Ridouts has seen an emergence of Local Authorities (“LAs”) attempting to place service users with complex needs into residential care homes (with a lower fee rate) from more expensive mental health facilities. This is causing a strain on the commercial relationship between health and social care providers and the LA. This article will examine why …
Care providers often come to us with concerns they face with local authorities failing to meet the cost of providing care at the standard that providers themselves deem necessary to maintain compliance with the regulations. Providers complain of being largely ignored by those in charge of making such decisions within the local authority and many …
Challenging The Fees That Local Authorities Pay To Care Providers Read More »
At Ridouts, we are regularly contacted by providers in relation to issues that they are having with the Local Authority Safeguarding Team and Section 42 safeguarding enquiries. This article considers some of the issues that arise as a result of Local Authorities failing to understand their duties and remit under the Care Act 2014 and …
The Issue With Local Authorities And Safeguarding Concerns Read More »
On 19 May 2022, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman released its report titled, ‘Focus Report – Equal Access – May 2022’ (“The Report”). In The Report, the Ombudsman has shared the results of its investigations to help councils and local services meet their legal duties to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity …
Ombudsman reiterates that equal access for all should be at heart of services Read More »
The Department of Health and Social Care (“DHSC”) published statutory guidance on 24 March 2022. Local Authorities (“LAs”) are required to report to DHSC on cost of care exercises for 65 years plus care homes and 18 plus domiciliary care together with a Market Sustainability plan and details of how they have spent the new …
Care providers can influence fair fee rates – Seize the opportunity Read More »
Give yourself the capacity to care for your carers who care for your service users. The government has been strong on the rhetoric that increased cash will be made available to social care. The snag is that they propose to make these funds available to local authorities without strings that require the cash to be …
On 1 April 2021, Helen Hayes (Labour, Dulwich and West Norwood) asked the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care the written question, “…what assessment he has made of the effect of the Infection Control Fund on supporting care homes with their infection prevention control measures during the covid-19 outbreak; and what assessment he …
Concerns have been raised over the suitability of the social care precept which councils are able to levy over their residents by a maximum of 5% . This measure is seen by some as a rather blunt tool to fix the funding of social care. Over half of local councils look set to increase the …
Suitability of Council tax rises to fund social care questioned Read More »
A report published today by Public Health Scotland reveals that 78 patients who had tested positive for COVID 19 were discharged from hospitals to care homes in Scotland between 1 March and 21 April 2020. Of all the 3,599 elderly patients discharged from hospitals during that period, only 650 of them were tested for Covid-19. …
Today’s Care Home Professional reports another case where a care home has been fined a substantial sum of money (£200,000). The home failed to carry out basic risk assessments and management procedures. The incident that followed cased injuries which were said to have contributed to a subsequent death. Now, whilst legal advice and representation costs …
Ridouts is a team of specialist health and social care lawyers, providing dedicated legal advice for care homes, GP practices, children’s homes, dental practices, domiciliary and home care agencies, supported and independent living services and both private and NHS hospitals.
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