A WOMAN with medical needs suffered ‘anxiety and distress’ after a council failed in its duty to help her find a job, a damning investigation has found. 

Wokingham Borough Council has had to pay hundreds of pounds in compensation to an autistic woman after the distress caused by a care provider was deemed “avoidable”. 

A complaint against Optalis, a social care service commissioned by the council, was upheld when an independent investigation into the incident found it to be at fault. 

The Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) ordered the council to apologise to the complainant, referred to as Ms X, and ordered it to fork out £500 in compensation for the harm caused. 

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Ms X has autism and dyspraxia – a condition affecting co-ordination – so is in receipt of council funding for care and support. 

Some of this was used to fund an employment coach from Optalis’s Supported Employment Service. 

In January 2021 during an email exchange with Ms X’s employment coach, her social worker confirmed a bespoke budget following a review of her care and support plan 

Ms X subsequently raised concerns that her social care assessment did not accurately describe her needs in relation to dyspraxia and she was, therefore, not getting the required level of help.     

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When Optalis “failed to make reasonable adjustments”, Ms X lodged a complaint against the care provider as she claimed to not be getting the “appropriate support” to gain employment, which caused her “anxiety and distress”. 

The LGO concluded that Optalis was at fault as records showed that Ms X’s individual needs around communicating in a clear and set way were not recorded, nor were steps taken to ensure she could understand and access information. 

It also found that the handling of Ms X’s initial complaint was “poor” and there was a “missed opportunity” to review and identify any changes needed. 

“When a council commissions another organisation to provide services on its behalf it remains responsible for those services and for the actions of the organisation providing them. So, although I found fault with Optalis, I have made recommendations to the Council,” the LGO report stated. 

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As well as apologising and paying compensation, the council was told to ensure Optalis reviews its procedures – including that it meets the requirements regarding accessible information and assess whether any changes to the way staff communicate and provide a service to people with neurodevelopmental conditions. 

A spokesperson for Wokingham Borough Council and Optalis said they “accept the […] findings” and the final decision, as well as apologising again to Ms X for the distress caused. 

“We agree the actions and have already made good progress with the recommendations.”