Community care

Local authority concedes judicial review challenge to decision requiring man with autism and learning difficulties to contribute more than £2,000 per year towards care costs

Bolton Council agrees to review assessment which found that travel costs and lunches for personal assistant did not count as 'disability related expenditure'

Bill to establish a Disability Commissioner for Scotland introduced in Scottish Parliament

New Commissioner will take on roles including to promote awareness and understanding of the rights of disabled people and to review the law, policy and practice relating to those rights

Public satisfaction with social care services drops to lowest ever level

New British Social Attitudes survey finds that just 13 per cent of respondents were happy with services in 2023

Increasing the threshold below which personal and nursing care provided to self-funders in residential accommodation is not to be charged for in Scotland in 2024/2025

New statutory instrument

Ombudsman issues Adverse Findings Notice to nursing home who failed to refund fees paid after resident passed away

Despite agreeing to recommendations following an earlier investigation by the Ombudsman, care provider failed to provide evidence that it had complied

Years of fragmented funding and absence of clear roadmap have brought adult social care sector in England ‘to its knees’

Public Accounts Committee warns that recent increase in funding will do little to address challenges faced by sector in the absence of a well-funded multi-year strategy

Welsh Government confirms new National Office for Care and Support to be launched in April 2024

New body will work towards the development, implementation, and ongoing delivery of the National Care Service for Wales as part of programme to 'rebalance' care and support provision in the region

First ever parliamentary inquiry into young and young adult carers reveals lack of support is having a ‘devastating’ impact

APPG uncovers ‘alarming’ evidence that shows that 15,000 children, including 3,000 aged just five to nine, spend 50 hours or more a week looking after family members

If next government wants to ‘fix’ social care it must increase funding and reform system to make it fairer for service users and their carers

King's Fund annual state of adult social care in England report finds sector under 'intense pressure' as it faces record high of 2 million requests for care while users face tightening financial eligibility criteria

Carers Trust launches Young Carers Covenant with the aim of transforming the lives of more than a million children and young adult carers

Organisations encouraged to sign up to support young carers by identifying them early for support and promoting access to education, training and employment opportunities

Amendments to social care charging provisions in Wales in 2024/2025

New statutory instrument

Assessment of income for the purposes of charging for residential care in England in 2024/2025

New statutory instrument

MSPs say that the Scottish Government has so far been unable to articulate and communicate a model of how the proposed new National Care Service would operate

Parliamentary committee calls for more clarity on plans to develop the service before legislation can progress further

Welsh Government launches consultation on raising weekly maximum charge for adult non-residential care and support

Views sought on increasing current maximum charge of £100 to help address the increasing financial pressures on local authorities

Scotland’s First Minister appoints Neil Gray as new Health and Social Care Secretary

Appointment part of a mini-reshuffle following Cabinet Secretary Michael Matheson tendering his resignation yesterday

Housing Ombudsman and Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman launch aligned complaint handling codes

Ombudsman issues Adverse Findings Notice against care provider after it refused to refund family despite investigation finding serious issues with the care their relative recieved

Provider's suggestion that putting things right for the family would negatively impact the standards of care it provides to other residents is firmly rejected