BRADBURY BLAST

Depression drugs ‘causing falls’

2012-01-18T23:28:00.000-08:00

The following is a brilliant article from the BBC web page 19/1/2012 well worth a read ++

Elderly people with dementia are more likely to suffer falls if they are given anti-depressants by care home staff, a study claims.
Many dementia patients also suffer from depression and drugs known as selective serotonin uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are frequently prescribed.
But the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology reports that the risk of injuries from falls was tripled.
The Alzheimer's Society called for more research into alternative treatments.
The risk of falls following treatment with older anti-depressants is well established, as the medication can cause side effects such as dizziness and unsteadiness.
It had been hoped that a move to newer SSRI-type drugs would reduce this problems, but the latest research, from the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, appears to show the reverse.
'Worrying'
Dr Carolyn Sterke recorded the daily drug use and records of falls in 248 nursing home residents over a two-year period.
The average age of the residents was 82, and the records suggested that 152 of them had suffered a total of 683 falls.
The consequences of falls were relatively high, with 220 resulting in injuries including hip fractures and other broken bones - and one resident died following a fall.
The risk of having an injury-causing fall was three times higher in residents taking SSRIs compared with those not taking the drug, and this risk rose further if the patient was being given sedative drugs as well.
Dr Sterke said that these risks needed to be taken into account when assessing whether anti-depressants were required.
She said: "Physicians should be cautious in prescribing SSRIs to older people with dementia, even at low doses."
Professor Clive Ballard, from the Alzheimer's Society, said it was "worrying" that such a commonly prescribed anti-depressant was causing increased risk.
He said: "It is important to highlight any aspect of care that might be causing risk to a person with dementia. We want to ensure that people with the condition are always receiving the best care possible.
"More research is now needed to understand why this anti-depressant is having this effect on people with dementia and if there is an alternative treatment for depression that they could be prescribed.
"One in three people over 65 will die with dementia yet research into the condition continues to be drastically underfunded. We must invest now.'

HMG £185m bailout for NHS claims fund

2012-01-15T04:36:00.000-08:00

So the government has been forced to give the NHS Litigation Authority £185m until April to cover the cost of claims and legal fees.

It comes after payouts have trebled over the last decade to £863m last year this
rise has been blamed on a boom in no-win, no-fee cases.

Well at the end of the day this is £185m that will not be going to front line NHS so we all suffer ! time to end this blame culture .

The spartacus-report

2012-01-11T10:35:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to this important report

http://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.com/2012/01/i-support-spartacus-report.html

Evidence of neglect and abuse at a private nursing home in Essex

2012-01-08T23:24:00.000-08:00

The following article is from the BBC web site , yet again we have it would appear neglect and abuse at a private nursing home how much longer will we as a society allow this to happen ?

Evidence of neglect and abuse at a private nursing home in Essex has been uncovered by a BBC investigation.
In August 2011 Partridge Care Centre, in Harlow, was at the centre of a police inquiry after three people were taken to hospital with "diabetes related problems".
Two women in their 80s died, although Essex Police dropped the investigation saying there was no evidence of "any relevant criminal offences".
The home's owner Rushcliffe Care Limited acknowledged there had been problems in the past, but claimed it had taken steps to make sure residents' "health and well-being are paramount".
But documents seen by BBC Essex show there were serious problems at the home before the police investigation.
Partridge Care Centre is a residential nursing home specialising in looking after people with a range of neurological conditions.
It is run by Rushcliffe Care, which also owns 23 other homes.
The centre has rooms for 117 residents, although at the moment it is less than half full, and presently employs about 120 staff.
Former worker at the home Graham Flack said he had witnessed abuse and neglect of residents during his time there.
"There was an incident where a certain member of staff was sitting on a resident, who was quite challenging… I would say restraining someone like you see on telly via the police," he said.
"At the end of the day no-one deserves to be held or pushed in any form or manner. It was not nice, not nice."
Lesley Minchin's mother Eileen Jarvis suffered from dementia and required specialist care.
She moved into the home in February 2011, with instructions that she should not be left alone because she was likely to fall.
According to a letter from the centre's manager to the family, Mrs Jarvis was left unattended during a shift change.
She got up, fell and broke her hip. It was two hours before staff at the home called the emergency services.
Mrs Minchin said she had got to the home at the same time as the paramedics.
'Screamed out'
"She was screaming out in pain when I arrived there and they were trying to ask her where the pain was," Mrs Minchin said.
"She said she didn't know but was hurting. When they touched her leg, she just screamed out."
Mrs Minchin claimed many of the problems at the home were caused by a lack of employees.
"The staff, on the whole, were very, very good. There just wasn't enough of them," she said.
The Care Quality Commission has carried out a series of inspections at Partridge Care Centre since May.
In the most recent report published in December, the health watchdog said it had minor concerns over staffing levels.
"Overall we found that there were sufficient numbers of staff available in the home, however there was a lack of effective leadership and deployment due to the large numbers of agency staff working there."
The CQC also found failings in four of the five basic standards during this inspection, including concerns about whether residents were safe in the home and whether they are receiving appropriate treatment.
Written warnings
BBC Essex has seen a report written after a surprise visit to the home by two managers in May 2011.
They found that several staff were asleep while on duty, a serious disciplinary offence.
The managers found one resident lying on an unmade bed that was smeared with faeces. Another was found sitting on the floor and had soiled themselves.
Other residents were found wandering around on their own, yet more were found in bed fully clothed.
The building was said to have smelt of urine and one of the units had no lights on.
Further documents show that some of the staff involved were only given written warnings.
An internal audit carried out by staff at Partridge Care Centre in July found that most of the residents' rooms were dirty.
Of the 21 homes run by Rushcliffe Care Limited, eight of them are failing at least one of the basic standards expected by the CQC.
'Unsubstantiated allegations'
According to its accounts, in the past year the company posted a £1.6m profit.
In a statement, the company said: "Following a series of unfortunate locally mismanaged events at Partridge Care Centre over the past nine months, Rushcliffe Care Group have taken measures so that the health and wellbeing of the centres' residents are paramount.
"We are unable to comment on individual unsubstantiated allegations, which have been made, but we... take all complaints and allegations seriously and when brought to our attention they are dealt with promptly and fairly."
Essex County Council said it had suspended the placement of residents at the home after the hospital referrals related to diabetes in August.
In a statement, Ann Naylor, cabinet member for adult health, said: "The formal suspension of placements at Partridge Care Centre will remain in place, in consultation with Rushcliffe Care management, until such time that partners are fully satisfied that sustainable improvements in the wellbeing and care of residents have been achieved."

Charitable bonds explained

2011-12-20T23:30:00.000-08:00

Excellent article by Mr Cheng well worth a read

By Paul Cheng
Head of CAF Venturesome, Charities Aid Foundation
The economic situation is getting tougher for all of us - and charities are no exception.
Central and local government funding for charitable organisations is being cut back as a result of the drive to reduce the deficit. Donations from members of the public are also coming under increasing pressure.
At exactly the same time that some traditional sources of funding are drying up, more and more people are looking to charities to provide desperately needed support and services.
It is because charities are determined to meet this need that many are increasingly looking for new and innovative ways to raise funds.
One idea that is increasingly being looked at is the issuing of charitable bonds which provide a form of long-term debt to expand their work.
How the bonds work
A charity or social enterprise may be able to issue bonds if it has a viable underlying source of revenue with which to repay the bondholders. These may include a chain of charity shops, payments by result for the delivery of a public service, or a long track record in raising funds from a large donor base.
As this form of finance is still emerging in the social sector, there are various types of bonds in existence.
The bond issued by Allia, for example, comprises an innovative investment - suitable for retail investors - to the housing association Places for People, which repays the loan with interest and additionally provides a grant to a charity. This bond allows individuals to invest as little as £100 per bond.
Another organisation, Investing For Good, arranges charity bonds and is currently assisting Scope, the disability charity, to become one of the first UK charities to enter the capital markets.
It is piloting a £20m bond programme operating similarly to corporate bond products and it is hoped that the programme will allow Scope to expand its income generating activities, such as its network of charity shops which generate long-term sustainable sources of income for its work with disabled people.
Triodos Bank is assisting the community interest company Bristol Together plan a bond issue worth £1.6m. The first £600,000 was bought by a charitable foundation and the second tranche of £1m will be sold to private individuals to attract Community Investment Tax Relief, which allows investors to reduce their tax bills by 5% a year for five years.
Risk
The guarantees offered to investors with charitable bonds vary, but are primarily based on the track record of the underlying investment, so it is important to understand this in order to gauge the level of investment risk.
Currently, with the exception of the Allia/Places for People bond, investment in charitable bonds is largely limited to charitable trusts and wealthy philanthropic investors.
It is hoped that in the future there will be a growing number of charitable bond products available with well-established track records, which will allow more widespread investment from the general public. This could be invested directly or through special investment products like pension funds.
One particularly interesting type of charitable bond is the Social Impact Bond (SIB) pioneered by Social Finance.
This contract is where the public sector pays the private sector to secure a substantial improvement in the way of life for a specific group, in order to reduce the public sector's costs in the long-run.
While the contract is ordinarily made with the private sector, the organisations that deliver the services on the ground are often charities or social enterprises.
Impact
Unlike traditional bonds, SIBs do not have a fixed rate of return as financial return depends on the achievement of specific social outcomes set at the start of the bond issue. The higher the social impact, the higher the return earned by the private sector.
Under a SIB, the charity sector organisation bears no financial risk as the repayment is commonly between the public and private sector. The public sector pays if, and only if, the intervention is successful.
One of the first SIBs was launched in 2010 by the St Giles Trust, a charity providing access to housing, training and jobs for ex-offenders.
This SIB has been designed to reduce reoffending among male prisoners leaving Peterborough prison who have served a sentence of less than 12 months. During the scheme, intensive support will be provided to 3,000 short-term prisoners over a six-year period, both inside prison and after release.
If this initiative reduces reoffending by 7.5%, or more, investors will receive a share of the long-term savings to the government.
If the SIB delivers a drop in reoffending beyond this threshold, investors will receive more money for the greater the success, up to a maximum of 13%.
However, if reoffending is not reduced by at least 7.5%, the investors will receive no recompense at all.
Charities have a long track record of innovation and charitable bonds are a sign of this.
Hopefully, they will go some way to plugging the gap left by the decline in some traditional sources of funding. At the same time they could provide great opportunities for people wanting to invest their money for a return, while helping to make a real difference at the same time.

The Green Benches: 10 reasons why Cameron will gain politically from ...

2011-12-10T10:19:00.000-08:00

The Green Benches: 10 reasons why Cameron will gain politically from ...: David Cameron by vetoing the a prospective EU treaty last night has taken one step closer to winning the General Election of 2015 for lots o...

Abortion 'does not raise' mental health risk

2011-12-09T00:12:00.000-08:00

A great article by Jane Dreaper well worth a read

Abortion 'does not raise' mental health risk
By Jane Dreaper
Health correspondent, BBC News

Abortion does not raise the risk of a woman suffering mental health problems, a major review by experts concludes.

Data from 44 studies showed women with an unwanted pregnancy have a higher incidence of mental health problems in general.

This is not affected by whether or not they have an abortion or give birth.

But anti-abortion campaigners said the review sought to "minimise" the psychological effect of terminating a pregnancy.

Experts from the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health (NCCMH) used the same research methods they use to assess evidence on other mental health issues for NICE.

The work - funded by the Department of Health - came after concerns that abortion may adversely affect a woman's mental health.

Usually, a woman's risk of suffering common disorders such as anxiety or depression would be around 11-12%.

But the researchers said this rate was around three times higher in women with unwanted pregnancies.
'Equal risks'

The director of NCCMH, Prof Tim Kendall, said: "It could be that these women have a mental health problem before the pregnancy.

"On the other hand, it could be the unwanted pregnancy that's causing the problem.

"Or both explanations could be true. We can't be absolutely sure from the studies whether that's the case - but common sense would say it's quite likely to be both.

"The evidence shows though that whether these women have abortions - or go on to give birth - their risk of having mental health problems will not increase.

"They carry roughly equal risks.

"We believe this is the most comprehensive and detailed review of the mental health outcomes of abortion to date worldwide."

Prof Kendall said many previous studies had failed to adequately control for instances when women previously had mental health problems.

After a project which involved a three-month consultation, the researchers believe it would not "be fruitful" to carry out further studies into how pregnancies are resolved.

They say future work should concentrate on the mental health needs associated with an unwanted pregnancy.
Support need

Dr Roch Cantwell, a consultant perinatal psychiatrist who chaired the steering group, said the review was called for in 2008.

He said: "At that time, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) issued a position statement saying the evidence on abortion and mental health was imperfect and conflicting.

"We all recognise abortion is a very sensitive and emotive topic. Our aim was not to debate the moral and ethical issues, but to focus on the available scientific evidence."

The scope of the review excluded reactions such as guilt, shame and regret - although these were considered important - and also assessments of mental state within 90 days of an abortion.

This was because the research was not about "transient reactions to a stressful event".

Sophie Corlett, director of external relations at the mental health charity Mind, said: "It is important that medical professionals are given the correct information to provide support for all women, but particularly those with a pre-existing history of mental health problems.

"This study makes it absolutely clear that this group is at the greatest risk of developing post-pregnancy mental health problems and should be given extra support in light of this."

Dr Kate Guthrie, speaking for RCOG, said: "Abortion, including aftercare, is an essential part of women's healthcare services, alongside access to contraception and family planning information."
'False belief'

However, a spokeswoman for the ProLife Alliance said: "Once again the politics of abortion blinds those who should be rigorously objective in assessing epidemiological evidence.

"This is a pick-and-mix report trying to minimise the psychological effects of termination of pregnancy in a way which does our so-called medical experts little credit."

And Dr Peter Saunders, chief executive of the Christian Medical Fellowship, said: "This new review shows that abortion does not improve mental health outcomes for women with unplanned pregnancies, despite 98% of the 200,000 abortions being carried out in this country each year on mental health grounds.

"This means that when doctors authorise abortions in order to protect a woman's mental health they are doing so on the basis of a false belief not supported by the medical evidence.

"In other words the vast majority of abortions in this country are technically illegal."

Public Health Minister Anne Milton said: "We are pleased to see the conclusions of this important review.

"The findings will be one of the many sources of information that we will use to inform our sexual health document that will be published next year.

"What is clear is that having an unwanted pregnancy has implications for people's mental health and wellbeing."

