Although there have been no complaints about the system, or lives put at risk, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has examined the council’s approach.

Whilst not criticising the local authority for the work that it had done in prioritising applications, now the Ombudsman has said that the council has acted unlawfully by not carrying out a full assessment for every case. The Ombudsman added that the council should prepare an action plan so that once the Mental Capacity Act is amended, probably in 2020, it can revise its prioritisation approach.