Foreword
Jump to
I am laying before Parliament, under section 14(4) of the Health Service Commissioners Act 1993 (as amended), this joint report of the investigations into complaints made to the Local Government Ombudsman for England and to me as Health Service Ombudsman for England against Buckinghamshire County Council and Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust respectively. The complaints were made by Mr and Mrs Taylor[*] about the care provided to their son, Frank, an adult with severe learning disabilities. Our investigations found that there had been maladministration by both the Council and the Trust which resulted in unremedied injustice for Frank and his parents. The report details the remedy we have recommended to the Council and the Trust.
This is the first joint report I have produced with the Local Government Ombudsman using our new powers under the Regulatory Reform (Collaboration etc. between Ombudsmen) Order 2007. The Order marked a major step forward for our Offices, and has enabled us to work together more effectively in investigating and reporting on complaints which cross our respective jurisdictions. Had the Order been in force when we first received the complaints from Mr and Mrs Taylor, we could immediately have initiated a joint investigation: that might have resulted in a faster resolution of the complaint for Mr and Mrs Taylor, and Frank.
Nevertheless, having the statutory power to issue a joint report of our investigations into Mr and Mrs Taylor’s complaints has been invaluable in ensuring that the Local Government Ombudsman and I have been able to consider maladministration, and any resulting injustice, in the round. This, in turn, has allowed us to focus on recommending a remedy in the round, which reflects the injustice experienced by Mr and Mrs Taylor and their son, rather than the constraints imposed by jurisdictional boundaries and different complaints procedures. This demonstrates the significant value of the Order in allowing us to investigate complaints, simply and efficiently, from people who are dissatisfied with public services – including the increasing number of services which are provided by several public bodies acting in partnership.
Ann Abraham
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
March 2008
[*] The names of the complainants and their son have been changed for the purposes of this report to protect their anonymity.