Violent eviction in Santo Domingo leaves scores living in a tent | Amnesty International USA

2011-11-28T10:42:00.000-08:00

Violent eviction in Santo Domingo leaves scores living in a tent | Amnesty International USA

Martin Brookes Oakham Rutland: Disabled people to be banished from public footpat...

2011-11-23T23:58:00.000-08:00

Martin Brookes Oakham Rutland: Disabled people to be banished from public footpat...: Disabled people to be banished permanently from public footpath to save council costs Oakham Town Council have decided it would be cheape...

‘Atos Two’ Charged With Aggravated Trespass

2011-11-17T05:31:00.000-08:00

‘Atos Two’ Charged With Aggravated Trespass

Myanmar government must go further with prisoner release | Amnesty International USA

2011-11-14T10:45:00.000-08:00

Myanmar government must go further with prisoner release | Amnesty International USA

Health care or pot holes in Bradley Road which do you think would get priority ?

2011-11-02T00:46:00.000-07:00

I came across this article on the BBC web site , it raises lots of questions -

From the BBC WEB

Nick Triggle
Health correspondent, BBC News

Cash-strapped councils may raid health budgets to pay for basic services such as filling potholes, MPs are warning.

Local government is due to take charge of schemes to tackle lifestyle problems like obesity and excess drinking from 2013 under the shake-up of the NHS.

To pay for projects, money will be transferred from the NHS.

But the Health Committee said there was a risk councils would play the system and use the funds for other purposes - something denied by town hall bosses.

Tackling public health problems is currently the responsibility of primary care trusts.

But within two years more than 150 directors of public health will move into local government, taking a pot of money - widely expected to be about £4bn - with them.

To ensure it is spent on health-related projects, the government has agreed to ring-fence the money.
'Play the system'

But the report by the cross-party group of MPs said there was a risk councils - which are facing budget cuts of over a quarter in the next four years - would play the system.

The MPs said they could redesignate services like filling in potholes and gritting the roads when it is icy as a public health measure, arguing they helped to reduce hospital admissions.

But committee chairman Stephen Dorrell said it would not be an effective use of the money.

And Rosie Cooper, a Labour member of the committee, added she was "horrified" by the prospect.

"The pressure that councils are under mean it could happen."

The MPs said it was vital public health directors were given powerful positions in local government to stop what they said was "gaming".

They also suggested ring-fencing only be introduced for a couple of years to encourage partnership working in the long-term.

NHS Commissioning Board due to start work

2011-10-31T10:55:00.000-07:00

The new NHS Commissioning Board, which is at the heart of the government's controversial NHS reforms in England, is due to start work , its aim is help patients shop around and compare GPs.

It will take over the running of the NHS, using a staff of around 3,500 and overall responsibility for NHS care worth around £80bn.

Its role will in time be overseeing the new clinical commissioning groups led by GPs and other clinicians who will commission/buy care within the NHS, and organising the treatment of complicated conditions.

Scope launches £20m bond to expand fundraising and retailing

2011-10-31T09:21:00.000-07:00

Scope launches £20m bond to expand fundraising and retailing

BBC NEWS -Bristol father's threat over disabled care centre closures

2011-10-28T23:33:00.000-07:00

Bristol father's threat over disabled care centre closures

A Bristol man has said he would consider leaving his disabled son at the city council's headquarters if his day care centre is closed.

Ivor Needs said he would leave Matthew, 36, who has severe brain damage, with the receptionist if the council was unable to provide alternative care.

His son spends five days a week in the care of St George Field View.

A Bristol City Council spokesman said Mr Needs's son would continue to get the best care possible.

St George Field View is one of seven day care centres currently under review by the Liberal Democrat-led authority.

Mr Needs said he had written to the council stating that they should not shut the day centres as they are a "lifeline for all vulnerable people".

"[Mathew] needs his five days at the day centre and if they close it what is going to happen to him?" he said.

"I will bring him down here at 09:00 BST, leave him with the receptionist and say 'he's your responsibility, I will be back at 16:00 BST' - and I would."

Council cabinet member for health services, Dr Jon Rogers, said that it was vital Mr Needs's son received the right care and offered "absolutely categorical assurances" it would continue.

"What I cannot do is guarantee that Matthew's day service needs will continue to be met in exactly the same way that they have been for the last 12 years," he added.

"Care services in Bristol [and the rest of the country] are changing."

Mr Needs described the care of his son as a "full-time job" and questioned why council cuts had to be made to services that affected vulnerable people.

"He has got to be dressed because he can't dress himself, he can't do up his shoelaces, he can't see to his toilet requirements - I've got to see to all of that," he said.

Baanbrekend: IQ van tieners niet stabiel, maar volop in beweging - Wetenschap & Gezondheid - VK

2011-10-19T23:38:00.000-07:00

Baanbrekend: IQ van tieners niet stabiel, maar volop in beweging - Wetenschap & Gezondheid - VK

Carers allowance

2011-10-12T02:39:00.001-07:00

A local carers support org looking for a Service Development Manager 30 Hours p/w 27k-30k pro rata -carers allowance £ £55.55 pw says it all :(

Help find Missing Children and Adults Worldwide

2011-10-08T00:40:00.000-07:00

Please please look at the great web site .http://socialalertme.com a wonderful group/network of users aiming to help find Missing Children and Adults Worldwide

Commissioning groups 'concerned' about size and budgets

2011-09-21T00:37:00.000-07:00

The following article is from the BBC news web site , its well worth a read , I am not 100% certain in my own mind that large scale GP commissioning groups will not just evolve in time into a sudo-PCt sort of organization .

Commissioning groups 'concerned' about size and budgets

By Jane Dreaper

Health correspondent, BBC News

A survey of the groups due to take over commissioning NHS care is highlighting fears about their size and budgets.

The questions were answered by 131 leaders, out of 253 new Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs).

A third said they felt under pressure to become larger, and two-thirds expressed fears that they might inherit debt.
The Department of Health said it expected parts of the NHS to work together to resolve any deficits.

The survey was organised by NHS Alliance and the National Association of Primary Care, which have joined forces to represent CCGs, who will take over buying and organising NHS services.

36% of GPs and other leaders who responded to the survey said they were under pressure from NHS managers to become bigger, so they could pass a viability test next month.

And 67% suspect they will have to deal with some legacy debt from former primary care trusts (PCTs) when the new system begins in England in April 2013.
Dr Michael Dixon, who heads the NHS Alliance, said: "Having a board with other clinical representatives and allowing for audit will be expensive.

"So the CCGs need to reach a critical mass in terms of size. But there's a risk of ending up recreating the old system of 150 primary care trusts.
'Double whammy'
"We're very concerned about the possibility of debts. My GP leaders don't want to be in the position of decommissioning services.

"It's been accepted that the CCGs shouldn't inherit deficits. But in practical terms, the squeeze on NHS finances is greater than people realise.

"Savings can be made in reducing referrals by GPs - but that won't achieve all the efficiencies that are needed.
"So there's concern not just about deficits but also the ongoing savings that are needed - and whether the CCGs will have sufficient budgets. It could be a double whammy."
Dr Dixon defended the idea of GPs taking a more active role in rationing treatment under the new system.

He said: "The NHS isn't some sort of soup kitchen where everyone can just pile in.
"GPs have always had to be responsible for the use of NHS resources, and to think about balancing them against the greater good.
"People are presenting this as a brave new world - but it's something we're doing anyway.
"Rationing is the duty of every patient, commissioner and manager - or we won't have a sustainable NHS."
No 'right' size
Dr Dixon said though that he agreed with the British Medical Association that GPs should not receive bonuses for saving money.

A Department of Health spokesman denied officials were being prescriptive about the size of CCGs.

He said: "There are widespread variations in the size and population coverage of PCTs and there is no single 'right' size."
"CCGs will not be responsible for PCT debt that arose before this current financial year.
"During 2011/12 and 2012/13, we expect PCT clusters, PCTs and developing CCGs to work together to resolve PCT deficits."

Community and adult care Wiltshire Council

2011-09-10T10:08:00.000-07:00

So in Wiltshire councils drive to cut costs one of four corporate directors is at risk , they are Sue Redmond, community and adult care, Caroline Godfrey, childrens’ services, Mark Boden, neighbourhood and planning and Carlton Brand, business and transformation.

Now as some of you might have noted I am not the greatest fan of Wiltshire Councils department of care services HOWEVER in this instants I feel in honor bound to leap to the defense of Mz Redman

The lady has in her short time in charge managed to bring stability to the department that was so shattered by the departure of Dr Ray Jones , once again Wiltshire council has under Mz Redman a care services to be proud of .

The cabinet of Wiltshire Council would in my humble opinion , be will advised to keep the lady in post .

6th Cambridge Workshop on Universal Access (UA) and Assistive Technology (AT)

2011-09-10T08:42:00.000-07:00

6th Cambridge Workshop on Universal Access (UA) and Assistive Technology (AT)

IMPACT in Europe project – Connect, Personalise, Care: Person Centred Technology for Greater Quality of Life

2011-09-09T12:47:00.000-07:00

IMPACT in Europe project – Connect, Personalise, Care: Person Centred Technology for Greater Quality of Life

NHS Hospitals-To many to fund ?

2011-09-01T23:39:00.000-07:00

The following article comes via the BBC web site , its a very balanced article about a very sensitive issue and one I think has been rather swept under the carpet .

Here in Wiltshire some years ago a consolidation of hospitals and treatment facilities took place which at the time were highly un popular but which I personally feel has lead to a far more effective care system in the county .

More hospitals need to close, says ex-NHS boss
By Nick Triggle
Health correspondent, BBC News

The closure of more hospitals is needed if the NHS is going to cope in the future, a former NHS boss says.

Lord Crisp, who was NHS chief executive in England from 2000 to 2006, said the Blair government should have been tougher when it had the chance.
He said there was now overcapacity in the hospital sector and said the same mistakes should not be made again.

Overhauling hospitals would free up funds for community services to deal with the ageing population, he added.

In an interview with the BBC News website, Lord Crisp said: "In the late 1990s waiting lists, A&E and standards in cardiac care were the big issues and we dealt with them.

"But the challenge now is dealing with the numbers of older people and those with long-term conditions. They need supporting in the community.

"That means a shift away from hospitals. There will be less need for large hospital outpatient departments and some services and whole hospitals will need to close or be merged with others."

Key moment

He said he could not put a figure on how many hospitals needed revamping, but added it could affect the whole spectrum of services provided.

His remarks come as ministers are considering the future of A&E, maternity services and children's units at three hospitals in north London.

Under the plans drawn up by the local NHS one hospital - Chase Farm - could lose its services.

Local campaigners have been fighting the proposals and a decision is expected in the coming weeks.

It is being seen as a key moment in the government's policy on hospital changes because, in opposition, the Tories promised to fight such closures.

Lord Crisp, who has written a book about his time at the helm of the NHS - 24 Hours to Save the NHS - which will be published later this month, said he did not know the full details of that case, but added it was important not to dodge difficult decisions.

He admitted the NHS under his stewardship in the Blair years should have scaled back on hospital services.

In particular, he admitted that the scale of hospital building projects probably went too far. More than 100 new hospitals or rebuilds were given the go-ahead.
He said: "By 2005 there was no hospital that was not thinking it was going to grow. We had major problems with very bad facilities, [but] perhaps we could have built smaller or consolidated on fewer sites.

"We missed that opportunity and this government needs to grasp that. We can't keep services going just because there is a nice building."
However, he said it was essential that any changes made were done to benefit patients and not just to save money, and that they should be carried out with proper consultation and engagement.

Lord Crisp's intervention comes after similar warnings by various experts. The King's Fund and NHS Confederation have both put the case for scaling back on hospital care in recent months.

Katherine Murphy, of the Patients Association, agreed the government should not be afraid of making difficult decisions.
She said: "What is the point of having brand new hospital buildings if there are not enough funds to treat people in them?"
But she also warned: "We must never forget that by merging services, there will be patients who may struggle to get to them because they are too far away."
A Department of Health spokeswoman said ministers agreed with the principle that more care should be moved into the community, but added changes must be made for the right reasons.

Labour said patients had benefited from the investment and reforms during its time in office.

NHS and co-operatives

2011-08-25T23:17:00.000-07:00

The plan of HMG is to turn the NHS into what would in essence be the biggest social enterprise sector in the world , a network of small co-operatives run by doctors consortium's not managers or indeed directly by local authorities .

Lets face it we as a society have dealt with Co-operatives and mutuals for years they are not new - we've banked with them, shopped at them - but can they work in the health and care sector ? that is the perplexing question

You could well argue that funding the third sector to provide low admin cost services would be an option but would they be able to or indeed have the knowledge to link in with Surgeries ?

I personally see scope for co-operatives in the social care sector but have grave miss givings as to the viability in front line heath provision .

Mental Welfare Commissions report on illegal medication in Scotland

2011-08-11T10:53:00.000-07:00

So today the Mental Welfare Commission has said that one in 10 people detained on Scottish mental health wards for two months or over are being given medication illegally and that the rights of the patient were not being respected when prescribing sedatives.

Reforms and special educational needs

2011-08-02T02:58:00.000-07:00

The following excellent article comes from the Epolitix web site

-----------------------------

By Sarah Lambert, head of policy, National Autistic Society - 2nd August 2011

Wider reforms of the education system do not seem consistent with the proposals for special educational needs reform, says Sarah Lambert, head of policy at the National Autistic Society.

The National Autistic Society (NAS) welcomes the government's ambitious proposals to reform the special educational needs (SEN) system, which is set to be the 'biggest overhaul of SEN in 30 years'. However, we urge the government to look carefully at its wider reforms of the education system and to both listen to, and involve, parents in the reforms to ensure that their ambitions can be translated into tangible action.

Sadly, we hear all too often from parents that children are not getting access to the support they need in a timely way, and that far too many of them are having to fight to get the support their child needs.

'Great Expectations', a NAS campaign launched this summer, highlights the struggle that parents face. Almost 50 per cent of children with autism have had to wait over a year between the time that concerns were first raised and the right support being put in place, and over a quarter have had to wait more than two years. Almost a fifth of parents who responded to the NAS' survey had been to tribunal to get the support they needed for their child. This is unacceptable.

The government's reforms propose addressing some of these issues, by introducing measures to ensure that SEN is picked up earlier and by bringing together assessments of need, with the aim of improving multi-agency working and to make it easier for parents to navigate the system.

