Home Care News
Extra 71,200 care home beds needed by 2025
15 Aug 2017
An extra 71,215 care home places will be needed within the next eight years as life expectancy and care needs rise, while 4.4 million people will require care at home, a new study predicts. A study published.....
Game of Thrones star wades into row over back pay for overnight home care workers
03 Aug 2017
A Games of Thrones star, who plays the hero Jon Snow in the hit TV show, has waded into an argument about the Government's decision to make care providers pay as much as six years’ worth of wages owed to ‘sleep-in’ care workers. Actor.....
Care bosses fear they'll go bust with six-year backdated wage bill for night sleepers
20 Jul 2017
The Government’s decision to make care bosses pay six years’ worth of backdated wages in line with minimum wage to night-time staff, is expected to cost care providers £400m - prompting fears of “Southern Cross type” care firm failures......
Size matters in care homes with small doing better than large, says CQC
06 Jul 2017
Just over three-quarters of adult social care services in England have been rated good and two per cent are outstanding, says the country's watchdog, but it warns not all care homes and domiciliary services offer ‘good enough’ care,.....
Theresa May 'demotes' social care again by giving post to junior minister
30 Jun 2017
Prime Minister Theresa May has been criticised for giving the responsibility for social care to a junior minister again, rather than to a senior minister at Cabinet level who would be able to take “decisive action”. MP.....
PM's 'dementia tax' ditched like the Queen's crown
21 Jun 2017
As the Queen’s Speech announced the Government’s plans, there was no mention of the Conservative’s election pledge of a dementia tax or a social care cap. Instead, Her Majesty ditched her crown for a blue.....
Welsh Government unveils plans to curb zero-hours contracts for home care workers
15 Jun 2017
Plans to curb zero-hours contracts and protect care time in the social care sector have been unveiled by the Welsh Government. Under the new proposals, employers will need to offer home care workers on zero-hours.....
Election 'Mayhem' over social care puts care challenges on the map
09 Jun 2017
Prime Minister Theresa May was prepared for a sleepless night in the early hours of 9 June, and the next day Britain woke up to find voters had not heeded her call to ‘strengthen my hand’ but taken away the Conservative Party’s majority.....
General Election 2017: Home care leaders tell political parties 'stop using social care as a political football'
01 Jun 2017
Social care has been one of the issues dominating the election campaign, with the Conservatives even forced into doing an unprecedented U-turn after its manifesto pledge to introduce a ‘dementia tax’ was heavily criticised. When.....
'Weak and wobbly' Theresa May makes social care cap U-turn
22 May 2017
Prime Minister Theresa May, has announced the public will be given the chance to have ‘an absolute limit’ on what they must pay for their social care costs, in a https://www.carehome.co.uk/news/article.cfm/id/1584507/Theresa-May-denies-elderly-social-care-cap|Conservative.....
Jeremy Corbyn's manifesto promises £8bn for social care and new 'National Care Service'
11 May 2017
The Labour Party will create a National Care Service providing 'care for all' and give £8bn for social care, a leaked election manifesto reveals. £8bn for social care If elected to.....
Norman Lamb calls decision to prosecute over Connor Sparrowhawk’s death 'better late than never'
10 May 2017
MP Norman Lamb has welcomed the decision by the Health and Safety Executive to prosecute Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust over the death of Connor Sparrowhawk, saying it has “taken far too long” but is “better late than never”. Connor,.....
Theresa May considers lifetime cap on social care to win votes
08 May 2017
Prime Minister Theresa May is looking to resurrect David Cameron’s ditched pledge to introduce a limit on the amount older people pay for social care. As she draws up the Conservative’s manifesto for the.....
EU nurses and care workers reveal 'anger and betrayal' after MPs find morale hit by Brexit
28 Apr 2017
Nurses and care workers have been speaking to carehome.co.uk about their feelings of “anger and betrayal” after MPs from the Health Select Committee warned that morale among health and care workers from the EU has been hit by the.....
'Utterly scandalous' thousands die waiting for care visits at home says Lib Dem's Tim Farron
24 Apr 2017
Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron has attacked the Government for social care cuts which have seen at least 2,037 adults die waiting for care visits in their homes in the last three years. Older people.....
People with learning disabilities are dying needlessly without GPs' help
05 Apr 2017
Some 1,200 people with a learning disability are dying of avoidable deaths every year according to the charity Mencap, with most people with the disability (77 per cent) not getting the help they need from GPs. Only.....
