Category Archives: Social care

Watchdog warns over social care cuts

March 13, 2014   Carers, Older care, Social care, ukcuts
Central and local government are unaware how long adult social care systems can cope under mounting pressure, a report has suggested.
Thomas Bridge 13 March 2014
Watchdog warns over social care cuts

Government departments do not know how close the adult care system is to reaching capacity, while major health reforms set to be introduced by the Care Bill will cause further ‘significant challenges’ for councils – according to the National Audit Office (NAO).

Town hall spending on adult social care fell by 8% between 2010/11 and 2012/13, with 87% of adults now living in regions that arrange services only for individuals with substantial or critical needs.

While the Department for Communities and Local Government expects service transformation, local efficiency initiatives and the Better Care Fund will ease financial pressures, the NAO said there was ‘weak evidence’ for which way of commissioning services was most effective.

Auditors added that efforts by DCLG and the Department of Health to understand the impact of changes or reduced spending on care, welfare and local services were not being matched by other government departments.

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Are expectations for integrating health and social care unrealistic?

March 11, 2014   Carers, health, Social care
Better joint working between sectors is being seen as part of a shift to a preventive model of care, but there should be pragmatism about what can be achieved
An elderly Sikh lady is helped
Better linkage of preventative services will lead to people being identified and supported earlier.

Robin Miller

Despite successive governments recognising the potential benefits of supporting older people to stay well, avoid injury and get back on their feet after a hospital admission, it has proved difficult to achieve change in practice.

That does not mean that there has been no progress. There are re-ablement and falls prevention services available in most local areas, and numerous examples of innovative projects being delivered through the third sector. However, the much called-for shift to a more preventive model is yet to become a reality.

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Left alone for 15 hours: Widespread outrage over plight of Leeds OAP

March 6, 2014   Carers, Older care, Social care
A pensioner’s experience has prompted readers, charities and politicians to demand more is done for our older people. Katie Baldwin reports.

Lily Latham. Published on the 06 March 2014 09:36

Lily Latham.

Widespread outrage has been sparked by the case of an 88-year-old disabled pensioner left stranded in bed for 15 hours.

Readers inundated the Yorkshire Evening Post with angry comments after we revealed yesterday how a home care service had insisted on putting Lily Latham to bed at 6.30pm.

Because Mrs Latham is totally immobile, she was forced to stay there without even being able to get up to go to the toilet until her morning visit at 10am.

One of the widow’s carers found her sobbing in bed and the grandma said afterwards: “I have no dignity left now”.

Now Leeds MP Greg Mulholland, co-chair for the All Party Parliamentary Group for Ageing and Older People, called the failures in care “disgraceful”.

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