Yet at the same time, wider reforms of the education system, such as removing the duty on schools to co-operate with local children's trusts, and a reduction in the role of local authorities in coordinating local educational provision, do not seem consistent with the proposals for SEN reform. Further clarity is needed on how local authorities can become champions for children with SEN, while at the same time having a reduced role in education at a local level.

As the government's reforms take shape, it is also vital that accessible mechanisms for parents to hold local schools and local services to account are developed. This will help the system to become much more responsive to local need and in turn ensure that appropriate support is in place for all children with SEN to help them meet their full potential.

The government reforms will shape the future of a generation of children with autism. We must take this chance to strengthen the voices of parents, improve outcomes for children, and transform families' lives.

Private enterprise and the NHS

2011-07-21T11:36:00.000-07:00

Beyond any doubt the NHS and the private sector have always been strange bed-fellows from day on in 1948 to date , after all the NHS was made up of privatized hospitals and clinics run for profit or charitable ends .

But hang on a second , dentist GP's and a few others managed to escape the net and became self employed contractors to the new health service and have remain so to date and are indeed set to increase this independence

Also many service aspects of the NHS are run by private firms as are some mental health and a host of other support services .

So before we all throw up our hands in horror at the specter of private enterprise in the NHS lets just take stock of what it really means .

Southern Cross Landlords set to run care homes

2011-07-18T02:39:00.000-07:00

So according to the news papers ,one of the biggest landlords to care home operator Southern Cross aims to take back control of homes it leases to the group and set up business on its own.

NHP, the owner of 250 homes currently run by Southern Cross, is expected to announce today that it will form a new operating company to run the homes in conjunction with another organization , they are said to have secured the necessary funding and working capital and expects to achieve a seamless transition with no disruption for residents

The fact remains that the care home sector in the UK is still very vulnerable;e and what is really needed is robust and swift implementation of the Dilnot report

Spending more on the NHS ?

2011-07-13T23:36:00.000-07:00

The following excellent article is from the BBC news page , Professor Appleby puts forward , in my humble opinion some very strong arguments for increased spending being a viable option re the NHS

THE ARTICLE

Spending more on the NHS is not necessarily unaffordable - despite the claims of ministers, a leading health expert says.

A major part of the justification for the overhaul of the NHS was that spending would spiral out of control.

But Professor John Appleby, of the King's Fund, said even a doubling of the budget over 20 years was possible.

Writing for the British Medical Journal website, he said it was about whether the NHS was prioritised even more.

Ministers have spent the past few months arguing that the ageing population, rising cost of drugs and factors like obesity mean spending demands would outstrip what was affordable in the coming years.
Priorities

In an article in the Daily Telegraph last month, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley suggested on current trends £230bn would need to be spent on health by 2030 compared to the £103bn which is spent now.

He said that figure was one that the country "simply could not afford".

But Prof Appleby, the chief economist at the think-tank, questioned that.

He said taking into account the expected growth in the economy a budget of £230bn would require the health budget to rise at about 4% a year above inflation - only a little more than it has got on average since 1948.

Such rises would bring total health spending, including investment in private health care, to about 12.4% of gross domestic product (GDP) - roughly in line with what high spending countries such as the Netherlands are already spending.

Prof Appleby added: "It is a question of priorities really. It could be afforded, but would just require more money to be spent on health. But we are not talking about ridiculous amounts."

But a Department of Health spokeswoman insisted such spending would constitute a "financial crisis".

She added: "The right approach is to change the way that the NHS spends its budget so that it matches patients' needs better - rather than simply spending much larger sums on patterns of care and service which don't match the changing health needs of the population."

Castlebeck and care

2011-07-12T23:38:00.000-07:00

So the BBC tell us that "Allegations of abuse are being investigated at a home for people with learning disabilities in Bristol, four members of staff have been suspended at Rose Villa, a nine-bed rehabilitation centre in the Brislington area. "

Now Rose Villa is run by Castlebeck, who also ran Winterbourne View which is now the subject of numerous inquiries and police investigations

Castlebeck confirmed staff had been suspended and an inquiry was under way

So what has the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to say ? well in a statement, the CQC said it had been reviewing all services provided by Castlebeck across England.

The statement added: "Following an inspection of Rose Villa]on 1/7/2011 our inspectors drew the manager's attention to two separate issues.

Now I think that this is only the tip of the ice berg and many more cases of abuse are just waiting to be exposed in the whole of the care industry , I pray to God I am wrong , but fear I will be proved right .

Can care for profit every actually work ? I think not

Why social care has to change

2011-07-02T23:33:00.000-07:00

The following article by Mr Triggle is well worth a read , its throws light on some of the preconceptions that we have on this topic and clearly defines the problems that face us as a society in the years to come .

Analysis: Why social care has to change
By Nick Triggle
Health correspondent, BBC News

Everyone agrees the social care system is out-of-date.

When it was created after the Second World War under the 1948 National Assistance Act the idea was to create a safety net for the most vulnerable in society.

But the support was only ever meant to be short-term. Back in the late 1940s people tended to only live a few years after retiring.

Now the situation is very different. Many live for 20 years after stopping work and children born today will probably spend a third of their life in retirement.

Granted, advances in medicine mean people are living for longer in relatively good health.

But that does not mean they will not need some help with basic tasks like washing, dressing and eating.

Research suggests three quarters of people over the age of 65 still develop a care need.

Similar patterns have emerged for people with disabilities. For example, even 30 years ago many people with Down's syndrome died before they were 25. Sixty is not uncommon now.
Rationing

Unsurprisingly, the effect of people living longer has been to put the social care system under greater strain.

Concerns have been raised about the quality of services people have been receiving.

A recent report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission described cases of people being left in bed for 17 hours or more between care visits and a failure to wash people regularly.

But those are the "lucky" ones who get help at all.

Councils are increasingly having to ration access to state-funded support. Six years ago half of councils provided help to those with moderate needs, but that has now fallen to 15%.

It means in most areas of England support is only provided to those with the most acute problems - effectively people who need round-the-clock help.

In reality, the system has been rationed as much as it can be.

The situation has been further exacerbated by the feeling of unfairness that has been associated with people having to sell their homes.

The rise in the value of property over the past few decades has pushed many above the means-tested threshold, forcing them to pay for their care if they have to go into a residential home.

For some - an estimated 50,000 a year - the only option is to relinquish the family home.

But if that is not enough, the problem is about to get much worse.

As is the case with NHS reform, the ageing population demands that new solutions are found.

The baby boomer generation is approaching old age - and that means a tidal wave of new people who will need help.

Over the next 20 years the number of over 70-year-olds will jump by 50% in the next 20 years to top 9.6m, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Without radical change, many believe the safety net created all those years ago will break.

SMART attitude to MH

2011-07-02T01:59:00.000-07:00

This link is from the blog of Mz Dawn Willis

Tucked away in the basement of a building in Chelsea is a small charity with big ambitions. #mhuk #ukmh #SMART
Posted on July 2, 2011 by Dawn Willis

http://kensington.londoninformer.co.uk/2011/07/a-smart-attitude-to-mental-hea.html

NHS complaints system

2011-06-27T23:21:00.000-07:00

So the dear old health select committee say the NHS complaints system in England is failing patients and needs in their humble opinion an overhaul in order to ensure justice and fairness.

The Department of Health bless them ,says new plans will make the NHS more accountable and the ombudsman's office insisted it can review cases that merit it, but does not seam to clarify what the criteria for this is ? yet it points out that its only relatively recently that NHS patients in England have been able to take their complaints direct to the Health Ombudsman pre April 2009, any complaints not settled locally between the parties involved were reviewed by the Health Care Commission and referred up to the ombudsman if deemed necessary.

So are we about to see a new openness over NHS complaints ? time will tell !

Meeting human needs

2011-06-18T23:47:00.000-07:00

Meeting human needs

This article from The Philosophy Magazine is in my humble opinion well worth a read

NHS PLAN MARK TWO !

2011-06-15T00:58:00.000-07:00

So Mr Cameron in his infinite wisdom is backing wholesale changes to NHS plans in England.

Interesting move , did he ever really want the mark one plan to begin with ? I will not bore you with the details BUT I have a feeling that very soon we will see the return of the old Regional Health Authority system re-vamped re-branded but basically the same old beast .

Attitudes to Mental Illness 2011 survey -My Thoughts

2011-06-09T03:01:00.000-07:00

The following are my brief thoughts on the NHS survey" Attitudes to Mental Illness 2011 ", which has been published today :

I note that some of the key attitudes to Mental Health would appear to have improved but that we as a society still have a section that still holds strong prejudices re metal health illnesses

Its gratifying to see that over 70% of people surveyed believe that mental illness is an illness like any other however the figure of one in six people believing that one of the main causes of mental illness is a lack of will-power/self-discipline is alarming to me

Its obvious that we still have a log way to go to remove the stigma .

The question " Is the Social care and health industry on the 'brink of collapse'

2011-06-07T23:23:00.000-07:00

The question " Is the Social care and health industry on the 'brink of collapse'

Well according to a report by the public-sector union Unison published today it is .

This all steams from the Southern Cross debacle

Unison said that Southern Cross other companies in the sector have financial difficulties, and that if they went under, taxpayers would have to pick up the bill , yet the DOH (The Department of Health ) denies that financial issues had undermined the long standing care system.

Four Seasons, was also in trouble according to the Unison report and they use the phrase "the two providers were clinging on by their fingernails".

Four Seasons chief executive Dr Pete Calveley said the company was in "a robust financial position and is certainly not in any difficulties" and a quick look at the figures to tend to confirm Dr Calveley view

I personally think its high time people stopped using care and social health as a political football and as a cheap way of scoring points , in the end its the SERVICE USERS/CARERS that suffer NO ONE ELSE !!

So come on Unions , HMG , private companies less gas bagging and some firm robust co operative action to ensure long term stability in health and social care .

Strengthened safeguards for adults in care

2011-06-05T23:53:00.001-07:00

So "Vulnerable adults in care in England " are to be given more protection from abuse, HMG has said.

The news comes after the revelations in the BBC Panorama investigation showed staff at a privately run hospital mistreating adults with learning disabilities.

The BBC state that “Details of "safeguarding" boards like to those for vulnerable children are to be published within a fortnight.”

Now this to me has all the classic signs of a knee jerk reaction aimed solely at taking away the political pressure or am I being to cynical ?

I think the simple answer is strong , robust laws with harsh penalties for people who abuse others along with training and adequate pay scales to attract the right type of person into this highly stressful sphere of employment , I doubt I my own mind that the private sector is equipped to supply the service that we expect .

Response to the attack on DLA

2011-06-05T23:24:00.000-07:00

May I point you to this excellent blog posting :

http://www.latentexistence.me.uk/response-to-the-attack-on-dla-in-todays-papers/

"I speak it as it is" a great blog

2011-06-04T10:39:00.000-07:00

Please find a few minutes to visit the following blog

https://ispeakitasitis.wordpress.com

Its by a charming young lady , Mz Susan Capps-Jenner and well worth reading

DWP claims reach 3.2 million

2011-06-04T02:22:00.000-07:00

So the latest figures released from Department for Work and Pension show that the numbers claiming the Disability Living Allowance have reached now 3.2 million compared to some 2.2 million 10 years ago.

It would appear the biggest increases are in medical areas which are notoriously difficult to diagnose ( how convenient for HMG you might well say ? ), raising questions no doubt to be asked by the tabloid press ,about how genuine the illnesses and syndromes are for which taxpayer-funded benefits are being paid.

Are we seeing a raise in benefit abuse or just better diagnose ? I leave you to decide .

SWINDON’S mental health service provider fined

2011-06-03T11:19:00.000-07:00

SWINDON’S mental health service provider -Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust has been fined more than a quarter of a million pounds for missing numerous targets and breaking rules .

The Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (AWT), which runs three mental health centres in Swindon, was penalised by £285,000, for falling short on waiting times for diagnosis and treatment.

Carers concessionary rate and misue

2011-05-14T23:32:00.000-07:00

Cheap Bath and West Show tickets for carers scrapped

THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE IS FROM THE BBC

Cheap tickets for carers of disabled people visiting the Royal Bath and West Show have been scrapped.

In previous years, disabled visitors have been able to buy one ticket and receive another discounted for a carer.

The move has been criticised by Somerset charity Compass Disability Services which said it would prevent many disabled people attending.

A show spokesman said: "Regrettably, the carers concessionary rate has had to be withdrawn because of misuse."

The charity's chief executive officer, Richard Pitman, said: "We are disappointed that the Bath and West Show organisers have introduced this policy that may prevent many disabled people from attending the show.

"In my experience, it's normal practice for organisers of an event to provide concessions for disabled people who are unable to access all facilities at the show or unable to attend without the assistance of a carer.

"We hope this means that all areas of the Bath and West Show will be fully accessible to disabled people".

The show's website states: "We provide excellent services to ensure all areas of the showground are accessible. All avenues have hard surfaces and all buildings, toilets and shower facilities can be accessed with ease, making your day out with us an enjoyable experience.

"Lift access is provided to the top floor of the Showering Pavilion and also to the Bath and West Restaurant."

This year's agricultural show will take place from 1 to 4 June.

NOW WHILE I HAVE SOME SYMPATHY WITH THE COMMENTS OF RICHARD PITMAN THE FACT REMAINS THAT WE ARE ALL ONLY TO WELL AWARE THAT SOME NASTY PEOPLE DO ABUSE THE SYSTEMS AIMED AT PROVIDING HELP FOR THE DISABLED AND THEIR CARERS AND THIS IS THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM AND WITH THE CURRENT FINANCIAL CLIMATE I CAN SEE LOTS MORE OF THESE TYPES OF CONCESSIONS GOING

England's North-South adult social care divide

2011-05-11T23:44:00.000-07:00

The following article is from the BBC web site , how call me cynical or what BUT yet again are we seeing the use of the dreaded NORTH-SOUTH Divide as a why of splitting service users and carers into two fractions arguing more between them selfs and maybe not addressing the question of how do we get a fair and equitable system for the whole of England ? you decide dear readers :

England's North-South adult social care divide

There is a North-South divide in spending on social care in England following the government's Spending Review, BBC research suggests.

The Council Spending: Making it Clear survey looked at planned expenditure of 76% of councils in England.

Adult social care spending will fall by an estimated 4.7% to £3.4bn in the North in 2011/12 and rise by 2.7% to £3.33bn in the South.

But some councils said the figures were "skewed" by grant allocation changes.

Care Services Minister Paul Burstow said "protecting and improving social care services is vital".

