Today CQC have confirmed that their ‘State of Care’ 2017/18 is due to be published shortly. For those that do not know the State of Care is CQC’s annual assessment of health and social care in England. In CQC’s words ‘the report looks at the trends, highlights examples of good and outstanding care, and identifies […]

A recent analysis undertaken by the BBC has found that one in five care homes in England is rated as not good enough. Nearly 3,000 of England’s 14,975 care homes are currently rated as either inadequate or requiring improvement. The Chief Executive of the National Care Associate, Nadra Ahmed, has said that the variations in […]

Recently we have noticed an increase in CQC’s use of urgent enforcement action. Providers need to be aware that when CQC use these powers stakeholders will be expected to act quickly to remove service users if the decision is made to close the home. Questions arise as to whether CQC really consider the vulnerable state […]

New research has found that a shortage of UK nurses, lack of government funding and a winter crisis has put extraordinary levels of pressure on the NHS. Concerns are mounting for winter 2018 as once again the most critical issues revolve around funding and workforce related themes. The uncertainty surrounding Brexit also adds to the […]

A committee of MP’s have warned that parents in England are not getting the assurance they need about the quality of education their children are receiving. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has said it is unaccepted that so many schools (previously rated Outstanding by Ofsted), are exempt from being reinspected. Ofsted’s budget has been cut […]

Numbers of elderly people over 85 are set to double in the UK by 2035, increasing by 1.5 million. More complex care needs with increase as a result. The number of over-85s requiring help throughout the day with tasks such as dressing, bathing and going to the toilet is estimated to double to 446,000 by […]

Following the handling of the case involving Dr Hadiza Bawa-Garba, medics have called for the head of the General Medical Council (GMC) to stand down. Dr Bawa-Barba has won her bid to be reinstated over the death of six year old Jack Adcock in 2011. Medics have been angered by the case due to the […]

According to an analysis of official figures, ending freedom of movement after Brexit could result in 115,000 fewer adult social care workers by 2026. As it stands there are 1.3 million care workers in the UK, but 2 million will be needed by 2035 to deal with the rising number of elderly people. These findings […]

Both children’s and adults’ social services will be affected by Northamptonshire County Council’s decision to approve “radical cuts” to authority spending. Spending on learning difficulties in adults’ services will be decreased and there will be more scrutiny with the number of referrals and numbers within the children’s care systems. Despite this, safeguarding vulnerable children and […]