Pinch, punch first of the month brings rise in care watchdog fees and wage bill
03 Apr 2017
Care home and domiciliary care agencies have seen the fees they pay the care watchdog go up in April, as well as a rise in staff wages. April brought an increase in the charges care providers must pay to.....
Almost half of care workers leave jobs within a year, inquiry finds
31 Mar 2017
Nearly half of care staff (48 per cent) leave their jobs within a year of starting, with the social care sector replacing more than a third (36 per cent) of its nurses every year, a new report reveals. The.....
Home care providers hand back 'unsustainable' contracts to local councils
20 Mar 2017
Care providers have cancelled contracts with 95 UK councils due to a lack of funding, an investigation has found. BBC Panorama found that agencies were "struggling" to deliver the care required with the funding.....
Antidepressant helps people ditch chocolate biscuits for healthier food
16 Mar 2017
A drug used to treat depression makes people more likely to eat healthy food rather than tasty, fatty snacks, say academics. The discovery by researchers, follows a series of trials involving the antidepressant.....
'Failing law': People with dementia and learning difficulties are detained in care without checks
13 Mar 2017
Thousands of vulnerable people with dementia and learning disabilities are being detained in hospitals and care homes without the appropriate checks, due to a "failing law unfit for purpose," the Law Commission has said. Since.....
Chancellor's Spring Budget hands social care extra £2bn
08 Mar 2017
Chancellor Philip Hammond's Spring Budget has given an extra £2bn to social care over the next three years - with £1bn available in 2017/18. The £1bn available this year, was described as a bridge to the.....
Link found between autoimmune diseases and heightened risk of dementia
02 Mar 2017
Autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and coeliac disease, may be linked to an increased risk of dementia, according to a new study. Researchers from the University of Oxford analysed data of people.....
Education 'does not protect' against cognitive decline in later life
24 Feb 2017
A new study has found that whilst older people with a higher level of education have better memory function, it does not protect them from cognitive decline as they age. Research published in the journal.....
Heading footballs could 'cause brain damage and trigger dementia'
15 Feb 2017
Researchers have found what could be a causal link between heading a football and dementia, fuelling concerns, which have been brewing for some time, as an increasing number of high-profile retired footballers are diagnosed with dementia. Notably,.....
Women in their 80s have better sex lives than women in their 50s
14 Feb 2017
Women in their 80s are having better sex lives than those aged between 50-79, according to a think tank which has called for more to be done to improve the sexual healthcare of older people. A new report.....
'Victory' for disabled people as taxi drivers face heavy fines for discriminating against wheelchair users
07 Feb 2017
A new change in the law means that from 6 April 2017, it will be illegal for taxi drivers to discriminate against disabled taxi users, the Department for Transport has announced. Under the new legislation,.....
Earlier diagnosis of dementia in people with learning disabilities urgently needed
24 Jan 2017
A group of voluntary sector organisations has called for earlier diagnosis of dementia for people with learning disabilities, so they can receive better support. VODG (Voluntary Organisations Disability Group).....
Charity calls for HIV training for care workers after they showed 'unacceptable' prejudice
19 Jan 2017
The Terrence Higgins Trust is calling for a 'major shift' in awareness and training of care workers to support older people with HIV, after it revealed a care home made a woman with HIV sit on the same chair and used antibacterial.....
Premier League football clubs may face legal action over lack of accessibility for disabled fans
16 Jan 2017
Premier League football clubs have been highlighted as having inadequate facilities for fans with disabilities and could face legal action if they fail to change. A new report by the Culture, Media and Sport.....
'Undignified' 15 minute home care visits: still the norm for 34 councils
11 Jan 2017
Thousands of disabled and older people are still receiving 15 minute homecare visits in England because almost a quarter of councils (22 per cent) – 34 - are ignoring Care Act guidance to stop the practice. While.....
HC-One buys Helen McArdle's 20 care homes and home care business
10 Jan 2017
Care provider HC-One has acquired 20 care homes in the North East of England from Helen McArdle Care and its ‘At Home’ business. The acquisition on 10 January involves 1,343 beds from 19 existing care.....
Mediterranean diet reduces risk of learning and memory loss in older people
05 Jan 2017
Eating a Mediterranean diet can slow down natural brain shrinkage in older people, which is commonly linked to decreased learning and memory ability, a new study has found. Researchers at the University of.....
