Flummoxed by FNC payments?
 We've been receiving an increasing number of complaints about unclear care home contracts, particularly where Funded Nursing Care payments are involved.
To help practitioners, we've created a short best practice guide which offers insights into how our investigators might look at complaints, and what you can do to ensure your contracts are as clear as possible for service users and their families.
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CMA report - our response
 Michael King, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, has
responded to the Competition and Markets Authority's Care Homes Markets Study, highlighting the role good complaints handling can have in improving services for clients.
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Poor letter writing noted in recent Ombudsman report
A recent investigation into the way a council dealt with a family's top-up fee arrangements also highlighted the care home's poorly worded letters to the family.
While the report does not name the care provider involved, as the care was arranged and funded by the county council, the investigation noted the upset caused by the "threatening and intimidating" language used in the home's letters to the family when it was considering evicting their relative.
The report found:
"The language used by the care home in its letters to Ms B was inappropriate and
the Council should have intervened sooner and more directly. The Council is responsible
for the actions of those who are providing a service on its behalf."
Click the 'read more' button for the full report.
York open course success
 We held our first full-day Effective Complaint Handling open course for providers in January at our York office, focusing on investigation skills.
Feedback was very good from those who attended. We aim to hold another three open courses for providers in the next year, with the first to be held in the south of England.
When we have confirmed dates, the details will appear in the training section of our website. If you are interested in hosting an open course, please contact training@lgo.org.uk for more information.
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Care providers' network
 We are setting up a network of independent care providers and adult social care complaint-handlers.
The remit of this network will include supporting complaints-handling practitioners and sharing best practice. Joining the network will mean sharing your contact details with other members of the network in the future.
If you are interested in being part of this network, please email Nicola Driver.
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Press releases
Adult social care reports you may have missed
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