Author Archives: Maureen

‘Cuts forcing English councils to limit social care’

95-year-old Cyril Gillam no longer gets home help visits

Almost 90% of councils in England no longer offer social care to people whose needs are ranked low to moderate, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (Adass) has said.

The group is warning cuts are making the care system “unsustainable”.

The government says councils have been given an extra £1.1bn to help protect social care this year.

But charities say hundreds of thousands of people are struggling without help.

When someone applies for social care, their needs are determined as either critical, substantial, moderate or low.

In recent years the number of councils able to help those at the lower end of the scale has gone down as they struggle to balance their budgets.

The Norwich bus service that provides vital help for disabled people

The Norwich Door To Door community mobility bus, which transports the elderly and disabled to the supermarket.

Picture: DENISE BRADLEY

Wednesday, September 10, 2014
1:26 PM

Norwich Door to Door community bus provides a vital service for disabled people. As part of a series of features about the organisation, reporter Catherine Morris-Gretton went out on one of the buses to meet the people who rely on the service.

It may only be early September, but a group of friends who met on the Norwich Door to Door bus has already booked a Christmas meal.

Passengers also arrange their own monthly meet-ups and pass on jigsaw puzzles to each other, seeing the service as much more than just a mode of transport.

Chief medical officer: Make mental health bigger priority

Society has not recognised the prevalence of mental ill health, says Chief Medical Officer Dame Sally Davies

Mental health needs to be more of a priority, with targets for waiting times and more protection for funding, says England’s chief medical officer.

Dame Sally Davies said there were signs funding was being cut at a time when the cost to the economy was rising.

Her annual report said mental illness led to the loss of 70 million working days last year – up 24% since 2009.

As well as calling for greater emphasis on mental illness in the NHS, she also said employers could play a role too.

She recommended they allowed people with mental health problems the option of flexible working to keep them in employment and maintaining regular contact during sickness leave.