Tag Archives: Older care
Elderly denied NHS care ‘can sue’
By Michelle Roberts Health editor, BBC News online
From October, elderly patients will have the right to sue if they have been denied care based on age alone, says Care Minister Paul Burstow.
This will not mean patients can demand any treatment they want. Care decisions will still be judged according to clinical need by doctors.
But NHS staff will have a legal duty to consider wellbeing and dignity.
This awareness week will let other carers know that there is support available
The work of those who dedicate their lives to caring for others is being highlighted as part of an awareness- raising week.
Carers’ Week runs from Thursday, June 14 until Friday, June 22, and is being marked with a variety of events across North Lincolnshire.
-
Carer Marion Hirst, who works at the Carer Support Centre in Brigg
The last census results revealed there were 16,000 carers in the region although the figure is now estimated to be even higher.
Now, in the run-up to the week, carers have shared their experiences.
Marion Hirst, 51, of Goxhill, has been a carer for the past 12 years.
She said: “I originally became a carer to look after my mum, who had dementia and mobility problems.”
Since her mother passed away, Marion now looks after her father, Cecil Hardy, 87, who has diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and a prostate problem which means he needs a catheter.
‘Dangerous’ elderly care cuts ‘will cost us dear’
Red Cross warns of ‘false economy’ of ‘dangerous’ social care cuts
Elderly people are being put in jeopardy by “dangerous” cuts to basic home care which will end up costing the taxpayer thousands of pounds, GPs today warn.
Almost nine in 10 GPs warned that patients were being put at risk by a lack of social care support with many saying they had seen increased levels of isolation among the elderly, more falls and accidents amid growing pressures on the NHS.
The warning comes in a report which calculates that simple, relatively inexpensive support for frail older could save the taxpayer an average of more than £10,000 per person per year.
It condemns cuts to social care as a “false economy”, making people more likely to be admitted to hospital or be forced to move into a care home.
