Home Care News
'Frightened' woman aged 96 cries after 40-hour ordeal on hospital trolley
30 Sep 2022
A 96-year-old woman with pneumonia spent 40 hours lying on a trolley in a cold hospital corridor because of a shortage of beds and staff - prompting calls for the Scottish government to invest in social care. Scottish.....
'Historic' drug hailed by dementia charity as 'new hope' that can slow Alzheimer's
29 Sep 2022
Alzheimer’s Research UK has called a new drug "historic" for its ability to slow the pace of brain decline caused by Alzheimer’s disease. The drug, lecanemab, can remove toxic beta-amyloid proteins that build.....
Newly-hired care workers get career training to run home care franchises
28 Sep 2022
With the care sector facing acute staff shortages, home care provider Walfinch has launched its own career training programme and is giving its staff the chance to run their own franchise, based on length of service, to get more.....
Selfless plumber 'won't stop' helping elderly and disabled 'stay warm' at home for free
27 Sep 2022
Plumber James Anderson has been nominated for a Pride of Britain award for his work delivering free plumbing and heating services to elderly and disabled people who are struggling to eat each day and heat their homes. The.....
Eye simulator ruins Mona Lisa's smile to reveal impact of avoidable eye conditions like cataracts
26 Sep 2022
Six million people in the UK are living with eye conditions that could make them go blind but a new eye simulator is raising awareness by demonstrating what it’s like to have conditions like cataracts by distorting landscapes and.....
Calls for Liz Truss to deliver her promise of £13bn to social care and make it 'fighting fit'
23 Sep 2022
The Local Government Association (LGA) and the Independent Care Group (ICG) are calling on the Prime Minister to deliver the £13 billion pledged to tackle the crisis in adult social care as part of her leadership campaign. It.....
Coffey's plan to fix care crisis by recruiting a million volunteers is 'insult to skilled care workers'
22 Sep 2022
The health and social care minister's new plan for patients, which includes recruiting one million volunteers to help the NHS and social care, has been criticised as "an insult to skilled care workers". Our.....
Coffey's £500m fund to get people out of hospital into care 'step in right direction'
22 Sep 2022
Health and Social Care Secretary Thérèse Coffey has launched a £500m Adult Social Care Discharge Fund to free up hospital beds and help fix the social care crisis. There are currently 13,000 patients in hospitals.....
Care chief calls on government to invest extra £1.7bn per year to save 'struggling' sector
21 Sep 2022
The Homecare Association is calling for the government to invest an extra £1.7 billion per annum in the care sector to stop the “exodus” of care workers finding better paid jobs. Research from the Homecare.....
Scientists to explore if obese fathers increase their child's risk of Alzheimer's
21 Sep 2022
On World Alzheimer’s Day, a researcher has been awarded nearly £350,000 to look at the effects obese fathers have on their children and see if it increases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s later in life. Alzheimer’s.....
Charities warn £150 cost of living payment for disabled people 'doesn't go far enough'
20 Sep 2022
Around six million disabled people in the UK are to benefit from a one-off £150 disability Cost of Living payment but charities are warning this payment “won’t touch the sides”. The one-off payment from the.....
Disabled and elderly fall sick in queue to see Queen unaware of shorter accessible route
16 Sep 2022
Frail and disabled mourners who wish to pay their respects to the Queen by filing past her coffin, are falling sick in the long queue to see her at Westminster Hall because they are unaware a much shorter, more ‘accessible’ queue.....
Charity warns 70,800 people living with young onset dementia may be 'tip of the iceberg'
14 Sep 2022
With almost 71,000 people in the UK living with young onset dementia, a leading charity warns this figure could be higher as the condition is often "poorly recognised" and "misdiagnosed". The new figures.....
Bank holiday sees people's operations and funerals cancelled
14 Sep 2022
Thousands of people's operations, hospital appointments and funerals, that were due to take place on 19 September bank holiday, have been cancelled. Older people’s hip and knee replacements, cataract surgery.....
'Elizabeth the Great': Britain's oldest mourn UK's longest reigning monarch
09 Sep 2022
With the death of Queen Elizabeth II, described as “Elizabeth the Great”, came a wave of reflection and remembrance amongst Britain’s oldest who shared their own stories about the country’s longest reigning “marvellous” monarch......
Thérèse Coffey's plan to pay care homes to free up hospital beds 'smacks of short-term panic'
08 Sep 2022
With reports the new health and social care secretary is looking to pay care homes to take in discharged patients from hospital, a social care policy expert says most people "stuck" in hospital “don’t need residential care”. Officials.....
