Monthly Archives: December 2013
Minister prescribes New Year’s resolution to combat loneliness
January, not Christmas, can be the loneliest time of the year, warns Norman Lamb, the care minister, as he urges people to make a New Year’s resolution to help an older person
Britons are being urged to make a special New Year’s resolution to help an elderly person as part of a Government drive to combat a national “epidemic” of loneliness.
Norman Lamb, the care minister, took the unusual step of recommending a specific resolution to the public, warning that January, rather than Ch
ristmas, is often the loneliest time of the year for many people.
It comes after Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, spoke out about a “forgotten million” older people left without any regular social contact – something he described as Britain’s “national shame”.
The Daily Telegraph has been supporting the NHS “Winter friends” campaign, in which people sign a pledge to help isolated elderly people in practical ways.
Increase in funding for Norfolk’s mental health services ruled out
The GPs in charge of NHS purse strings have ruled out any significant increase in funding for mental health services, despite calls for more investment in Norfolk and Suffolk.
Adam Gretton, Health correspondent
Saturday, December 28, 2013
11:04 AM
Health spending plans have been a target for public protests during 2013.
The organising committee of a campaign to defend mental health services has pledged to lobby clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), and the acting chief executive of Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) has also called for more funding in recent weeks.
However, the five CCGs that cover Norfolk and Waveney have scuppered any hopes of a major increase in funding for mental health services at a time of increased demand.