Council pays compensation after assessment delays

West Sussex County Council has paid compensation to a mother and son after delays in assessing the woman’s finances left her owing a "significant" amount of money for her care.

A complaint was lodged with the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman after the woman, known as Mrs X, received an invoice for £9,260 from the council.

Her son, known as Mr A, said the council had started to pay his mother just under £260 per week for care costs in May 2022.

A council spokesman said: “We accept the ombudsman’s findings that we were at fault for the delays in properly assessing finances in this case and for attempting to make contact at an incorrect address."

In a complaint to the council in January, Mr A said: “When we made our initial appeal for help, we were told that mum might have to contribute something, the inference was something small.

“We did not realise you were intending to re-claim two-thirds of the money you have been sending her.”

Another issue raised by Mr A was the council’s attempt to contact him via the wrong address, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A £500 payment was agreed for Mr A for the anxiety caused, with £1,000 for Mrs X recognising that the delay in making the assessment caused a "larger than expected debt".

The report said: “Had the assessment been undertaken in a timely manner, the accrued debt would have been considerably less.”

Mrs X will still have to pay back what is owed to the council, but the ombudsman said a sensible payment plan had to be agreed.

The council spokesperson added: “We have apologised to the family involved, offered a payment plan and offered a financial remedy in recognition of the distress and inconvenience caused.”

Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.