Home Care News
England's local councils failing to 'take account of the full costs of care'
27 Feb 2014
Care workers’ pay needs to be addressed at a local level, according to the United Kingdom Home Care Association (UKHCA) which is looking to hold local authorities to account for the pressure their cuts have placed on the sector. Although.....
Oxfordshire treatment unit could have prevented death of man with epilepsy
27 Feb 2014
The results of an independent inquiry into the death of a patient with a learning disability have been published, concluding the death was preventable. 18-year-old Connor Sparrowhawk, who had a learning.....
Age Cymru warns local authorities that isolation and loneliness will be the result of further cuts
26 Feb 2014
Now is the time to safeguard public services for older and vulnerable people, according to charity Age Cymru, who believe that more cuts might result in a scale of social isolation never before seen in Wales. In a survey of adults.....
Blood pressure medication may cause serious falls for older people
25 Feb 2014
Blood pressure pills may be doing more harm than good as they increase the risk of having falls, research has found. A Yale School of Medicine study looked at the health records of nearly 5,000 people.....
Global campaign promotes nutrition and hydration as a 'fundamental aspect of care'
25 Feb 2014
Nutrition and Hydration Week 2014 organisers are encouraging health and social care settings to get involved in raising awareness and demonstrating good practice, with the previously nationwide campaign going global this year. Many.....
Home mobility renovations make sound economic sense, say Care and Repair Carmarthenshire
20 Feb 2014
February 17–21 is Care and Repair week, during which local authorities are being encouraged to help community members make their homes more disability-friendly. Adjustments within the home can reduce the likelihood of individuals.....
Former Archbishop speaks out against society 'obsessed' with youth
20 Feb 2014
Older people are being side-lined and ignored because of society’s obsession with youth, a former Archbishop of Canterbury has claimed. Marking his appointment as Patron for older person’s charity Abbeyfield Society, Lord Williams.....
New scheme helping employers realise the potential of disabled undergraduates
20 Feb 2014
Care charity Leonard Cheshire Disability has launched an internship scheme in order to increase the representation of disabled people in the workplace. Undergraduates have until March 10 to sign up to Change 100, while the charity.....
Volunteer inspectors to be recruited across Scotland's care services
19 Feb 2014
Scotland’s social care watchdog, the Care Inspectorate, is looking to volunteer inspectors as a means of keeping care standards high and exposing those services that produce poor practice. Members of the public who have first-hand.....
'Safe places' scheme to support vulnerable people in the community
19 Feb 2014
A new scheme is giving people with learning disabilities and autism more confidence when going out in the community has been launched across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. Local businesses,.....
Police cells no longer acceptable places for people having a mental health crisis
18 Feb 2014
Police and the NHS have pledged to drastically improve the emergency care, people experiencing an emergency mental health crisis receive. The Crisis Care Concordat will reduce the number of police cells.....
Scottish social care watchdog promises to make services 'transparent'
17 Feb 2014
Scotland’s social care watchdog, the Care Inspectorate, has announced a drive to provide better information about poorly performing care services, as well as highlight those services that demonstrate leading-edge practice. The.....
Vocational excellence of staff to be acknowledged by VQ Day awards
14 Feb 2014
Companies are being encouraged to put themselves forward for the Vocational Qualifications (VQ) Employer of the Year award to celebrate the range of opportunities available in the UK for VQ achievers. The seventh annual VQ Day.....
Participation commitments outlined by Wales care regulator
13 Feb 2014
A tougher but more collaborative approach to underperforming care services is being backed by Wales’s care regulator in order to drive up standards. Imelda Richardson, the chief inspector of CSSIW (Care and Social Services Inspectorate.....
Disability charity welcomes learning disability storyline in Call the Midwife
12 Feb 2014
This Sunday’s episode of BBC series Call The Midwife, examines the discrimation faced by people with disabilities in the 1950s, with its tale of a love affair between a woman with Down Syndrome and a man with cerebral palsy. The.....
Charity hopes Prince Andrew's visit triggers more investment into hearing loss research
12 Feb 2014
Action on Hearing Loss hopes a visit by the Duke of York to two of its research projects on hearing loss will help raise awareness of “this largely-ignored area of health research”. Prince Andrew, patron.....
Hundreds of thousands with dementia suffer from malnutrition, says research
11 Feb 2014
More attention needs to be focused on the problem of malnutrition in people living with dementia, according to a new report from Alzheimer’s Disease International and the contract foodservice company, Compass.....
National Museums Liverpool makes commitment to being dementia aware
11 Feb 2014
National Museums Liverpool has become the first national museums service to take part in the Dementia Friends initiative. More than 200 staff from across the organisation including those from the front of.....
Women have a poorer quality of life after a stroke than men
11 Feb 2014
A US research paper has found that women suffer more depression and anxiety, pain and discomfort, and have more restricted mobility. The research which was carried out at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center,.....
Profile: Charity director reveals how singing can transform older people's lives
10 Feb 2014
Composer and organist, Adrian Bawtree, has been involved with the charity Sing For Your Life, for 10 years and during that time, he has witnessed a growing realisation of the immense power of music by both academics and care professionals. He.....
Carmarthenshire village becomes a dementia friendly community
10 Feb 2014
Residents of Pontyberem are playing their part in shaping services for people with dementia. This small village in the Gwendraeth valley has been officially recognised as Carmarthenshire’s first Dementia Friendly and Supportive.....
Is the Government implying disabled people are cheating the benefit system?
10 Feb 2014
Philip Connelly, policy manager at Disability Rights UK
Yes
Disability campaigners have criticised the Government’s announcement that over a million disabled are actually fit to work, claiming it is causing the public to see people with disabilities as ‘workshy scroungers’.
Philip...
Mike Penning, Minister of State for Disabled PeopleNo
It is better to see if people with disabilities can work with support and give them more independence, rather than writing them off as on long-term sickness benefits, according to the Government.
The........
Home care firm joins payroll saving scheme to support staff managing their money
07 Feb 2014
Carewatch (Mid Shropshire) has entered into a payroll savings scheme after the company lost an estimated £1,500 in unpaid loans to staff members last year. The Fairshare payroll savings scheme allows staff members to save a.....
Well-known code of 'three rings' to indicate safety now available on a smart phone app
06 Feb 2014
The 3rings app aims to help the older generation inform their family and friends that they are safe and well, by automatically ringing the recipient’s phone or sending them a text message or email. Founder.....
Ensuring an older person has a regular home carer 'needs to be at the heart of the care service being delivered'
06 Feb 2014
Home care providers are urging more agencies to focus on ensuring clients receive home care from a regular carer to provide dignified care to every client. A 93 per cent rise in the number of over-90s.....
Young disabled people join CNN news team for work experience opportunity
06 Feb 2014
Disabled people wanting to pursue a career in television news have been offered the chance to work behind the scenes at international broadcaster CNN, to gain some valuable media experience. Zubee Kibria, a young person with cerebral.....
Majority of councils don’t meet minimum cost of home care services
04 Feb 2014
A BBC investigation into the price paid for home care found only four of 101 councils paid more than the minimum price estimated by the UKHCA. The United Kingdom Home Care Association (UKHCA) published.....