The Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) has warned that greater co-operation between council and health bodies could create accountability risks.
In her annual report Ombudsman Dr Jane Martin, who is also chair of the commission for local administration in England, said she wanted to ‘make sure this is not detrimental to the public’.
The foreword to her report read: ‘Greater co-operation between different organisations such as councils and health bodies will lead to integrated service delivery but runs the risk of blurring the lines of accountability and making it more difficult to achieve remedial action.’
Dr Martin also noted that the number of complaints about adult social care and education and children’s services ‘continued to grow’ as a proportion of the ombudsman’s work.
The report continued: ‘During the year the commission also submitted a successful business case for funding in 2015/16. As a result, it expects to receive the same core funding as in 2014/15.
‘The commission nevertheless faces ongoing financial challenges and the LGO scheme operates with limited resilience to respond to further changes in demand or resources.
‘We are now working with the sponsor department on funding scenarios for 2016/17 and beyond.
‘The uncertainty over future funding is the key risk.’
