As the recent party conferences and Scottish referendum have proved, health and social care are at the centre of political attention – and will be crucial in general election campaigns. This is with good reason: we are in a period of challenges where health services are concerned. Many NHS trusts are already significantly in deficit, and the strain is beginning to show across the country.
Monthly Archives: October 2014
Dementia kits tackle ‘scourge’ of old age
A BARNARD Castle charity has launched a support programme so people with dementia do not suffer in silence.
Teesdale Disability Access Forum has unveiled its Keep Active, Keep Communicating project – the only one of its kind in the country.
As well as providing advice, the forum is giving practical help though dementia kits. These include signs to help sufferers find their way around their homes, memory games and communication aids.
Bed shortages and poor ward environments blighting mental health services, finds CQC
Feedback from first wave of mental health inspections identifies poor care that ‘would not be acceptable’ in physical health services
Picture: Charlie Milligan
Substandard ward environments and problems getting beds and intensive care for acutely unwell patients are key issues blighting mental health services that would not be tolerated in other parts of the NHS, the Care Quality Commission has warned.
The findings, included in the regulator’s State of Care 2013-14 report, come from an analysis of themes identified from the inspections of 12 mental health trusts assessed under a revised inspection model launched last year.
