Monthly Archives: April 2014

Call for merged 'super' health and care budget

April 3, 2014   Carers, dementia, health, Social care

A merged NHS and social-care budget in England

By Nick Triggle Health correspondent, BBC News

A merged NHS and social-care budget in England is needed to stop vulnerable people falling into the gaps between the two services, experts say.

The Barker Commission’s interim report said an ageing population and rise in illnesses such as dementia had “blurred the lines” between the two.

It said this was creating increasing friction between the NHS and councils over which was responsible for care.

The result was people faced delays getting care or went without, it added.

The commission – led by former Bank of England monetary policy committee member Kate Barker and set up by the King’s Fund think tank – said only a “new settlement” would solve the problems.

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NHS staff with poor English ‘can be struck off’

April 2, 2014   Carers, hospital

The government said it would consider legislating.

Dr Ubani Dr Daniel Ubani was rejected by a hospital because of poor English but later found work in Cambridgeshire

NHS regulators will be able to discipline or strike off doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers who are not able to communicate clearly in English under new UK-wide plans.

The proposed powers are set out in a draft Bill published by the Law Commission.

The government said it would consider legislating.

Ministers have already been working to ensure any doctor’s English is up to scratch before they are first employed.

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What Japan teaches us about better care for older people

April 1, 2014   Carers, Older care

Seventeen per cent of England’s population is aged over 65

1 April, 2014 | By

Mayumi Hayashi says England can learn from Japan, which has devised radical solutions to meet the unprecedented demand for health and social care from its ageing population

Japan faces a serious challenge in meeting the unprecedented demand for health and social care for its older population. Already, a quarter of Japan’s 127.6 million population is aged 65 or over – compared with 17 per cent in the UK.

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