A Salford woman with autism was left without proper support after the council didn’t review her care plan for more than five years, the local government and social care ombudsman has found.

The town hall also failed to carry out any autism awareness training for its staff – meaning that more people could have been affected by the same problem, the regulator’s investigation suggested.

The council has agreed to pay the woman £1,200 for her distress and the time bringing the complaint.

A spokesperson for Salford Council said they had apologised to her and had put an action plan in place to avoid something similar happening again.

The ombudsman’s investigation said that local authorities have a responsibility to review care and support plans at least every 12 months. 

But in the case of the woman, known as Mrs W in the report, it was not properly reassessed for more than five years, the watchdog found.

Mrs W had received care and support with her domestic tasks – like managing her medication and dealing with her mail – under a care plan since 2013.

After that, the council said that she had received ‘regular reviews’ at a nurse-led clinic, after which letters were sent to her GP with up-to-date information.

The council said this ‘counted as her care plan’.

But the ombudman’s report described this as a ‘significant fault’.

It said: “We do not agree these letters are a substitute for a proper care plan. They do not explain Mrs W’s needs, the risks and difficulties her needs create, the support she needs to manage her needs, or when and how this support will be provided. The letters also make no mention whatsoever of how the support will be funded.”

“It is difficult to say just what impact this lack of oversight has had on the woman, but the council would have had the chance to properly consider her changing needs had it reviewed and updated her care plan in the correct way,” the report said.

The report also found that in 2018, support was withdrawn from Mrs W because she hadn’t paid her expenses.

Originally, the council had paid for this service but hadn’t let her know when the payment system changed.

“But either way, if Mrs W was expected to pay the agency’s expenses, this should have been documented in her care plan, and explained to her. It is therefore possible to make a direct link between the support agency’s termination of the package, and the failure to review and update Mrs W’s care plan,” the report said.

Under 2015 statutory guidelines, local authorities are required to provide

general autism awareness training for all frontline staff, as well as specialist

training for those in particular roles, including those undertaking needs

assessments. The council had not done this, the report said.

However, the ombudsman said that the council’s response to the watchdog’s report had been ‘very positive’.

“I’m particularly encouraged by the proactive steps the council is taking to improve its service above and beyond what I have recommended, and I hope this ensures other people will not have the same difficulties in future.”

Councillor Gina Reynolds, lead member for adult services, health and wellbeing said: “The council, along with our health partners, has accepted the findings of the Local Government Ombudsman report published on 10 October and we apologise again fully to the complainant.

“As the Ombudsman recognises, we have put a robust action plan in place to improve the service above and beyond their recommendations. 

“This is developing a new and stronger approach to how we manage and develop the quality of our practice to ensure a case like this does not happen again. I have welcomed the Ombudsman’s view which agreed this action plan was a satisfactory response,” they said.