Croydon council failed resident who needed night-time care, says watchdog
By Harrison Galliven, Local Democracy Reporter
A Croydon woman fractured her spine while using a bed-turning aid installed by the NHS, which was used to replace overnight care workers when the council cut her support.
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman criticised Croydon council’s decision to withdraw funding for her night-time care, which led to multiple hospitalisations.
The authority has paid out around £3,500 in compensation.
The woman, who uses a wheelchair and relies on care staff to meet her needs, received funding from the council for paid overnight care workers until January 2022. However, after reassessing her situation, the authority decided that the NHS should take responsibility for funding her overnight care.
In December 2022, the NHS agreed to trial a new turning system for the woman, named Miss X in the Ombudsman report. However, after just two nights of use, she suffered a lower back injury, leaving her in significant pain.
In January 2023, Miss X had a scan of her lower back, which revealed that she had fractured her spine.
In September 2023, the woman reported severe problems with deep pressure sores, a direct consequence of not being turned regularly overnight. Despite this, the council refused to reinstate overnight care funding, continuing to insist that the NHS should cover these costs.
In November 2023, the woman was admitted to hospital due to complications from her lack of proper care. By January 2024, a professional meeting concluded that she needed to be turned every three to four hours throughout the night to avoid further health complications.
Hospitalised again in April 2024 and frustrated by the lack of proper care, she filed a complaint with the Ombudsman. Miss X said the council’s decision made it unaffordable for her to cover care and tax costs as an employer of a personal assistant.
In response, Croydon council informed the Ombudsman it had started funding her night-time care in August 2024, with plans to reclaim the costs from the NHS. The Ombudsman’s investigation found that during the period of uncertainty between the council and the NHS, the woman was left without adequate care.
Ms Amerdeep Somal, from the Ombudsman’s office, said: “While the council and NHS were deciding who should be responsible for this woman’s care package, she was left without adequate care and support and was hospitalised on multiple occasions.
“If there is any question, once an assessment has been completed, of who is responsible for funding a care package, the person in need of support should never feel the impact of this on their health and welfare. The council should have considered putting in an interim plan while discussions were ongoing with the NHS.”
The council has now agreed to formalise how she can pay for her care and apologised while paying out £1,000 to compensate for the distress and harm she experienced. Additionally, the council will make a symbolic payment of £2,500 for the physical and emotional impact the woman endured.
A spokesman for Croydon council said: “We are very sorry that we didn’t provide our resident with the care and support that she needed and accept the recommendations from the report. We have apologised and compensated them, and we will agree on how she can pay for her care in the future, providing support as needed.”
Pictured top: Croydon council HQ (Picture: LDRS/Harrison Galliven)