The government accepted that reform of the system was needed, he said, adding that an independent Commission was currently considering "how we can ensure affordable and sustainable funding for care and support for all adults in England in the future".

A total of 268 out of 353 councils replied to questions about their budgets.

Of the 151 councils in England responsible for social care, 73 responded to the BBC survey. Forty-one of these were in the North and 32 in the South of England.

Overall, social care budgets of the councils surveyed are set to be cut by about 2.6%, from £9.79bn to £9.54bn in the current financial year, compared to 2010/11. Some adult services have been incorporated into housing and leisure plans in some areas.
'Very difficult'

Social care funding for children is also being cut across England, although in the South the cuts are half as deep.

The survey suggests 41 councils in North were reducing child social care funding by an estimated 7.4%, from £1.55bn to £1.43bn; while in in the South councils were cutting funding by an estimated 3.5%, from £1.30bn to £1.25bn.

The research, carried out with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), mapped local authority spending on services following the Spending Review. The review last October cut local authority funding by 7.1%.

Social care is one of the largest costs for councils and last year it came second only to education.

Durham County Council is among those seeing the biggest cuts to social care, with a planned 18.1% reduction in 2011/12.

The Labour-run council, which has to cut £125m from its budget over four years, plans to spend £192.7m on social care this financial year, compared to £235.5m last year.

Savings have been achieved by the closure of seven council care homes for older people and shops selling disability aids.

The council will also review its carers' service and learning disability respite care service.

Nick Whitton, head of commissioning for adult services, said: "We are having to make some very difficult decisions following the Comprehensive Spending Review and unfortunately, all areas of the council's work, including social care services, will be affected in some way."

Eighty-five councils did not respond to the survey, including large authorities, such as Birmingham and Manchester.

Age UK said it was very concerned by cuts which affected society's "most vulnerable" people.

Elizabeth Feltoe, care services policy adviser, said the cuts had led most councils to revise their eligibility criteria and put greater financial pressure on service providers.

"It's a double whammy because if people are 'lucky enough' to receive services, they could be charged a significant amount of money for them," she said.

She said all services, such as care homes and domestic help, had been "squeezed".

"A slice of care has been taken from every single service so that you are only left with the bare bones," she said.

Ms Feltoe added there was a "huge disparity" in what councils charged people for social care across England.

The government allocated an extra £2bn a year by 2014-15 for social care services as part of its Spending Review.

However, Ms Feltoe said the money was not ring-fenced so it was difficult to trace whether councils had spent the money on care, making the funding issue particularly "complex".

Poole Borough Council, which has no overall control, said it had increased funding on adult social care by about £1m this year to £38.54m.

Jan Thurgood, the council's strategic director, said: "In common with many areas of the South West, Poole is seeing an increase in need for adult social care services both due to increases in the number of older people and the number of adults with complex disabilities.

"In its financial strategy the council has found efficiency savings in order to direct more money to front line care services."

Sandwell Council, in the West Midlands, was also among councils set to increase social care spending in 2011/12, according to the survey.

However, the Labour-controlled council, which will increase spending by 9.3% to £149m, said it was because the government had transferred some functions and funds from the NHS to councils.

CIPFA said the figures were an important early snapshot of budget changes. It said it was satisfied the BBC's survey method and checking process was sound and consistent, although all estimates might be subject to change as councils sought to deliver the best possible services.

Ian Carruthers, CIPFA's policy and technical director, said: "This survey provides the first overview of levels of council expenditure.

"In light of the spending cuts, balancing council budgets has been incredibly tough for finance directors and no individual council service is exempt from the pressure to make cuts.

"Councils are clearly trying to meet the needs of their communities but people will have to get used to receiving less from their local council."

The minister Mr Burstow said: "The Government is putting an extra £2bn into social care by 2014 to encourage the NHS and adult social care to work together and protect the most vulnerable in society.

"Some councils are making changes like sharing back office services, and caring for people in their own homes instead of expensive residential care. By making these types of changes councils can protect frontline services.

"We know reform of the system is needed. That is why we established an independent Commission to consider how we can ensure affordable and sustainable funding for care and support for all adults in England into the future.

"The Commission will report to us in July and we will set out our plans for further reform in a White Paper later this year."

Flagship scheme may fail disabled job seekers, warn MPs - 5/9/2011 - Community Care

2011-05-09T02:45:00.000-07:00

Flagship scheme may fail disabled job seekers, warn MPs - 5/9/2011 - Community Care

Mental illness 'top reason to claim incapacity benefit

2011-05-09T00:00:00.000-07:00

The following article is from the BBC web page , The fact that Mental Illness is now the major reason for people claiming incapacity benefit really should not come as a shock , after all was this not the case in the last major economic downturn in the UK ?

9 May 2011 Last updated at 00:57
Mental illness 'top reason to claim incapacity benefit'

Mental health problems have overtaken musculoskeletal disorders such as back pain as the main reason for incapacity benefit claims, researchers have said.

Experts, writing in Occupational Medicine, looked at new benefit awards for both kinds of conditions in Britain from 1997 to 2007.

Claims for musculoskeletal disorders fell by 50% over the 11-year study, while mental health claims were steady.

Social views of illness might explain the change, the team said.

There are 2.6m people of working age in the UK currently claiming incapacity benefit.

The ratio of new claims for mental illness to those for musculoskeletal disorders more than doubled between 1997 and 2007, Department for Work and Pensions data showed.

Mental illness claims remained at around a quarter of a million while musculoskeletal disorders fell from 181,820 in 1997 to 84,420 in 2007.

The change occurred across the country, but the difference was more significant in north-east England and Scotland than in the South East.
People's beliefs

The researchers say such large changes cannot be explained by changes in working practices linked to musculoskeletal problems, and that there were no changes in the criteria used to assess claims.

Instead, David Coggon, Medical Research Council professor of occupational medicine at Southampton General Hospital who led the study, suggested it may be to do with people's beliefs and expectations.

The pattern seen during the period of the study runs contrary to that seen between 1950 and 1990, when the number of IB claims for back pain increased eightfold.

However, during that time there was a widespread belief that back pain could be long-term and could seriously incapacitate people.

Now, people are aware that if they strain a muscle they can be better in a few weeks, Professor Coggon said.

He added: "In a particular country, or in a particular occupational group, at a particular time, there will be certain illnesses that everyone knows you can get.

"I'm not saying people aren't ill or disabled. But there are complex causes."

Professor Coggon suggested one way to tackle the level of mental health claims would be to change the approach to stress in the workplace.

"If you say you're trying to tackle hazards linked to workplace stress, it sends a message that people are exposed to 'bad things' and that affects reactions."

He said it was better to stress positive approaches, such as the introduction of good management and not overloading people with work.

Dr Olivia Carlton, president of the Society of Occupational Medicine, said: "A life on incapacity benefit means that many people lose their sense of self worth, identity and esteem and also places a huge financial burden on the country."

The brain and social status

2011-05-03T23:33:00.000-07:00

I came across this rather interesting little article on the BBC news site , its a little off my normal track of posts but well worth a read , Enjoy :)

FROM THE BBC

Our brains react differently to others depending on how we view their social status, researchers say.

The Current Biology study found those who see themselves as being of a high status display more brain activity with those they think are equally elevated.

The researchers said behaviour was determined by how people saw those around them.

A British expert said first evaluations were crucial in determining how individuals related to each other.

It was already known from other studies that monkeys behave this way; changing behaviour dependent on how they perceived the other animal's position in the troop.

The 23 participants, who had varying levels of social status, were shown information about someone of higher status and information about someone of lower status.

The team used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure activity in the ventral striatum, part of the brain's reward system.

People who viewed themselves as having a higher subjective socioeconomic status displayed greater brain activity in response to other high-ranked individuals, while those with lower status have a greater response to other low-status individuals.
First evaluations

Dr Caroline Zink, of the US National Institute of Mental Health, who led the study, said: "The way we interact with and behave around other people is often determined by their social status relative to our own, and therefore information regarding social status is very valuable to us.

"Interestingly, the value we assign to information about someone's particular status seems to depend on our own.

She added that socioeconomic status is not based solely on money, but can also include factors such as accomplishments and habits.

Dr Jane McCartney, a London-based chartered psychologist and a member of the British Psychological Society, said: "First evaluations are terribly important to everyone, whether it's to do with status, looks or money.

"It's about deciding if this person is of the same status, and what one needs to do ensure they know you are of an equal status and evaluating what role they may play in your life."

She added: "I should think there'll be an awful lot of evaluating going on at Westminster Abbey on Friday

Christenleven: Gebedsoproep

2011-04-28T23:55:00.000-07:00

Christenleven: Gebedsoproep

Benefit reform will leave sick and disabled people trapped on the dole | Blog | False Economy

2011-04-28T23:40:00.000-07:00

Benefit reform will leave sick and disabled people trapped on the dole | Blog | False Economy

Benefit applicants - '75% fit to work or drop claims'

2011-04-27T23:39:00.000-07:00

The following came from the BBC news site , I read the article and have to say found its contents rather worrying !

The fact that 36% of people abandoned their claims is a worry , does this imply massive fraud or are people so intimidated by bureaucracy that they simple give up ?

HERE IS THE ARTICLE IN FULL :

Benefit applicants - '75% fit to work or drop claims'

Three-quarters of people who apply for sickness benefit are found fit to work or drop their claims before they are completed, official figures show.

Department for Work and Pensions figures showed 887,300 of 1,175,700 employment and support allowance (ESA) applicants over a 22-month period failed to qualify for assistance.

Of those 39% were judged fit to work, while 36% abandoned their claim.

Employment Minister Chris Grayling said the welfare system needed changing.

He said the figures underlined the need to reassess people still on the old incapacity benefit - a process which the government began rolling out last month.

"Once again we have clear evidence of the need for change in our welfare system.

"We now know very clearly that the vast majority of new claimants for sickness benefits are in fact able to return to work. That's why we are turning our attention to existing claimants, who were simply abandoned on benefits.

"That's why we are reassessing all of those claimants, and launching the work programme to provide specialist back to work support," he said.

"We will, of course, carry on providing unconditional support to those who cannot work, but for those who can it's right and proper that they start back on the road to employment," Mr Grayling added.

The DWP figures cover the period from 27 October 2008 - when ESA was introduced by the former Labour government - to 31 August 2010.

BBC-'Radical' NHS shake-up may jeopardise patient care

2011-04-26T23:33:00.001-07:00

'Radical' NHS shake-up may jeopardise patient care

The planned shake-up of the NHS in England that will put GPs in charge of buying in services could risk patient care, warns a group of influential MPs.

The Public Accounts Committee says pushing through the changes while seeking £20bn in efficiency savings may damage front-line services.

The concerns follow those of others, including Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg's close adviser Norman Lamb.

The government insists the overhaul is essential to safeguard services.

Health secretary Andrew Lansley said: "The efficiency challenge and our reforms are inextricably linked.

"Our reforms help the NHS make savings, because getting rid of tiers of bureaucracy will mean an extra £1.7bn each year to reinvest in patient care.

"And if we don't give doctors and nurses the power to make decisions for their patients, then quality of care will suffer."

Under the plans GPs will be handed control over much of the health budget and the health service will be opened up to greater competition from the private sector.

At the same time the government also expects all hospitals in England to become foundation trusts, free from central control.

And it wants to secure efficiency gains across the NHS of up to £20bn by the end of the financial year 2014-15 and to reduce administrative costs in non front-line organisations by 33% over the same period.

Ministers maintain this is achievable, but the Public Accounts Committee is less sure.

Its report warns that ministers have "no control" over many of the costs.

And if the department's estimate of the one-off costs associated with reorganisation turns out to have been too low, it will make the challenge of achieving savings for re-investment even tougher, it says.
Mounting concerns

Committee chairman Margaret Hodge said: "The Department of Health acknowledged the risks associated with this radical shake-up of the NHS.

"Whilst the reforms could complement the imperative of achieving £20bn efficiency gains by 2014/15, the reorganisation might also distract those responsible for making the savings while safeguarding standards of patient care."

She added: "We were also concerned that the Department has not yet developed a high quality risk management protocol for either the commissioning or providing bodies.

"The Department acknowledged that some health trusts and some GP practices had some way to go to achieve foundation trust status or become commissioning consortia.

"The Department must have effective systems in place to deal with failure so that whatever happens, the interests of both patients and taxpayers are protected."

Dr Hamish Meldrum, Chairman of Council at the British Medical Association, said: "The Public Accounts Committee is right to highlight the risks posed by such a massive restructuring at a time of financial crisis.

"However, it is not just the timing, but also the direction of travel of these reforms that will cause problems.

"We share the concerns of the PAC that the consequences of increasing competition in the NHS have not been fully addressed.

"'Market failures' in healthcare have far more serious consequences than in other industries - and may have little connection with quality of care, or even patient demand."

Pip Patient Intelligence Panel

2011-04-24T05:46:00.000-07:00

I would like to draw your attention to this interesting org/web site :

PIP (www.piphealth.com ) is all about giving a voice to millions of patients who suffer from ailments and diseases. PIP is now bridging the gap between patient’s opinions and healthcare providers by offering patients a platform on which to share their opinions, feelings, and experiences on your ailment or disease.

PIP Health is a patient research company

We have created a panel of patients across a range of illnesses and diseases in order to offer better insight and understanding of patients needs to pharmaceutical, and healthcare professionals across the globe.

Drs Nadine Van Dongen established PIP Health in 2008, after she had experienced a life threatening car-crash and thus being a patient for a long time to recover. Nadine is now the Managing Director and has been instrumental in pushing for a better understanding of patient’s needs, and quality of life.

PIP offers research services to Healthcare stakeholders. The information shared is always anonymous, and unattributed.

Every time a panel member completes a survey €1 will be paid back to charity groups providing vital research, support and care. In addition at the end of the year, PIP will donate 5% of profits to healthcare charities in the UK.

PIP is currently based in the UK and in the Netherlands, but is expanding into new markets across the globe in the coming years.

Birmingham City Council disabled care limits 'unlawful

2011-04-22T00:25:00.000-07:00

The following article is from the BBC news , all I can say is that this is a victory for common sense !

-------------------------------------------------------------

Birmingham City Council disabled care limits 'unlawful'

Judges have ruled that Birmingham City Council's plans to limit social care for disabled people are unlawful.

The families of four severely disabled people took the case to the High Court sitting in Birmingham.

The test case is the first in a series of possible legal challenges to councils around the UK mounted by those facing cuts to social care.

Birmingham City Council is planning to reduce care packages to about 4,000 people over the next three years.

