Councils call for single supply system for PPE
Social workers to be placed in schools to spot children at risk
Coronavirus bereavement scheme extended to social care workers
Most councils take action to help providers with temporary cost pressures
The power of local systems to save lives
Councils and their partners could do even more to contain the spread of COVID-19 if properly funded to undertake a robust localised system of testing, tracking and tracing, argues Professor Donna Hall.
Pan-London partnership for PPE launched
19/05/2020 A new pan-London partnership has been established to provide personal protective equipment or care homes and other frontline services. |
Survey highlights child abuse could go unreported during lockdown
18/05/2020 Child abuse could go unreported during lockdown as a quarter of adults do not know where to go for help, a survey has found. |
Charities call for 'vital' early intervention funding to safeguard children
18/05/2020 Funding cuts to children's services have left councils unable to cope with the current crisis, charities have warned today. |
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. |
Young people's mental health more at risk during lockdown, research finds
15/05/2020 Young people are more likely to suffer from poor mental health under lockdown than older adults, research has revealed. |
Campaigners warn children more exposed to secondhand smoke since lockdown
14/05/2020 More than one in ten smokers who live with children are smoking indoors more since lockdown, new research has revealed today. |
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. |
Local Resilience Forums running out of PPE supplies, charity warns
13/05/2020 A charity has warned Local Resilience Forums (LRFs) are still struggling to supply enough personal protective equipment to social care providers. |
Covid-19 death rates significantly higher for social care workers
11/05/2020 Men and women working in social care both have significantly raised rates of death involving COVID-19, according to new analysis from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). |
Researchers propose a two-tier approach to ending lockdown
06/05/2020 The UK should adopt a twin approach to relaxing restrictions for lockdown in order to protect the most vulnerable, academics have said. |
Two councils join forces to address health inequalities
06/05/2020 Two councils have joined together to tackle health inequalities affecting Black African and Caribbean communities. |
Only 22% of social care workers have been able to access Covid-19 testing
06/05/2020 Less than a quarter of social care workers have been able to access testing for Covid-19, a new survey has revealed. |
Council staff to test contact-tracing app on the Isle of Wight
05/05/2020 Council staff on the Isle of Wight will be the first to test a new contact tracing app to help control the spread of coronavirus. |
Around 300,000 quit smoking due to coronavirus
04/05/2020 Council leaders have welcomed figures that show around 300,000 people have quit smoking due to an increased risk from coronavirus. |
Deprived areas see twice as many deaths from Covid-19
01/05/2020 The most deprived areas have experienced twice as many deaths from Covid-19 than the least deprived, new figures show. |
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. |
Vulnerable children falling behind at school, report warns
27/04/2020 Children who need a social worker are 'significantly' behind other children at school, new research has revealed. |
Extra funding to protect vulnerable children during Covid-19
27/04/2020 Projects that protect vulnerable children will share more than £12m to help keep them safe during the coronavirus outbreak. |
Coronavirus testing extended to frontline council staff
24/04/2020 Council staff with symptoms of Covid-19 will be able to get tested for the virus, the Government has announced. |
PPE supplies to 'run out within days'
24/04/2020 Dwindling supplies of vital life-saving personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline care workers will run out within days, the Local Government Association (LGA) warned today. |
Unpaid carers face 'burnout' during Covid-19 crisis
24/04/2020 Unpaid carers have warned they are feeling 'overwhelmed' after providing even more care during the coronavirus crisis. |
Think tank argues social care should be 'free at point of use' after Covid-19
22/04/2020 The Government has been urged to use the coronavirus crisis to undertake long term social care reform, in a new report by the Policy Exchange. |
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. |
More PPE promised for social care
15/04/2020 Health secretary Matt Hancock has promised to increase supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) to social care. |
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. |
Officials warn coronavirus impact could trigger measles outbreak
15/04/2020 The UK is at risk of a measles outbreak if routine vaccinations are delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Measles & Rubella Initiative has warned. |
