Council ordered to pay £1,500 to man and his daughter who waited 19 months for shower to be fixed

A disabled man who waited 19 months for his shower to be adapted has been paid compensation by Bolton Council after they were found to be at fault. The man had several falls using his shower while waiting for the adaptations to completed.

A social care ombudsman ordered the council to hand over £1,500 to the man and his daughter after they found there were unacceptable delays in making the adaptations under a disabled facilities grant which was the responsibility of the council. An investigation report said Miss B first contacted the council in January 2021 as her father, Mr C was struggling to use his shower due to a disability.

A report of the ombudsman findings said an occupational therapist assessed his needs the following week and noted Mr C was having difficulty accessing his shower because it had a step and he struggled to grip items. She recommended provision of a level access shower and associated works to create a wet room for Mr C.

By July 2021, a surveyor had visited Mr C and drawn up plans for the bathroom adaptations which Mr C quickly approved, as did the therapist. However, a series of delays between the Bolton Council, the landlord Bolton at Home and contractors meant that the disability grant adaptations were not completed until July 2022, around 19 months after Miss B’s initial enquiry.

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The ombudsman, said: “He had to struggle for far longer than he should have with an unsuitable shower that over time was posing more of a health and safety risk to him. There were around three to four weeks in June 2022 when Miss B must have felt abandoned by the council as emails went unanswered.

“I find a surveyor’s