Home Care News
Scots face postcode lottery of care
28 Feb 2013
Scottish Labour has claimed that their investigation into social care service costs in Scotland has emphasised the wide variations in the charges imposed on Scots. This has led to claims that there is an unfair.....
Independent review launched to improve training for care workers
25 Feb 2013
The Government has launched an independent review to look at how training and support for care workers can be strengthened so they give better care to patients. The review will be led by Times journalist.....
CQC joins forces with patients’ charity to help stamp out poor elderly care
25 Feb 2013
The and the Patients Association have joined forces to ensure concerns raised by people about poor care, can be acted on quickly. The CQC, which regulates healthcare and adult social care.....
ECCA chief Martin Green appointed visiting professor of social care
25 Feb 2013
Martin Green, chief executive of the , has been appointed visiting professor of social care at Buckinghamshire New University. ECCA works to ensure that care services are commissioned fairly,.....
Government set to make running a charity, social enterprise or voluntary organisation easier
22 Feb 2013
Vulnerable and older people can hope to benefit from Government changes to red tape rules for people setting up new services to improve their community. In three recent policies set out by the Government, the role and importance.....
Bluebird Care group to create training Centre of Excellence in Shropshire
22 Feb 2013
Professional home care service providers Bluebird Care has announced plans to double its workforce over the next 12 months from 50 to 100 staff, and has invested in a new Centre for Excellence to enhance its standards of care. Bluebird.....
Mencap and Golden Lane Housing launch £10m charity bond
21 Feb 2013
Golden Lane Housing (GLH), the housing arm of Mencap, has launched a £10m charity bond with plans to use the money raised to buy homes for people with learning disabilities. Only one in three people with a learning disability currently.....
Care employers urged to avoid confusion on DBS checks, after landmark ruling
21 Feb 2013
Employment law specialists ELAS are urging care sector professionals to keep DBS check standards high, after recent controversy at the Court of Appeal (CA). The CA ruled that the UK’s current criminal record checking system had.....
Finalists announced for HealthInvestor Awards
20 Feb 2013
The HealthInvestor Awards recognise excellence and innovation in the health care sector, rewarding a range of services in the six categories. Under the category of Social Care, Sevacare (UK) Ltd has been shortlisted for the national.....
The Independent Care Group hits back over home care criticism
20 Feb 2013
The Independent Care Group has hit back at the report from the Care Quality Commission, claiming that its findings paint an unfair picture of home care providers. The regional care group in York and North Yorkshire has reacted.....
Leading charities pay tribute to TV star Richard Briers
19 Feb 2013
Charities have been offering their condolences to family and friends of actor Richard Briers, famed for his role in British sitcom ‘The Good Life’, who passed away on 17 February 2013, at the age of 79. As well as being awarded.....
The future of integrated care is to be discussed at new major healthcare event, Health+Care2013
18 Feb 2013
The Commissioning Show is expanding to become the core of a new healthcare event Health+Care 2013. The event will create a platform for the industry’s leading professionals to interpret policy, devise strategy.....
King's Fund review reveals concerns about the NHS health and care system
15 Feb 2013
The King’s Fund have released their quarterly monitoring report as part of the think tank’s work to track, analyse and comment on the changes and challenges facing the NHS health and care system. It reports on the performance.....
South West to benefit from new jobs and community care from Enara
15 Feb 2013
Twenty-three new jobs are being created as part of Enara’s new plans to open two offices in Exeter and Bristol. Part of the MITIE Group plc Enara is the fourth largest provider of home care services in the UK, supporting people who.....
Prize to reward innovative solutions to challenges facing dementia, announced by Janssen Healthcare Innovation
15 Feb 2013
A new prize is set to reward innovative ideas that can help re shape and improve the way dementia care is delivered. Janssen Healthcare Innovation, an entrepreneurial team within Janssen Research and Development, in partnership.....
One quarter of home care providers in England are failing to meet key standards
13 Feb 2013
Failing home care providers need to prevent substandard services ‘becoming the norm’, according to a national overview of the sector published today by regulator the . The report ‘Not just a number’, was compiled.....
