Category Archives: Cancer

Social care ‘facing funding gap of over £1bn’

March 20, 2011   Alzheimer’s, Cancer, dementia, disability, Multiple Sclerosis, Older care

Social care ‘facing funding gap of over £1bn’

Social care is facing a funding gap of more than £1bn by 2014 in England – a situation which would have consequences for the NHS, a leading think-tank says.
The King’s Fund analysis predicted councils would struggle to protect home help and care home places as they come to terms with funding cuts.

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Care home rated excellent – victim of the budget cuts

March 11, 2011   Alzheimer’s, Cancer, dementia, disability, Multiple Sclerosis, Older care

Care home victim of the budget cuts

Reporter: Richard Hooton
Date online: 11 March 2011

A CARE home rated as excellent is being closed due to council budget cuts.

Limecroft Care Home, White Bank Road, Limeside, which provides respite care and has a day centre for people with dementia, is due to shut at the end of the month.

Council chiefs say the centre is underused and places at other facilities will be used instead.

But families are upset that a respected establishment will go and say 21 residents are currently cared for there.

After its last inspection from the Care Quality Commission the home was given a three-star excellent rating.

One woman, whose mum is a patient, said: “The care there has been wonderful. It is such a shame to be shutting such a marvellous home.

“We haven’t got a clue what’s going to happen and when. The council seems to be trying to get the patients into private residential care. It seems to be shutting all the homes down. It doesn’t seem to be bothered about providing care any more.”

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Breakthrough for lupus sufferers

March 10, 2011   Cancer, health, Lupus
 

Lupus Foundation: FDA Clears First Lupus Drug Since 1955

Editor’s Choice Main Category: Lupus Also Included In: Regulatory Affairs / Drug Approvals Article Date: 10 Mar 2011 – 7:00 PST

This week, after 56 years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Benlysta (belimumab), to treat patients who are receiving standard therapy, including corticosteroids, antimalarials, immunosuppressives, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Lupus is a serious, potentially fatal, autoimmune disease that attacks healthy tissues. It disproportionately affects women, and usually develops between ages 15 and 44.

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) and corticosteroids, were approved in 1955. Aspirin was approved to treat lupus in 1948.

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