Integrated Care Network

“To be aware that somebody who can’t count their change in a shop when
they are trying to buy a newspaper is not someone being old and doddery.
They might potentially be suffering from Alzheimer’s and they might just
need some help and assistance.”

Carey Mulligan, who is married to Marcus Mumford from band Mumford and Sons,
approached the Alzheimer’s Society to offer her growing fame as a way to
raise awareness of the issues people with Alzheimer’s, and their families,
face. She has previously won a Bafta for best leading actress for her role
in An Education.

The Alzheimer’s Society estimates there are around 8,000 people in the UK with
dementia, and two thirds of these are women. The charity recently released
results of a poll,
to mark Dementia Awareness Week this week, which showed almost half of
adults in the UK would find it hard to tell their own family if they thought
they had dementia.

The poll found this was those aged 55 and over were more likely to find this
difficult, and the charity has warned this could mean up to half a million
people are not turning to their families for support.

Article source: http://telegraph.feedsportal.com/c/32726/f/568556/s/2c3d4374/l/0L0Stelegraph0O0Chealth0Celderhealth0C10A0A724150CCarey0EMulligan0Ecalls0Efor0Emore0Eawareness0Eof0EAlzheimers0Bhtml/story01.htm

In his letter, Norman Lamb has set out the crucial role that the chairs of health and wellbeing boards will play in putting into action the commitments in the Winterbourne View Concordat and the Department of Health’s response to Winterbourne View.

He stressed that the care reviews of people with learning disabilities, autism, mental health and behaviour that challenges, in acute hospital settings, need to be carried out by 1 June. He also highlighted the role of the chairs in challenging the ambition of the joint strategic plans being drawn up by clinical commissioning groups and local authorities, and in helping to make sure the right clinical and managerial leadership and infrastructure are in place.

Norman Lamb chairs the Learning Disability Programme Board, which works to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for people with learning disabilities and their families and monitors the delivery of the changes set out in the Department of Health review of Winterbourne View.

Article source: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/norman-lamb-highlights-role-of-health-and-wellbeing-boards-in-reforming-care-following-winterbourne-view

22 May 2013
Last updated at 03:28 ET

By Laura Miller
Disabled mother

It emerged last week in a report by The Children’s Society that there are almost 250,000 young carers in the UK. But do we need to shift the focus to the parents?

Every parent wants their son or daughter to develop into a caring and thriving individual and, obviously, to enjoy their childhood.

I am a wheelchair user and have health difficulties which can affect me performing some day-to-day tasks.

Currently my son is too young to be considered a young carer, so it’s obvious to strangers that it is me who looks after him. But when he’s a little older, say three or four, I worry that passers-by might presume that he is the one looking after Mummy, rather than vice versa. I cringe that he might get congratulated on how he is such a good boy just because he’s walking next to mummy who’s in a wheelchair. I know it would be well-meant but what would people be imagining? And I truly fear that, one day, he might come home from nursery with an award.

Continue reading the main story

Concern for young carers

In it’s report Hidden from View, The Children’s Society used Census data to conclude that some 244,000 people aged under 19 were carers.

It says many remain “hidden from official sight for a host of reasons, including family loyalty, stigma, bullying, not knowing where to go for support”.

Their GCSE results were likely to be “significantly lower” than peers – the equivalent of nine grades overall – while they were more likely to be out of work, training or education when aged 16 to 19.

The Children’s Society called for agencies to support the whole family, allowing youngsters to “thrive and enjoy their childhoods”.

• ‘Quarter of a million’ young carers

One of my biggest quandaries is how much I should expect my son to help out as he grows up.

A good parent gets their child to do household tasks. I want a boy who can tidy rooms, wash clothes and fend for himself as an adult. And I look forward to enjoying the teamwork we will always have to do so that we can all have fun as a family. To my mind this is a positive thing.

But families also look after each other, this needs to be better understood.

Beyond the tidying and dusting, the question of how much a child should be directly involved in caring for a parent is one that is obviously dear to my heart. I’m thinking of things like having my child help put my coat or shoes on; something I can’t always do for myself. I don’t want to be accused of being a bad parent for this.

It gets even more complex when I think about what’s right and wrong, and what reactions might result. I have an undiagnosed problem that sometimes means I collapse. So, for instance, when he reaches 13 and starts maturing, should I instruct him never to come and help his (naked) mother if she falls in the bath?