Dementia carers are given support by new Dementia Pledge initiative
13 Feb 2013
Dementia Pledge has been created to give support to care providers allowing them to give the best possible care to people suffering from dementia, their families and friends. The launch of the initiative took.....
Social care cap a historic reform but financial planning remains an area of uncertainty
13 Feb 2013
Confirmed this week, the Coalition Government’s £75,000 cap on care costs was announced as a ‘landmark reform’ that previous administrations had failed to realise. Since the Dilnot Commission recommended a cap in July 2011, media.....
TV stars Jo Brand and Meera Syal become two of Alzheimer's Society's first Dementia Friends
12 Feb 2013
Popular comedian Jo Brand and ‘Goodness Gracious Me’ actress Meera Syal have become two of the first Dementia Friends, as part of a new initiative launched by the Alzheimer’s Society. It is hoped that through.....
Government sets cap for social care bills at £75,000, but pensioners call plan 'as credible as Findus Lasagne'
11 Feb 2013
The Government has revealed it is to set the cap for social care bills at £75,000, claiming it will end the “scandal” of people being forced to sell their homes to fund care. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt.....
Four charities join forces to give people a voice in how health and social care services are run
11 Feb 2013
A new initiative has been launched to encourage more people to become involved in the shaping of health and social care issues in their own communities. Healthwatch-Communities Involved has been created by four leading UK charities:.....
Nearly 20,000 fewer older people receiving local authority funded home care
11 Feb 2013
Nearly 20,000 fewer older people have been receiving local authority funded home care in the past year due to budget cuts, according to new Government figures. Department of Health data shows two-thirds of.....
Profile: CIC Group's Neil Matthewman is not interested in complaining 'about the resources we don't have'
08 Feb 2013
“There’s more opportunity than ever for providers to come together,” according to Neil Matthewman, the chief executive of not-for-profit care provider and registered charity Community Integrated Care. The former NHS managing director, who.....
Society at risk of 'turning back the clock' on how we approach learning disability and mental health
08 Feb 2013
At times it can be typical to instantly associate the words ‘home care’ with older people, but the lives of younger adults with a learning disability are often equally reliant upon the sector. Charity Royal Mencap Society is among those.....
Should regulatory bodies the CQC and Monitor be merged into one regulator?
07 Feb 2013
Robert Francis QC, chair of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Inquiry
YES
Among the key recommendations from the Francis Inquiry into care failings at the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, published this week, is the proposal that England’s care sector regulator the Care...
Dr Jennifer Dixon, Nuffield TrustNO
Nuffield Trust chief executive Dr Jennifer Dixon welcomed to the work undertaken by the Inquiry but announced caution at the proposal of a merger between the two bodies, commenting:
“There is much to commend........
Government apologises for Mid Staffordshire Trust scandal
07 Feb 2013
The Department of Health has apologised “wholeheartedly” for the part it played in the failings at Mid Staffordshire Trust. An inquiry by Robert Francis QC into Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust found.....
Mid Staffs scandal shows 'the importance of breaking down the barriers between health and social care'
06 Feb 2013
The final report of the Francis Inquiry into the failures that occurred at the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust has been published today, which could have numerous implications for the social care sector as well as the NHS. Speaking.....
Swansea Council to offer high-quality training to potential care staff
06 Feb 2013
A unique project from Swansea Council is providing young adults with training opportunities that will allow them to pursue a career in the care sector. High quality training is being made accessible to local.....
Funds for the professional development of England's social care sector released
05 Feb 2013
Skills For Care has opened the application process to allocate workforce development funds (WDF) which provides support for the on-going professional development of staff across the adult social care sector in England. The funding.....
Campaign to make Internet more accessible to disabled and older people gains support
05 Feb 2013
Two public sector bodies have been the first of their kind to join a national campaign which helps disabled and older people overcome the difficulties faced when using the Internet. Go ON Gold is a national.....
Profile: 'I am not sure the public really knows who we are' says CQC chief David Behan
05 Feb 2013
In an exclusive interview with carehome.co.uk, David Behan who took over as chief executive of the last year, revealed that one of the problems facing the organisation is that the public don’t “really know who we are”. “We.....