The authority, a Conservative-Liberal coalition, says it needs to make the cuts to help slash £118m from its adult and communities directorate.

In total, a spokeswoman said, it needs to save £308m from its budget.

It explained that only those whose needs had been assessed as "critical" would qualify for council-funded care.

But the judges ruled that the council business plan was unlawful because it failed to comply with Section 49a of the Disability Discrimination Act.

The four people, who cannot be named for legal reasons, include a 65-year-old woman with severe learning difficulties who receives 24-hour care in a home paid for by the council.
'Hugely beneficial'

They also include a 25-year-old man with a rare genetic disorder and severe learning disabilities who receives overnight respite care, also funded by the council.

Both were set to lose their council-funded care.

The sister-in-law of the 65-year-old woman said: "I'm deeply concerned about what impact this will have and it's important to take a stand here.

"She relies on the council's support to assist her with daily living skills and to support and promote her independence, including assisting with personal care tasks, preparation of meals and safely accessing the community.

"The care is hugely beneficial and without it her quality of life would fall dramatically."

The case was also brought on behalf of a 30-year-old deaf, autistic man with severe learning disabilities who is prone to self-harm. His specialist day care would also have gone under the plans.

The fourth person is a 36-year-old woman with severe learning difficulties whose day care centre will close and who is also set to lose respite care.

A spokesman for the council said they would be looking at the judgement in detail before making a decision on whether to lodge an appeal.

He said: "The generality of the budget is not affected, this is a decision about the eligibility criteria for adult social care.
'Opportunity to pause'

"Like all councils, Birmingham faces a huge financial challenge, with adults and communities having to make a share of the savings like all other directorates, and we need to assess the impact of this decision.

"It is also important to point out that this judgement is about the process we went through with regard to the Disability Discrimination Act, not the actual decision about where savings should be made."

Tony Rabaiotti, head of local government in the West Midlands for public sector union Unison, welcomed the ruling.

He said: "This is a landmark ruling and a tremendous victory for thousands of vulnerable people across Birmingham who rely upon social care provision.

"Social care workers across Birmingham have been telling Unison over the last few months that they are genuinely frightened by the proposal to so severely axe social care provision.

"They have been telling us that vulnerable people will simply be left to fend for themselves. The council now has the opportunity to pause, think again and work with us to maintain quality social care provision for the people of Birmingham."

Addicts and DLA

2011-04-21T05:45:00.000-07:00

So the media is a wash with "moral outrage and execration " over the fact that 80,000 addicts receive welfare payments but correct me if I am wrong, but back in 2006 was not the figure 100,000 ? so in real terms there has been a drop of 20% .

Housing benefit cut's

2011-04-21T00:22:00.000-07:00

A great article by Leslie Morphy from the Guardian

By Leslie Morphy
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 20 April 2011

Last June, the government announced cuts to housing benefit that are expected to hit about a million households. There was major coverage at the time, including controversy over Boris Johnson's use of the phrase "social cleansing". But another change, included in November's comprehensive spending review, has barely received any attention even though it will force tens of thousands to leave their homes.

The government is preparing to rush through regulations that mean up to 88,000 25- to 34-year-olds will suddenly be dropped from a benefit rate designed to cover the cost of a one-bedroom flat to the shared accommodation rate. This week, draft regulations are due to be published on the measure, which will be laid in parliament by the summer and take effect next year.

The average loss is £47 per week, and some people will see their benefit entitlement more than halved. Most of those affected will lose their home. This measure threatens to turn the clock back on street homelessness. We could find ourselves back in the 80s, when people living rough on the streets was a fact of life.

It's true that many young people living in bigger cities across the UK have to house-share, but for most this is a choice. It's a period that is time-limited, coming to an end when a deposit for a house is saved or when earnings allow a move to their own flat. Sharing for young professionals tends to be with like-minded individuals, friends or workmates, and provides a social life and base for good times.

Contrast this with the experience of vulnerable single people without support networks or the cushion of a decent income. Many of those affected by this cut come from troubled backgrounds featuring neglect and abuse, have mental illnesses, or struggle with drugs or alcohol. Their difficulties in early life are not smoothed out by supportive families or peer networks. Nor are they pointed in the right direction by a proactive teacher or tutor at college. Instead, it's often a struggle for them to become independent and make a home and a life for themselves.

Making a clean break from past lifestyles is almost impossible in these circumstances, as is reconnecting with children or trying to sustain paid work. And where is all the shared housing for these individuals? As housing benefit claimants, they will not be able to afford the comfortable shared houses that young professionals do. There simply aren't enough available alternatives. In many areas of the country, especially rural areas and small towns, shared accommodation doesn't exist.

We at Crisis surveyed 343 frontline housing professionals working to support people into private accommodation. Of these, 95% expressed concerns about the proposed change, 87% said they already have difficulty finding appropriate properties for people on the shared accommodation rate, 72% said that there is not enough shared accommodation available in their local area, and around 63% said that there is a higher risk of tenancies breaking down in shared properties.

The National Landlords Association has also said that most landlords will be unable to accept such significant decreases in rent and that the vast majority (96%) also say that they are not planning to let more shared properties in response to this change.

A return to the days of widespread homelessness just doesn't make economic sense. It can cost up to £50,000 and dedicated effort from a range of public and voluntary agencies to help a rough sleeper off the streets and tackle the issues that made them homeless. Yet all that could be wasted if, after having settled someone into a flat in the private rented sector, they are now uprooted due to this benefit cut and forced to move into a shared house. Experience clearly tells us this will lead to many becoming unstable again, returning to past behaviours and ending up back on the streets. Protecting vulnerable people from the cuts has become almost a mantra for David Cameron, quelling the fears of many of his coalition partners. But street homelessness, emblematic of unjust social and economic policies, looks set to increase if this cut goes ahead.

Housing is not a luxury, and for anyone not convinced by the moral argument against homelessness, it is clear that an increase in rough sleeping will have a political and economic cost too. There is still time. I urge the government to head off this disaster before it is too late by rethinking these cuts, or at the very least introducing clear exemptions for vulnerable groups.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2011

A great Blog to read -Dawn Willis

2011-04-21T00:21:00.000-07:00

A really great blog to follow for anyone interested in mental health http://dawnwillis.wordpress.com

EU cross-border health care directive

2011-04-11T00:57:00.000-07:00

The new EU cross-border health care directive will the God,s willing come into effect in 2013, but will it lead to greater choice for all patients and their carers ?

Patients should in theory be able to get health care treatment from anywhere within the EU from 2013, at least, this is the core idea behind the cross-border health care directive, which is likely to make it into the European Union's official journal in the next few weeks , after it has to be said , many years of political wrangling.

I suspect that relatively few people will take advantage of the law but it will prove useful in clarifying when patients are entitled to obtain reimbursement for health care obtained abroad, with the aim of ensuring that people no longer need to fight for their rights in court.

Prescriptions for anti-depressant drugs such as Prozac rose by more than 40%

2011-04-10T10:48:00.000-07:00

The BBC news web page has posted the following

"Economic problems may be fueling a rise in depression in England, it has been suggested.

Prescriptions for anti-depressant drugs such as Prozac rose by more than 40% over the past four years, data obtained by the BBC shows."

Well that sounds quite straight forward at first at first glance but maybe the raise is due to GP's changing from older types of medication to more modern ones such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI ? i for one rather think this is the case .

The Mental Health Foundation has taken over the running of the Shift Speakers’ Bureau

2011-04-10T09:14:00.001-07:00

The following post is taken form the WEB site of the Mental Health Foundation and will be if interest to any one that uses the Shift Speakers Bureau .:

Date: 05 April 2011

Source: Mental Health

Foundation

Country: United Kingdom

The Mental Health Foundation

has taken over the running of

the Shift Speakers’ Bureau: a

network of people with a

variety of mental health

problems who are available

to speak to the media and at

public events about their

experiences. The newly-

named Mental Health

Foundation Speakers’ Bureau

will be managed by the

Foundation’s Press and PR

team.

The Speakers’ Bureau was

formerly run by Shift, a

branch of the now-closed

government agency the

National Mental Health

Development Unit (NMHDU)

that was established to help

tackle the stigma and

discrimination that surrounds

mental health issues in the

UK. The Mental Health

Foundation has taken over

running of the Speakers’

Bureau following the closure

of Shift and NMHDU as part

of the government’s

programme of spending

reforms.

Dr Andrew McCulloch, Chief

Executive of the Mental

Health Foundation, said:

“Over the last four years, the

Shift Speakers’ Bureau has

proved an invaluable resource

for literally hundreds of

journalists, columnists,

reporters, producers and

event-organisers looking to

gain real-life perspectives on

what it is like to experience

mental health problems in the

UK.

The Mental Health Foundation

has long believed that giving

people with mental health

problems the opportunity to

share their experiences, in the

media or at public events, is

crucial to raising awareness

of mental health issues and

tackling the stigma and

discrimination that still

surrounds them.

As such, while the closure of

NMHDU and Shift is deeply

regrettable, we are delighted

that we are able to do our bit

to keep this tremendous

resource open, helping to

keep the real experiences of

people with mental health

problems in the public eye”.

Read more about the Mental

Health Foundation Speakers’

Bureau, which includes short

biographies of Bureau

Members.

If you are a member of the

media or an event organiser

who would like to speak to a

member of the Speakers’

Bureau about their

experiences, please contact

the Mental Health Foundation

Press Office on

press@mhf.org.uk / 020 7803

1110.

Time-to-change

2011-03-19T08:44:00.000-07:00

A must visit web site dealing with mental health
www.time-to-change.org.uk

Care and the Community

2011-03-12T23:29:00.000-08:00

The article below from Mr Mark Easton Via the BBC web site is one that I think all people interested in social care should read :

Care and the Community

Mark Easton | 16:56 UK time, Thursday, 10 March 2011

A few weeks ago Dave moved his 90-year-old mother Olive into a care home in Newquay in Cornwall. It is a familiar story - his mum was about to be discharged from hospital and he urgently needed to find somewhere he could trust to look after her.

Power is moving away from central government towards local people

The council suggested a place: it had two-stars on the government rating and the leaflets looked promising. When Dave visited, all appeared well and eventually the time came when he had to let go of Olive's hand and leave her in the care of strangers.

You can guess what happened next.

"The experience she suffered was unbelievable," he told me. "She was left unattended for long periods of time, crying 24-hours a day, meals being dished up cold, no-one coming to see her and getting left in her room cold - absolutely horrendous."

Now Olive is in a home where she feels safe and happy. But Dave believes it was ongoing government changes to the system for monitoring care homes that left his mother exposed to neglect and maltreatment. Ministers are pushing ahead with plans to replace regular national inspection with a "localism" model, relying on residents and their families alerting the authorities to problems.

"Most ordinary people won't want to be the whistleblowers," Dave told me. "They will sit back and take it because they don't want to get involved, they don't want to cause a fuss and a stir. I got very upset over the care my mother was getting and the things being done to her. I had to take action. She was one person among 36 people. There are 35 other people still in that home who must be suffering the same kind of treatment."

Dave's point goes to the heart of the debate over localism. It is less an argument about whether it is sensible to give "power to the people", and more about whether people are ready and willing to use that power.

"People have become infantilised by their relationship with central government," Care Services Minister Paul Burstow told me in his office at the Department of Health this week.
"There's an assumption that somehow from behind a desk in Whitehall we can flick a switch and make things totally different and improve quality overnight. That's never been the case. The last government spent 13 years trying to run both the health service and increasingly care services from this place, from Richmond House in Whitehall. It didn't work."
As the government's framework for adult social care explains:
"We can no longer rely on top-down programmes or performance management ...the balance of power is shifting dramatically - away from the centre and towards councils managing their own future, and empowered local communities holding them to account."

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the reformed regulator of all health and adult social care in England. Everything from dentists to cosmetic clinics must now meet a list of "essential standards" in order to be registered. Gone are the days when dedicated care home inspectors make regular visits to every facility, checking safety and issuing stars for quality.

Dave has had to put his trust in strangers to care for his mother

As the CQC explains: "We rely on people who use services and those who care for and treat them to tell us about the quality and safety of services. This feedback is a vital part of our dynamic system of regulation which places the views, experiences, health and wellbeing of people who use services at its centre."

The old system was never perfect - assessments could be out of date almost before the ink was dry on the inspection report and local authorities had been campaigning for greater control - but there are concerns that the new "dynamic" approach is untested and may be unsafe.

I went to see the Relatives and Residents Association at its headquarters in north London. The charity's helpline was ringing off the hook with worried individuals trying to get advice on how to navigate to a safe harbour for a loved-one. Chief Executive, Judy Downey, points out that national regulation was introduced after failures in local monitoring led to a string of scandals.
"We would never have had scandals in care homes or in any residential provision if the local theory had worked. Why didn't they know, why didn't they report it, why didn't we all hear about until it was much too late, until there were dead bodies or something really tragic happening to those people? We set up a national system of inspection which everyone agreed was a really good way forward, but the trouble is it has never been allowed to bed down. It has been very easy to dismiss it as not working before it was given a chance."

English councils are expected to improve their monitoring of care home standards just as they make cuts to adult social services, squeezing commissioning budgets and looking to find efficiencies in backroom quality assurance operations. The head of CQC, Dame Jo Williams, recently made the point herself: "The providers will be asking themselves: what can I do to cut corners?"

It is not just central government inspection of care homes which is being cut back. Ministers have also scrapped official assessments of how well local authorities commission care services. In future, councils' responsibility to ensure good standards will be monitored by a new local consumer champion HealthWatch, which itself relies on local authority funding. The NHS Confederation has warned of "inherent conflicts of interest" with a council funded body scrutinising its paymasters.

The coalition stress the importance of "choice" in driving up standards of public services, but in adult social care, even the CQC accepts that, with the abandonment of the star-rating system, consumers no longer have "an easy at-a-glance view" of the quality of care homes in their area. There are plans for an "excellence rating" but this will be voluntary and providers will be obliged to pay for the inspection.

The chief executive of the not-for-profit provider Anchor Housing, Jane Ashcroft, suspects the fee might be around £10,000 for a mid-sized home:
"At a time when funds are under pressure paying for assessment twice makes no sense. What we want to do is put money into services for our residents not pay for another layer of bureaucracy."

Ministers remain convinced that localism is not so much a gamble as an opportunity for the care home sector, that networks and systems will develop from the grass-roots to drive up standards and root out problems.

But just as Dave had to let go of his mother's hand and trust in strangers, so localism requires us to let go of the state's grasp and trust in our neighbours.

