The cost of social care

The government has " underestimated" the cost of delivering free social care, council chiefs say.

A poll of some 61 directors of social services has suggested providing care to those most in need can costs £200 a week this is almost double the government's current bench mark figure .

The poll estimate that people who fall into the most critical bracket need six and a half hours of care, but the evidence provided by the survey suggests it is double that.

It means in blunt figures that councils would have to find more than £500m a year - on top of the £420m provided by government - to fund the new scheme if it comes into place in the autumn as forecast.

‘Bedlam' exhibition

For anyone interested in the history of mental health can I recommend the ‘Bedlam' exhibition which traces the meandering history of mental health
The exhibition, Lost London: Forgotten Places, Forgotten People, is at the ¬Gallery, Bethlem Royal Hospital, Beckenham, Kent BR3 3B, until 12 February, 2010. or look at bethlemgallery.com

Mercy Killings and assisted suicide

Mercy killing mother cleared after helping daughter die

'Why did this come to court?' judge asks as jury clear Kay Gilderdale of murder in just two hours

Jolly good question ! I think we all agree its time the laws relating to assisted suicide were reviewed .

I accept that there are strong arguments on both sides of the debate but its quite clear the current policy is no longer tenable .

May be after the General Election an open and honest debate on the issue can be had ?

The case for investment in preventive cost care

The case for investment in preventive cost care


We have had it: pilot-tested, fully lean costed, independently evaluated, and now its cast-iron evidence that investment in preventive social care services is highly cost effective , it more than pays for itself in savings to the NHS .
Indeed as an example for every £1 spent on such services to support older people, hospitals save £1.20 in spending on emergency beds. .

So can we now look forward to a plethora of robust policies from government and local authorities ? I rather think not !

Priory Group MH Statistics

I have picked up the following from the pages of the Guardian newspaper

'The Priory Health Group has developed a reputation as the rehab clinic frequented by actors and popstars seeking treatment for drug or alcohol addiction.

But the company claims that more than 2.9 million people in the UK are diagnosed as having depression at any one time, and as many as one in three people will be affected by depression at some point in their lives. The clinics specialise in treating disorders including anorexia, anxiety, behavioural difficulties and phobias, as well as offering advice for "depression sufferers at Christmas" and organising courses on issues such as "psychosexual emergencies". '

The UK Government figure is one in five people may suffer from depression yet this go-ahead private company thinks and is basing its business plan on a figure of one in three is a more realistic figure !

ESA

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING FROM CAREWATCH A GREAT CARERS ORG , THEIR WEB SITE IS

HTTP://CARERWATCH.COM

GENERAL ELECTION - RESTORE UNCONDITIONAL BENEFITS FOR THE SEVERELY SICK
+ THE WELFARE REFORM BILL - MENTAL HEALTH - CW BLOG

january 7th, 2010

CARERWATCH ARE FIGHTING TO RESTORE UNCONDITIONAL BENEFITS TO ALL PEOPLE WITH SEVERE AND ENDURING ILLNESS. IN PARTICULAR CARERWATCH WANT THE THREAT OF SANCTIONS AND CONDITIONALITY under ESA REMOVED FROM PEOPLE WITH SEVERE AND ENDURING MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES. THIS CAN BE ACHIEVED BY ALLOCATING THEM TO THE ‘SUPPORT’ GROUP.

We are asking all Prospective Parliamentary Candidiates to support this campaign and thank all those who are supporting us
Please e-mail your local candidates and ask them to support us and sign.
This is not a broad campaign tackling all the problems in the new Welfare Reform Bills - it is just an emergency action to protect the most sick and the most vulnerable who have been caught up in these reforms.

Come and help with this campaign

Some statistics on carers

Read and weep ! you could soon be one of these statistics !


The last full census showed some 5.2 million carers in England and Wales, including over a million providing more than 50 hours a week.

Over 225,000 people providing 50 or more hours of unpaid care per week state they are in 'not good health' themselves. More than half of the people providing this much care are over the age of 55, and it is at these ages that the 'not good health' rate is highest.

However, there are nearly 80,000 people aged 54 and under providing more than 50 hours of unpaid care per week, who state that their health was not good.

The age group where the largest proportion of people provide care is in the fifties. More than one-in-five of people aged 50-59 are providing some unpaid care. About one in four (24.6 per cent) women in this age group are providing some care compared with 17.9 per cent of men.

Many of the people providing care do paid work as well. Of the 15.2 million employees aged 16-74 in full-time work, 1.6 million are providing at least some unpaid care - 144,000 providing 50 or more hours a week. For full-time workers providing 50 or more hours care there is a larger proportion of men.

Of the nearly two million people aged 16-74 who are permanently sick or disabled, over a quarter of a million (273,000) provide some unpaid care for other people and 105,000 provide 50 or more hours care.