Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the suspension of all casework by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman between 26 March and 29 June due to the COVID-19 pandemic, what steps they have taken to ensure that complaints made during that period were handled in line with the Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009; and what steps they are now taking to ensure that complaints about adult social care are handled appropriately.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) took the decision to suspend new complaints in order to protect frontline services. It has now fully reopened and is working through complaints received during the pause. Members of the public will not lose their access to justice because of the pandemic, and complaints regarding the COVID-19 outbreak period are now being considered as are all other complaints. The LGSCO has taken steps to ensure complainants are not penalised on time grounds for not being able to come to the LGSCO during the pause. The LGSCO has also carefully tracked legislation and guidance in operation since the outbreak and developed expertise to consistently investigate complaints made about council and social care provider actions during that period.