Care homes


COVID vaccines to be mandatory for care home staff 17/06/2021 The Government has confirmed everyone working in a CQC-registered care homes in England will need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Government announces £50m boost for care leavers 24/05/2021 The Government today announced a £51m funding boost to help councils support care leavers and have launched a consultation on improving the quality of housing for those leaving care.
End blanket ban on care home visits, MPs say 05/05/2021 MPs have urged the Government to change the law to ensure an end to the blanket ban on care home visits.
Government scraps self-isolation rule to allow care home residents to visit polling stations 04/05/2021 Care home residents will be allowed to vote in person in this week's local elections without having to self-isolate afterwards for 14 days, due to changes in Government guidance.
Vaccine may be made compulsory for care home staff 14/04/2021 Staff in English care homes with older adults may be required to have a COVID-19 vaccine in a bid to tackle hesitancy within the sector.
Care home residents 'barred' from voting booth says care group 14/04/2021 A care group has branded it a 'national scandal' that care home residents will be unable to vote in person in the local elections without self-isolating for 14 days afterwards.
COVID care home infections fall 62% after single vaccine dose 29/03/2021 A single dose of either the Oxford-AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccines gives residents of care homes protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection after four weeks.
Care home visits to resume in March 22/02/2021 Care home residents in England and Wales will be allowed one regular visitor from 8 March under plans to ease lockdown restrictions.
Welsh council takes over care home amid COVID-19 outbreak 06/01/2021 A county council in Wales has taken over the management of a private care home that has been severely affected by COVID-19.
Hancock announces £149m grant to fund COVID-19 testing in care homes 24/12/2020 Care homes across the country are to be given access to a £149m grant to support the roll out of rapid coronavirus testing.
One in nine care workers not tested weekly 16/12/2020 A government pledge to test all care home staff every seven days is not being met, according to a survey published today.
Care home study to test immune response to COVID-19 ‘tripled in size’ 19/11/2020 The Government has announced that it is expanding the Vivaldi study to test thousands more care home staff and residents for immune response to coronavirus.
County to take early control over four care homes 17/11/2020 Northamptonshire County Council is taking over the management of four care homes nine years earlier than planned after it negotiated a change to a long-running PFI contract.
COVID-19 testing pilot for care homes launched 16/11/2020 The Government has announced a new pilot that will see friends and family members of some care home residents in Hampshire, Cornwall and Devon offered regular COVID-19 tests.
Sector calls for ‘meaningful’ guidance on care home visits 05/11/2020 The care sector has called on the Government to provide detailed guidance on how care homes can offer COVID-secure visits during lockdown.
Council apologises over failings at Morleigh Group care homes 03/11/2020 Cornwall Council has apologised after a report highlighted failures at the former Morleigh Group care home provider.
Government ‘effectively abandoned’ care home residents to COVID-19, Amnesty says 05/10/2020 Care home residents in England were ‘effectively abandoned’ by the Government in the early stages of the pandemic, human rights organisation says.
Care providers to receive nearly £550m to reduce Covid transmissions 17/09/2020 Care providers in England will benefit from over half a billion pounds of extra funding to reduce Covid-19 transmissions, the Government has confirmed.
Care home providers warned of Covid-19 rise 14/09/2020 Department of Health & Social Care has written to care home providers in England warning them of the risk of a rise in coronavirus cases in the care sector.
Fifth of care homes took on Covid patients, survey reveals 24/08/2020 One in five care homes had to accept patients discharged from hospital who had tested positive for COVID-19 during the early part of the pandemic, a survey has found.
Yorkshire councils make case for more localised COVID-19 interventions 11/08/2020 Seven councils in Yorkshire that have appeared on the national COVID-19 watchlist in recent weeks have pledged to work together in a bid to secure extra funding.
New guidance to allow care homes to open to visitors 23/07/2020 Public health directors will start to assess care homes to see if they can re-open for visits from family and friends, under new government guidance.
Care chiefs reject Boris' COVID claims 07/07/2020 Care chiefs have rejected claims by Boris Johnson that it was their lack of vigilance that led to a high number of coronavirus deaths in care homes.
Social care is running out of cash, experts warn 18/06/2020 Social care could run out of money to deal with the fallout of the coronavirus crisis by the end of the summer unless the Government steps in with more cash.
Care home deaths drop but council chiefs still ‘seriously’ concerned 17/06/2020 Council chiefs welcome decrease in the number of Covid-related care home deaths but warn that it is ‘seriously concerning’ that the death rate remains so high.