Grandparents who help with childcare are living longer
05 Jan 2017
Those who help out with childcare or provide support to others in their community tend to live longer than older people who do not care for other people, new research has revealed. A study called 'Caregiving.....
UK in 2030: Robots take our jobs and ageing population grows by a third
29 Dec 2016
By 2030, the number of people aged 65 and over will have grown by a third, up to two-thirds of jobs could be done by robots and the gap between rich and poor will have grown even wider, according to the think tank IPPR. Its.....
Sajid Javid announces extra £900m for adult social care over two years
15 Dec 2016
Councils are being given the power to raise tax for social care by six per cent over the next two years, as part of £900m of extra money, but critics call it a 'sticking plaster' for the care sector's ills. Local.....
By 2025 dementia will be managed and 'treated in much the same way as HIV'
14 Dec 2016
Belgium scientist Professor Bart De Strooper, newly appointed director of The UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI), said he believes dementia will be as manageable as HIV/AIDS by 2025. Professor De Strooper.....
NHS hospitals need to 'radically change' to stop people with learning disabilities dying prematurely
13 Dec 2016
It has been common knowledge for decades that people with learning disabilities and mental health problems are dying prematurely, yet a Government review has found hospitals are still not bothering to investigate these deaths. The.....
Should people keep working into old age to stay healthy?
08 Dec 2016
The ‘baby boomer’ generation are being advised not to put their feet up and retire but to carry on working, if they want to stay healthy. England’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO) is advising people aged 50.....
Parkinson's disease could be linked to gut bacteria, say researchers
02 Dec 2016
Microbes in the gut may play a critical role in the development of Parkinson's disease, according to new research published in Cell. American researchers showed that treatment with antibiotics could reduce.....
Over half of older people miss having someone to laugh with
02 Dec 2016
Laughing with another person, hugs and simply being together with someone are the things most missed by lonely, older people, according to a new survey by The Campaign to End Loneliness. The Campaign found.....
Government to scrap 'bureaucratic nightmare' of Deprivation of Liberty Safeguard coroner inquests
24 Nov 2016
Coroners will no longer be required to carry out inquests for anyone who dies while under Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), under an amendment to the Policing and Crime Bill. The Government has ruled.....
Autumn Statement: Job losses from wage rise puts social care in 'NAM' not 'JAM'
23 Nov 2016
Chancellor Philip Hammond’s Autumn Statement tried to 'absolutely ignore’ social care but seemed to deal the sector a body blow anyway with a rise in the minimum wage expected to bring job losses. Instead.....
MP Norman Lamb warns Brexit may exacerbate social care workforce crisis if UK 'clamps down' on immigration
18 Nov 2016
Liberal Democrat spokesperson for health, Norman Lamb, has spoken of fears for the social care sector which depends ‘very substantially’ on EU workers. The pressures facing the health and social care systems.....
Rallying cry for MPs to 'Save social care tonight' gets 279 'noes'
17 Nov 2016
An opposition-led debate proposing a motion to bring forward social care funding for 2019-20 to treat the sector’s funding crisis, has been defeated with 279 'noes' and only 200 ‘ayes’. Speaking on 16 November,.....
Care failures reveal home care workers are 'crying out' for dementia training
17 Nov 2016
A lack of training for home care workers is leaving people with dementia in soiled clothing, without food or water or in hospitals and care homes when they should be at home, an investigation reveals. The.....
Probiotics found in yoghurt may 'benefit cognition' in people with Alzheimer's disease
11 Nov 2016
Probiotics found in yoghurt and supplements could help improve memory and cognition in people with Alzheimer’s disease, new research suggests. A small clinical trial of 52 participants revealed that people.....
'Underfunded' and 'unstable' home care sector puts older people at risk
25 Oct 2016
The viability of state-funded home care is at risk due to ‘widespread and systematic’ underfunding, according to a report by UK Home Care Association. In a report based on Freedom of Information requests.....
Prostate cancer treatment may double risk of dementia
14 Oct 2016
There is a significant link between a common therapy for prostate cancer and increased risk of dementia, a new study reveals. Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is a widely used therapy for prostate cancer.....
Fragile adult social care sector 'at tipping point' despite good care says watchdog
13 Oct 2016
The majority of care homes and home care providers are giving ‘good quality care’, the Care Quality Commission (CQC)’s State of Care report reveals but growing demand and financial pressures mean the adult social care market is ‘approaching.....