County council leaders warn social care reforms ‘fall short’
Welsh councils share £40m social care recovery fund
Union warns of mental health crisis in care sector
Union calls for 'new deal' for Shared Lives foster carers
Keeping the safety net
Local authority leadership is invaluable to Transitional Safeguarding and councils are ideally placed to enable complexity-attuned commissioning, says Dez Holmes.
Report calls for 'significant shift' in adoption system
13/09/2021 Adoptive families need lifelong help to support some of England's most vulnerable children, MPs and Peers have said today. |
Consultation on mandatory COVID vaccines launched
09/09/2021 The Government has launched a consultation on plans for staff in health and care settings in England to be required to have COVID-19 and flu vaccines. |
Directors warn people are waiting longer for care
08/09/2021 Directors of adult care services have faced a spike in demand over the summer months, according to new figures published today. |
Khan warns of link between air pollution and COVID
07/09/2021 New research has found a link between a person’s exposure to air pollution and the severity with which they will experience the effects of COVID-19. |
Charity warns children needing care rises by a third
07/09/2021 The number of children being referred to its fostering service has risen by a third in the past year, a charity has warned. |
Union warns mandatory vaccines will cause care home 'catastrophe'
06/09/2021 Mandatory COVID vaccines for care home workers will cause a staffing crisis that will overwhelm the sector, a trade union has warned. |
‘No evidence’ integration improves healthcare
03/09/2021 New analysis of health and care integration pilots has questioned the benefits they bring about. |
Disabled people 'failed' by key policy areas, think tank warns
03/09/2021 The pandemic has deepened inequalities in health, income and employment for disabled people, a think tank has warned today. |
Scotland behind on housing-with-care provision
01/09/2021 Older people in Scotland are missing out on care options because the country is falling behind on housing-with-care provision, a new group has warned. |
SEND children being left behind by council
31/08/2021 Children with special educational needs are being left behind by council services across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, inspectors have found. |
Study links air pollution to use of mental health services
27/08/2021 Those exposed to high levels of air pollution are more likely to use mental health services, a new study has revealed. |
Children’s happiness suffers ‘significant decline’
26/08/2021 An estimated 300,000 children across the UK unhappy with their lives, a children’s charity has warned in its annual state-of-the-nation report. |
Dramatic increase in lockdown smoking ‘ticking time bomb’
25/08/2021 Campaigners have urged the Government to be more ambitious in tackling smoking as new figures reveal a rise in the number of young people becoming addicts. |
'Levelling up home care' would save local authorities £1.1bn a year, says think tank
24/08/2021 Local authorities could save £1.1bn from their social care budgets if home care services were levelled up across England, new analysis has revealed. |
Schools to receive £25m for CO2 monitors
23/08/2021 All state-funded schools are to receive carbon dioxide monitors from September to help tackle COVID-19, the Government has announced. |
Yorkshire council calls for social care reform ‘as a matter of urgency’
19/08/2021 The Government needs to address the social care crisis ‘as a matter of urgency’, North Yorkshire County Council warns as it faces care staff shortages. |
Council agrees to refund care home top-up fees
19/08/2021 Dudley Council has agreed to refund care home top-up fees for families whose relatives were not offered an affordable placement. |
ME/CFS charities ‘shocked’ at national guidelines delay
18/08/2021 Charities representing people with ME/CFS have said they are ‘shocked’ at pause of the publication of of guidelines on the diagnosis of the medical condition. |
Drug users urged to be careful after high number of overdoses
18/08/2021 Drug users have been urged to be extra careful following a high number of likely heroin overdoses. |
Unions call for better ventilation in schools to reduce COVID disruption
17/08/2021 Education unions have written to Gavin Williamson urging the Government to take action to improve ventilation in schools to reduce further COVID disruption. |
Over three million children exposed to ‘dangerous’ levels of air pollution
16/08/2021 More than 3.1 million children across England are going to schools in areas exceeding World Health Organization (WHO) limits on PM2.5, City Hall has revealed. |
Research finds long-lasting benefits from Sure Start
16/08/2021 Sure Start centres prevented thousands of children from being hospitalised and cut health inequalities, according to new research. |
Type 2 diabetes in children up by nearly 60%
16/08/2021 Council chiefs urged Government to ensure long-term funding for council weight management services as they warned of increase in Type 2 diabetes in children. |
Council considers forcing unvaccinated to use sick days in COVID cases
13/08/2021 Unvaccinated workers at Knowsley Council might have to use sick days if they need to self-isolate after contact with a positive COVID-19 case. |
COVID-19 measures ‘reduced the risk of infection in school’, data shows
12/08/2021 Special measures put in place to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infections in schools have proven to be effective, new data suggests. |
