Social work news

Delayed discharges are increasing in mental health but this scandal will not be addressed by the forthcoming green paperAnyone who has spent time on an acute mental health ward will know what challenging places they can be for both patients and staff Vulnerable people with serious mental health problems too often receive poor care in an environment that is unsafe and far from therapeutic You would not want to your loved one to be somewhere...

More than of people say they would not like to begin a career in social care survey findsMinisters have been warned of a dangerous shortfall of care workers as a new survey reveals barely one in five people would consider a career in the sector Almost seven in people think a care career is undervalued by society -- and more than two in think care work is not valued by the government the survey suggests...

Jeremy Hunt says long-awaited policy document on care and support for older people will not be published until the autumnWhen Jeremy Hunt finally admitted to MPs on Monday evening that the green paper on older people's social care would not now appear before their summer recess as he had promised reaction in the care sector was more weary resignation than righteous anger Disappointment comes with the territory these days The news capped a particularly miserable...

Charity alliance warns back pay bill for sleep-in shifts poses 'biggest threat to social care any of us has seen'Charities facing what they say will be ruinous bills for back pay for care workers' sleep-in shifts are calling on the new chair of the Charity Commission to intervene in their dispute with ministers The SolveSleepInsAlliance which claims to represent charities and other providers of half of all care services for people with learning disabilities has...

The Association of Directors of Adult Services says lack of investment could leave older and disabled people strugglingSocial care bosses have written to the prime minister urging her to invest at least bn to stave off a growing crisis in services for elderly and disabled people and relieve pressure on the NHS A letter to Theresa May from the president of the Association of Directors of Adult Services Adass Glen Garrod says action to address...

The health service can't plan its next decade with confidence until the entire care system has a comprehensive dealFour themes dominated this year's gathering of the health service clan at the NHS Confederation's annual conference in Manchester priorities for the new money avoiding another winter crisis re-energising the redesign of clinical services and finding keeping and training the staff to do it all The health and social care secretary Jeremy Hunt indicated the shape of...

Campaign calls on MPs to recognise the challenges faced by people with a learning disability The government is not listening to adults with learning disabilities So we are marching on Downing Street to make sure our voice is heard -- Becky and HenryJust because someone has a learning disability doesn't mean they don't have a right to be listened to Communication may be challenging for them but that doesn't mean they don't have an opinion...

Report by IPPR and peers says reform would cut 'catastrophic care costs' of over a yearOlder people should receive free help with basic chores such as washing dressing and eating in an overhaul that would see social care matching access to the NHS ministers are to be urged Personal social care should be free at the point of need just like medical help on the NHS according to a report by Lord Darzi the ex-Labour...

Nigel Richardson chair of a care crisis review group says there is a surge in children being taken into careFailure to support families at risk and reduce pressure on the care system will lead to child protection services becoming financially unsustainable the chair of an expert care review group has warned Nigel Richardson a former director of children's services at Leeds city council said that the struggle to cope with the rapid surge in children...

The profession works in risky sometimes dangerous situations yet is treated differently to other emergency service colleagues Social workers prioritise people who are most marginalised desperate and often unhelped overlooked and angry as a consequence we work often in risky sometimes dangerous situations Yet we are treated differently to other emergency service colleagues Why In I wrote a piece describing social work as the forgotten emergency service Six years on judging by a bill moving...