News
Independent Age: ‘damning’ unmet care need figures strengthen case for sector reform
Campaigners are renewing calls for urgent government reform to adult social care after NHS figures revealed that almost a quarter of older people seeking help in England were denied it.
NHS Digital’s ‘Mid-Year 2020-21 Adult Social
Care Activity’ data shows the number of requests to local authorities for support received from new clients aged 65 and over between 1 April and 30 September 2020 tallied 495,575 while ‘no services provided’ – unmet care requests - totaled 113,775. Older peoples' charity Independent Age
said the “damning” figures are the equivalent of more than 600 over-65s a day “denied support for basic tasks such as help washing, preparing meals, and going into town”.
“The government cannot allow this to
continue. The current social care system is under-funded and people have told us they feel denied their dignity,” added Independent Age chief executive Deborah Alsina MBE. “Significant cuts to budgets since 2010
have forced councils in England to ration access to social care. Politicians must seize the opportunity to create a care system that allows people in later life to live with dignity, choice and purpose." Independent Age called on the government
to bring forward a funding plan that “ends the cycle of crisis in social care, and it must be distributed fairly based on need”. “Care should be free at the point of use, paid for through general taxation, to ensure
everybody can receive the help they’re entitled to,” said Alsina. NHS Digital meanwhile revealed that gross
current expenditure on adult social care by local authorities was £19.7 billion in 2019-20. That represents an increase of £918m from the previous year, a 4.9 per cent increase in cash terms and a 2.4 per cent increase in real terms. The ‘Adult Social Care Activity and Finance
Report, England - 2019-20’ report also revealed the average cost of residential care for a person aged 65 and over rose from £636 per week in 2018-19 to £662 per week in 2019-20. The average cost of nursing care for the same age band increased from £678 per week in 2018-19 to £715 per week in 2019-20.
Care providers tune into music project to soothe winter blues
Deborah Sturdy appointed first ever
England chief nurse for adult social care Professor Deborah Sturdy OBE has been appointed by the UK government as its inaugural chief nurse for adult social care in England. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said Sturdy (pictured) will take up the new role to represent social care nurses and provide clinical leadership to the workforce. Sturdy will work closely with care minister
Helen Whatley and chief nursing officer Ruth May to ensure the provision of “high quality, personalised, joined-up care”, and help develop social care policy and how it relates to the workforce, it added. The role is an interim appointment for up to
six months, to further increase the professional support and expertise in the department over winter ahead of filling the post on a more permanent basis in 2021. Sturdy has had a long and successful
career in nursing, including working with older people and people living with dementia. Since February 2020, Sturdy has worked on secondment for one day a week to the chief nursing officer as strategic adviser
10
for social care nursing. “I am honoured to have been asked to help define a new narrative for social care nursing and support colleagues to find their voice, and contribute to the development of the workforce in the coming months and work together to deliver the best care possible,” she said. “The social care nursing and care workforce
together are a powerful force to help shape and deliver the health and social care agenda. I hope that in this role I will be able to give a voice to those working in social care and develop the workforce, through the difficult months ahead and beyond,” added Sturdy. Social care industry leaders welcomed the
appointment of Sturdy. “The appointment marks an important milestone in the development of social care nursing,” said Care England chief executive Professor Martin Green. “Deborah has extensive experience in the independent sector as well as the NHS and I am confident that she will enable better understanding of social care nursing across the health and care system,” he added.
Leading care providers including Barchester Healthcare, Hallmark Care Homes and MHA have joined forces to launch a new music project that aims to lift the spirits of thousands of residents in England this winter. The Together with Music initiative - co- launched by the Intergenerational Music Making (IMM) charity and Care England - will link thousands of care homes with local schools and youth groups via online connections. Both the care home residents and the
young people will choose songs that are meaningful to them and share them with each other, said IMM. The aim is for the musical introduction will act as a vehicle for further connection, creativity and stronger community links across England. “Together with Music will connect
young people with care home residents through music to raise awareness, establish links and in turn, tackle loneliness, isolation and promote sustainable socialisation for those most vulnerable,” said IMM director Charlotte Miller. The project has been made possible
with funding from Tunstall Healthcare and the Hallmark Care Homes Foundation along with supporting contributions from Oomph!, Zenergi and CoolCare.
www.thecarehomeenvironment.com • January 2021
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54
