There are ‘significant and unexplained variations’ in the quality of NHS maternity services in England and the number of midwives remains below best practice benchmarks, auditors said today
The next two years will be ‘make or break’ for the viability of many councils and the government must not impose extra cuts to local authorities in next month’s Autumn Statement, the Local Government...
The average Briton is in denial about the burgeoning costs of old age. But then, so are politicians. Radical reforms to the housing and planning systems are needed to avert a pensions and care crisis
The County Councils Network has raised ‘serious’ concerns over the government’s proposed reforms to long-term care, saying it is worried about potential funding shortfalls and workforce capacity.
Council leaders have warned that little can be done to improve the quality of home care services unless their finances are put on a more sustainable footing
Every care home and adult social care service in England will be rated by Care Quality Commission inspectors by 2016, the new chief inspector of social care Andrea Sutcliffe said today.
The way councils commission home care is ‘unsustainable’, contributing to inadequate pay and conditions for care workers and threatening older people’s human rights, the equality watchdog has warned.
The government has been urged to ban councils from commissioning 15-minute care visits after a Freedom of Information request found their use was increasing, despite concerns that necessary support...
The government should reform tax reliefs to encourage people to save for the future costs of adult social care through their pension scheme, according to a report published by a law firm today
The Care Quality Commission is to be given ‘statutory independence’ from ministers to avoid ‘political interference’ in the watchdog, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has announced.
Mental health services must be incorporated in plans for closer integration between NHS and social care provision to ensure best value for money, an inquiry looking at necessary reforms has...
Former care minister Paul Burstow has called for the creation of an older people’s commissioner in England to represent the views of pensioners to government and encourage ministers to do more in...
A lack of adult social care places is one of the key reasons why pressure on NHS accident and emergency services has increased, senior health service managers have said in an NHS Confederation survey.
Around 340 carers will have their allowances backdated after an investigation by the Local Government Ombudsman discovered Liverpool City Council had been underpaying them for years.
Mutual firms delivering public services such as adult social care need better access to long-term funding, according to a report examining progress on the roll-out of employee-owned enterprises.
Everyone using adult social care services will be receive annual ‘care account’ statements once the government has introduced a cap on individual costs, care minster Norman Lamb said today.