Adult social care
A plan for social care is finally coming. What should be in it?
Having a clear view about the outcomes sought is key to drawing up a new plan for social care - and it should be developed with the sector and with people with lived experience, say Paul Burstow and Ewan King.
Better reform for better lives
Social care is being addressed as a priority in Number 10. President of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) Julie Ogley talks to Ann McGauran about what she hopes will emerge.
Unblocking the blocks
Reading has seen a 15% decrease in delayed discharges of care compared to last year. Seona Douglas outlines the key approaches she believes have made a difference.
What are local government's prospects now?
Ben Page looks ahead at the prospects for local government.There is hope on social care, with a promise of cross-party talks within 100 days of the election. But on a host of issues, is benign neglect the best local government can hope for?
‘We cannot keep relying on one-off emergency funding’
Those of us who rely on social care, care for family members who do, or will need care and support in the future, need three things from the new Government, says ADASS president Julie Ogley.
What will Boris do next?
The new Government will need the sector’s help if it is to stand a chance of delivering the party’s ambitious domestic agenda, says Graeme McDonald. 'But the sector can only help if it is operating from a position of strength'.
Keeping up with the cost of population growth
Tracie Langley offers a three point narrative for resolving the complexity of budget management in the face of massive demand and complex local economic environments.
Public services need an uplift in the economy
In an alternative universe where we had an extra £400bn a year of UK GDP we may never have had issues about adult care because there would have been the money to fund it, says Michael Burton.
Surge in people seeking help with care bills
The number of adults in care requiring council help due to depleted funds increased by more than a third last year.
Future Forum North: Health and care devo has been 'a good thing' for Greater Manchester
The Greater Manchester health partnership gave Tameside the' air cover' to save £88m while reducing demand and 'creating a virtuous investment model'.
Bed delays to hit 2.5m days since last election
More than 2.5m bed days will have been lost in the NHS due to a lack of social care since the last General Election, new analysis has concluded.
An election that’s about last decade as much as the next
Jeremy Corbyn still continues to be snapping at Boris Johnson’s heels, says Michael Burton. Could it be because many voters, especially the young, are disenchanted with capitalism’s excesses and telephone number salaries?
We are forced to 'eke out too little to too many people' says social care chief
Too many social workers, managers and councillors 'are having to make invidious decisions to eke out too little to too many people whose needs are increasing' says social care chief Julie Ogley.
Just a lull in the funding storm?
David Phillips examines the choices the next Government will face, including whether (and how much) to raise taxes. What it decides could have big implications for councils and those who rely on their services.
Social care is the election’s Cinderella service
Michael Burton says the main parties fall over themselves to shower largesse on the NHS and claim the service is at death’s door through underfunding, while social care’s role in reducing NHS costs is barely mentioned.
We will all pay the price for not spending on care
Heather Jameson says the Government is tinkering on the edges of the welfare reforms in an effort to ease the pressure, but it is not enough. The cost of care is phenomenal – both in terms of the cash and the long-term damage.
Seven Ways to ‘Fix’ £billions of Government Grant Money
Over eight years the local government funding formula has shifted money from poor to rich, from North to South, from inner to outer London and from urban to rural areas, says Cllr Graham Chapman. ‘The poorer the area the more it has lost.’
Working together after the storm
At first glance there’s much for local government to get its teeth into in the Queen’s Speech, not least the promise of further devolution, says Bob Neill. But more frustratingly the wait continues for the Green Paper on social care.
We need the power
The Queen's Speech made it clear that Government has been listening to the LGA on some key issues, says James Jamieson - 'but we now need a long-term settlement that gives local government the powers, money and certainty to transform their areas'.
Analogue safety rules aren’t fit for the digital world of work
Unison has developed a new health and safety gig economy guide to help employers understand what they should be doing to protect workers. Robert Baughan explains.