Care Home News
Care home residents drink champagne and eat quail eggs at Downton Abbey day
29 Jan 2021
A care home in Dorset has treated its residents to a day of living like the characters in TV drama Downton Abbey, with champagne for breakfast and quail eggs for lunch. The staff and even some of the residents.....
HC-One appoints new executive director for operations
28 Jan 2021
HC-One has appointed Stephen Butterworth as an executive director for operations for all of HC-One’s homes and its domiciliary care services. Mr Butterworth will be spearheading the operational direction.....
95% of care homes in England have had all residents vaccinated, reveals NCF poll
27 Jan 2021
Some 95 per cent of care homes in England have been able to get all their residents vaccinated, according to a poll by the National Care Forum (NCF). In total 749 care homes run by 48 care providers in.....
COVID-19: MHRA authorises self-testing of care home staff with lateral flow devices
26 Jan 2021
The UK’s Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has now authorised the self-testing of care home staff with lateral flow devices, so staff can receive two rapid tests as well as the PCR swab test every week. More.....
Care home chief becomes a COVID-19 vaccine volunteer
25 Jan 2021
The acting chief executive of the Independent Care Group (ICG) has signed up to do her bit in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Bev Proctor has become a COVID-19 vaccine volunteer to help tackle the.....
Frontline staff like care workers and bus drivers see higher COVID-19 death rates
25 Jan 2021
The number of people working in frontline jobs - such as bus drivers, taxi drivers and care workers - who have passed away because of the coronavirus, is significantly higher than the rest of the working population according to.....
Investigations into Covid care home deaths in Scotland are doing 'irreparable damage' to staff
22 Jan 2021
Investigations into Covid-related deaths at more than 450 care homes in Scotland have been criticised as “wholly disproportionate” and are “causing irreparable damage to the professional integrity of nurses and carers”. The.....
Postcode lottery of care home fees as London care home costs double of one in Wales
21 Jan 2021
The weekly average cost of private residential care in the UK is £848, according to financial analysts, who have found fees are very much a postcode lottery with a care home in Wales costing just over £600 and one in London costing.....
Care homes taking Covid patients can now use state-backed insurance scheme
20 Jan 2021
Care homes in England that have agreed to take Covid patients from hospital can now use a state-backed insurance scheme. In October last year, local authorities were asked to identify care homes that would.....
President of World Clown Association gets job in a care home
19 Jan 2021
Lound Hall Nursing Home in Suffolk has now got its very own professional clown who is also president of the World Clown Association. Andrew Davis is the care home’s new activities coordinator. He has been.....
Care providers get £120m to spend on extra staff, as absence rates rise due to Covid
18 Jan 2021
The government has announced that care homes and home care services in England struggling with rising absence rates due to Covid, will be able to access a £120m fund to pay for extra staff or to pay existing staff overtime. The.....
Boris Johnson promises social care reform this year as care homes call for action
15 Jan 2021
Prime minister Boris Johnson has told MPs he will deliver social care reform “later this year” as care homes demand assistance as they tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. Appearing before the House of Commons.....
Having a healthy heart can help stave off dementia, say scientists
14 Jan 2021
Having a healthy heart can provide cognitive benefits in older people and can help delay the onset of dementia, according to new research. Researchers at the University of Oxford and University College London.....
Coronavirus: Care directors appeal for new recruits and cash injection to help 'exhausted' workforce
14 Jan 2021
An appeal for new recruits and immediate funding to help the care sector’s ‘exhausted workforce’ combat COVID-19 cases is being made by social care leaders. With care home outbreaks more than trebling.....
GPs told to use army if needed to vaccinate everyone in England's care homes by end of the week
14 Jan 2021
GPs have been told by NHS England to give the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to all residents and in England’s care homes by the end of the week and use the military if needed to get the job done. A.....
