Monthly Archives: November 2011

The careless make a mockery of care

There’s no escaping the fact that when you pay peanuts, you don’t always get Einstein.

 

By Helen Martin
Published on Monday 28 November 2011 12:06

LOCAL authorities in England are getting most of the blame following the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s year-long inquiry into home care of the elderly.

Although the inquiry didn’t cover Scotland, the situation is exactly the same here.

Care staff time is “bought” from agencies or funded in-house by local authorities, who also decree the amount of time a carer will spend on dressing, washing, feeding or doing whatever else is necessary for an old person. Sometimes that is as little as 15 minutes . . .

Family unpaid Carers feel isolated without access to the internet!

Elderly less lonely if plugged in to internet, says Martha Lane Fox

Elderly people would be less lonely if they were “plugged in” to the world wide web, according to the internet entrepreneur Martha Lane Fox.

By , Social Affairs Editor

 

The Lastminute.com founder, now the Government’s “digital champion”, said that grandparents could speak to their families over Skype, could order groceries online and learn more about their favourite pastimes.

Where has the money gone that was meant to go to Carers?

Spending on carers falls despite extra funding

 

7:00am Monday 28th November 2011

 

NEW research has found that spending on NHS support for unpaid carers has fallen – despite millions of pounds of extra funding being allocated for the purpose.

A year after the government allocated £400 million to primary care trusts for England’s five million carers, a study by the Princess Royal Trust and Crossroads Care looked into how it was being invested.