Author Archives: Maureen
52,000 Shropshire people provide unpaid care
More than 52,000 people in Shropshire are providing unpaid care to their relatives in Shropshire, new figures revealed today.
The number has shot up by 14 per cent in the past decade, and experts say it will continue to rise as people live longer. The figure shows how many people are giving up their time to provide free care to disabled, sick or elderly relatives in the county, up from 45,000 in 2001.
The figures have been revealed in the information collected in the 2011 census, with the county’s number of carers increasing faster than the national average.
There are 34,260 carers in the wider Shropshire area, with an additional 17,944 in Telford & Wrekin.
There has also been a 32 per cent increase in the number of people across Shropshire providing more than 50 hours of care per week, with more than 12,300 people in this position at the date of the 2011 census.
‘I have seen a lot of people who look after a dementia patient become sick and even die’
‘I have seen a lot of people who look after a dementia patient become sick and even die’ – Joan Woolard
Carers in Holbeach who look after relatives 24/7 will get extra support each month in response to a growing need.
Littlebury Patients Participation Group (LPPG Outreach) is extending its drop-in sessions from once a month on Mondays to twice monthly, beginning on Wednesday.
Treasurer Joan Woolard said: “Our aim is to provide relief from the isolation of caring for someone at home or from the loneliness of being unable to get out and mix socially through disability.”
The group is one of a number in the county offering support to carers – and with life expectancy increasing, the need is expected to grow.
Cameron pledges to stamp out unacceptable care in hospitals
Untrained health “assistants” will not be able to work in hospitals under plans to improve standards in the NHS, ministers will announce.
7:30AM GMT 04 Jan 2013
More than 50,000 low-paid and unregulated assistants will have to receive formal care training.
A set of “minimum standards” will be unveiled in the coming weeks. Assistants found to be not caring properly for patients are likely to be banned from working in hospitals.
The findings of an official review into the scandal at the Mid-Staffordshire NHS Trust, where substandard care led to hundreds of patients dying, will land on ministers’ desks soon.
The report is expected to make wide-ranging recommendations which will effectively mean that NHS workers dealing with patients should be regulated.
