Case Studies & Outcomes
Reviewing how we audited social care processes, resolved disputes, and insulated authorities from litigation risk.
Local Authority Judicial Review Risk Mitigation
The Challenge: A large county council received a formal Pre-Action Protocol letter from a claimant law firm challenging a 35% reduction in an adult care funding package. The council's internal legal team was concerned that the funding panel's decision lacked documented reasoning, making the decision difficult to defend under public law standards.
Our Intervention: LEX NEGATA stepped in to audit the case record. We identified major procedural gaps, including a failure to record reasonable adjustments under the PSED and a lack of clear eligibility reasoning under Care Act Section 13. We advised the council to conduct an immediate, legally compliant reassessment rather than proceed to court.
The Outcome: The council withdrew the disputed panel cap and conducted a fresh, documented reassessment. The claimant's solicitor accepted the new care plan out of court, saving the authority an estimated £45,000 in litigation costs and avoiding a negative public precedent.
Estimated Court Costs Saved
Systemic Care Act Compliance & Template Restructuring
The Challenge: A metropolitan borough council's QA team noticed an increase in formal complaints regarding the transparency of their care plans. The existing assessment software relied on automated scores to set care budgets, which caseworkers often failed to justify in their written reports.
Our Intervention: We audited a cohort of 40 active care files. We identified that 82% of these files lacked documented reasoning for resource decisions. We redesigned their assessment templates to include mandatory text prompts for Section 9 eligibility outcomes, PSED compliance, and advocacy needs, and delivered training workshops to 90 frontline staff.
The Outcome: Following template integration and staff training, a follow-up audit showed that casework documentation compliance rose to 95%. Formal complaints regarding assessment transparency fell by 60% over the next fiscal year.
Reduction in Case Complaints
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