Social Care
Labour must 'grasp the nettle' early on social care costs
Labour will ‘have to grasp the nettle fairly early on’ if it wins the General Election about the long-term funding of social care, shadow minister Andrew Gwynne has said.
Using ‘assurance’ to aid recruitment
Inspections can prove a troubling time for organisations, but preparation and support for your staff can reap benefits in the long term. Craig Clarke of GatenbySanderson explains.
Santa or the Grinch? No quick fix for fail finances
Heather Jameson says: 'It all comes back to the same issues over and again for local government. The funding system is fundamentally broken.'
MPs warn services on ‘knife edge’
MPs have warned key services are on a ‘knife edge’ due to the poor financial health of councils in England.
The King's Fund: Health and care lack shared understanding on delayed discharges
Health and care systems lack a shared understanding of the causes of hospital discharge delays and short-term Government funding fails to address this.
Elevating ambitions through co-production
Chief executive officer at IMPOWER Sean Hanson looks forward to the National Children and Adult Services Conference. As gold sponsor, IMPOWER will focus on elevating ambitions and developing effective co-production for better outcomes.
Time for local and national action on hospital pressures
The County Councils Network's new report with Newton shows the causes of winter pressures are more complex than the prevailing narrative and sets out solutions to make the system work better, says James Maker.
CCN Report - Winter pressure focus on home and community support could save £2.5bn
A new report has argued £2.5bn could be saved if funding to address health and social care winter pressures focused on home and community support.
Millions of pounds in extra savings needed in social care, survey reveals
Council social care leaders are having to find millions of pounds of extra savings this year as winter pressures approach, a survey has revealed.
Embracing the challenge
Cllr Tim Oliver sets the scene for the upcoming CCN conference, which looks ahead to the future while firmly keeping its footing on today’s challenging local government environment.
Unlocking the power of peers in mental health support
Peer support for people with mental health needs is having a broad impact in Southwark, including better access to support, new career paths and better health outcomes, says Salil Meech Mazumdar.
Adult directors reveal limited availability of preventative services as NHS pressures grow
Adult social care directors have highlighted the limited availability of preventative services as the NHS adjusts its waiting list plans amid heightened pressure on hospitals.
Housing for health – the ICS challenge
Steve Barwick and Phil Hope set out the key issues and the five recommendations emerging from a Health Devolution Commission roundtable on housing and health.
One in 10 county councils facing effective bankruptcy
England’s county and unitary authorities are ‘running out of road’ to prevent insolvency, with one in 10 not sure they can balance their budgets this year.
Public services in 'dire state’
No public services are performing better than before the pandemic and satisfaction with councils has dropped, a report has found.
Children's services 'absolute carnage'
The state of children’s services has been described as ‘absolute carnage’ after years of underfunding.
Section 114 ‘almost inevitable’ for Leicester
Leicester City Council is ‘rapidly running out of options’ to cut costs and faces financial crisis ahead of its 2025-26 budget, its mayor has warned local government secretary Michael Gove.
New adult social care workforce strategy planned to curb staff exodus
Skills for Care is to develop a workforce strategy for adult social care after its annual report revealed 440,000 more posts will be needed by 2035.
Putting communities in control
How could a serious government address tough challenges head on? A report from New Local and co-authored by a group of Labour council leaders sets out a route towards just that, says Jessica Studdert.
LGA claims ‘so much more could have been done’ in pandemic
Councils were held back from effectively tackling the challenges of the pandemic by central Government, it has been claimed.