Author Archives: Maureen
Hitting patients in the pocket, Prescription charges to rise by 20p
1 March 2013 Last updated at 10:50
Prescription charges to rise by 20p in England
The cost of prescription charges in England will rise by 20p to £7.85 from 1 April, the government has announced.
In other parts of the UK, prescriptions are free.
The British Medical Association has previously said the current system is “unfair” and wants prescription charges to be scrapped in England.
Those exempt from charges in England include children under 16, income-related benefit claimants and pregnant women.
Free prescriptions were introduced in Wales in 2007, Northern Ireland in 2010 and Scotland in 2011.
THOUSANDS of dementia sufferers have not had their condition diagnosed
Essex: Only 32% of dementia sufferers in the area are properly diagnosed, report says
By Ross Bentley Wednesday, February 27, 2013
12:00 PM
THOUSANDS of dementia sufferers in north-east Essex have not had their condition diagnosed – denying them crucial treatment and support.
Figures from the Alzheimer’s Society estimate only 32.2% of sufferers in the North East Essex Primary Care Trust area are currently being identified – putting it among the lowest five areas in England for diagnosis rates.
The charity believes there are more than 5,500 people living with dementia in the area, and that the figure is set to rise to more than 7,000 by 2021.
A spokesman said: “Getting a diagnosis gives people access to support as well as drug treatments that have the potential to slow down the progression of the condition.
Sleepless nights for carers, disabled hit by new 'bedroom tax'
Sleepless nights for the families hit by the threat of new ‘bedroom tax’
Is it right to ‘tax’ people who are not using all of the bedrooms in their home all of the time? Caroline Mortimer reports.
About 80,000 people in Yorkshire look set to hit by a “bedroom tax” when the Government’s controversial Welfare Reform Act comes into force this April.
The under-occupancy charge will cut the amount of housing benefit available to households with one or more bedrooms classed as spare under the new rules.
Its supporters say it is unfair for the taxpayer to subside extra rooms when there is a shortage of housing across the country. But its critics insist it will have a devastating impact on vulnerable tenants and local economies.
Approximately two-thirds of people nationally who are hit by the cuts will either be disabled or caring for a disabled person. One of them, Cheryl Guillot, 48, from Holywell Green near Halifax, said she had been left “totally bewildered” by the situation.
