Council decision kept couple apart in final weeks

A county council has been criticised for moving a man with dementia to a cheaper care home further away from his wife just weeks before he died.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman said Essex County Council's decision meant his wife "was not able to spend as much time as she wanted with her husband in his final weeks".

An investigation found the council had not followed a "best interests" decision process, and went ahead with the move despite concerns being raised about the impact it would have.

Acknowledging its failings, Essex County Council agreed to apologise to his widow and pay her £500, in addition to £500 it had already offered.

The man had been living in a care home close to his wife.

But when his "needs changed" the council decided to move him to another care placement 40 minutes away because it was a "cheaper option", a report said.

That meant his wife could not visit as often as she liked. He died six weeks later.

The ombudsman, Amerdeep Somal, said: "This is a distressing case where a couple have been separated in the days and weeks leading up to a man's passing.

"While I cannot say that the move would not have happened had the council followed the proper procedures, the wife has been left distressed not knowing whether things could have turned out differently.

Ms Somal said the man's wife had felt "ignored and not respected".

She added: "The council has agreed to my recommendations to improve its service – I hope this will ensure relatives' voices are heard when making decisions which affect their loved ones."

The investigation found the council "failed to fully explore" the option of the man's wife paying top-up fees so he could stay at the care home he was originally placed in.

It concluded the council "did not consider the impact the move might have on the couple's human rights and their right to private and family life".

Essex County Council has said it will review its process for considering top-up payments and will explain why a person's preferred care placement has been refused.

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