The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has ruled that Westminster City Council left an isolated woman without a befriending service for six months, causing her to feel anxious and alone. The council has agreed to apologise and pay £100 in symbolic compensation.
Woman left without support after discharge
Ms B, whose identity has been kept anonymous, was supported by the Mental Health Outreach Service (MHOS) in Westminster through an outreach worker. As discharge from the service approached, she expressed anxiety about being left alone once the support ended.
No befriending support was provided until the end of April 2026 — six months after her discharge from the mental health team in early September 2025, with a three-week hospital stay accounting for part of the delay.
Timeline of failed referrals and assessments
A social worker visited Ms B shortly after her discharge, and on October 7, 2025, she was referred to a befriending service. In early 2026, Ms B was forced to involve a solicitor to demand a second assessment. She finally began receiving support in April 2026, including one hour a week of domestic support and two hours a week of social support.
The original October referral contacted Ms B one month later, although her new care package already provided social support.
Council's earlier cancellation and Ombudsman findings
Ms B's original care package, which included a weekly 30-minute call, was cancelled by the council in April 2025 because it claimed she was "not consistently engaging" with the service. In June 2025, the MHOS asked the council to reinstate the care as she was about to be discharged, noting she was struggling with some domestic tasks and that it had been unable to find a befriending service for her.
However, the council said it had been told by the MHOS that Ms B was functioning well, so no assessment was needed. The Ombudsman found that the council did not communicate this to Ms B, which constituted a fault.
In July 2025, Ms B complained to the council and the Ombudsman about the refusal to reassess her and requested more support. The council said it had dealt with her complaint appropriately as she was still being supported by MHOS at that time. The Ombudsman found this to be sound and added that the council promptly assessed her care needs once the MHOS support stopped.
Westminster City Council has not yet responded to the Local Democracy Reporting Service's request for comment.
