News

Two youths from Dundee, Scotland have been participating in invaluable work experience – and a peek into life in a busy care home – as part of a drive to increase apprenticeship opportunities.Balhousie St Ronans, part of the award-winning Balhousie Care Group, have the two teenagers on work experience placements in its kitchen, where Daniel…

The Health and Social Care secretary, Matt Hancock, has ordered the removal of pagers for non-emergency communications by the end of 2021.All NHS Trust hospitals will be expected to have plans and infrastructure in place in place to ensure this is possible by the end of September 2020.NHS staff teams will instead use modern alternatives,…

RDB Star Rating, an independently accredited ‘quality’ assessment company, is delighted their managing director, Sue Brand, has received a Game Changer Award 2019 from Finance Monthly.The Game Changer Awards aim to highlight the best and the brightest in the business whether it is due to their business practices, solid leadership or dedication to get results.A…

Wales will need thousands more people to work in caring roles with adults and children by 2030 if it is to keep pace with the growing demand for care services and provide support for communities across the country.A national campaign, WeCare, has been launched today and is a collaboration between Social Care Wales and leading…

Women who receive hormone replacement therapy are at slightly higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s, according to new research published in the BMJ.Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is commonly offered to help relieve symptoms of the menopause. The treatment increases the level of hormones and the course and length of treatment can vary considerably from person to…

Council tax rises in 2019/20 will not generate enough funds to prevent the need for further cutbacks to the care that millions of older and disabled people rely on every day, the Local Government Association (LGA) has revealed.Local authorities are able to raise council tax by 2.99 per cent on an annual basis to fund…

Women are bearing the brunt of the Government’s inaction on social, with ‘sandwich carers’ especially badly hit, Age UK has said.On International Women’s Day 2019 (8 March) Age UK warned that women are generally being hurt the most by the lack of care and support.‘Sandwich carers’ are under particular pressure and 68% are women.The 8…

Under-pressure adult social services will face a £1 billion funding gap next year despite council tax rises, according to the body representing town hall leaders. Extra money raised by local authorities will “do little” to stop a decline in standards and the availability of care in England, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned.Its warning…

Amber Rudd has cited her father’s blindness as the motivating factor in an announcement that the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) is to scrap repeat tests for pensioners receiving PIP payments.This change means an approximate 270,000 pensioners currently receiving, or about to receive, Personal Independence Payment (PIP) disability benefits will move to a light…

Over a third of local authorities have seen a decline in Care Quality Commission (CQC) ratings in care homes, according to a new study.In a new study by Independent Age, it showed care homes’ ratings have declined in 37 per cent of local authorities, an increase on last year which showed care homes doing worse…