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. |
NHS Digital extends sharing of child protection information
14/04/2020 Health visitors and school nurses will have access to data about vulnerable children three years ahead of schedule in response to the coronavirus pandemic. |
Three million people go hungry since lockdown
14/04/2020 New figures show that three million adults have gone hungry in the first three weeks of lockdown, with 1.5 million going all day without eating. |
Rural counties see a spike in coronavirus cases
09/04/2020 The number of new coronavirus cases in rural areas has begun to catch up with England’s urban hotspots, the County Councils Network (CCN) has warned.< |
Testing to be rolled out to care workers
09/04/2020 Coronavirus testing could soon be rolled out to care home workers, MPs have been told. |
Study questions impact of closing schools to contain coronavirus
08/04/2020 School closures have not had a ‘significant effect’ on preventing the spread of coronavirus, a new study has revealed. |
Counties voice concern over capacity of community pharmacies
07/04/2020 County councils have warned that local pharmacies could struggle to deliver medicine in rural and remote locations. |
Report highlights complex nature of safeguarding in residential schools
03/04/2020 New research has revealed the unique challenges staff in residential schools face to protect children from sexual abuse. |
Calls to mobilise an 'army of volunteers' to protect children during lockdown
01/04/2020 The Children’s Commissioner for England has warned an ‘army’ of volunteers are needed to protect vulnerable children while schools are closed. |
Care providers in law change call
01/04/2020 Care providers have pleaded with Prime Minister Boris Johnson to change the law to boost staff numbers in the sector during the COVID-19 outbreak. |
Pupils eligible for free school meals will receive food vouchers
31/03/2020 The families of children entitled to free school meals will receive a weekly food shopping voucher of £15 while schools are closed due to coronavirus. |
Mass graves a possibility as councils struggle to cope with number of deaths
30/03/2020 Burial and cremation services could be overwhelmed within weeks due to the coronavirus outbreak, academics have warned. |
First food parcels for vulnerable people are delivered
30/03/2020 The first 2,000 food boxes for those that are clinically vulnerable have been delivered this weekend. |
Charity warns of ‘unacceptable decline in life expectancy’ in poor areas
27/03/2020 A health charity has warned that even before the current pandemic the UK was experiencing a decline in life expectancy in the poorer parts of the country. |
Court finds woman has capacity to decide about contact with husband
26/03/2020 The High Court today ruled that a woman with a relatively rare form of dementia has the capacity to make decisions for herself when it comes to her husband. |
‘Social care needs you’, retired care workers told
26/03/2020 Council chiefs urge retired care workers to return to work in order to boost an over-stretched social care workforce in the face of the ongoing pandemic. |
Social workers ‘urgently’ need hand sanitizer, survey reveals
25/03/2020 Social workers have called on the Government to provide them with safety equipment in order to minimize the risk of contracting and spreading the coronavirus. |
Health and social care workers first in line for coronavirus testing, Holyrood says
25/03/2020 Health and social care workers in Scotland must be prioritized when it comes to testing for Covid-19, Holyrood has announced. |
Scottish council chiefs welcome extra social care support
24/03/2020 Local authority leaders have welcomed the Scottish government’s commitment to give extra support to councils to support social care in the face of Covid-19. |
Government issues guidance on isolation for residential educational settings
23/03/2020 Social workers who need to investigate child protection concerns should be admitted to the home while taking infection control measures, according to guidance. |
Families living in poverty ‘struggling to keep heads above water’
23/03/2020 A children’s charity has launched an emergency appeal to help families who fear they will ‘go under’ as a result of the economic and health impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. |
New programme launched to support fight against ‘witchcraft allegations’
20/03/2020 The centre dedicated to fighting female genital mutilation (FGM) has launched a first-of-its-kind e-learning programme to address the startling rise of witchcraft allegations against children. |
This issue of Public Property examines how how flexible workspaces can lead the way in regeneration for local authorities, Why local authority intervention is key to successful urban regeneration schemes and if the Government’s challenge of embracing beauty is an opportunity for communities.
The March issue also takes a closer look at Blackburn with Darwen Council's first digital health hub to help people gain control over health and care services.