Care homes were an ‘afterthought’ during pandemic, watchdog warns 12/06/2020 A new report has warned that around 25,000 people were discharged from hospital into a care home without being tested for coronavirus at the height of the pandemic.
Care home residents facing 'coronavirus bill' 08/06/2020 Some care home residents have been forced to pay a 'coronavirus bill’ of up to £100 a week by their provider, a charity has warned.
Care home on the brink of collapse 18/05/2020 Care homes in the North East have issued a legal warning to North Tyneside council, claiming they could collapse within days without further funding.
Covid-19 care homes deaths 51% higher than estimated 15/05/2020 The number of care home residents who have died from coronavirus is more than 50% higher than previously estimated, figures today have revealed.
Johnson announces £600m for infection control in care homes 14/05/2020 Councils have welcomed the £600m extra funding for infection control within care homes.
Government unveils improved daily report on Covid-19 deaths 29/04/2020 From today, the new daily count for deaths caused by Covid-19 will include those occurring in care homes for the first time.
Councils must urgently allocate funding to social care providers, report warns 28/04/2020 Funding given to local authorities to deal with the coronavirus crisis must urgently get through to independent adult social care services, a new report has warned.
Care home coronavirus deaths quadruple 21/04/2020 The latest figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show the number of coronavirus deaths in care homes quadrupled in the week ending 10 April.
Data shows thousands dying in care homes from coronavirus 20/04/2020 The number of people dying from coronavirus in care homes has doubled in the past week, new data has revealed.
Coronavirus testing to be rolled out across social care sector 15/04/2020 The Government has pledged to offer testing for coronavirus to all social care staff and care home residents.
Spike in deaths led to fears of care homes crisis 14/04/2020 A huge spike in the number of UK deaths has led to fears the pandemic is rife in care homes.
Care England hits out at 'insufficient' funding increase 09/04/2020 Care England has branded the 10% funding increase for care homes as ‘derisory’ and warned many providers could collapse.
Care home bosses disqualified for diverting £500,000 of council money 31/03/2020 ‘Reckless’ care home bosses have been disqualified for diverting council funds and abandoning elderly residents.
Ombudsman reminds councils of care home ‘top-up fees’ duties 12/02/2020 Councils are being reminded by the local government Ombudsman of their duties to administer ‘top-up fees’ for people contributing towards relatives’ care.
Research highlights under-funding of independent care homes 11/02/2020 Care homes operated by local authorities receive over 40% more in weekly fees than independent homes, despite no difference in standards or quality of care, research has shown.
Union calls for Sanctuary Care homes to be brought ‘back in-house’ 14/01/2020 Unite is urging councils who have contracts with Sanctuary Care to bring them ‘in-house’ after a criminal investigation was launched into one of its homes.
Thirty councils accused of ‘short changing’ independent care homes 13/01/2020 A charity has found 30 councils are paying less than £500 a week for an older person in an independent residential care home, the equivalent of just £2.97 per hour.
Partnership working will deliver best outcomes in social care 29/11/2019 Hayden Knight believes that a collaborative approach between providers, local authorities and other agencies offers an opportunity to innovate the way we care for people with dementia.
Nurse shortages ‘endangering’ care home patients 17/09/2019 A campaign has been launched calling on the Government to fix the nursing workforce crisis as hospitals and care homes warn patient safety is ‘endangered’.
Care home closed amid allegations of ‘child cruelty’ 02/08/2019 A care home in the north Bristol area for children with special needs has been closed down amid allegations of child cruelty.
Nottinghamshire councils apologise for ‘decades’ of child abuse 01/08/2019 Nottinghamshire councils have apologised for letting survivors ‘down in worst possible way’ after an inquiry found hundreds of children were abused in care.
Over 40% of emergency hospital admissions ‘avoidable' 25/07/2019 Council chiefs have called for more resources to recruit care home staff after research shows four in 10 hospital admissions from care homes could be avoided.
Stop 'criminalisation' of children in care homes, council chiefs say 09/07/2019 More must be done to stop the 'criminalisation' of children in care homes, according to local government leaders.
Thousands of older people impacted by care home closures, survey reveals 27/06/2019 Survey of social care directors has revealed that thousands of older and disabled people have been impacted by care home closures after a decade of cuts.
Cuts impacting on oral health in care homes, council chiefs warn 24/06/2019 Care home residents are not supported to ‘maintain and improve’ their oral health, the national health and social care regulator has revealed.
