of upheld cases we found the Council had provided a satisfactory remedy before the complaint reached the Ombudsman.
This compares to an average of 7% in similar authorities.
1 satisfactory remedy decision
Statistics are based on a total of 36 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 West Sussex County Council
Disabled boy missed out on education and support because of poor council practice
A West Sussex boy missed out on vital support because the county council decided he had the ‘wrong’ type of disabilities, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has reported.
Councillors considered wrong Ombudsman report
Councillors in West Sussex have been asked to revisit an Ombudsman’s decision, after they considered the wrong version of a critical report at a council meeting.
Councils reminded of their duty to provide alternative education
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is reminding council school attendance teams that their duty to provide alternative education may arise for reasons other than exclusion and illness.
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: 24 008 795
Category: Education
Sub Category: School transport
- The Council will ensure it has processes in place to follow up Tribunal orders and make sure they are fully implemented.
- The Council will ensure transport officers understand they can provide financial remedies (in addition to reimbursing mileage) via the complaints process and do need to signpost complainants to make insurance or litigation claims when there has been fault by the Council causing injustice.
Case reference: 24 004 519
Category: Adult care services
Sub Category: Assessment and care plan
- Provide an action plan showing the steps the Council has taken or intends to take to ensure cases are now being allocated promptly and that it is completing financial assessments within its four week target time.
Case reference: 24 003 896
Category: Adult care services
Sub Category: Assessment and care plan
- Within three months, the Council should consider the lessons learned from this complaint. It should write to Mr B and set out the action it has already taken, and any further planned action, in relation to:• ensuring s12 medical recommendations have not expired / are about to expire when a repeat MHA assessment is carried out by an AMHP • ensuring complaints about s12 doctors under the MHA are routed to the appropriate organisation to investigate and respond to.
Case reference: 24 003 881
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- The Council will remind staff about aspects of good complaint handling including checking the facts of the complaint and not misusing stock responses, providing realistic timescales for actions and keep complainants informed of delays.
Case reference: 24 002 369
Category: Adult care services
Sub Category: Other
- Review processes to ensure that suitable information is available to service users, their families and council staff to ensure similar fault does not arise again.
Case reference: 24 001 520
Category: Adult care services
Sub Category: Direct payments
- The Council will send a reminder to officers about what the care and support statutory guidance says about service users being able to have other people present at a review should they wish them to do so.
Case reference: 23 021 450
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- The Council will review, or share the outcome of any recent review, of alternative provision placements available within the Council’s area for children with complex special educational needs. This is to ensure it can adhere to its duties under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996 without delay. If the Council find it lack alternative provision placements it should set out an action plan with how it intends to address this.
- The Council will share with the Ombudsman the steps the Council had taken and intends to take to address backlogs in its complaints handling, including an update on its current backlogs.
Case reference: 23 020 491
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- Provide or produce a plan to confirm the actions taken to ensure EHC Plans are issued within statutory timescales including what actions the Council are taking to address the delays in allocating cases to Educational Psychologists.
Case reference: 23 020 411
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- The Council agreed to provide training to all relevant staff about transferring Education, Health and Care Plans between councils and its procedures for handling such transfers.
Case reference: 23 020 341
Category: Adult care services
Sub Category: Assessment and care plan
- Provide or draw up an action plan with timescales to show how the Council is or tackling the excessive times in carrying out care needs assessments. This is to reduce the time service users are waiting for their care needs to be assessed.
- By training or other means, remind staff carrying out care needs assessments that such assessments should be person centred and fully involve the service user in decisions about their care
Last updated: 4 April 2015