A man with mental health needs was left in a bedsit without “basic facilities for maintaining an independent, safe and dignified life” for over a year by Newham Council.
The man was living in a “very small room with no oven, fridge or heating”, according to an ombudsman’s report. But Newham Council failed to find him somewhere more suitable for several months due to understaffing.
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman ordered the council to pay the man £1,000 for the “distress and uncertainty” this caused.
The man, named in the report only as “Mr Y”, had been diagnosed with mental health conditions and received support from mental health services.
He moved into the bedsit in 2023. The council’s social services team assessed in June that year that he needed five hours of care support a week.
But his brother, named as “Mr X”, reported concerns about his accommodation to a social worker in October that year.
He was told Y would be referred for an assessment for extra support by the council’s safeguarding and independent living team.
However, an assessment had still not been carried out by May 2024, despite repeated attempts by Mr X to contact the team, as well as two complaints.
The council said that the delay was due to a lack of resources and available social workers.
In a formal response in July 2024, the town hall said the assessment was delayed because a staff member had left the council, leaving “only one social worker in place” on the team.
A social worker began a review of Mr Y’s care and support needs in June 2024. They noted that he “lived in a very small room with no oven, fridge or heating” and considered the room “not suitable for Mr Y”.
They agreed to look at his care and support, and an “appropriate supported living placement”.
However, by November, there had still been no progress and Mr Y reported the council to the ombudsman.
In December a social worker told Mr X they were “building a good relationship with Mr Y, which was helping to collate information about his needs, likes and dislikes” and would continue to try and transfer him to more suitable accommodation.
A social worker visited Mr Y again in February 2025 and confirmed again that the bedsit was unsuitable. However, the council didn’t find Mr Y a supported living placement until April 2025.
The ombudsman ruled that the delays were a “significant injustice” that cause Mr Y “distress and uncertainty”.
It recommended the council pay Mr Y £1,000 to remedy this, as well as £250 to Mr X “in recognition of the time and trouble he has been put to in making complaints”.
A council spokesperson said the council had apologised and made the recommended payments. They added that the safeguarding and independent living team is now “fully staffed”.
The spokesperson said: “We are sorry that our service fell below our own high standards in this case – and we have apologised to both men for any distress caused.
“We were temporarily under resourced following the departure of a social worker who specialised in autism.
“The safeguarding adults and independent living team now has two permanent social workers dedicated to this area. We are now fully staffed in this area following the recent transformation of learning disabilities and autism services and the implementation of revised care pathways.”
