Care Home News
Local authorities urged to do more to reduce loneliness in older people
30 Jul 2015
A ‘strategic approach’ has been published by the Campaign to End Loneliness, which targets local councils and advises on how effective interventions to help at-risk adults can be achieved. Acknowledging multiple reasons for loneliness.....
Care Cap in crisis?
30 Jul 2015
Earlier this month, the Government announced it will be delaying its flagship care policy of introducing a cap on the cost of care until 2020, amid concerns it will cost £6 billion over the next five years. The Government has stated.....
BBC Three's Defying the Label season focuses on daily problems faced by people with disabilities
29 Jul 2015
A new BBC season of fifteen programmes focuses on the different struggles faced on people living with disabilities across the globe. Including titles such as: factual drama ‘Don’t Take My Baby’, ‘The Ugly Face of Disability Hate.....
End of life care guidelines under review
29 Jul 2015
New palliative care guidelines have been published as part of a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) consultation on measures that will replace the abolished Liverpool Care Pathway. Key to the new direction.....
Overworked GPs could be putting patients at risk
29 Jul 2015
GPs who are fatigued and overworked could be putting the lives of patients at risk unless action is taken, the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has warned. In a new paper published today, titled: ‘Patient safety implications.....
New research finds link between common medicines and serious falls in older men
29 Jul 2015
Scientists from the University of East Anglia have today announced the results of research into links between medication and serious falls in older men, after finding that certain prescriptions lead to an increased risk of injury. According.....
Pioneering HenPower project launched in London
28 Jul 2015
An innovative hen-based project connecting older people with hens to aid social isolation has launched in London. The £1m project is establishing itself in Hammersmith and Westminster after beginning life in the North East where.....
Essex care home receives visit from celebrity gardener
27 Jul 2015
Hallmark care home Anisha Grange in Essex, recently received a visit from celebrity gardener David Domoney as part of a company-wide gardening competition. Mr Domoney is most recognisable for his work on the Alan Titchmarsh Show.....
Nearly three-quarters of residents feel happier and less isolated after moving to a care home
27 Jul 2015
Seventy-four per cent of residents feel happier or just as happy and experience less isolation after moving to a care home, according to a new survey. The research carried out by Hallmark Care Homes found.....
Goalball players to fundraise money by cycling 170 miles for charity
24 Jul 2015
Goalball players from across the UK will be cycling 170 miles of ‘The Way of the Roses ’ to raise money for Goalball UK, a rehabilitation programme for injured soldiers returning from World War Two. The ‘Way of the Roses’ is the.....
Solihull care home welcomes care team from Singapore in dementia information sharing initiative
24 Jul 2015
Care staff at The Royal Star and Garter Home in Solihull recently received a visit from the elderly care team at Changi General Hospital in Singapore as part of a dementia information-sharing initiative. The visiting team consisted.....
End of life care review called by the National Council for Palliative Care
24 Jul 2015
A review on how Government departments and public bodies deal with death and bereavement has been requested by The National Council for Palliative Care (NCPC). The NCPC’s recent report titled, ‘Time for action: why end of life.....
CQC must do more to ensure quality inspections and value for money says watchdog
23 Jul 2015
The Care Quality Commission has taken measures to address concerns from members of the public about how it regulates and inspects care providers, but more needs to be done to ensure value for money and quality service is being provided. In.....
Study finds rise in suicide among males in mental health care
23 Jul 2015
The number of suicides by men under the care of mental health services in the UK has risen, reports a new study, published by the University of Manchester. The findings from the 2003 to 2013 National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide.....
Do you think the Care Cap should be delayed?
23 Jul 2015
Cllr Izzi Seccombe, chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board
YES
The Government has announced it is delaying plans that would have capped pensioners’ care costs to £72,000 until 2020, saying it cannot fund them at the current time.
The £72,000 care cap was due to be implemented in April...
