The government must ensure new welfare assessments planned for disabled people are "accurate and fair" before they are rolled out nationally, MPs have said. The Work and Pensions Select Committee said the tests for the new Personal Independence Payment, coming in from 2013, could cut funds people relied on.
Three members of staff from a care home near Bristol have pleaded guilty to the ill treatment of residents. The case follows secret filming by the BBC's Panorama TV programme at the Castlebeck-owned Winterbourne View hospital near Hambrook.
Wayne Rogers, 31, of Kingswood, pleaded guilty to nine charges. Allison Dove, 24, of Kingswood, pleaded guilty to seven charges at Bristol Crown Court. Holly Draper, 23, of Mangotsfield, pleaded guilty to two charges. Both Rogers and Dove pleaded not guilty to one charge each under the Mental Capacity Act, which was accepted by the Crown with the charges resting on file.
Older people are being let down by a social care system in which they are "passed like a parcel" between services, a committee of MPs has said. The Commons health select committee wants local areas in England to deliver "joined-up" care, health and housing. Funding pressures were reducing older people's quality of life, MPs added.
The government has lost a House of Lords vote on its controversial plans to overhaul the NHS in England. Peers backed an amendment to the Health and Social Care Bill - demanding mental health is made a higher priority - by a margin of four votes. Several other amendments will be debated on Wednesday.
At least 35,000 people applying for sickness benefit are waiting longer than 13 weeks, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has admitted. DWP officials are privately blaming the backlog of employment and support allowance claims on French firm Atos, which carries out medical assessments. Atos Healthcare said it had recruited additional staff and extended opening hours in response to the situation. One member of DWP staff described the situation as "in meltdown".
Questioning by Liberal Democrat County Councillor George Koowaree on payment methods for Blue Badges in Kent has led to Kent reintroducing postal orders as an acceptable means of payment. Revisions to the Blue Badge application process by Kent had said that in future payments could be by cheque only. George questioned this, and has been reassured that this has now been amended so that postal orders are again acceptable.
Ashford Councillor George Koowaree commented: "I'm delighted this change has been made - the team that handle Blue Badge enquiries are now aware of this and the application form and frequently asked questions are currently being updated on the Kent Council website. Not everyone has access to a chequebook and bank account, and the extra flexibility of accepting postal orders will make applying rfor Blue Badges easier for some of our most vulnerable residents. Thank you to the Blue Badge team for thinking about my question and revising their application process."
Stephen Lloyd, MP for Eastbourne, joined volunteers from the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) last week, to raise awareness of the increase in diabetes across the UK. Lloyd attended a diabetes testing event in Parliament following on from the success of World Diabetes Day held last November.
Diabetes is a significant and growing health issue, affecting over 300 million people worldwide. The IDF and its member organisations - which include Diabetes UK - are working to improve the political and public awareness of diabetes and the interventions that are necessary to counter it.
The Supreme Court is to hear a case challenging the way councils in England can consider their finances when assessing people for social care. A severely disabled man - known as KM - and four charities will say care should be the same wherever a person lives.
Cambridgeshire County Council awarded KM about £85,000 a year, for care that a social worker estimated at £157,000. If the appeal is successful, councils will have to reconsider how they assess the needs of disabled people. Following a ruling in 1997 by the House of Lords, councils in England can currently consider their resources when assessing the needs of disabled adults.
The Supreme Court is to hear a case challenging the way councils in England can consider their finances when assessing people for social care. A severely disabled man - known as KM - and four charities will say care should be the same wherever a person lives.
Cambridgeshire County Council awarded KM about £85,000 a year, for care that a social worker estimated at £157,000. If the appeal is successful, councils will have to reconsider how they assess the needs of disabled people. Following a ruling in 1997 by the House of Lords, councils in England can currently consider their resources when assessing the needs of disabled adults.
For several years cochlear implants have offered some deaf people the chance to have a "sensation of sound". So why would some deaf teenagers choose not to have the implant even if they had the option? The issue of cochlear implants and efforts to "cure" deafness is a very sensitive subject among the 19,600 deaf teenagers in the UK. Indeed, many young deaf people are proud of deaf culture.