£1.35m invested by Government to support carers

2011-02-09T00:04:00.000-08:00

£1.35m invested by Government to support carers

People who care for their loved ones are to benefit from more than £1 million in Government investment for new support projects

We have an estimated 6 million carers who save the uk economy billions of pounds a year yet we can only find £1.35m to invest in them and not increase in the carers allowance you will note .

The death of the Big Society and the third sector

2011-02-08T01:23:00.001-08:00

The following article its if great interest to anyone evolved in the third sector .

Source ...The Guardian
"Minister blocks No 10's rescue bid for 'big society' project - http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/feb/07/big-society-volunteering-eric-pickles

The fundamental question to me is "can the voluntary sector , within the UK cope with the above mentioned level of finding cuts ? I fear the answer its no .

Also I question the ability of the government to now achieve the goals originally set out for the Big Society in light of the refusal if Liverpool Council to take part .

New mental health strategy

2011-02-07T02:00:00.001-08:00

The following link is to an excellent article in todays Guardian , its well worth a read

Coalition's mental health strategy inadequate, warns thinktank - http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/feb/07/coalition-mental-health-strategy-inadequate

Dorset Mental Health Card Scheme

2011-02-02T05:41:00.000-08:00

A card scheme to help people affected by mental illness, and cares of them, will be launched in Dorset next week.

Leading national mental health charity Rethink is introducing the card scheme in partnership with Dorset County Hospital.

The scheme aims to make everyday situations easier for carers and mental health service users, by allowing them to communicate a simple message quickly, clearly and confidentially.

The Rethink card is designed to be subtle yet easily recognisable. The same size as a credit card, it accommodates useful information, such as contact details for carers, as well as room for the individual’s personal message.

The launch of the scheme will be at Dorset County Hospital at 2pm on Tuesday, February 8th in Damers Restaurant.

Cluster Based Carer Support Worker

2011-02-01T00:07:00.000-08:00

I am wondering just how long it will be before we start to see GP Cluster Based Carer Support Worker in the region , my logic for this move being the trial help in the Midlands with GP grouping based Carer support workers ( set up on the same concept as PSA , a proven system of help and support all be it in the education/health field ) which by all accountants has been rather a success.

I am told the cost effect ratio is stunningly low , a fact which is bound to bring a smile to the face of the local councils !

Home care jobs are to go at Swindon Borough Council

2011-01-27T23:45:00.000-08:00

So its true ! front line services are to be cut by Swindon Borough Council , its to shed 64 home care jobs.

The truly frightening thing is their logic for doing so , they says it is closing the department, which offers support to vulnerable people in their own homes, as it can be provided cheaper by private companies.

How long before the same logic is applied to carer support services I wonder ?

Mike

County wide based carer support and young carers

2011-01-25T23:27:00.000-08:00

Further to my rant on the above subject yesterday , I know wonder if young carers will be included in the new carers organisation for most of Wiltshire ?

After all for many a year I have attended meetings at which the subject of transfer for child carers to adult carers support has been the topic of debate , almost all people agree this has been a grey area , how we have a change to build in a robust link between both vital services .

County wide based carer support

2011-01-24T23:39:00.000-08:00

One of the fundamental problems for carers I have found is the confusion caused when caring commitments cross pre-determined Local authority funding boundaries and Carer Support Groups boundaries , this does , without any doubt cause extra stress for the carer .

Some time ago I was in the situation of dealing with 2 elderly family members, both living in the same county but in the geographical area of two Carer Support Orgs , I have to say that it was chaotic in the extreme , many phone calls and letters having to be duplicated .

We now have in Wiltshire , with the bringing together of four of the five carer support organisations some progress in service delivery to carers , what a shame that Swindon Borough and Wiltshire Council could not set up a joint budget to enable a truly single Wiltshire Carers Organisation

Fraud in the NHS

2011-01-23T23:37:00.000-08:00

The following article came from the BBC news page

NHS fraud cases 'rise by 37% in the last three years'

The number of fraud cases investigated in the NHS has risen by 37% in the last three years, official figures show.

NHS Counter Fraud Service figures showed the number of cases of potential fraud detected and investigated rose from 351 in 2007/8 to 415 in 2008/9 and 482 in 2009/10.

A service spokeswoman said there was improved awareness of fraud in the NHS and how to report it.

Problems include unpaid prescriptions and staff claims for unworked shifts.

According to the figures, the value of fraud and unlawful action identified was £4.1m in 2007/8, £16.2 in 2008/9 and £10.9 in 2009/10.

The organisation said recurrent kinds of fraud related to staff and professionals claiming money for shifts not worked, which is known as "timesheet fraud", and employees working in unauthorised jobs while on sick leave.

Other categories included patients who might try to avoid paying prescriptions by falsely claiming exemptions or using aliases to obtain drugs, and contractors or suppliers attempting to exaggerate records of NHS work.

The spokeswoman said: "There are a number of possible explanations for the rise in fraud cases over the last three years. One of these is that fraud has indeed risen.
"There is also a greater awareness of fraud in the NHS and how to report it and the NHS Counter Fraud Service has become increasingly effective at detecting and investigating reported cases."

Head of operations Allan Carter told the Times newspaper that "in times of recession people will look to maximise their opportunities".

He said more than £65m had been recovered to date.

From April, the NHS Counter Fraud Service's anti-fraud functions which cannot be undertaken locally will be carried out by NHS Protect.

It is understood that the new body is likely to provide guidance and assistance to local NHS bodies.

Now time and time again we have heard of the waste due to fraud in the NHS indeed when the Old NHS bank was closed down Fraud was to be a major subject for improvement yet its clear that things have only got worse !

Will NHS Protect do any better ? I fear not

Mike

The Twelve Days of Christmas

2010-12-20T11:08:00.000-08:00

TUESDAY, 14 DECEMBER 2010
The following has been posted on several blogs , web sites and you tube , its so good I have had to add it to my blog

The Twelve Days of Christmas
On the first day of Christmas the Government took from me the right to peace and harmony.

On the second day of Christmas the Government took from me,
social standing,
and the right to peace and harmony

On the third day of Christmas the Government took from me,
my I B,
social standing, and the right to peace and harmony.

On the fourth day of Christmas the Government took from me,
my contributions,
my I B, social standing, and the right to peace and harmony.

On the fifth day of Christmas the Government took from me,
my bu-us pass,
my contributions, my I B, social standing, and the right to peace and harmony.

On the sixth day of Christmas the Government took from me,
rights to housing,
my bu-us pass, my contributions, my I B, social standing, and the right to peace and harmony.
On the seventh day of Christmas the Government took from me,
mobility in care homes,
rights to housing, my bu-us pass, my contributions, my I B, social standing, and the right to peace and harmony

On the eighth day of Christmas the Government took from me,
5 years of pension,
mobility in care homes, rights to housing, my bu-us pass, my contributions, my I B, social standing, and the right to peace and harmony

On the ninth day of Christmas the Government took from me,
council funded care,
5 years of pension, mobility in care homes, rights to housing, my bu-us pass, my contributions, my I B, social standing, and the right to peace and harmony

On the tenth day of Christmas the Government took from me,
All my DLA,
council funded care, 5 years of pension, mobility in care homes, rights to housing, my bu-us pass, my contributions, my I B, social standing, and the right to peace and harmony

On the eleventh day of Christmas the Government took from me,
Independent Living Fund,
All my DLA, council funded care, 5 years of pension, mobility in care homes, rights to housing, my bu-us pass, my contributions, my I B, social standing, and the right to peace and harmony

On the Twelfth day of Christmas the Government gave to me,
a ticket to Dignitas.

Contemporary words by 'Hossylass'

Short spells in the sun are good !

2010-12-20T11:03:00.000-08:00

New health advice recommends short spells in the sun - without suncream and in the middle of the day.

Seven organisations have issued joint advice on vitamin D, which the body gets from natural sunlight.

The nutrient keeps bones strong, and protects against conditions like osteoporosis.
The guidance was drawn up because it is thought fears about skin cancer have made people too cautious about being in the sun.

Cancer Research UK and the National Osteoporosis Society are among the bodies which agree that "little and frequent" spells in summer sunshine several times a week can benefit your health.

The experts now say it is fine to go outside in strong sun in the middle of the day, as long as you cover up or apply sunscreen before your skin goes red.

This is excellent news to all sufferers SAD

Cuts will test the NHS and social services in England

2010-12-13T23:08:00.000-08:00

The recently announced Government spending plans will test the NHS and social services in England to the limit, a report by the Commons Health Select Committee syas and brother dont we all know it !!!.

The MPs state that the plans assume efficiency savings on a scale never before seen in social health or NHS fields of operation .

The Mp's are calling for the Department of Health to deliver a "credible plan" on where the efficiency gains will be made.

NHS CEO Sir David Nicholson has estimated the health service needs to make efficiency savings worth between £15bn and £20bn over the next four years.

The chairman of the Health Select Committee, former Conservative health secretary Stephen Dorrell, said that target will test both the NHS and social services to the limit.

"There is no precedent for efficiency gains on this scale in the history of the NHS, nor has any precedent yet been found of any healthcare system anywhere in the world doing anything similar," Mr Dorrell said.

The committee also looked at adult social services because of significant cross-over between care services and the NHS.

The reorganisation of the NHS will cost around £1.7bn, but the committee is not so sure.
Efficiency savings

"It is unfortunate that the government has not yet provided even a broad estimate of the likely reorganisation costs; and it is unhelpful for the government to continue to cite the £1.7 billion figure, as it does not relate to their specific proposals," the report says.

A Department of Health spokesman said the government was committed to sustaining and improving services in the face of a tough economic climate, but efficiency savings were needed.

"Reform isn't an option, it's a necessity in order to sustain and improve our NHS.

"We have been clear that the NHS must cut back on bureaucracy, not on front-line care."

The spokesman said additional funding for social care worth £2bn would be available by 2015.

"This additional investment will make it possible to protect people's access to care, without tightening eligibility.

"Councils and NHS partners will need to work harder to improve efficiency and achieve improved value for money."

Nigel Edwards, acting chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents 95% of organisations that make up the NHS, said the committee had got it exactly right.

The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services also warned that some tough years lie ahead.

Association president Richard Jones said a gap will open up between the needs and demands of older people and adults with disabilities, and the resources available to meet them. ?

All this is very worrying , are we heading for a melt down in the field of health and social welfare in England

Report of the Independent Investigation into the care and treatment of Mr SN. The South West Strategic Health Authority published today

2010-12-01T02:50:00.000-08:00

The Following is fron the web site of AWP

"Mr SN was convicted of the murder of Mr Philip Hendy, whom he had fatally stabbed on 29 April 2007.

Mr SN received a life sentence with a minimum term of 16 years. Mr SN had been in receipt of mental health services, latterly provided by Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust since 1990.

The report states: “We do not consider that responsibility for the homicide can be attributed to the failings of any individual, but we do make a number of findings and recommendations aimed at improving clinical practice and case management. We express particular concern about record keeping, the lack of diagnostic formulation, risk assessment, and the sharing of information between agencies. We make strong recommendations about the care of the bereaved families of victims, and we propose a review of the Independent Investigation process to reduce delay and duplication”.

Hazel Watson, the Trust's Director of Nursing said: “We deeply regret the tragic death of Mr Philip Hendy and once again offer our deepest sympathy to his family and to all those who have been touched by his untimely death. “We accept the criticisms of some of the procedures which existed in parts of the Trust in 2007.

Significant improvements have already been made.”

I like many will have grave concerns that to many of these system failures seam to be taking place , we seam to have lots of reports lots of sugested action but no improvement ?

Mental Health inpatient care in Wiltshire

2010-11-24T03:21:00.000-08:00

BBC NEWS printed this article toady regarding the closure of MH beds in Wiltshire

Devizes mental health hospital to close 30 unused beds

Twenty beds are to close at a psychiatric hospital in Wiltshire under a plan to treat more mental health patients in the community.

Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership said the beds, at Green Lane Hospital, Devizes, were amongst 30 going empty in the county every week.
It claimed many patients had voiced preference for being treated at home.
Clinical director Dr Julie Hankin said the money saved by the bed closures would be re-invested in the service.

"We're spending public money on keeping beds open which aren't being used and we feel this is a fantastic chance to use that money more effectively," she said.
"The money is being invested in other parts of the service, so although it's about efficiencies, it's not about ripping money out of the service."

Karen Frayling, from the mental health support charity, Alabare Include, said that while she supported the care of patients in their home environment, there were concerns that some could "fall through the gap".

"What we don't want to see are people who are too unwell for our community-based service, but aren't poorly enough to need to be in hospital," she said.
"Nobody wants that group of people not to receive a service."

-----------------------------------------------------

Well the plan is I am lead to believe that all in-care be undertaken at Salisbury , one imagines at the Fountain Way site , this does make good financial sense but has any one considered the social cost of this ?

Mental health on the TV

2010-11-22T00:49:00.001-08:00

I am posting this article from the BBC news page with a very heavy heart , its proves what many of us already know , that the stigma attached to mental illness is alive and well.

Health

22 November 2010

Last updated at 02:24

TV mental health portrayal rapped

Many depictions of mental illness on TV are frightening and misleading, a government-backed report says.

The study, commissioned by the Department of Health, found nearly half of all mentally ill characters were portrayed as dangerous to others.

Its author said the "axe-wielding maniac" stereotype should be ditched.

Mental health charity Mind said progress had been made in dramas such as EastEnders and Shameless, but more improvement was needed.

Television and films have been using the "madman" as a dramatic device for decades, but in reality, the vast majority of people with mental health problems pose no risk to others.

The Glasgow Media Group, working on behalf of a Department of Health campaign called "Shift", examined dozens of popular dramas and comedies to see how mental illness was presented to the viewer.

It found that most references to mentally ill people were insulting, examples being the terms "crackpot", "basket case" or "a sad little psycho".

In addition, 45% of storylines involving people with mental health problems found them posing some kind of risk to others.
Recent examples were a character in ITV soap Emmerdale who drugs the village vicar, or a schizophrenic killer in the popular US show CSI: Miami.

'Improve perceptions'Even in BBC One soap EastEnders, which was praised for a realistic portrayal of bipolar disorder with character Stacey Slater, had the same character eventually commit murder.

Professor Greg Philo, who led the research, said: "Fictional film characters like Hitchcock's Norman Bates in 'Psycho' have long established the idea of the 'mentally ill' as crazed and dangerous in the public mind; television has been doing the same thing for decades.

