Local areas to get extra support to strengthen SEND services
New support for 'unseen' vulnerable children
Government 'failed to prepare' on PPE, say MPs
ADCS president calls for welfare overhaul
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.
Coronavirus could create a ‘lost generation’ of vulnerable teenagers
07/07/2020 Thousands of vulnerable teenagers are at risk of falling through gaps in the school and social care systems, the Children’s Commissioner for England has warned today. |
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. |
Councils in local virus data call
03/07/2020 Councils have called for the Government to go further after it finally started to publish more coronavirus testing data. |
Vulnerable people still struggling to get basic food, report warns
02/07/2020 More than a quarter of vulnerable people are still struggling to access basic goods and essential groceries, new research has found. |
Local public health teams should manage contact tracing, poll reveals
02/07/2020 Two-thirds of the public want local public health teams to be in charge of the contact tracing system, a new poll has revealed. |
Thousands of children 'at risk' when EU Settlement closes, report warns
01/07/2020 Thousands of children are at risk of being left in 'legal limbo' when the EU Settlement Scheme closes next year, a report has warned today. |
Give councils the tools to incentivise retirement communities, says report
30/06/2020 Retirement communities could play a major part in addressing the adult social care funding crisis and keep people out of hospital for longer, a new report has argued. |
Hand health powers to elected mayors, says report
23/06/2020 Health powers should be handed to elected mayors as part of a ‘rejuvenated and fortified wave of devolution,’ a think-tank report has suggested. |
Charity declares ‘state of emergency’ in foster care
23/06/2020 A children’s charity has warned that the number of children needing foster care has increased by 44% during the pandemic. |
Saliva coronavirus test to be trialled in Southampton
22/06/2020 Southampton City Council will be piloting a new ‘no-swab’ saliva test for coronavirus. |
Khan calls for face masks to be mandatory
19/06/2020 Mayor of London yesterday called on the Government to make the wearing of face coverings mandatory for customers in shops and other confined public spaces. |
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. |
Unpaid carers ‘pushed’ into using food banks
17/06/2020 Unpaid carers are twice as likely as the general public to have relied on a food bank during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to charity. |
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. |
Racism raises the risk from COVID-19 for minorities
17/06/2020 Racism has raised the risk of people from black and ethnic minority communities developing COVID-19 and dying from the disease, says an official report. |
Disabled women ‘disproportionately hit’ by lockdown
16/06/2020 The lockdown has hit disabled women particularly hard with many fearing missing out on medicine and struggling to get access to food, a new study has revealed. |
Covid-19 recovery will ‘pile on pressure’ for families, report warns
16/06/2020 A report released today reveals concerns about the impact the coronavirus crisis has had on vulnerable children and families. |
Union urges Government to tackle Covid-19 pay deductions
15/06/2020 The Government must tackle care worker Covid-19 pay deductions to stop hardship and control virus spread, says Unison. |
IFS exposes impact of COVID-19 on different areas
15/06/2020 The balance of protecting public health and returning to economic activity varies from one area to the next, research by the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) has found. |
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. |
Older carers ‘forgotten’ by care system says charity
12/06/2020 Older carers have been ‘forgotten’ by authorities despite them bearing the brunt of the pandemic, a charity has warned today. |
Care is 'not out of the woods' as winter comes, says ADASS
11/06/2020 Social care directors have warned they will need significantly more funding, more PPE and more influence on NHS England’s decision making, to help cope with COVID-19 as we head towards winter. |
Launch of coronavirus social care taskforce
09/06/2020 The Government has announced a new social care taskforce to help the sector through the coronavirus crisis. |
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. |
Middlesbrough to keep control of its children's services
05/06/2020 Middlesbrough Council will be allowed to keep control of its 'inadequate' children's services to allow further improvements to be made. |
Adult care coronavirus costs to reach £6.6bn by autumn
05/06/2020 The majority of the extra financial pressure is being borne by local government, according to new research. |
Contact tracing app could leave ‘many behind’ charity warns
03/06/2020 The government's contact tracing app could exacerbate existing health inequalities, a charity has warned today. |
Alliance calls to extend gambling harm protections after lockdown
02/06/2020 Measures to protect people from gambling harm should be extended beyond the lockdown, the Gambling Health Alliance (GHA) has said. |
Funding boost for local mental health projects
01/06/2020 The Government has awarded £5m funding to help community projects support people with their mental health during the pandemic. |
Directors warn of 'deep concerns' over care funding
01/06/2020 Adult social care directors have ‘deep concerns’ about the Infection Control Fund which is being rolled out to support care providers. |
Charity reports huge increase in women seeking domestic abuse help
28/05/2020 The number of women seeking help for domestic abuse has 'spiked significantly' since lockdown began, a charity has warned. |
Councils call for single supply system for PPE
22/05/2020 Councils have called for a single system for the distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE) to avoid local government employees being treated as ‘second class workers’. |
Social workers to be placed in schools to spot children at risk
22/05/2020 The Government has committed £6.5m to place social workers in schools to help spot the signs of child abuse and neglect. |
Coronavirus bereavement scheme extended to social care workers
21/05/2020 The families of migrant care workers who have fallen victim to COVID-19 will be allowed to remain in the country indefinitely. |
Most councils take action to help providers with temporary cost pressures
19/05/2020 Nearly all (97%) of councils are taking action to address temporary cost pressures being experienced by social care providers, a new survey has revealed. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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.
