Care Providers’ Press Releases

Twenty centres to put health visitors at the heart of the community
30-Mar-11
Twenty health visiting sites across the country have been selected to lead the way in fast tracking the delivery of the Government’s vision to improve the health and well being of children, families and communities, read full article

Health and social care services opened up to Big Society
30-Mar-11
At least £10 million more to fund Social Enterprises NHS staff and patients will get more control of their services thanks to a package of measures announced by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley at the social read full article

Cambridgeshire top performing council for social care contact services
30-Mar-11
Cambridgeshire County Council is one of the top performing local authorities in the country for the way it handles first time contact from the public re Adult Social Care Services. The Care Quality Commission read full article

Anger at rise in Care Quality Commission's regulatory fees
29-Mar-11
The National Care Association has reacted with anger to today's announcement by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) that its regulatory fees scheme to Social Care providers, to be implemented on 1 April 2011, will read full article

CQC announces regulatory fees
29-Mar-11
Following consultation with the health and social care providers it regulates, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has announced the fees that will be paid by providers from 1 April 2011 under the Health and Social read full article

Research into key principle of the Mental Health Act
28-Mar-11
Carers are being asked to take part in a national research project about the Best Interests Decisions under the Mental Capacity Act (MCA). The MCA states that if a person lacks mental capacity to make a particular read full article

Age Concern in Maidenhead to provide new Town Hall community cafe
25-Mar-11
A new community café is set to open in Maidenhead Town Hall in June, run by local charity Age Concern Slough and Berkshire East. The café will be run as an independent venture by Age Concern which will lease read full article

Carers with dignity are celebrated
23-Mar-11
Carers and organisations who put dignity at the heart of everything they do have been celebrated at a special awards ceremony. Staffordshire County Council's Dignity in Care awards celebrated individuals and care read full article

Disabled people 'the hardest hit' in welfare reform
23-Mar-11
A report published today by the Disability Benefits Consortium, a coalition of 41 charities and organisations, shows how welfare reform changes may harm disabled people. The report highlights concerns over read full article

Sevacare (UK) Ltd - Leicestershire Contract Win and ISO 9001 Accreditation
22-Mar-11
Sevacare continues to make a significant impact on the market in 2011 following a major contract win for the provision of Domiciliary Care and Support Services in Leicestershire. The new contract will see Sevacare read full article

Staff survey results
21-Mar-11
A national survey of NHS staff across England has shown that the majority of staff at Suffolk Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust agree the Trust has a commitment to work-life balance and offers flexible working read full article

New guidance to improve care for vulnerable patients
18-Mar-11
The Department of Health has today launched four new sets of guidance to improve the care of vulnerable people in NHS funded care. The documents remind staff and managers across the health service of the importance read full article

Survey asks how to commemorate Suffolk's last Victorian asylum
15-Mar-11
St Clement’s Hospital, the last Victorian asylum in Suffolk, is due to close its doors later this year after 141 years of mental health care. When the then-named Ipswich Borough Asylum opened in 1870, Queen read full article

NACC announces new initiative to raise awareness of dehydration in older people
15-Mar-11
The National Association of Care Catering (NACC) has today announced the launch of the Dehydration in Older People Awareness Week 6th – 12th June 2011, which they hope will help to raise the awareness of dehydration read full article

Fees increase is criminal
15-Mar-11
The English Community Care Association (ECCA), the leading representative body for independent care providers, has condemned the significant increase in fees for enhanced Criminal Records Bureau checks. Martin read full article

Millions of patients set to benefit from a modern NHS
14-Mar-11
Ticking time bomb means 252 per cent increase in people aged over 65 with one or more conditions by 2050 The NHS can’t afford to stand still if it is going to cope with the increasing number of people with one read full article

Self Directed Support website launched
08-Mar-11
A new website has been launched to provide information on an innovative approach to the funding and delivery of social care services in the Highlands. The website, www.highland.gov.uk/sds provides an introduction read full article

New brain scan helps detect early signs of Alzheimer's
07-Mar-11
A new brain scan which can detect early signs of Alzheimer’s is being trialled at memory services in Croydon, Lambeth and Southwark. An 'Automated MRI' software package compares a patient's brain scan against read full article