Scotland ditches face masks for care home staff, visitors and home care workers
08 Sep 2022
Scotland has ditched face masks for staff and visitors in its care homes as well as care workers giving home care The change in guidance by the Scottish government is due to a sharp drop in coronavirus infections.....
Liz Truss confirms she'll scrap ring-fenced health and social care levy
08 Sep 2022
Prime Minister Liz Truss said during her first PMQs clash with Labour leader Keir Starmer that she will be reversing the 1.25 per cent rise in National Insurance and is scrapping the Health and Social Care Levy. During.....
Gloucestershire home care provider announces 20% pay rise for its care workers
07 Sep 2022
A home care provider in South Gloucestershire is "proud to lead the way" by announcing a 20 per cent pay increase for its domiciliary care workers. Where other sectors such as retail and hospitality are seeing.....
Health and care minister Thérèse Coffey to prioritise 'ambulances, backlogs, care, doctors'
07 Sep 2022
Thérèse Coffey has been appointed England’s third health and social care secretary in two months and has promised to bring an ‘ABCD’ focus to her new job by solving the problems of ambulances, backlogs, social care and patient appointments.....
69-year-old carer completes 1000th climb of Lake District fell for wife's hospice
06 Sep 2022
Pensioner Steve Hartley, aged 69, vowed to climb a Lake District fell 1,000 times for the hospice that helped care for his wife who has Multiple Sclerosis (MS) - and he's spent almost 10 years doing it. Steve.....
Therapeutic care farm gives man with brain injury 'new lease of life'
06 Sep 2022
A man who suffered brain damage after a serious assault three years ago has been given a "new lease of life" and a "new sense of purpose" through regular visits to a therapeutic care farm. SweetTree Fields.....
Care chiefs urge new Prime Minister Liz Truss to be 'bold' and make care crisis top priority
06 Sep 2022
Liz Truss is the UK’s new Prime Minister and care leaders are demanding she be 'bold' by making the care crisis her top priority with enough funding, a care home energy price cap and a grant covering home care workers' fuel costs. After.....
Britain's new Prime Minister must end reliance on expensive agency staff says care chief
05 Sep 2022
Prime Minister Liz Truss must intervene to solve a care staffing crisis which has led to a sticking plaster reliance on agency staff who can be more expensive, inexperienced and unreliable, says Care England's chief executive. Her.....
Care home residents, care workers and 'housebound' invited for Covid autumn booster
05 Sep 2022
Millions of people including care home residents, those with weakened immune systems and care workers are being invited to receive the autumn Covid-19 booster vaccine from today. From 5 September, the NHS.....
2.6m people aged 50+ are living with some form of unmet social care needs
02 Sep 2022
With years of "lack of investment" from the government and vacancies in the workforce rising, a new study shows over one and a half million people in England aged fifty and above are living with some form of unmet need for care. The.....
Tips for home care providers on how to legitimately claim back VAT
01 Sep 2022
Anyone involved in running the books for a care business will know that fees for care services are VAT-exempt. This has been the case for almost 50 years when, in 1973, the UK joined the European Union. Care.....
Home Instead UK enhances dementia training for staff by teaming up with Alzheimer's Society
31 Aug 2022
To coincide with World Alzheimer's Month beginning 1 September, Home Instead UK has teamed up with Alzheimer’s Society to offer its employees a chance to train to become dementia care champions and support clients living with dementia.....
Government reveals when disabled people will receive £150 cost of living payment
24 Aug 2022
The government has confirmed that around six million people with disabilities in the UK will be given a one-off £150 cost of living payment from 20 September. People with a qualifying disability benefit will.....
Thinking caps that electrically stimulate the brain could boost memory of people with dementia
24 Aug 2022
Academics have discovered electricity-controlled ‘thinking caps’ can boost people's memory by stimulating parts of the brain. The working memory and long-term memory of people aged 65 to 88 has been found.....
Pensioners reduced to wartime-like rationing beg Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak to end cost-of-living crisis
18 Aug 2022
Britain’s elderly are appealing to PM candidates Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak to fix the cost-of-living crisis, which is making some fear they’ll have to ration like they did in WW2. A poll of.....
Boris Johnson doubles dementia funding and calls 'Babs' Army' to join clinical trials
16 Aug 2022
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced he is doubling dementia research funding to £160m a year by 2024 and is calling for volunteers, he nicknames “Babs’ Army”, to sign up for clinical trials into dementia therapies. On.....
