In 2008 the government announced it was doubling the amount of money to fund rest periods for long-term carers, £50m was to be spent in 2010 and £100m next year. Two charities, the Princess Royal Trust for Carers and the Crossroads Care Charity, have recently analysed FOI (freedom of information) requests from 100 PCTs and claim only 23% of this years money has been used to increase services for carers.
Surrey County Council, NHS Surrey and Friends of the Elderly have teamed up to launch a pioneering project to support people affected by dementia.
Some learning disability patients in long-stay disability hospitals have been waiting up to 15 years to be resettled, a new report has said. According to a NI Assembly Public Accounts Committee report, this is despite being assessed as fit to leave and keen to move into the community. It found that 250 patients were still in hospitals, many of whom were keen to be resettled. The report examined Muckamore Abbey, Longstone and Lakeview hospitals.
Researchers have shed new light on the mechanism behind epilepsy attacks in the brain, revealing a potential new target for drug treatment. Around half a million people in the UK have some form of epilepsy. Until recently the focus of research has been on cells called neurons, but a US study points to a completely different cell.
A grandmother has won the legal right to be paid as a foster carer for looking after her granddaughter. The woman, 64, referred to as "GM", took over caring for the 15-year-old, referred to as "A", at Kent County Council (KCC) social services' request. KCC had refused to pay her the same rate as a foster carer even though the child would have been taken into care in 2004 had she not stepped in. The High Court ruled KCC must pay GM £146 per week instead of £63. The grandmother will now receive the same payments that a foster carer with no family connections would.
Disability sports will get £3.5m as part of the government's "legacy" plans for the 2012 Paralympic Games. Minister for Disabled People Jonathan Shaw said the investment was a step towards achieving "disability equality by 2025" for 10 million people. Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell said the plans would increase employment opportunities and develop "a greater appreciation of disability issues". The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has backed the move.
