The Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling has set the scene for publication of the care and support White Paper. Giving his final budget speech before the general election, Mr Darling said: “I have also decided to freeze the inheritance tax threshold for a further four years, and this will help pay for the cost [...]

The Conservatives would reverse Labour’s ‘NHS preferred provider’ policy to open up services to competition from all sectors, shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley told charity leaders. He said that the third sector would move ‘from the margins to the heart of our health and social care services’, including by requiring public health commissioners to procure [...]

The 7th Annual NHS Staff Survey for the Care Quality Commission has underlined major resourcing challenges with 45% of those surveyed believing that there were not enough staff for them to do their jobs properly. Commenting on the findings of the  survey Tom Hadley, Director of External Relations at the Recruitment and Employment Confederation said: “NHS [...]

Health Secretary Andy Burnham, shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley and Lib Dem health spokesperson Norman Lamb came together for cross-party talks on the funding of care and support at an event hosted by Age Concern and Help the Aged. What’s your thoughts on this please?

Any solution for funding better care for older people must pass three tests, says national charity, Counsel and Care. It must be ‘fair, simple and sustainable’. With a White Paper on the funding of a national care service expected shortly, Stephen Burke, Chief Executive of Counsel and Care, said: “There is consensus that the care [...]

Employers across the social care sector can access a huge recruitment pool as record numbers of candidates are looking for a career in social care this month, new figures reveal. Since the beginning of February, more than 28,000 people have registered interest in a job in social care via a Government-funded website, run by United [...]

Nugent Care’s first charity shop is doing a roaring trade! Officially opened by Lord Mayor of Liverpool Mike Storey in September, the shop stocks a wide range of goods, including clothing and books.  Marie Reynolds, Nugent Care’s Fundraising Manager, contributed enormously to ensuring the shop was ready and open on time, working alongside contacts from [...]

“We are already seeing Lord Darzi’s vision to put quality at the heart of care becoming a reality across the country, but we can go further. By making NHS services truly people-centred and ensuring that patients have access to high quality, integrated and efficient community services, the NHS could save up to £2.7 billion a year – meaning a [...]

Councils will struggle to cope with the financial challenge posed by England’s ageing population and could miss opportunities to innovate and save, according to a report from the Audit Commission called ‘Under Pressure’. The report said that most councils don’t know enough about the costs of their ageing population and they could do more to [...]

A row has erupted between the three main political parties before a health summit tomorrow aimed at securing an agreement on funding old people’s care. Wrangling broke out after a Conservative health spokesman admitted the Tories needed more money to keep the elderly at home and would offer people a range of insurance schemes to [...]