Ministers call for joined-up approach to tackle the causes of child vulnerability
10/08/2021 Ministers have been urged to support family services and to tackle a lack of coordination of children’s policy at the national and local levels. |
Councils warn licensing decisions should cover public health
06/08/2021 Council leaders have called for the power to take public health into account when deciding whether to grant licences to protect communities from harm. |
Drug-related deaths in England and Wales reach record high
04/08/2021 The number of drug-related deaths in England and Wales reached a record high in 2020, official figures have revealed. |
Councils get funding to deliver milk and healthy snack scheme
02/08/2021 Scottish local authorities will receive up to £12m funding to ensure all eligible pre-schoolers get milk and a healthy snack. |
Councils call for urgent action to tackle health inequalities
30/07/2021 The pandemic has 'cruelly exposed and exacerbated' health and social inequalities, council leaders have warned. |
MPs call for a new exercise campaign to get children more active
29/07/2021 The Government should encourage children to become more active by launching a sports equivalent to the '5 A Day' campaign by the end of this year, MPs have said today. |
Councils concerned about future of childcare
29/07/2021 Local support for children and families during the pandemic has been wide-ranging but there have also been notable local variations, new study reveals. |
Government to invest £45m to improve adoption services
26/07/2021 A new national strategy to end the ‘postcode lottery’ in adoption services has been launched by the Government. |
North and Midlands see greatest levels of smoking-related poverty
23/07/2021 The number of smokers living in poverty is concentrated in the North and Midlands, according to new research. |
New map reveals rates of hunger at local authority level
22/07/2021 Rates of hunger are 150% higher than the national average in one out of every six local authorities, academics have warned. |
Over 39,000 care home residents die with COVID-19
22/07/2021 Local authority leaders have called on the country to reflect on the ‘dedication and commitment’ of the social care workforce as data on deaths involving COVID-19 in care homes is published. |
Coastal towns have ‘worst health outcomes’, Whitty warns
21/07/2021 A national strategy is needed to tackle the serious health problems of coastal communities, England’s chief medical officer has warned today. |
Inquiry launched into challenging adult social care decisions
20/07/2021 An inquiry has been launched to examine how people can challenge decisions made by local councils about adult social care. |
Vaccinated social care staff no longer required to self-isolate
19/07/2021 Health leaders have been left divided by the Government’s announcement that fully vaccinated social care staff and NHS workers who have been told to self-isolate will be allowed to continue working. |
'Deeply concerning' rise in alcohol-related deaths during pandemic
15/07/2021 Increased alcohol consumption during the pandemic has led to a 'deeply concerning' increase in deaths, new figures have warned. |
Council criticised for increasing care admin costs 200%
15/07/2021 The London Borough of Bexley has agreed to revise its social care charging policy after the administration costs for one resident’s care increased 200%. |
MPs warn care of people with learning disabilities is 'totally inadequate'
13/07/2021 Autistic people and those with learning disabilities are still experiencing 'unnecessary and intolerable' treatment at inpatient facilities, MPs have warned today. |
Support workers 'undervalued' by nearly £7k a year, warns report
09/07/2021 Frontline social care workers are paid nearly £7,000 less per year than their peers in equivalent positions in other public funded sectors, a new report has uncovered. |
Javid vows to reform social care 'quite soon'
08/07/2021 New health secretary Sajid Javid has promised to bring forward plans for social care reform ‘quite soon’, but failed to commit to an exact timetable. |
Review calls for significant investment in drug treatment
08/07/2021 Local authorities should be given an extra £550m over the next five years to deliver drug treatment in their local communities, an independent review has said today. |
Liverpool's COVID-19 mass testing pilot cut cases by a fifth
07/07/2021 Liverpool's community testing pilot managed to reduce COVID-19 cases by more than a fifth, an evaluation of the project has found. |
Councils 'broadly support' focus of Health and Care Bill
06/07/2021 Councils ‘broadly support’ the focus of the Health and Care Bill introduced into Parliament on improving the health and wellbeing of the population, says the Local Government Association (LGA). |
Councils call for better understanding of lasting impact of COVID-19
06/07/2021 Council leaders have called for funding and research to understand the long-term health and care impact of COVID-19. |
Inquiry finds people in poorest areas 'nearly four times more likely' to die from COVID
06/07/2021 People living in the poorest parts of England were almost four times more likely to die from COVID-19 than those in the wealthiest areas, new research has uncovered. |
People living in poorest areas most likely to be obese, think tank finds
05/07/2021 There has been a 'significant' increase in obesity in the most deprived communities in England, a think tank has warned today. |
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.
