Tag Archives: carers

Funeral poverty campaigners urge ministers to boost cash help

December 1, 2012   bereavement, Carers

Campaigners want a revamp of what they say is an outdated system set up to help poorer families meet cost of unexpected funerals

The cost of a funeral can spiral out of control for many people.

A rise in the number of people facing funeral poverty, alongside an increase in the number of paupers’ funerals, where the local authority has to foot the bill, have led to calls for the government to “face up to death”.

Campaigners want a revamp of what they claim is an outdated and confusing system set up to help poorer families who find themselves meeting the unexpected cost of a funeral.

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Care homes’ finances could face inspection

December 1, 2012   Carers, Older care

Care home companies would have to open up their books to inspectors to ensure they were financially sound, under government plans for new regulation.

The measure is included in plans being put out to consultation after the collapse of Southern Cross last year.

The country’s biggest provider had thousands of elderly residents at more than 750 care homes across the UK.

Care Minister Norman Lamb said its demise showed the need for “greater oversight of providers’ finances”.

Rent bill

There had been concerns about Southern Cross’s business model for years and it struggled to balance the books as local authorities reduced the amounts they were spending on social care.

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NHS to pay for singing lessons and hotel stays

November 30, 2012   Carers, disability, health, Older care

Tens of thousands of people will be able to get money from their doctors which can be used for activities including singing lessons and hotel stays.

Personal health budgets enable people to choose what help they need and who to buy it from.

By Stephen Adams, Medical Correspondent

7:00AM GMT 30 Nov 2012

Norman Lamb, the care minister, said the option of having a ‘personal health budget’ would be made available to some 56,000 people in England with significant health needs. It would “put them back in control of their care,” he said.

The idea is to give people the power to choose exactly what care they need for their condition or disability – and buy it from whoever they like – rather than having it decided and provided by the NHS.

Charities for the elderly and disabled have broadly welcomed the initiative, which has been trialled for three years, but there are worries about some people misusing the money.

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