Stockport council has apologised to an autistic man with a history of self-harm after causing him ‘distress, uncertainty and frustration’ by closing his care case without telling him. The authority - which has been ordered to pay the man £250 in compensation - also delayed his support following a re-referral, during which time the police and ambulance services were called to him several times.
It also failed to tell him when funding for counselling sessions was secured, an investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGO) has found. The council says the LGO is now satisfied that ‘all necessary actions’ have been taken and it will continue to support the man with his social care ‘going forward’.
It comes after a report from the LGO said the council was responsible for ‘fault causing injustice’ to the man, whom it refers to as ‘Mr X’. “The council was at fault when it closed Mr X’s case then delayed providing support and failed to inform him when funding for counselling was secured,” the report says.
READ MORE: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community
“It has agreed to apologise and make a payment to acknowledge the uncertainty and frustration these faults caused Mr X and refer Mr X for counselling.”
In April 2022, a social worker carried out an assessment of Mr X, which found he was socially isolated and had a history of self-harm and self-neglect. He needed help with accessing the community, developing or maintaining relationships and support with accessing money and shopping.
