Woman scared she would be “left to die” due to council inaction, watchdog says

A woman said she was scared she would be “left to die” after she was left more than a year without funding to manage her support needs, the local government watchdog has said.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGO) says the woman has several long-term health conditions that make it difficult for her to complete many daily activities.

From when the woman left hospital for the first time in March 2023, Islington council was contacted several times by professionals, including her GP and Occupational Therapist, stating the woman’s needs were urgent.

However, the council said it had a waiting list and her case had yet to be allocated to someone to deal with it.

In October the woman contacted the council, telling it she was housebound and had not had a bath or shower for 12 months. She said she was scared the council would “leave her to die”.

The council did visit the following month, but did not carry out an assessment until December – some nine months after she left hospital. The assessment noted she was bed bound, but no budget for a care package was put in place by the time the woman first complained to the Ombudsman in April 2024, despite safeguarding concerns being raised by her friends and the local fire brigade.

The woman was hospitalised for a second time in June 2024 without yet receiving any payments for her care.

“It’s incomprehensible with the evidence available and the number of contacts the council has had, why it left a woman with significant and very obvious unmet needs without any care and support for months on end when she left hospital,” Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, Ms Amerdeep Somal said.

“I am pleased the council has accepted my recommendations to improve the way it prioritises cases in its waiting list. I hope this ensures people with such serious needs do not go without vital support for too long in future.”

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman remedies injustice and shares learning from investigations to help improve public, and adult social care, services. In this case the council has agreed to apologise to the woman and pay her £3,000 to recognise the distress and loss of care and support.