Jane Ashcroft, chief executive of care home provider, AnchorNO
News of the delay was not so warmly received by some in the care sector. Jane Ashcroft, chief executive of Anchor, called it “outrageous” and said: “We’re very disappointed by the announcement from the Department for Health........
Women with memory problems experience faster cognitive decline than in men
22 Jul 2015
Women with memory problems could experience faster rates of cognitive decline than men, a new study has found. The first study presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Washington, found that women with.....
Dementia risk linked to school performance, job complexity and loneliness
21 Jul 2015
A recent conference has highlighted three risk factors in the development of dementia drawing on studies gathered from research centres around the world. Doing well at school and job complexity are associated with a lower risk.....
CQC claims to have transformed health and social care regulation
21 Jul 2015
According to England’s care regulator, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the health and social care sector is now benefitting from a robust new inspection method the organisation has developed over the last year. Published as.....
Patient watchdog report reveals human and financial cost of getting discharge process wrong
21 Jul 2015
More than 3,000 people from vulnerable groups participated in a study of discharge experiences and revealed basic problems with poor communication and coordination between people and services when planning patient discharges. The.....
Radical changes to NHS diagnosis of cancer to ensure test results within four weeks
20 Jul 2015
Major reforms recommended by the Independent Cancer Taskforce (ICT) will lead to an 80 per cent increase in the number of cancer tests, with NHS patients in England given a definitive diagnosis within a month to enable treatment to.....
Major breakthrough announcement expected this week on Alzheimer's drugs
20 Jul 2015
Scientists working for the US drugs company Eli Lilly are reported to be preparing a mid-week announcement regarding two new drugs they believe will prevent the brain changes that lead to Alzheimer’s disease. Scheduled to be unveiled.....
Children’s time capsule buried at Southampton care home
17 Jul 2015
Children at Highfield Infant School buried treasured items in a time capsule at the grounds of Mayflower Court, a residential care home in Southampton. A competition at the school led to children finalising letters, drawings,.....
Government's plan to delay care cap until 2020 is 'outrageous'
17 Jul 2015
The Government is delaying plans that would have capped pensioners’ care costs to £72,000 until 2020, saying it cannot fund them at the current time. The £72,000 care cap was due to be implemented in April.....
UK sees a rise in 'Young Active Pensioners'
17 Jul 2015
Nearly half of British older people are feeling at least ten years younger than their age, with the average pensioner now trying at least four activities since retirement, according to a new survey carried out by independent market.....
New Crosscare system to increase time care staff spend with patients and reduce paper records
17 Jul 2015
St Raphael’s Hospice in Sutton, Greater London, plans to start using new clinical management software, Crosscare, to help increase the amount of time care staff spend with patients and reduce the time spent doing paperwork. Crosscare.....
Eye Music Trust provides therapeutic experiences for Care UK residents
16 Jul 2015
Care UK has teamed up with Eye Music Trust, a performance charity, to bring therapeutic workshops to more care homes in Greater London. The partnership arose after the charity ran successful week-long workshops at some of Care.....
Rising compliance costs risk dragging down the care home industry
16 Jul 2015
Care home costs are becoming bloated by compliance costs, according to data released by business support organisation The Forum of Private Business (Forum). When compared with other small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), care.....
People with learning disabilities 'over-medicated' with anti-psychotic drugs
16 Jul 2015
People with learning disabilities are regularly ‘over-medicated’ with anti-psychotic drugs, according to a study by Public Health England. The report ‘Prescribing of psychotropic drugs to people with learning.....
Alzheimer's disease may affect the brain differently in African-Americans than European Americans
16 Jul 2015
Alzheimer’s disease may cause different changes in the brain in African-Americans than in white Americans of European descent, according to a recent study, published in the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The.....
Care home tackles nursing shortage with new assistant practitioner role
15 Jul 2015
Staff at a Lancashire care home have been taking part in an innovative new training course – one of the first of its kind in the UK. Healthcare workers at Springhill Care Home in Accrington embarked on a 15 month Assistant Practitioner.....