Mental Health Act reform will cut number of people with learning disabilities and autism being sectioned
13 Jan 2021
A major reform of the Mental Health Act will reduce the number of people with learning disabilities and autism being sectioned, as they will only be detained for treatment if a ‘co-occurring mental health condition is identified’,.....
Care home 'companions' on the rise for residents missing family in lockdown
13 Jan 2021
A care home provider has decided to dramatically expand its ‘companionship’ team of musicians and teachers, to lift the spirits of residents unable to hug and kiss their family during lockdown. Colten Care.....
Care homes told to accept COVID-19 patients to free up hospital beds
13 Jan 2021
The NHS is asking care homes to immediately admit COVID-19 patients without negative tests to free up hospital beds. Care homes have been asked by the NHS to accept coronavirus patients who have been in.....
Unpaid carers urged to share experiences of care during year of Covid
12 Jan 2021
Unpaid carers in England are being urged to give their feedback on the care their family and friends have received over the past year during Covid, at home, in care homes, at GP services and in hospital. The.....
Free PPE extended until June for care providers but they say supplies aren't enough
12 Jan 2021
Free personal protective equipment (PPE) for COVID-19 is available to care providers until the end of June 2021 but many care homes and home care providers argue the amount available is not enough to protect people in their care. The.....
Coronavirus: 'Our lives are important' says care home resident getting vaccine
12 Jan 2021
Residents at care homes up and down the country have joined staff in expressing relief after finally getting vaccinated against COVID-19. Zeena, a resident at St Peter’s Home in Watford, which cares.....
UK governments sign up to new Rare Disease Framework to speed up diagnosis and improve care
11 Jan 2021
The four UK nations have signed up to a new framework to speed up the diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases such as Huntington’s disease or cystic fibrosis. It is hope that the new Rare Disease Framework.....
Coronavirus: 'Shattered' care homes hit by staff absences of up to 50%
11 Jan 2021
Care homes are facing staff absence rates of up to 50 per cent as the number of rising positive COVID-19 cases forces care workers to isolate and a halt in new admissions. A poll of care homes by the National.....
Care home chief awarded MBE for her leadership during pandemic
08 Jan 2021
Dr Natalie-Jane Macdonald, UK chief executive of Sunrise Senior Living and Gracewell Healthcare has been awarded an MBE for services to healthcare in the Queen’s New Year Honours List 2021. The New Year Honours.....
PM promises to vaccinate all care home residents by end of month, as figures show England lags behind rest of UK
08 Jan 2021
Boris Johnson has promised every care home resident in England will be offered a coronavirus jab by the end of this month, in the wake of revelations that only one in 10 so far has been given the vaccine. Mr.....
Coronavirus: Fake NHS COVID-19 vaccine texts target elderly and care workers
07 Jan 2021
Care workers and elderly people are being targeted by fraudsters who are sending fake NHS texts telling them a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is ready for them if they give their bank details. The Chartered.....
Pfizer vaccine rollout success for over 200 residents in Gloucestershire care homes
07 Jan 2021
Half of all care home staff and 97 per cent of residents have been vaccinated against COVID-19 at five Gloucestershire care homes Faithfull House care home in Cheltenham was one of the first six care homes.....
Care home residents use Google Nest to make video calls to family and friends
06 Jan 2021
Residents at a care home in Chigwell, Essex are among the first in the UK to receive free Google Nest smart speakers, enabling them to make voice recognition calls to connect with friends and family. Each.....
Ban on 'close-contact' indoor care home visits in England a 'terrible blow'
05 Jan 2021
All indoor visits to care homes in England have been banned as part of a third coronavirus national lockdown, with the National Care Forum (NCF) and Alzheimer’s Society calling the news a “terrible blow” for residents and families. The.....
Brotherhood of Man singer becomes a care home entertainer
05 Jan 2021
Residents at a Dorset care home are being treated to regular live performances from a Eurovision Song Contest winner in the comfort of their own lounge. Nicky Stevens from 70s pop sensation Brotherhood of.....