Tag Archives: care
Telehealth costs more than conventional treatment
Budget for NHS cost-cutting scheme to triple
A cost-cutting government scheme to monitor millions of NHS patients remotely in their homes is three times more expensive than expected, and is unlikely to save the predicted £1.2 billion a year, a study has found.
By Melanie Hall
One of the Coalition’s key health ambitions — to treat three million people with long-term conditions remotely — would cost £92,000 per patient, way above the £30,000 threshold set by the medical regulator, according to research published in the British Medical Journal.
The Department of Health has promoted the “telehealth” scheme, which would involve installing machines in patients’ homes to monitor their conditions and send results electronically to doctors, as a money-saving measure that also improves quality of life and reduces emergency hospital admissions, GP appointments and visits to accident and emergency departments.
However, a trial study of almost 1,000 patients already monitored in this way found that telehealth costs more than conventional treatment.
Care for the elderly is not good enough
Basic care for elderly ‘lacking’
By Nick Triggle Health correspondent, BBC News
The CQC looked at standards across care homes and hospitalsBasic care for the elderly in hospitals and care homes in England is still not good enough, the regulator says.
The Care Quality Commission report, based on a snapshot of services, found about a third failed to meet all the standards for nutrition and dignity.
It cited examples of call-bells being left unanswered, bad manners and a lack support at meal times.
It comes after the NHS was criticised by the Stafford Hospital scandal public inquiry for not putting patients first.
The Stafford report, published last month, said the NHS system was more focused on corporate self-interest than getting services right.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspections were carried out before those findings were released.
For families who care for children of friends or relatives
High Court ruling ‘could mean extra money for carers who look after relatives’ children’
Thousands of carers who look after relatives’ children could be paid as much as double the financial support they currently receive after a landmark High Court judgment today.
By Sam Marsden
Mr Justice Males paid tribute to the “unsung heroines of our society” as he ruled that a council was wrong to pay more money to foster parents who were unrelated to the youngsters they cared for than those who brought up the children of family or friends.
The case was brought by a woman who is the registered foster mother of two nephews and a niece, who are aged seven, 14 and 15, and all of whom have serious learning difficulties and emotional problems.
She complained that Tower Hamlets council in East London was paying her less to help look after the children than an unrelated foster parent would have received.
The judge concluded today that the local authority’s payment policies discriminated against people who fostered children to whom they were related.
The solicitor who represented the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said the judgment could also benefit many other families who look after children of friends or relatives.