‘Locked up’ children cost £300m to care for, commissioner says 16/05/2019 An estimated 1,500 children in England are locked up by the state for their own or others’ safety at a cost of a third of a billion pounds a year, new report reveals.
Four Seasons Health Care slides into administration 30/04/2019 Funding has been found to prop up more than 300 care homes as Four Seasons Health Care enters administration.
Digital portal showing care home vacancies launched 16/04/2019 Local authorities have partnered with the NHS to provide a new digital portal which shows how many vacancies there are in local care homes.
Council criticised for not carrying out ‘proper assessments’ in deprivation of liberty cases 01/04/2019 Council argues legislation dealing with when it is legitimate to deprive someone of liberty is not 'fit for purpose’ after being criticised by ombudsman.
Children’s home system ‘catastrophically failing children’, MPs warn 26/03/2019 MPs today launched a Parliamentary inquiry into the record number of children who are ‘farmed out’ to live in children’s homes miles away from family and friends.
Care home quality ‘worsens’ in a third of council areas 06/03/2019 The quality of care homes has worsened in more than a third of local authority areas over the last year, according to an elderly persons charity.
Fire safety failures revealed in care homes 05/02/2019 Serious fire safety failures have been found in nearly 100 care homes across London, the capital’s fire brigade have said.
One in five councils have not increased spending on care home fees 28/01/2019 One in five councils have not increased the fees they pay care homes in the past year despite costs rising by up to 5%, new research has shown.
Care homes spend less than £3 per resident on food 25/01/2019 Elderly care homes are spending an average of just £2.44 per resident on food, according to new research.
Council fees are squeezing providers out of the care market, think tank warns 11/12/2018 The low fees paid to care providers by overstretched local authorities are impacting on care staff and are forcing them to hand back contracts, a new report has found.
Regulator calls for more transparency in the care home sector 16/11/2018 Care homes should be upfront about all of the terms and conditions in their contracts to ensure residents and their representatives are treated fairly, new guidelines say.
Care home provider on verge of collapse, regulators warn 07/11/2018 The financial problems of one of the UK’s largest care providers poses ‘credible risk of service disruption’ to local provision of social care, regulators say
Millions underestimating cost of care homes 31/10/2018 More than half of people are underestimating care-home costs by around £12,000 a year, new research has revealed.
Former Northants leader admits ‘mistakes’ over PFI deal 04/10/2018 Former leader of Northamptonshire County Council has admitted mistakes were made in a PFI deal which has meant up to £2m a year being paid for empty care beds.
Council pays £50,000 to victim of care home grooming gang 10/09/2018 A former children's care home resident has received a £50,000 payout from Birmingham City Council after she claimed it failed to protect her from grooming gangs.
Older adults failing to save for future care needs 20/08/2018 More than one in 10 older people will have to pay at least £100,000 for their care, but most are not saving to cover the cost, according to new research.
Dementia sufferers told to leave care home over safety concerns 15/08/2018 Doncaster Council was forced to tell 27 residents to leave their privately run care home over concerns for their safety.
Care homes not operating at full capacity, data analysts find 25/07/2018 Healthcare data specialists have called for a reappraisal of the ‘care home crisis’ after discovering care homes have more capacity than was thought.
Social care crisis leads to over 80% rise in care home insolvencies 14/05/2018 The funding crisis in the social care sector has resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of private care providers entering insolvency, a new study reveals.
Private social care providers criticise ‘paltry’ fee offers 09/05/2018 Independent providers of social care have criticised local authorities for what they describe as ‘paltry fee offers’.
Neglect common in care homes due to staff ‘burnout’ 22/03/2018 The largest-ever survey of care home staff in England has found that neglectful behaviours are widespread due to staff ‘burnout’.
Care home quality and choice ‘likely to get worse’, council chiefs warn 15/03/2018 Council leaders have warned the choice of care homes will get worse as charity reveals quality of homes in one in five local authority areas dropped last year.
Care homes in danger of ‘breaking law’ over contracts 05/03/2018 Local authorities have a duty to provide clear information on the care system, council chiefs say as research reveals care homes are withholding contracts and not explaining terms to customers.
Projects launched to support care leavers 28/02/2018 Three new projects to help care leavers into education, employment or training has been launched by the Government.
Birmingham Council denies it will ‘suddenly’ move residents to new care providers 05/02/2018 Birmingham City Council has denied accusations they will move residents receiving social care services should their provider not complete the tender process.