Where do we draw the boundaries and why? I tend to measure this by asking: “Will this task harm him, hurt him or put him in a legally questionable area?”

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

I have met many families who fear their child will be categorised as ‘at risk’ if they ask for help”

End Quote

If the answer is yes, then it would be inappropriate. But to leave him out of important tasks is to put him on the edge of our family life. We will always be his family and loving family members do things together.

Throughout the pregnancy I was certain of my goals as a mum, though how I was going to achieve them was not so clear.

From the start I knew I wanted to save all my best energy for Jonathan and, because I have fluctuating conditions, this would mean that I’d need help with cooking, cleaning and running the household so I have enough reserves to be a parent.

During this time I read up on what support was available, including from social services. Initially it seemed encouraging and I understood that something called Direct Payments, an agreed monthly care budget, could have allowed us to employ a care assistant.

It looked like a very practical way of enabling me to be a parent. However, the social workers we dealt with seemed to assess us with a critical attitude. They withdrew when it became clear that practical support would require them to finance it.

Since then I have met many families with a similar story and parents who fear that their child will be categorised as “at risk” if they ask for help, when all the family wants is to protect and provide for them.

It makes sense that a lack of help provision could be the reason why children are caring for parents in ways The Children’s Society deems inappropriate.

Who, then, is responsible for ensuring a disabled parent is given medication, a bath or supervision, if there are no other adults or careworkers present?

It has been said that it takes a village to raise a child. The reality is that part of that “village” is the provision that the government makes towards protecting our families. If the Adult Services and Children’s Services within social work came together and gave whole-family assessments that recognised the importance of supporting the parent, this would seem like a sensible place to start.

Laura Miller lives in Glasgow with her husband and 16-month-old son, Jonathan. She is a peer support volunteer for disabled parents

Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-ouch-22615244#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

22 May 2013
Last updated at 01:45 ET

By Owain Clarke
BBC Wales health correspondent

Accident and emergency services have been facing a big surge in demand

Plans for major changes to the way some specialist hospital care is delivered in south Wales will be unveiled later.

Health officials believe some services are spread too thinly and should be centralised in four or five hospitals instead.

They include accident and emergency and care for premature babies and children.

Five health boards have been drawing up the proposals, which include hospitals from Swansea, Cardiff and Newport, since the start of 2012.

They argue that the changes are essential to ensure hospital care meets UK-wide professional standards and to deal with issues such as a shortage of doctors, an ageing population and financial pressures.

The plans will concentrate on the following services:

• Consultant-led maternity care (obstetrics)
• Specialist baby care (neonatal)
• Specialist children’s care (paediatrics)
• Emergency medicine (AE)

Currently eight hospitals in the region provide one or more of these services.

But senior health officials warn this set-up is unsustainable.

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

We need to concentrate these services to ensure all patients receive safe and sustainable care.”

End Quote
Dr Grant Robinson
Aneurin Bevan Health Board medical director

Aneurin Bevan Health Board (ABMU) medical director Dr Grant Robinson said: “We cannot continue to provide all these services in every location across south Wales.

“We need to concentrate these services to ensure all patients receive safe and sustainable care.

“Our clinicians believe that the best way to do this, while improving safety and the standard of care patients receive, is to concentrate these clinical services in fewer hospitals – either four or five.”

The health boards have been evaluating since September whether concentrating all those services in four or five centres would be most suitable.

The centres would include the University Hospital of Wales (UHW) in Cardiff, Morriston Hospital near Swansea and a new hospital to be built at Llanfrechfa Grange near Cwmbran.

This would incorporate some services from Nevill Hall hospital in Abergavenny and the Royal Gwent hospital in Newport.

Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil, the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend or the Royal Glamorgan near Llantrisant would be the fourth or fifth centre.

Air ambulances

Managers will reveal their preferred options on Wednesday.

But there are strong indications that they are likely to recommend that some services should be taken away from the Royal Glamorgan hospital.

However, other options will be included in the consultation document.

The proposals are also likely to include plans to set up a specialist trauma centre to treat the most urgent accident and emergency cases – for example injuries and accidents that air ambulances attend.

Senior health officials say no final decisions have been taken and they are keen to hear public opinion

This could be based at a single site – the UHW in Cardiff or shared with Morriston Hospital in Swansea.

The plans will be put out to formal public consultation.

In a joint statement, the bosses of the five health boards said they were eager to listen to public opinion.

They said the ideas had been developed with those on the NHS frontline and the different scenarios had already been discussed with the public over three months last year.

