Adult social care
Government has ‘neglected’ care homes - report
Government action to support care homes during the coronavirus pandemic was too little, too late, a report has found.
Local government was poorly prepared for pandemic, report finds
A decade of spending cuts, staff shortages and poor contacts with Whitehall meant local government was poorly prepared to cope with the coronavirus pandemic, a report from the Institute for Government think-tank has said.
Plan to hand social care to NHS is for ‘wrong reasons’
Plans to hand social care to the NHS are being mooted for ‘all the wrong reasons,’ local government finance expert Rob Whiteman has said.
Government handling of social care during pandemic attacked
MPs have delivered a blistering attack on the Government’s handling of social care during coronavirus.
We need an entirely new approach on care
increased technological advances mean that in the future care is far more likely to be provided in people’s homes, says Jonathan Rallings. He argues that we need to create a system which can evolve to meet these more sophisticated needs.
Ministers moot plans to hand social care to NHS
Social care could be handed over to the NHS under proposals being considered to solve the looming crisis.
COVID-19 testing is anything but strategic
Vic Rayner says local Public Health England teams still rely on care homes to manually update them on positive COVID-19 cases, preventing meaningful learning from data – and testing outside care homes has been insufficient.
Dilnot brands care system a 'stain on the nation'
The social care system is a ‘stain on the nation’ says the architect of the review that in 2011 backed a £35,000 cap on care costs and a reform of means testing.
OBR issues warning on soaring care and council costs
Soaring costs for adult social care along with indebted local authorities struggling to balance their budgets post-virus are among the key risks to the Government's spending plans warns the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) today.
Immigration plans branded an 'embarrassing shambles'
The Government’s latest plans for post-Brexit immigration rules have been branded an ‘embarrassing shambles’ after they failed to include care workers.
Care chiefs reject Boris' COVID claims
Care chiefs have rejected claims by Prime Minister Boris Johnson that it was their lack of vigilance that led to a high number of coronavirus deaths in care homes.
NHS chief calls for social care reforms within a year
Sir Simon Stevens has called for a solution to properly fund adult social care to be brought forward within the next year.
Jenrick: We'll back local government
Robert Jenrick has promised that Whitehall will back local government in the same way councils ‘stepped up and supported people in their time of need’.
Positive change is possible
The care sector has witnessed great tragedy in recent months. IMPOWER's Stuart Lindsay says 'there is an opportunity to fast forward positive change and benefit future generations - albeit one that needs careful steering'.
Fighting for everyone’s rights
Cllr Gavin Harding MBE became the first person with a learning disability to be employed by NHS England. He says councils could do more to employ learning-disabled people in ‘serious roles’. Ann McGauran reports.
Ombudsman creates specialist coronavirus unit ahead of complaints service reopening
A specialist unit has been created to deal with coronavirus complaints by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman as it resumes its work.
Bringing the widest evidence base to decisions about local care markets
In the light of COVID-19 and in pursuit of better outcomes for patients and customers we need shared visibility of pathway performance from end-to-end, says Jonathan Flowers. New technologies can help, he adds.
Government's national approach criticised by top auditor
A top auditor has heavily criticised the Government’s ‘national approach’ to the coronavirus response.
Hand health powers to elected mayors, says report
Health powers should be handed to elected mayors as part of a ‘rejuvenated and fortified wave of devolution,’ a think-tank report has suggested.
Health chiefs deny care home 'recklessness'
Health chiefs have rejected allegations that discharging elderly NHS patients into care homes at the height of the pandemic in April was ‘reckless.’
