Category Archives: Older care

Poor hit hardest by UK govt. policies

May 13, 2012   Carers, disability, Older care, poverty
Carers feel forgotten by society 
The poorest households have been most affected by the soaring cost of living in Britain as they spend a higher proportion of their incomes to meet the problem of food and energy bills, warns a new research.

According to a study by Trades Union Congress (TUC), Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation for the poorest 10 percent of households in February was 4.1 percent, compared with 3.6 percent for middle-income families and 3.3 per cent for the richest 10 percent.

“People have been getting poorer every month for the last two years as high inflation, tax rises and the dire state of the economy take their toll on family budgets,” said TUC general secretary Brendan Barber.

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Patients ‘treated in corridors’, claims Royal College of Nursing

May 13, 2012   Carers, hospital, Older care

‘Huge stress’

By Nick Triggle Health correspondent, BBC News

 Hospitals are expected to see patients within 18 weeks in England

Patients are being left stranded on trolleys for hours and forced to have treatment in corridors due in part to the loss of hospital beds, nurses say.

The Royal College of Nursing says feedback from more than 1,200 staff paints a “worrying picture”, with patients regularly being in ambulances or held in a queue.

The union warned the NHS risked going backwards unless ministers got a grip.

The government said there were enough beds for this not to be happening.

Of the 1,246 nurses and healthcare assistants who replied to an RCN request for feedback, a fifth said providing care in corridors had become a daily occurrence.

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Queen’s speech 2012: Draft bill on social care announced

May 9, 2012   Carers, disability, Older care

Who should pay to look after the elderly and disabled?

By James Gallagher Health and science reporter, BBC News


The Queen’s Speech

A draft bill on overhauling care and support for elderly and disabled people in England has been announced in the Queen’s Speech.

The bill will put “people in control of their care and give them greater choice,” ministers say.

The contentious issue of how social care is paid for is still unclear.

This week, charities and the Local Government Association called for radical change to prevent people being left “living in misery and fear”.

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