Deborah James' efforts 'smashing those poo taboos' delivers record high bowel cancer checks
16 Aug 2022
Record numbers of people have come forward for bowel cancer checks thanks to broadcaster Dame Deborah James who is known for “smashing poo taboos” by telling the public to be vigilant about symptoms like blood in your poo. After.....
Social care sector is 'experiencing the greatest workforce crisis in its history'
15 Aug 2022
If anyone ever questioned the extent of the crisis in social care, this past few weeks you could not escape the terrifying truth. Two reports from the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee, a report from the Levelling.....
Health secretary says civil servants are in 'sprint' to hire overseas care staff before winter
12 Aug 2022
Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay has ordered civil servants to significantly increase overseas recruitment of NHS and social care staff before the winter. Mr Barclay said, in an interview with.....
Mencap urges government to 'tackle' social care workers' pay
11 Aug 2022
As the government announces new training opportunities for social care staff, a charity warns that without “tackling pay head-on,” the sector could still risk losing its dedicated staff. As part of the government’s.....
Charity chief says some legal battles for care are so 'harrowing' lawyers need counselling
10 Aug 2022
A head of a legal charity which helps people fight for their right to social care, has revealed some of the cases are so "harrowing", the charity has to fundraise for counselling for its lawyers. Access Social.....
102-year-old reveals secret to 'long, happy and healthy life' is staying single
10 Aug 2022
A resident at a care home in North Lanarkshire has celebrated her 102nd birthday and says staying single has been key to living a “long, happy and healthy life”. Cathy Hillock, who lives at Beechwood Care.....
Care needs assessment waiting list due to double by November
08 Aug 2022
Six hundred people a day are joining growing waiting lists to be assessed for care and support in England, as adult social care buckles under unprecedented pressures, according to a new report. The latest.....
Home care provider Cera raises £260m so it can expand its care to thousands more
04 Aug 2022
Cera which was founded in 2016, is set to expand from caring for 15,000 people a day to 100,000 people a day, with the help of £260m funding. The home care company, which was founded by Dr Ben Maruthappu.....
Struggle to find home care for Dad leads to Bluebird Care's Scottish expansion
03 Aug 2022
With more than 200 UK offices, home care provider Bluebird Care is expanding in Scotland with a new office in Inverclyde & Renfrewshire, following one man's struggle to find care for his dad. The.....
Art show sees ageing as time for 'adventure' not a story of decline
02 Aug 2022
That’s the message from a new art exhibition at London’s Design Museum, which is intent on smashing ageism with a fresh perspective of old age as time for optimism, "confidence" and "adventure". This summer’s.....
Bluebird Care sponsors champion league football to success
29 Jul 2022
Bluebird Care Northallerton, Thirsk and Catterick has become the new sponsor behind this year’s Junior Champions League champions, Brompton Juniors Under 10s. As part of the sponsorship, Bluebird Care has.....
People's safety at risk from 'cliff edge' of a lack of social care say NHS leaders
28 Jul 2022
NHS leaders are demanding the government make social care its ‘top priority’ as people’s safety is at risk from a lack of care provision. A July poll of 243 NHS leaders has found 99 per cent are seeing.....
Home care provider who took 'inspiration' from grandad wins national award
28 Jul 2022
A home care provider who was “inspired” to become a care worker after he experienced “poor care” with his grandad, has won a national award for brightening the lives of people living with dementia within the community......
People with dementia feel relaxed with 'twiddle muffs' keeping 'restless' hands busy
26 Jul 2022
Twiddle muffs are being knitted to relax people with dementia and 15 of the fun gloves have been given to home care provider Home Instead as sensory stimulation for “restless hands”. Adorned with beads and.....
Inspectors rate Carefound Home Care 'outstanding' at all branches
25 Jul 2022
Carefound Home Care has been rated ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) at all of its branches and is urging the public to consider a career in care by attending its recruitment open days. Carefound.....
Care chiefs urge government to place social care staff on par with NHS
22 Jul 2022
In response to over one million NHS staff being given a pay rise of at least £1,400 with the lowest earners receiving up to 9.3 per cent, care chiefs are calling on the government to place adult social care staff on an equal footing.....
Home Instead appoints new director of care and quality
21 Jul 2022
Home Instead has appointed Sanjeev Kaushal as its new director of care and quality to help "transform" the range of care services and "meet the needs of clients in the future". Mr Kaushal is a qualified.....
Filled posts in social care fall by 3% for first time ever
21 Jul 2022
The number of filled posts in adult social care has decreased by around three per cent (50,000) between 2020/21 and 2021/22 for the first time ever (with records dating back to 2012/13) according to an annual report. The.....