Ombudsman blasts Leeds over visits

Leeds Council has agreed to pay £300 to a
woman whose father had collapsed and died while being regularly
visited by home care assistants.

An investigation by the local government
ombudsman found that a care assistant, who was provided as cover
for the man’s carer, went away without carrying out further checks
when she received no reply at his home.

She planned to return later but in the
meantime the man’s daughter and grandson discovered his body.

It was also found that the care assistant’s
manager had failed to inform her that a colleague had found the man
collapsed on the floor two days before.

The council’s subsequent handling of the
daughter’s complaint was “lamentable”, according to the ombudsman.
The daughter waited six months for a response because of a series
of errors. The council has now provided written guidance to home
care assistants about what to do when clients do not reply to a
call at their door.