SOMERSET County Council has been ordered to apologise after it reduced a young person’s level of care without telling his father why.

The young man, known as Mr A, received more than 50 hours a week of support from the council due to a “degenerative health condition” which left him with mobility issues.

When the council reviewed Mr A’s case and nearly halved the amount of care he received, the boy’s father complained to the authority, claiming his son’s needs had not been properly considered.

He subsequently complained to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, arguing the council had not provided any justification for the reduction in support and had not responded to complaints he had made.

The council has now apologised following the ombudsman’s ruling and has reassessed Mr A’s needs.

Mr A first had his level of care reviewed in 2015, when he was receiving just under 52 hours of support a week to help with eating, drinking and personal care.

His provision was not reviewed again until March 2018 – despite the council being expected to review all social care packages on an annual basis.

On this occasion, the council decided to reduce the number of hours’ support Mr A received to 27 hours a week, phased in over a three-month period – despite his “needs and desired outcomes” being the same as before.

Mr A’s father (known as Mr Q) asked the council several times between June and July 2018 to explain why his son’s provision had been reduced – but the council did not respond to any of his requests.

Mr Q also said the council had not completed a carer’s assessment for him – and when he completed one himself and sent it in, the council denied it had received it.

The ombudsman said they “cannot be satisfied the council made its decision properly, because it has not set out its rationale and justification for the reduction in support hours.”

They added the council’s actions had “caused an injustice to Mr A” and left Mr Q “frustrated”.

They ordered the council to reassess Mr A’s needs, setting out its reasoning, and apologise to Mr Q within four weeks for not responding to his queries.

Stephen Chandler, the council’s outgoing director of adult social care, said: “We always strive to provide the best package of care for anyone needing our services.

“We carry out detailed assessments for our clients, working with them, their families and communities with the aim of achieving the best outcomes.

“We have now reassessed Mr A’s package of support and care needs and have advised his father of the outcome and his care package going forward.”