disabled Kingston tenant was confined largely to his living room for eight years after the council failed to make his home accessible.

A watchdog ordered Kingston Council to pay the man £10,000 after slamming its failure to install vital adaptations, despite multiple reports from an occupational therapist recommending them.

The man's case has been highlighted in the Housing Ombudsman's latest 'learning from severe maladministration' report, which looks at landlords' responses to mental and physical health needs.

The report outlines significant failings in 35 key cases, where residents had asked for an adaptation to their home or service adjustment.

It aims to help landlords improve in providing safe and secure housing to residents.

Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, said: "Callous and uncaring systems and processes are repeatedly exposed through these investigations.

"Time and again, these cases reveal communication that is unreliable, inconsistent and unsophisticated for the complexity of the circumstances.

"Some cases may indicate cultural issues, with communication adopting a tone and approach that is both dismissive and disrespectful of residents. This is another aspect of the stigma that can exist towards social tenants."

He added: "The report shares valuable lessons on responding to requests for adaptations and improving communication.

"We hope this helps landlords to learn from complaints alongside the insight being provided through our centre for learning to foster fairer, better services."

Kingston Council is named in the report, after its failure to adapt a disabled tenant's home left him largely confined to his living room and paying more in carers' fees as he struggled to access other rooms in his wheelchair.

The council said it has now apologised to the man and found a home that can be adapted to meet his needs.

The man, who is not named in the report, was told the property was unsuitable when he moved in as it was not open plan.

His occupational therapist acknowledged the council had no suitable homes at the time to offer him, but said some adaptations could be made to improve the situation.

The council installed a wide front door, which could be operated electronically, and an entry ramp in the tenant's home to help him.

 But the ombudsman found no evidence a suitably qualified staff member carried out a feasibility survey on the other adaptations the occupational therapist had recommended.

The occupational therapist reviewed the property four years after the initial assessment and found the adaptations had not been done.

The tenant was unable to use his wheelchair in the home as a result, which made moving around very difficult.

The ombudsman again found no evidence the council had properly considered the occupational therapist's recommendations, including installing a wet room, automatic washer dryer and accessible toilet in the home.

The report said it did not even appear to have investigated carrying out smaller works like changing the height of plugs, light switches and door handles.

The report added that while the council did not have to install any of the recommended adaptations, it should have shown they had been considered in full.

The council told the ombudsman it had reviewed its policy on adaptations and introduced new housing management systems to collect better data on residents after the investigation.

A Kingston Council spokesperson said: "Kingston Council is committed to doing all we can to provide quality housing for residents and ensure people in the borough have a safe and comfortable place to live.

"We have formally apologised to the tenant and continue to liaise with them over finding suitable alternative accommodation. We have now identified an offer of a new home that can be adapted to their personal requirements.

"Kingston Council has reviewed its policy on adaptations for people with a disability and set timelines for responding to requests for funding or requests for rehousing so that the experience is improved for tenants."