COUNTY Hall has been ordered to pay a family £600 compensation for failing to deal properly with complaints about the way it handled an elderly woman’s case.

The family of 82-year-old Doreen Cowell, complained to the Local Government Ombudsman about delays in assessing her care needs.

They claim the delays meant Mrs Cowell’s condition deteriorated so badly she ended up in a care home, landing the family with a £20,000 bill.

The ombudsman ruled Essex County Council was at fault for the way it handled Mrs Cowell’s case and subsequent complaints – but cleared it of responsibility for her declining health.

Mrs Cowell lived alone in Luncies Road, Pitsea, and was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s two years ago. She struggled to cook her ownmeals, take medication and carry out other daily tasks.

As a result, her daughter, Gill Lander, 46, a mother-ofthree and a businesswoman, had to drive from her Canvey home twice a day to help her.

On September 10, 2013, Mrs Lander asked social services to carry out a care assessment and arrange for a carer to visit her mother in the mornings.

Mrs Lander was promised a call back the next week, but the call never came and she had to chase the council.

Despite telling social services her mother was unable to cope, Mrs Lander and her brother, John Petters, 61, were offered no help until Mrs Cowell was hospitalised. By that time, she was incontinent and had a urinary tract infection.

From the hospital, she was moved to Mountnessing Court care home, Billericay, then to Longview, Canvey, where she now lives.

The ombudsman ruled Essex Social Services dealt incorrectly with Mr Petters’ complaint.

He found officials dealing with the complaint made many factual errors and took six months to refer Mr Petters to the ombudsman.

Mr Petters was awarded £100 for his time and trouble, while Mrs Lander was given £500 compensation for the distress she suffered.

Mr Petters, who lives in Lincolnshire, said he was now taking legal advice as he did not believe the family should have to pay more than £20,000 in care home fees the council says they owe.

He said: “This is an ongoing case. I’m not pleased with the fact the ombudsman didn’t find the council culpable for the fact my mumhas gone into a care home.

“We believe if she had gone to rehabilitation straight away, she would have got better, instead of deteriorating.

“The council didn’t act at all until it was too late.

“She has paid taxes all her life and now the council is trying to take her property to pay her care bill.

“It’s been really difficult, especially living so far away from my mum and my sister.

“I feel as if Essex County Council tried to brush this under the carpet, but I’m determined to get to the truth.”

Staff ‘reminded’ of procedures

ESSEX County Council says the ruling has prompted it to remind staff how to deal with both assessment requests and complaints.

Officials are being urged to clarify with family members how urgently care may be needed, and whether there is an imminent risk of the patient ending up on their own without support.

The Local Government Ombudsman also told County Hall it should be responding more speedily to complaints and reminding complainants they have a right to take their cases to the ombudsman.

Dick Madden, county councillor responsible for social services, said: “We accept our response in assessing the woman’s care needs was unacceptably delayed.

“This was as a result of a misunderstanding of the urgency of the case and, as the ombudsman recognised, did not contribute to her admission to hospital or need to be placed in a long-term care home.

“We have apologised to the family concerned and made changes to our call handling systems to ensure the mistake is not repeated in the future.”