A COUNCIL has been told it cannot claw back more than £14,000 from a disabled woman after failings in the handling of her care funding.
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGO) found Worcestershire County Council at fault over lengthy delays in reassessing the woman’s care needs and increasing payments used to fund her carers.
The woman, named only as Mrs X by the LGO, has several medical conditions and needs support with all aspects of daily life.
She received £850 a week in direct payments, which she used to employ three personal assistants.
The Ombudsman said this allowed her to pay them £8.72 an hour, equivalent to the National Living Wage between April 2020 and March 2021.
A reassessment of her care needs began in May 2023 but was not completed until May 2025.
The watchdog said there had been “significant drift and delay” and the process had taken “far too long”.
The council had identified that Mrs X’s direct payments needed to increase but failed to make the change when it should have.
In November 2024, the authority increased her weekly payment from £850 to £1,243.75, backdated to April, and paid her £14,062.50.
Mrs X contacted the council to check why she had received the money and was told it represented the backdated increase.
She then used it to make backdated payments to her personal assistants.
Two days later, however, the council said the payment had not been authorised, had been made in error and would have to be repaid.
The Ombudsman disagreed, saying Mrs X had confirmed the basis of the payment with the council before paying her carers “in good faith”.
It concluded: “In the circumstances I do not consider it appropriate for the Council to require Mrs X to return the backdated payment of £14,062.50.”
The investigation found the council’s failings caused Mrs X avoidable distress, frustration and uncertainty.
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Mrs X also complained that her eventual care package was significantly reduced, including the removal of waking night support.
But the Ombudsman found no fault in the way the council reassessed her needs or revised her support plan.
The council will apologise, make a symbolic payment to Mrs X, stop pursuing the £14,062.50 and take action to improve its service.
We have approached Worcestershire County Council for comment.
