Author Archives: Maureen
Unqualified staff in home care
15 October 2012 Last updated at 06:08
Unqualified home care worker figures revealed
Care Minister Norman Lamb said there was “a clear system that holds providers to account”More than 200 home care providers in England have been using staff without proper qualifications, the BBC’s Inside Out programme has found.
It also found that dozens of convicted criminals had been working unsupervised as carers in people’s homes.
The figures were released by the Care Quality Commission after a Freedom of Information Request.
Care Minister Norman Lamb said they were unacceptable, but did not show that “the whole system” had failed.
Inspectors for the Care Quality Commission – which regulates home care in England – found that 217 companies were employing workers who were not properly qualified.
Winter drive to ensure vulnerable people in Norfolk stay warm
The EDP is backing the SurvivingWinter campaign
By Chris Bishop Saturday, October 13, 2012
12:38 PM
Fuel bills are going up yet again. But elderly and vulnerable people face a cold and painful winter because they cannot afford to heat their homes.
That is why we are asking the people of Norfolk to dig deep once more to help Surviving Winter – an appeal which does exactly what it says on the tin.
Parts of our region suffer levels of fuel poverty as high as Britain’s inner cities, with up to one in four households struggling to pay their bills.
Doctors say more MRI scanners would help MS patients
Doctors say more MRI scanners would help MS patients
Page last updated at 09:54 GMT, Wednesday, 10 October 2012 10:54 UK
By Maddii Lown
Newsbeat reporter 
Doctors want more to be done to speed up the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.
Around 2,500 people are diagnosed with MS every year with about half of those thought to be between 18 and 30.
The MS Society says it has noticed an increase in calls to its help-line from people worried about symptoms of the disease.
Common MS symptoms
- Double or blurred vision
- Numbness or tingling in any part of the body
- Tiredness
- Temporary blindness
- Fatigue and dizziness
- Distortion or loss of sense of touch
- Limb weakness, spasticity and pain
- Incontinence
- Constipation
- Cognitive impairment
The Department of Health says 90% are diagnosed using MRI scans and that they are working on how best to improve diagnosis.
It comes after a report by the Neurological Alliance which says people with neurological conditions are waiting too long for a diagnoses.
