Regular News - 28 March 2024
Written by Lucy Nichol - Edited by CACHE Alumni
Sector news update
Hello and welcome to our latest fortnightly news update. This week we have responses to parliament’s spending watchdog report on social care and more on tech including the rollout of a 4D technology pilot scheme. There’s also information about a free webinar that can be accessed from Community Care.
General social care news
A report from parliament’s spending watchdog states that the government’s plan to fix the crisis in social care has ‘gone awry’.
⇨ Read the full response here
A Guardian article also covering the public accounts committee report says the Government has brought social care ‘to its knees’ and talks of ‘chronic underfunding, rising waiting lists and patchwork funding.’
⇨ Read more here
The Health Foundation has updated its funding page asking three key questions: how much funding has been committed to healthcare, how does funding compare to historical levels, and is funding enough to meet the pressures facing health services.
⇨ Read the full story here
Social care providers and hospices in NI are set to receive a £70m support package to help deal with rising costs according to this piece on the BBC website.
⇨ Read the full article here
Independent experts have said the government is yet to implement agreed actions to improve patient safety after nine years.
⇨ Read the full story here
Carehome.co.uk has published an article outlining how much care costs, and ways in which you can fund your own care.
⇨ Read more here
Public dissatisfaction with social care hits a record high according to the British Social Attitudes Survey.
⇨ Read more here
Technology
The government has announced that 4D mapping technology – which has the ability to detect falls using sensors and alert carers – is to be piloted in care homes in England.
⇨ Read the full story here
However, half of councils in the UK believe that there is little or almost no understanding of technology enabled care across the health and social care workforce.
⇨ Read the full story here
Children’s Care
A new government campaign is being launched to support parents as research highlights that some are unaware that their baby’s mental health impacts early development.
⇨ Read more here
Recruitment and Retention
Staff shortages comprise the most significant challenge facing health and social care in the European Union according to this piece on Social Europe.
⇨ Read more here
And finally….
2,500 social care staff joined a free webinar focusing on wellbeing and secondary trauma delivered by Community Care to mark World Social Work Day. The article tells you more about it including how you will soon be able to access the webinar for free to watch it back.
⇨ Find out more here
We’ll be back in touch in a fortnight with more updates, news and views. In the meantime, happy bank holidays!
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