Hillingdon to pay £12,000 to man placed in home against wishes

Hillingdon Council, London, has agreed to refund nearly £12,000 to a man who was put in a residential home against his will, following an investigation by the local government ombudsman.

Mr Davey (not his real name) was placed in residential care on his discharge from hospital in July 2006 despite requests from him and his family that he receive home care.

Mr Davey had been also been wrongly assessed as a permanent rather than temporary resident, and as a result excessive charges had been made for his care.

A complaint was brought to the ombudsman by his daughter-in-law, Mrs Davey (also not her real name), who claimed that the council’s community care worker had pressurised the family to agree to residential care.

‘No consideration’

In a report released today, ombudsman Tony Redmond said that there had been “no consideration” of Mr Davey’s wishes and feelings and that an adequate needs assessment had not been carried out before or after his discharge from hospital. The report also criticised the council’s “dismissive attitude” to the family.

Redmond added: “Councils have no right to disregard a client’s wishes in this manner.”

In addition, Redmond found that the council had failed to properly monitor the home care Mr Davey received through an agency prior to his hospitalisation, which his family claimed was poor and had contributed to his illness.

Redmond ruled that the authority had been guilty of maladministration, causing injustice to Mr Davey and his family. The council agreed to refund residential care charges amounting to £11,800.64 as well as pay compensation of £600 to Mr Davey and £250 to Mrs Davey. The council has also said it would improve its assessments and home care monitoring.

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