"Great progress has been made in recent years, but we've some way to go before we see more of the everyday realities of living with a mental health problem properly represented and stereotypes like the axe-wielding maniac take a back seat."

Almost half of programmes did offer sympathetic portrayals, although these often showed the character as a "tragic victim", the researchers said.

The depiction of another character with bipolar disorder on Channel 4's Shameless won praise for accuracy and sensitivity.
Paul Farmer, the chief executive of Mind, said that improvements over the past decade had been due to the willingness of scriptwriters and programme producers to involve people with personal experience of mental health problems while carrying out research.

He said: "It is also clear, however, that there is still much work to be done until we are at a stage where accurate depictions are the norm rather than the exception.
"I hope this report will encourage programme makers to follow these examples of good practice to create accurate, well-rounded characters that can improve perceptions of mental health."

Bed-Blocking Great Western Hospital in Swindon

2010-11-11T07:07:00.000-08:00

Bed-blocking by over-60s cost Great Western Hospital in Swindon £80,000 last year, it has been revealed.

A hospital spokesman said delayed discharges had come down by 47% in the past two years, but the figures have risen again in the past few months.

He said it cost the hospital £200 a day to accommodate patients.

We all know that the answer to this problem is a totally inter-linked healthy and social care policy on a county wide basis , until this is achieved the problem will continue.

One would hope that with the removal of PCT,s and the transfer of their responsibilities to Wiltshire Council that a single social care /health policy will be achievable .

I for one will not be holding my breath waiting for this to happen !

Benefit assessment system 'not working'

2010-11-05T00:32:00.000-07:00

The following comes from BBC Gloucestershire

MP says benefit assessment system 'not working'

A Gloucestershire MP has criticised the system of assessing whether people with mental health issues are well enough to work.

If people on incapacity benefit are deemed "fit to work", they must actively seek employment.

Laurence Robertson said 48% of appeals against mental health assessments were upheld in the county.

The Department for Work and Pensions said it was unfair to suggest the system was not working.

Mr Robertson, Conservative MP for Tewkesbury, said he had looked into the issue after being approached by some constituents.

He said he obtained figures that showed 42% of people in England had their appeals against their mental health assessments upheld by independent tribunals.

"In Gloucestershire of up to 250 appeals heard 120 were successful, which is 48%," he said.

"Of those who take their cases to appeal, almost half of them are successful which suggests there is something wrong with the original assessment system in the first place."

He said the figures were from August 2009 to July 2010.

"This really does need to be looked into," he added.

"The very people who are not really capable of taking the matters up for themselves, although a number of them are doing, are suffering in this way.

"There must be an awful lot of people who because of the nature of their illness don't take the issue to appeal."
'Want to work'

Sophie Corlett, from mental health charity Mind, said the organisation agreed with Mr Robertson's findings.

"A lot of people with mental health problems can work and want to work - and working is good for your mental health if you're able to," she said.

"But for many people they're not at that point yet or they're too unwell and the assessment doesn't really work on that."

She said the assessment was based on a series of questions that were mostly geared towards physical health.
Overall assessment

A Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) spokesman said it was unfair to suggest the system was not working, and that out of everyone who is assessed overall, five per cent appealed successfully.

The figures include those with physical ill health, as well as mental health issues.

The calculation is based on the published statistics of the 420,000 new claims to Employment and Support Allowance from October 2008 to June 2009.

The spokesman added the department was always trying to improve, and a review into any whether any further changes to the assessment were needed was taking place.

----------------------------------------------

Ok well any one who has had dealing with the benefit system and mental health will say whats new !! , service users have face this up hill battle for years and to be totally honest I see no end in sight to this problem , after all a mental disorder is not quantifiable like a physical disability is it ?.

Carers suffer in Wiltshire

2010-11-04T06:46:00.000-07:00

In the last few years within the Peoples not so Democratic Republic of Wiltshire we have seen cuts in funding for carers ,mental health , advocacy and the Wiltshire users network , all these during the golden years of the Labour Governments prudent fiscal management .

We how face the most draconian cuts in council funding and the demise of locally based and run PCT's ,cause for grave concern to all .
We need in these times of economic decline to ensure that front line social care services are not subject to cuts .

So what effect have the above mentioned cuts had on carers in this area of Wiltshire ?

Well the most obvious one has been the loss of Advocacy Works , a great locally based advocacy service that helped empower a large number of people , including carers , it was a great comfort to know that the local support was there in times of need .

The loss of the Bridge Project was a major blow to mental health users and carers in West and North Wiltshire , the four Saturday clubs where well attended and sorely missed by service users and there carers alike , nothing has been put in place as a substitute.

We all acknowledge that the number of carers will increase in years to come and it will happen.

Just think one day you can be working in a well paid job , blissfully unaware of carers or carers issues yet the next day a full time carer trying to live on the fraction of your former income.

Cuts in funding of Health and Social care will only lead to greater suffering for carers and service users in our county , Yes support the NHS but PLEASE don’t forget the carers and Service users ..

Care groups warn on government funding reform pledges

2010-11-04T00:14:00.000-07:00

The BBC report that -

"Care groups are warning the government risks failing to deliver on a pledge to reform the funding system for the long-term care of elderly people in England.

In a letter to the health secretary, they suggest a commission has lost "momentum" and changes may not be put in place in this parliament.

They say the "major challenge" needs to be addressed.

The Department of Health says reform remains a government priority and the commission will report by July 2011.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley set up the Commission on the Funding of Care and Support in July."

Once again government is sitting on a time bomb waiting to explode , with cuts in local Councils sending under way this problem will only escalate.

CQC-Mid Staffs NHS Foundation Trust

2010-11-02T03:48:00.000-07:00

So the dear old Care Quality Commission (CQC) has in its infinite wisdom found Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust managed to comply with just five out of the 16 objectives set out by law to maintain quality and safety in hospitals.

Its said that while the trust had improved in some areas, the latest inspection report said problems with the way hospitals handle medicine had increased in the last 12 months.

The CQC has said it has minor concerns about eight other standards and moderate concerns about three, including management of medicine , supporting workers and complaints.

Inspectors said many of the concerns would be addressed once action plans were in place.

"Our findings lead us to have a moderate concern in the management of medicines," the report said.

I just love the MODERATE ! To me its totally unacceptable !!!

Sunday thought from a truly great lady Mother Theresa

2010-10-31T02:00:00.001-07:00

THE FRUIT OF SILENCE IS
PRAYER.
THE FRUIT OF PRAYER IS
FAITH .
THE FRUIT OF FAITH IS LOVE .
THE FRUIT OF LOVE IS
SERVICE.
THE FRUIT OF SERVICE IS
PEACE .

Cuts to Warden Services in Wiltshire

2010-10-29T23:10:00.000-07:00

People living in sheltered and semi housing in Wiltshire are worried that the warden service will be reduced.

Wiltshire Council is facing increasing demand due to people living longer, but needs to cut its overall budget.

The council say the service will be made more efficient. Funding from the government is to be reduced by 7.1% each year over four years.

Well we all know that first Councils reduce services and that cut them ! I fear that this will be the case here .

Tony Benn

2010-10-29T12:23:00.001-07:00

Started to listen to Tony Benns 'More time for Politics' rather an amusing chap not at all your normal dry politician !!

New carers web site

2010-10-29T07:44:00.000-07:00

Carers in Wiltshire

So we now have in Wiltshire a single web site for carer support

http://www.carersinwiltshire.co.uk/

This to me is a fundamental step forward to the concept of a single carers support organization for the county .

The logic is very very simple the number of carers in Wiltshire just does not justify in these harsh economic times the added cost of the Tax payer partially funding indirectly four separate organizations infrastructures in the county , the money just is not in the pot .

WILTS PCT INTERVIEW ON BBC WILTSHIRE RADIO

2010-08-04T10:47:00.000-07:00

BBC NEWS
Q&A: Jeff James of the Wiltshire PCT

A recently published government white paper has announced a major restructuring of the NHS in England.

The move will lead to the abolition of all 10 strategic health authorities and the 152 management bodies known as primary care trusts.

Chief executive of Wiltshire Primary Care Trust (PCT), Jeff James, spoke to BBC Wiltshire recently to put the changes in perspective, and clarify matters.

Read the Q&A below.

What are the changes to the Primary Care Trust?

The changes that the Government is making have got three components as far as the Primary Care Trust is concerned. During the course of this year, the staff that we employ that provide services direct to patients will be transferring to other organisations. During the year that follows, we'll be working with GPs who will be the new commissioners of services - the people who plan and pay for them. They'll be working in shadow form with us as part of a phased handover. We'll also, during the course of that year, be transferring our public health work to the local authority. So by April 1, 2013, the PCT will be no more.

How will patients going to their GP see a difference?

Directly it shouldn't affect the individual patient. Although as the idea of choice and how we exercise choice grows, we may see people being more selective about the grounds on which they visit one practice over another. In terms of when your GP acts as a commissioner, what your GP is doing is making a decision with you about when you need hospital care. There will be a conversation about what hospital care might make sense and which hospital would be the best place to go to. The idea at the heart of this is that the GPs will hold budgets, but the way in which they exercise the decisions will be in partnership with you as a patient.

How real is the choice that will be offered to patients?

We collect a variety of data to look at how general practices work. One of the things we look at is how often people move from one practice to another. By and large that isn't happening an awful lot. The evidence seems to be that when people make that initial choice they tend to stay with it. The government white paper is signalling a desire to want to have more information about how well general practices do, so that when you want to make a decision about which practice to register with, you can do it based on the services they offer and the results they get rather than their geographical location.

Will these changes be empowering for patients?

The whole concept of empowerment is quite a tricky one, because apart from the desire to be in charge of your own health, not everybody feels that. Some people are quite happy to trust doctors and nurses, as they feel they are the professionals and have their best interests at heart. There are also a lot of other folk who have long-term illnesses who become experts in their own care.

What is the government trying to do over all?

There's a tendency in British health care since the early 1970s to move between two poles. On the one side there are people who emphasise health care as a system and national standard and things being the same everywhere. There's another tendency which says it ought to be local because places are different, and people are different, and more of the choices should be made by individuals and their family doctors because they're the starting point for most people's health journey. This set of changes is edging away from the NHS as a national system with most things determined at the centre, to one where there's more space for diversity and more choices being made at a local level. You still have to make difficult choices but they're locally made choices rather than nationally determined choices.

Will this improve healthcare for people?

One of the hopes that the government have is that choice, and the conversations that happen between individual patients and GPs, will mean that they'll start to think about answers that we don't have in the current system. There are good parallels for this in social care. In the social care world we've started to think about what would happen if, instead of having the services that were routinely available, we've said to a person, OK here's the budget that's available for your condition, what would be the right package of things for you? And giving more choice that way.

Could tax-payers money be spent on non-scientific treatments such as homeopathy?

The hard scientific evidence, typically the controlled trial model, is a relatively modern phenomenon and tends to be applied very much in the pharmaceutical sphere, so it's important for us to recognise that it's not as though everything we currently do is empirically verifiable in that way. What we're rubbing up against here is two sorts of ideas, one is that we should think about people in machine terms, and therefore the language of science is entirely appropriate. The other is that we should think about people holistically, and therefore their sense and their feelings are as important as what you can measure in hard scientific terms. Now often is the case in terms of things like homeopathy that when you hear the conversation about it, the person's experience is as much as how they're treated as an individual is as much a part of the homeopathic package as is the homeopathic remedy itself. So we need to be careful to tease out whether what we're hearing is something important about the context in which complementary therapies are made available, as distinct from the active therapy itself. We might be learning something important about the social setting for care that matters in terms of how well people feel.

Do you believe the model will deliver a better healthcare system?

I think it's a model that can deliver, because if you look beneath the surface, underneath all of this are ideas that look quite like models that work elsewhere. There are models of health maintenance organisations that work in the United States, where you have a combination or primary care and secondary care being run through a single system. They have similar ideas about wanting to ensure that you have active partnership with patients at the core of it. You do as much treatment away from hospital as possible and you encourage people to take as much responsibility for their care as possible. Many of the HMO's that operate on that model in the States are very successful.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/local/wiltshire/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8878000/8878376.stm

Published: 2010/08/03 12:23:55 GMT

© BBC MMX

Carers In Wiltshire :: Home

2010-07-25T22:56:00.000-07:00

So we now have in Wiltshire a single web site for carer support , this to me is a fundamental step forward to the concept of a single carers support organisation for the county .

The logic is very very simple the number of carers in Wiltshire does not justify in these harsh economic times the added cost of the Tax payer funding indirectly four separate organisations infrastructures in the county , the money just is not in the pot .

Carers In Wiltshire :: Home

2010-07-23T23:08:00.000-07:00

Depression really does make everything look grey - Health News, Health & Families - The Independent

2010-07-23T10:18:00.000-07:00

Depression really does make everything look grey - Health News, Health & Families - The Independent

CONDEMS-NHS

2010-07-10T23:43:00.000-07:00

So Mr Andrew Lansley, the health secretary, raises the spectre of job losses in the NHS as he pledges to cut £1bn a pa in "central bureaucracy".

Rising demand for health services, means that major savings must be found in the NHS's "ring-fenced" budget.

In reality tens of thousands of jobs could go.

Are we seeing the beginning of the end of the NHS as we know it ?

Mental illness will rise as millions struggle with debt

2010-06-08T00:24:00.000-07:00

Depression and mental illness will increase as millions struggle to cope with debts and money problems during the economic downturn, according to a study.

People who owe money are more likely to suffer from psychological problems, the study from the Nottingham School of Economics found.

Researchers examined information from the Families and Children Survey, which questions about 8,000 people a year on issues including their financial situation and health.

In 2007 13% of respondents who reported debt problems and 17% of those reporting financial stress also reported mental health and psychological concerns.

At the same time less than 3% of those who did not report debt or financial stress said they were suffering from psychological problems.

With the new governments tight fiscal controls the personal debt problem will only increase in the short term so we have a ticking time bomb

Mental illness research warning

2010-06-06T00:18:00.000-07:00

The following article comes from the BBC news web page it is very thought provoking and well worth a read

Mental illness research warning

VIEWPOINT
Professor Til Wykes
Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London
Poor mental health affects 16.7 million people in the UK today.

In this week's Scrubbing Up, clinical psychologist Professor Til Wykes says strategies for funding research into mental health need to be overhauled.

Patients and their families deserve better, she says.

When it comes to thinking about mental health, I'd like to believe we've come a long way from the Victorian stereotypes of hysterical women and crazed madmen languishing in Bedlam.