“We carried out this engagement because we wanted to hear the views of the public at an early point in the process – a clear majority said they understood why services need to change and supported the ideas,” they said.

“Following agreement by all the boards to proceed to consultation, there will be a full and open process to listen to and consider the public’s views about all the options.”

But opposition politicians have concerns that the proposals would see some services such as AE downgraded at a time of unprecedented demand.

Response

Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board in north Wales faced a storm of local criticism when it announced plans to move high level intensive care for babies to an English hospital.

After the public consultation was completed, the first minister intervened to undertake a review of the decision to see whether the services could be retained in Wales after all.

And campaigners fighting to protect the AE department at Llanelli’s Prince Philip Hospital have been granted legal aid to seek a judicial review of decision by Hywel Dda Health Board to make changes to emergency care at the hospital.

The Welsh government is also considering its response after the west Wales patients watchdog – Hywel Dda Community Health Council (CHC) – referred elements of the health board’s plans to the health minister for a decision.

The CHC had previously been instructed by the Welsh government to restart negotiations with health managers.

Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-22608302#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

Crucially, it warns, that will undermine the Government’s main goal of
focusing on “prevention and early intervention” to enable people to avoid
having to go into care homes or hospitals if at all possible.

It calls for a major overhaul of how funding is allocated in health and social
care to prevent “ever more draconian rationing” and officials being forced
to “rob Peter to pay Paul” by diverting cash from the NHS to care services.

According to an analysis of Government figures the number of people over 65
receiving publicly funded in England care fell below the one million mark to
989,905 last year from 1.2 million four years earlier.

Over the same period the number of older people has grown sharply as a result
of the ageing population, with the number of over-85s up by more than 20 per
cent.

Figures from councils show that while they have largely preserved their
overall care budgets, while making major cuts elsewhere, they have been
forced to tighten up their criteria meaning that only those assessed as
having the most serious needs get any help.

“Public funding has been gradually skewed towards a tightly rationed system
focusing on fewer people – those with highest needs and lowest means,” the
report explains.

“More and more people are becoming disengaged from a care system that is
increasingly dysfunctional, driven by crisis rather than the promotion of
well-being and prevention.”

It adds: “The cap and extended means test will be irrelevant if people with
moderate needs fall outside the public system.

“As the number of people with care and support needs continues to grow, the
level of unmet needs will rise too, and the system will become even more
reactive and crisis-driven.

“This will place further pressures on unpaid carers.”

Article source: http://telegraph.feedsportal.com/c/32726/f/568556/s/2c2cab0b/l/0L0Stelegraph0O0Chealth0Celderhealth0C10A0A687890CCare0Ecap0Ebecoming0Eirrelevant0Eas0Ecrisis0Emode0Esystem0Eexcludes0Eall0Ebut0Ea0Efew0Ereport0Efinds0Bhtml/story01.htm

21 May 2013
Last updated at 02:51 ET

By Nick Triggle
Health correspondent, BBC News

Social care budgets have already been squeezed in the past few years

Ministers have been told they must go further with their overhaul of social care in England by merging its budget with the NHS.

The government is currently pressing ahead with plans to introduce a cap of £72,000 on elderly care bills.

But the King’s Fund said that on its own the policy was not enough to solve the growing problems.

Instead, it called for a joint budget to encourage the two systems to work together more closely.

The report is being published on the day the government’s care bill gets its second reading in the House of Lords.

The legislation will pave the way for the introduction of a cap in 2016.

Ministers have also said pilots will start in September to foster greater integration between the NHS and social care on issues such as assessments and hospital discharge.

‘Think boldly’

But the King’s Fund wants to see a more radical approach.

Currently the NHS budget – at over £100bn a year – dwarfs the £16bn social care budget.

The King’s Fund argued that by merging the two, each would be encouraged to look at the most cost-effective ways of spending money.

That could include investing more in basic support – which is often cut first when money is tight – to help keep people healthy and living independently.

The report pointed out that the current system means a growing number of people are excluded from social care, which can result in their conditions worsening and in need of more expensive NHS care further down the line.

Report author Richard Humphries said: “We must think boldly about removing the unhelpful fault lines which exist across health and social care spending.

“Instead of ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’ we need a more ambitious shift towards single-budget settlements.”

The King’s Fund recommendation mirrors a policy that is under consideration by Labour.

In January, shadow health secretary Andy Burnham argued the idea needed looking at because as people live longer their “needs become a blur of physical, mental and social”.

Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22600008#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

The Directions and explanatory note concern the transfer of £859m in 2013 to 2014 from the NHS to local authorities for social care.

This funding, which was announced as part of the Spending Review and in the Care and Support White paper, must support adult social care services in each authority, which also have a health benefit. The local authority and clinical commissioning groups must agree together how to use the money.

These Directions should be read together with the conditions relating to payments between NHS bodies and local authorities

Article source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/funding-transfer-from-the-nhs-to-social-care-2013-to-2014-directions

Kingsley Manning has been confirmed as the new Chair of the Health and Social Care Information Centre, Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Health announced today.

The Health and Social Care Information Centre has a pivotal new role as the focal point for data and for core IT infrastructure and expertise across the health and care system and will play a fundamental role in driving better care, better services and better outcomes as part of the Government’s reforms under the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

Jeremy Hunt said:

“Kingsley brings a great wealth of experience and expertise and his leadership will be essential at such a crucial time for the new Health and Social Care Information Centre.

“I am sure he will lead the Health and Social Care Information Centre to become the leading centre of expertise and innovation in information management, right at the forefront of driving technological change in the NHS.

“I would also like to thank Candy Morris for her valuable contribution as interim Chair over recent months, and particularly her role in securing the services of top quality non-executive directors.”

Kingsley Manning said:

“I am delighted to be asked to Chair the HSCIC and I am very pleased to accept this leadership challenge.

Information and technology are changing almost every aspect of our lives and health and care should be no different. The HSCIC will play a pivotal role in transforming services for patients and citizens through the use of data and information. My objective is to build on the skills of the HSCIC to establish it as both a national and international centre of expertise for the use of data in health and care.

I look forward to taking up my post and working with the board, management team and staff to create a successful and dynamic organisation.”

Notes to editors

• For media enquiries please ring the Department of Health social care desk on 0207 210 5821.

• This appointment is made in accordance with the Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies, issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

• All appointments are made on merit and political activity played no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there

• is a requirement for appointees’ political activity (if any declared) to be made public. Kingsley Manning has declared no current political activity.

• Kingsley Manning was Founder and Managing Director of Newchurch Limited, a leading firm of health and information consultants, from 1983 until 2009.

• Subsequent roles have included, Executive Chairman of Tribal Group’s health business and Senior Adviser at McKinsey Company.

• His appointment starts on 3rd June 2013 and is for four years. He will receive £63,000 per annum for a time commitment of 2 to 3 days per week.

• For further information on the Health and Social Care Information Centre visit http://www.hscic.gov.uk/.

Article source: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/kingsley-manning-confirmed-as-the-new-chair-of-the-health-and-social-care-information-centre

Post-legislative assessment of the Health and Social Care Act 2008: Memorandum to the House of Commons Health Select Committee

Post-legislative assessment of the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

PDF, 3.93MB, 38 pages

Article source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/assessment-of-the-health-and-social-care-act-2008

Under the current system, only elderly people with assets, including their
family home, worth less than £23,500 get help with the cost of care. Even
then, only those deemed to have the greatest physical needs qualify.

Those are assessed on a four-point scale ranging from “low” to “critical” with
just people above a threshold — decided by local social services – getting
help.

In recent years, with funds squeezed, councils have tightened up criteria,
meaning that in most areas only those deemed to have “substantial” needs
qualify — usually meaning they can no longer live on their own.

The new Bill, based on the recommendations of the Dilnot Commission, promises
to cap the amount that anyone pays for care in their lifetime at £72,000 and
dramatically raise the financial threshold, meaning that fewer people will
have to sell their homes.

It will also abolish the postcode lottery so that the same criteria for
deciding who is in need of care is used in all areas of England.

Crucially, the decision on where the new line is drawn will be set not in the
new Bill but in George Osborne’s spending review next month.

The charities fear that, after bargaining between the Treasury and the
Department of Health, it is likely to be set at “substantial”.

That would mean the end of help for 99,000 elderly people and 36,000 disabled
people assessed as having “moderate” needs but living in areas where that
rating qualifies.

The Department of Health said: “We will shortly publish draft regulations to
assist with debate on the Care Bill.”

Article source: http://telegraph.feedsportal.com/c/32726/f/568556/s/2c1c713c/l/0L0Stelegraph0O0Chealth0Celderhealth0C10A0A66220A0CMillion0Eat0Erisk0Efrom0ECare0EBill0Bhtml/story01.htm