Agenda item

Report of the Deputy Chief Executive (People)

The Committee considered a report of the Deputy Chief Executive (People) which set out the number, trends and outcomes of complaints to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGO) relating to the Council during 2016/17.

It was noted that the Cabinet Member for Policy and Leadership had also considered the report at his meeting held on 8^th November 2017.

The LGO was the final stage for complaints about councils, all adult social care providers (including care homes and home care agencies) and some other organisations providing local public services.  It was a free service that investigated complaints in a fair and independent way and provided a means of redress to individuals for injustice caused by unfair treatment or service failure.

The Council’s complaints policy set out how individuals could complain to the Council, as well as how the Council handled compliments, comments and complaints.  The Council also informed individuals of their rights to contact the LGO if they were not happy with the Council’s decision after they had exhausted the Council’s own complaints process.

Every year, the LGO issued an annual letter to every Council, summarising the number and trends of the complaints dealt with in each local authority. The latest letter, issued in July 2017, covered complaints relating to the Council between April 2016 and March 2017 (2016/17).

The report indicated that, nationally, the LGO received 16,863 complaints and enquiries during 2016/17, with the greatest proportion relating to education and children’s services (2,983), followed by adult social care (2,555) and planning and development (2,336).

Locally, the LGO recorded 105 complaints and enquiries during 2016/17 relating to Coventry City Council.  This was similar to the number recorded in 2015/16, where 109 complaints were received.  The 105 complaints were categorised as Adult Care Services (13); Benefits and Tax (11); Corporate and Other Services (10); Education and Children’s Services (17); Environment Services, Public Protection and Regulation (17); Highways and Transport (16); Housing (14); and Planning and Development (7).

Of the 105 complaints, 25 were investigated, a 14% increase from 2015, when 22 complaints were investigated.  15 complaints were upheld (60%) compared to a statistical neighbour average of 52% and a national average of 54% of complaints upheld.   The LGO recommended a remedy for 9 of the upheld complaints, found that the fault did not cause an injustice in 5 complaints and was satisfied with the Council’s remedy in 1 complaint.  6 complaints resulted in some form of financial redress or reimbursement.  The Committee noted that the LGO did not issue formal reports of maladministration for any of the 15 complaints upheld.

The report also set out the number of complaints relating to Coventry during 2016/17 by service area and compared this to the complaints received during 2015/16, along with the time it took for the Council to respond to the complaints.  Following the investigations, the LGO recommended some changes to the Council’s procedures on the upheld complaints in adult social care, children’s social care and in the noise team, and these were also set out within the report.

In considering the report, the Committee expressed their concern regarding the length of time taken to get responses to queries / complaints made directly to the Council by both Members and the public, particularly through Coventry Direct.  They requested that an interim briefing note be presented at the next scheduled meeting, with a full report submitted in March 2018, on the steps being taken to address this issue.

RESOLVED that the Audit and Procurement Committee:-

1.  Note the Council’s performance in relation to complaints to the LGO.

2.  Note the Council complaints process and guidance, updated for 2017 in line with recommendations set out in the annual letter.

3.  Were assured that the Council takes appropriate actions in response to complaints investigated and where the Council is found to be at fault.

4.  Request that a briefing note be presented to the next scheduled meeting and a full report to the meeting scheduled for March 2018, on the steps taken to improve the response time to complaints from Councillors and Members of the public, particularly through Coventry Direct.