But while physical diseases like cancer are managing to throw off the stigma they carried in previous centuries, mental illnesses are still too often ignored or misunderstood.

Not only does this lead to prejudice and discrimination, it also seems to make it harder to find funding for research into the causes of, and treatments for, mental ill health.

Improving care and treatment for people with mental health problems requires the same rigorous research as demanded for tackling physical illness.

However, despite the huge burden that poor mental health represents to society - from the disabling effects on individuals and their families, to the financial costs of dealing with mental illness - mental health research is incredibly underfunded.

“ In these austere times, it is worth bearing in mind that in England alone mental health issues cost us £77bn a year ”
Only 5% of medical research in the UK is into mental health, despite 15% of disability resulting from disease being due to mental illness.

It's estimated that one in four of us - 15 million people of all ages in the UK - will experience a mental health problem this year.

That's substantially more people than will have a heart attack or a stroke, and yet twice as much research goes into heart disease and stroke than is carried out in mental health.

It's more people than will be diagnosed with cancer this year, and yet cancer gets more than 25% of medical research funding - five times as much as mental health.

In these austere times, it is also worth bearing in mind that in England alone mental health issues cost us £77bn a year.

If we had a better understanding of mental health and better treatments for specific conditions, it would go a significant way to easing the nation's financial situation, as well as our states of mind.

Last week, one of the major research funders, the Medical Research Council, published one of the most up to date reviews of the strengths and challenges of mental health research in the UK.

It not only showed that the research that does get funded is world-class but that the UK is well-placed to lead the way in this area.

The review concludes that there are several opportunities to fund more research in the UK that would help accelerate progress in developing new treatments, or lead to better ways of preventing mental illness in the first place.

It means we have to set priorities. We have to direct the funding that is available into the research most likely to help.

But (and there always is a but) it sets the bar high in terms of funding decisions over the next few years and challenges the UK to really pull its weight in this much needed research arena.

Mental health problems frequently start in childhood and persist throughout the rest of a person's life. Finding better ways to treat - or preferably prevent - poor mental health as early as possible will bring enormous benefits to individuals, their families and society as a whole.

We simply can't afford to ignore this problem any longer.

Provocative thoughts from experts in the worlds of health and medicine

Charity funding cuts

2010-05-29T06:06:00.000-07:00

THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE IS TAKEN FROM THE WILTSHIRE TIMES

A leading voluntary sector worker fears Wiltshire Council is preparing to make big cuts that could affect many west Wiltshire organisations.

Veronica McAndry, director of the Bridge House Community Trust, in Stallard Street, Trowbridge, which provides assistance to the voluntary sector, says funding could be at risk after Wiltshire Council changed the way it awards grants.

Bridge House has already lost all of its public funding and is now relying on its own assets and fundraising efforts to stay afloat.

Mrs McAndry said: “I suspect that they will be cutting to the bone and I think they will find it difficult to do anything other than what they really have to do as a statutory requirement.

“We lost all of our public funding in April because of the changes they have been making, but we will continue to try and provide a service here in west Wiltshire. We have gone from having 11 people working here to just me and one other person. I just don’t know how they are going to deliver services here by bypassing us.”

There will now be a single process for grant applications, after councillors approved the changes at a cabinet meeting on Monday.

The council had been relying on five existing processes, a legacy of the former district councils.

A report outlining the changes encourages organisations to consider their priorities for the future, suggesting that cuts to non-essential projects could be made.

The council said that future funding decisions will have to be made “within budget availability”. The amount the council will fund the voluntary sector is to be decided upon in the current financial year.

A decision may be made once the national coalition government reveals its Emergency Budget on June 22.

Council leader Jane Scott said: “These changes are going to make it clear to the voluntary sector how we can fund and support them.

“It is not talking about taking money away from them but about how we will do business with them in the future. For the last two years we have kept up our level of funding.” The government has this week announced £6.2bn in savings in a bid to tackle the £156bn national deficit.

Of this, £1.165bn will come from the cutting of grants to local authorities.

Brian Deeley, chief executive of Age UK Wiltshire, added: “Any potential cuts in funding of the help Age UK Wiltshire offers to older people is obviously worrying.

“However our priority will be to continue to provide and develop services in response to the needs of people in the county within the resources available to us.”

FAMILY CARERS AND THE ELECTIION

2010-04-26T02:52:00.000-07:00

So we are just over two away from the general election and I'm wondering which of the main parties will be most supportive of family carers ?

I'm drawn to the sad conclusion that the Tory and libdem parties really don't give a toss !

Anti-psychotic pneumonia warning

2010-04-06T01:01:00.000-07:00

The following is from the BBC news site , it makes interesting reading

Anti-psychotic pneumonia warning
The use of anti-psychotic drugs in the elderly doubles the risk of potentially fatal pneumonia, say Dutch researchers.

A study of almost 2,000 patients found the increased risk starts soon after treatment begins and concluded that patients should be closely monitored.

An expert review published in 2009 found the drugs are overused in many cases and are responsible for up to 1,800 deaths in the UK every year.

Ministers have said they want to see a significant cut in their use.

The latest research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine compared the health records of 258 over-65s with pneumonia with 1,686 patients without the infection.

“ This paper yet again gives us evidence why we should not prescribe them unless absolutely necessary ”
Professor Steve Field, Royal College of GPs
Of those with pneumonia, a quarter died within a month.

When they looked at prescribed drugs, they found current use of anti-psychotics was associated with a roughly two-fold increase in the risk of pneumonia.

Those on the newer types of anti-psychotic drugs were slightly less likely to have the infection than those on the older class of drugs but were still at significant increased risk.

The risk was found to start soon after treatment and increased the higher the dose of drugs the patient was prescribed.

Evidence

The researchers from Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam said: "Clinicians who start treatment with anti-psychotic drugs should closely monitor patients, particularly at the start of therapy and if high doses are given."

Last year's UK review found that around 180,000 dementia patients a year are given the drugs in care homes, hospitals and their own homes to manage aggression but only around 36,000 would actually benefit from them.

Measures suggested in the report and accepted by the government included better monitoring of prescribing practices and ensuring that, where necessary, they were prescribed for short periods of time.

Professor Steve Field, chair of the Royal College of GPs said: "Antibiotics are prescribed too frequently without doctors thinking about the consequences.

"This paper yet again gives us evidence why we should not prescribe them unless absolutely necessary and if you do you should closely monitor the patient."

Story from BBC NEWS:

Cuts and savings for the NHS

2010-03-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

The NHS needs to save more than £4bn within two years yet the budget in England has trebled to more than £100bn. in the last few years , helping to pay for the 80% rise in managers over the period along with the many thousands of extra nurses a doctors and other staff

However, over the period same period productivity has fallen by over 3% a year on average.

But in reality this is just part of a wider efficiency drive. The NHS is aiming to make between £15bn to £20bn of savings by 2014.which equates to about 5% more productivity a year.

The following facts and analysis are from the Guardian

THE NHS IN NUMBERS FRPOM THE GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER
The NHS budget in England will be £105bn for 2010-11
Future years' budgets have yet to be set, but at best the NHS can only hope for a very small rise
The head of the NHS has already told the health service to make up to £20bn of savings by 2011
The £4.35bn announced on Budget Day is just the first part of this efficiency drive
This means services such as diabetes clinics and minor surgery.

But for the push to make real savings requires hospitals - or at the very least wings of hospitals - to close.

This, of course, is extremely unpopular.

Another area which could be tackled is labour costs, which account for about half of the budget.

Reducing headcount significantly is not easy and so - after years of bumper pay rises for some - staff are now facing freezes in their salaries.

This will save about £3.5bn by 2014. But understandably the approach has proved unpopular with staff.

However, ministers are unlikely to stop there. As the Department of Health announced following the Budget, a saving of £555m is being aimed for by tackling staff sickness.

Sickness

The average NHS employee is absent through illness for more than 10 days a year, which is slightly higher than the public sector average and much higher than the private sector figure of 6.4 days.

The government aims to do this by giving staff quick access to physio and counsellors to tackle back injuries and stress which are both common problems in the health service.

But staff believe it will also lead to more and more pressure being put on front-line workers not to take days off when they are sick.

Kim Sunley, the Royal College of Nursing's senior employment adviser, says: "We have anecdotal evidence that trusts are adopting more draconian measures in tackling sickness. If anything staff already feel they can't take days off. It is a real concern."

While morale in the health service will probably not be of a great concern in the rest of the economy when people are losing their jobs, it will impact on how successful the NHS efficiency drive will be.

The savings are not being handed back to the Treasury. Instead, they will be ploughed back into the health service to ensure it can keep up with demand.

The ageing population means the pressure on the health service is rising steadily each year.

So the challenge is clear. The NHS pound has to go further - and if this does not happen services for everyone will suffer

Homeless Link -social care

2010-03-25T11:42:00.000-07:00

I am posting this press realise from Homeless Link as I feel it highlights an aspect of social care that seams to be in danger of being overshadowed by the debate on how we fund long term elderly care in the UK

While the following deals with the housing and linked issues other vital support services such as Adult Autism could also be overshadowed.

Homeless Link calls for the protection of services for the most vulnerable
25 March 2010
Homeless Link, the national organisation for agencies working to end homelessness, hopes that as the details of the public expenditure cuts become clearer after yesterday's Budget, protection will be given to those services for the most vulnerable.

Our recent Survey of Needs and Provision (http://www.homeless.org.uk/snap-2010) found that almost half of the homelessness organisations who took part indicated that funding pressures and predicted decommissioning of services threaten their services. These findings are reinforced by a survey from the Charity Commission released on 24th March 2010, which highlights the vulnerability of the voluntary sector to spending cuts.

Jenny Edwards, Chief Executive of Homeless Link said, "The homelessness sector is now completely indispensable in ensuring that the most vulnerable people in society are supported and become positive and active contributors within local communities. It is vital that the need to make savings does not result in all the investment of recent years being wasted."

We urge those making the decisions to minimise the impact of public expenditure cuts on the most vulnerable, particularly those for whom there is no statutory entitlement to support.

Homeless Link welcomes the Budget's increase in the tax on high alcohol cider. Our members see every day the negative impact and deterioration in health of homeless people caused by super strength alcoholic drinks. We would like to see this extended to high alcohol lager.

GP's and MH therapy

2010-03-25T00:52:00.000-07:00

The following is from the Guardian newspaper , it makes interesting reading -

Britain's GPs are increasingly angry and frustrated at not being able to get the right therapy for people with mental illnesses – especially for children, who face unacceptable delays in receiving help or do not get it at all, according to a new survey.

An "overwhelming" response to a survey sent out to family doctors by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has painted a picture of patchy availability of adult psychological services across the country and an even poorer availability for children. Family doctors reported shocking cases of critically mentally ill people having to wait months for help, or not getting it at all, in breach of national guidelines.

The situation of children was worse than for adults, with 78% of doctors saying that they could "rarely" get help for a distressed child within the recommended two months' waiting time. One doctor reported the case of a 16-year-old rape victim who had started self-harming after being refused help, while another said a girl who had seen her sibling burn to death in a car was offered an appointment with the mental health service in six months' time. "Our service is appalling unless the kids are actually slitting their wrists – I see this as an area of huge need," said one GP.

Professor Steve Field, president of the royal college, wrote to members asking whether adult patients suffering from depression or anxiety disorders and requiring specialist psychological therapy were able to get treatment within two months. Some 1,150 doctors replied, with 65% answering "rarely". Only 15% of them answered "usually", with 20% responding "sometimes".

When asked about children suffering from emotional or behaviourial problems who needed such therapies, 78% of the GPs replied that "rarely" could they get the child help within two months with just 5.8% saying they could "usually" access treatment within the Nice (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) guideline of two months. "We were overwhelmed by the responses. It is shocking," said Field. "There is a strong sense of frustration coming through in many parts of the country and patients clearly deserve better. People should have access to approved treatments, and this has to be a wake-up call.

"If patients can't get access to talking therapies, then they will be on medication. Investing in mental health services will save the NHS and the economy a lot of money, and save it very quickly."

The survey was carried out as part of a campaign launched this month by the RCGP, the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the mental health charity Mind calling for all political parties to make a manifesto promise to back a new deal for children and adults with mental health problems. The government began its Improved Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme in 2007 after repeated clinical trials showed that "talking therapies" – where people are helped to challenge their own negative thoughts – are as effective as drugs in the short term and better in the long term at preventing relapses. That evidence led Nice to issue guidelines stating that people with depression and anxiety disorders should be offered the choice of cognitive behavioural therapy – a talking therapy.

The chief executive of Mind, Paul Farmer, says talking therapies save lives. "When someone is assessed as being in need of counselling or CBT, it is crucial that they can start treatment as soon as possible. Waiting months and months for urgent treatment would not be acceptable for patients with other health problems, and it should not be acceptable for patients with depression."

But while extra money has been given to health trusts around the country, it is now no longer ring-fenced and the campaigners want a political commitment to the IAPT programme from whoever wins May's general election.

"There has been some great work from the government and they deserve credit for being the first British government to take mental health seriously," said Richard Layard, of the London School of Economics.

Layard led a research team who in 2007 published a cost benefit analysis of psychological therapy. It found that the costs of providing psychological therapies would be recouped within two years in savings made on paying out incapacity benefit and lost taxes from more than a million people who are unable to work because of their mental health issues.

Layard said strides forward had been made but the service was spread too thinly. "IAPT has made very good progress, but it is still at a fragile stage if the political will is not behind it. We need to get mental health raised up as a national priority and see significant pressure brought to bear on primary care trusts to invest."

Respite funding is being spent elsewhere!!

2010-03-07T23:24:00.000-08:00

Millions of pounds intended for but not ring-fenced to respite breaks for voluntary carers has been spent on other areas of the NHS, alleges two charities.

The government said in 2008 that it was doubling money set aside to allow long-term carers some time off - £50m this year and £100m next year.

The Crossroads Care and Princess Royal Trust for Carers allege that only 23% of this year's cash is being spent on carers.

PCT/Health officials say that as the money was not ring fenced they should be able to move money to where it is most needed.

After all Councils have been top slicing the carers grant for years .

I'm afraid that this sort of give with one hand take away with another will go on for a long time yet !

Local Authority chief: Scottish elderly care system "unsustainable" - Adult Care Blog

2010-02-28T10:13:00.001-08:00

Local Authority chief: Scottish elderly care system "unsustainable" - Adult Care Blog

Posted using ShareThis