MPs ‘strikingly pessimistic’ about the quality of local care homes 23/01/2018 Two-thirds of MPs in England believe there is a lack of high-quality care homes for their older constituents to choose from, a new survey has revealed.
Care home providers struggling with ‘harsh reality’ of care crisis 18/01/2018 Half of England’s large care home providers have at least one in four failing homes in their network, according to a consumer watchdog.
Five London councils commission programme to keep troubled youngsters out of care 16/01/2018 Five London boroughs have jointly commissioned a new programme to help vulnerable young people stay out of care.
Councils urged to be clear on care home costs 11/01/2018 Councils have been reminded to give families accurate information about care home fees by the ombudsman, following a complaint against Lincolnshire County Council.
Welsh council first to offer care leavers council tax relief 20/12/2017 Rhondda Cynon Taf has become the first Welsh council to agree to a council tax exemption for care leavers up to the age of 25.
Pensioners face care home funding ‘lottery’ 18/12/2017 Pensioners face a care funding lottery, insurance company warns as FOI requests reveal ‘huge variation’ in how care homes are funded.
Council cuts responsible for £1bn care home sector shortfall 30/11/2017 The care home sector is suffering from a £1bn funding shortfall because councils are not paying high enough fee rates, extensive review into the sector finds.
Over half of care home places ‘inadequate’, investigation reveals 29/11/2017 Local government leaders have renewed calls for urgent action to fix the care home system after report accuses many homes of being substandard.
Thousands of young disabled adults are 'stuck' in older people’s care homes 14/11/2017 Thousands of young disabled adults are being forced to live in older people’s care homes, a shocking new study has revealed
‘Critical lack’ of care home places leaves families feeling guilty, survey reveals 27/10/2017 Families facing a ‘critical lack’ of choice when it comes to arranging a care home for relatives as councils face care home place shortfall, watchdog finds.
Average stay in a residential care equals 26 family holidays 26/10/2017 The cost of the average length of stay in a residential care home has risen to nearly £82,000 - the equivalent of 26 annual family holidays - new research has revealed.
Number of deaths in care homes could exceed those in hospitals by 2040 11/10/2017 The number of deaths occurring in care homes could double in the next 25 years, new research has warned today.
Councils face ‘massive’ shortfall in care home places 04/10/2017 Councils will face a massive shortfall in care home places for the elderly unless urgent action is taken, according to new research.
Care leavers with mental health needs being failed by services 14/09/2017 Two-thirds of care leavers with mental health needs are not receiving any help from a statutory services, a new study has revealed today.
Council fined after separating husband and wife for 10 months 22/08/2017 A council has been ordered to pay out hundreds of pounds in compensation after separating a married couple for 10 months due to a lack of homecare availability.
More than 70,000 care home places needed by 2025, warns study 16/08/2017 An extra 71,000 care home places will be needed in England by 2025 in order to cope with an ageing population, new research has revealed.
Care homes failing to get 'basics right' warns watchdog 10/08/2017 Most residents of care homes are happy with the way they are looked after, according to health watchdogs.
Council rapped for banning man from visiting relative in care home 09/08/2017 Nottinghamshire County Council failed to go through the correct procedures when it banned a man from visiting his partner’s mother in her care home, the local government ombudsman has ruled.
Councils win legal battle over nursing care fees 03/08/2017 Health boards in Wales ‘misinterpreted’ the law regarding who is responsible for paying for nurses to deliver social care in residential homes, a court has ruled.
Care home residents hit with 'top up' stealth tax 27/07/2017 A quarter of care home residents whose care is supposed to be free are being forced to pay top-up fees, according to Age UK.
Care providers take council to court over ‘inadequate’ fee rates 19/07/2017 The largest representative of private social care providers has announced the date it is taking Essex County Council to court over ‘inadequate’ fee rates paid to providers.
Councils urged to be 'open and transparent' over cost of care exercises 21/06/2017 Home care providers have written to prime minister Theresa May demanding changes to support their sector, including ensuring that councils’ ‘market-shaping obligations’ are enforced.
Care workers warn the dignity of residents is being compromised by cuts 19/06/2017 Severe staff shortages in residential care homes are denying elderly people the most basic levels of care, according to a survey of care workers.
A number of care homes may be breaking the law, research reveals 15/06/2017 An investigation has been launched after revelations some care homes are breaking consumer protection laws by charging families after a resident has died.
Ombudsman warns councils to offer affordable care options 14/06/2017 The local government ombudsman has reminded councils they must offer affordable placements to families when arranging care for their relatives.

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