A READING man has received £3,000 compensation for failings caused by Reading Borough Council over delays to home modifications for his disabilities.
In August 2018, he applied for a Disabled Facilities Grant after an occupational therapist (OT) said he needed a new ramp for accessing his home, repairs to his bathroom, and adaptations to his kitchen.
Councils have a statutory duty to provide this funding on the proviso that it’s necessary, reasonable, and practical.
But nearly four years on, the works still await completion – the process should have taken 150 days.
The man also disagreed with his care plan, which was reviewed in September 2019. He argued that it was not accurate and called for changes to be made.
In November 2019, there was a dispute between council staff and the man’s advocate, who was accused of being intimidating and aggressive in communications a month earlier.
That prompted the council to no longer meet or speak with the man if the advocate was present.
Reading Borough Council said the delay on the home modifications was caused by the difficulties in visiting the claimant after it decided not to work with his advocate, and the Covid-19 pandemic.
The claimant complained to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGO), which began investigating in April.
The LGO’s report said: “Even allowing for time taken to agree whether he needed a ramp or a step lift, and the re-design of the kitchen adaptations, I consider the Council delayed by at least 629 working days in progressing his application for a Disabled Facilities Grant.”
As for his care plan, the council conducted a review in November last year, but without any involvement from the claimant, so it did not reflect any changes to his condition.
The LGO judged that the care plan should have been reviewed by December 2020, at the latest.
They recommended that the council pay the man £3,000 and apologise, as it found fault with the delay in the disabilities facility grant and the issuing of the care plan.
The payments will be made in £100 monthly installments to reflect the 30-month delay.
However, the LGO did not find fault with its decision to not work with the man’s advocate, its decision not to amend the 2019 care plan, or fault with the council for hiring an independent investigator to examine the complaint.
A spokesperson for Reading Borough Council said: “The council fully accepts the findings of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.
“We have apologised to the man and paid £3,000 compensation in recognition of the distress caused.”
