Monthly Archives: February 2014

Women in their late 60s are the group most likely to be admitted to hospital for anxiety problems

Women in their 60s suffer from anxiety more than any other sex or age group
The group accounted for almost 28 per cent of the total hospital admissions

Women in their late 60s are the group most likely to be admitted to hospital for anxiety problems, new figures have revealed.

More than six out of 10 hospital admissions for anxiety were among women, but 28 per cent of the total admissions across both sexes were for women aged 60 and over.

A report from the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) also shows that women aged between 65 and 69 were the most affected, whereas men aged 45 to 49 were most likely to need hospital treatment for their anxiety.

Mental health patients ‘failed’ says report on Hellesdon Hospital

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) report said improvements were needed

Hellesdon Hospital

A Norfolk hospital which looks after people with mental health problems is failing to meet expected levels of care, according to a report.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) report on Hellesdon Hospital said improvements were needed.

It said patients’ needs were “not always assessed in a timely way” and many care plans were out of date.

The Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, said it was addressing concerns.

The CQC also found that risk assessments were often incomplete, and that one patient inspectors talked to did not know he had been detained under the Mental Health Act.

Personal Independence Payments: a failing system is trapping disabled people without benefits

Bills still have to be paid and food still has to be bought.

Since the new Personal Independence Payments began to replace Disability Living Allowance, fewer than one in six people who applied have had their claims decided. While assessments drag out over months, bills still have to be paid and food still has to be bought.

While waiting for their claim to be decided, people are losing out on vital support.

Paul Richardson* has just got off the phone with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). It was another phone call trying to check on the progress of his daughter Jennifer’s application for the new disability benefit, the Personal Independence Payment (PIP), but it was another conversation that got them nowhere.

Jennifer has borderline personality disorder and has made two suicide attempts since she left school. She’s now 22 and this year moved back to live with her parents. She finds it difficult to talk to strangers and her mum and dad have been dealing with the PIP process as much as they can on her behalf. The process has been difficult from the offset when they had their first meeting at home in November.