Interpreting the impact of a Budget on an individual age group is never easy. But the consensus regarding older people is that while this week’s budget contained a number of positive tactical initiatives (such as ongoing pension reform, new savings and tax-free allowances), it failed to address the biggest strategic issue - namely funding. So while the number of people in need of care continues to increase, with ongoing budgetary constraints at local Government level the money to fund it will continue to decrease - leading to an expected funding shortfall of over £4 billion by 2020. So a huge disappointment that money has not been put aside to address this issue - perhaps it will be included in the upcoming Election and Party manifestos instead? In the meantime, for Age UK’s interpretation of the Budget and its impact on older people, click here ...
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From April 2015, the Government is bringing in its long-awaited Care Act - a huge piece of legislation which will have far-reaching implications for anyone who provides or receives care and support services. While Local Authorities try to get to grips with the changes needed to meet their new responsibilities, we will also be working hard to interpret the 500 pages of statutory guidance, to be ready to advise our clients accordingly. In the meantime Hertfordshire County Council has recently posted some information on the Act on their website - which provides a good overview, as well as access to the detail for those wanting to know more. As such we recommend it and you can find it here ...
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If you are looking for a care home for a loved one... the whole process can be a complex and confusing one. Not only do you have to find a home that can ‘meet the person’s needs’ ... but it also has to be in the right place and at the right price. Even then, differentiating between homes can be hard - particularly during initial, often rushed, visits. But following on from the new inspection regime reported on earlier this month, the CQC have just issued their inspection report on the first care home to achieve the new “Outstanding” rating - the Prince of Wales House in Suffolk. So if you’re looking for a care home and need some help to know what to look out for ... have a read of their inspection report here ...
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Following the introduction of new standards for regulating social care services introduced by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in October last year, the system for assessing providers (care homes and homecare agencies) has changed. As a result CQC inspectors are now less obsessed with internal processes but are focusing more on a person’s actual experience as a user - via five key questions. Is the service “safe”, “caring”, “effective”, “responsive”, and “well-led”? A rating system has also been re-introduced to drive continual improvement as well as help families compare providers – who will now be rated as either “Outstanding”, “Good”, “Requires Improvement” or “Inadequate”. So if you are looking for a care provider for a loved one, understanding how the CQC are rating them could be useful. Their attached handbook is long - but pp 34-51 in particular will help you not only understand the ratings but also identify some of the areas you might like to think about when doing your own research ...
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