New excellence scheme for adult social care
07-Mar-11
You may have seen the Independent’s coverage of the announcement of the quality scheme – unfortunately this contained a number of inaccuracies. For clarity: The consultation does not launch until May The read full article

775million investment for new NHS research in a major boost for patients and the economy
07-Mar-11
The largest ever funding – up to £775million over 5 years - to be made available for translational research – research that is dedicated to deliver benefits to NHS patients has been announced by Health Secretary read full article

Welsh Assembly Government must act now to end disability poverty in Wales
07-Mar-11
Leonard Cheshire Disability is calling on the Welsh Assembly Government to use its new powers to take disabled people out of poverty. The charity’s report, Disability Poverty in Wales, reveals that disabled read full article

BAPS charities launch Annual Challenge with Age UK
07-Mar-11
The BAPS Charities' Annual Challenge for 2011 was launched on the evening of Saturday 12 February 2011 at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden, London. Age UK is delighted to have been selected to partner with read full article

Campaign launched to tackle dementia
04-Mar-11
A Government campaign to raise awareness of the early signs and symptoms of dementia is being launched today (Friday 4 March) by Care Services Minister Paul Burstow. Aimed at challenging misconceptions about read full article

New start for Gateshead residents
04-Mar-11
A new service from Gateshead Council is helping adults to get back on their feet after suffering from poor physical or mental health, and saving a lot of staff time into the bargain. New START is a free service read full article

Future of adult social care in Birmingham
04-Mar-11
A report on the future of adult social care in Birmingham will be presented to the city council’s cabinet on Monday 14 March. Local authorities across the country face huge financial challenges, with Birmingham read full article

Emergency card launched for carers
03-Mar-11
Carers do a fantastic job in Bridgend County Borough – but if they get ill or are caught up in an emergency, what happens to the people they look after? Bridgend County Borough Council and the Bridgend Carers read full article

Committee pushes for key adult social care decision deferral
03-Mar-11
Proposals which could mean major changes to adult social care in West Sussex should be deferred, said a Committee on Tuesday (March 1). The Adults’ Services Select Committee reviewed the consultation process read full article

Disability champion welcomes more money for adult social services
03-Mar-11
Wirral Council is planning to put an extra £3.4m into Adult Social Services in the coming year in a move which has been welcomed by the Chair of Wirral’s Independent Disabled People’s Forum. The funding package, read full article

Good food for the elderly is both tasty and healthy
03-Mar-11
For the elderly, a good and heart-warming meal provides a daily highlight as well as a crucial source of nutrition. The elderly are more likely to suffer from malnutrition than any other social demographic and, read full article

Mencap responds to DPP's speech on hate crime
03-Mar-11
"We are pleased to hear the Crown Prosecution Service and the Director of Public Prosecutions acknowledging publicly the justice system is currently failing victims of disability hate crime. "There are many read full article

Research shows age discrimination is rife in Europe
03-Mar-11
New research commissioned by Age UK reveals that age is the most widely experienced form of discrimination in Europe. Some 64 per cent of those interviewed in the UK and 44.4 per cent across Europe judge age discrimination read full article

Two thirds of the country now benefit from more personalised care
02-Mar-11
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has today announced the latest GP groups ready to take the lead in the Government's plans to modernise the NHS. GPs covering two thirds of the country have already come forward read full article

Staffordshire leads the way with hi-tech health care solutions
01-Mar-11
Innovative care products pioneered by Staffordshire County Council are helping older residents to live well in their own homes. Social care staff are working with hi-tech companies to keep people out of hospital read full article

New grants opportunities for voluntary organisations
01-Mar-11
Up to £3 million each year, for the next three years, will be invested in voluntary and community organisations to improve the health, social care and well-being of people in East Sussex. Adult Social Care and read full article

Focus on medication at NHS event
01-Mar-11
A new date has been announced as part of an award-winning series of events which bring together mental health service users, family carers, health professionals and voluntary organisations. Suffolk Mental Health read full article