Health
Not laid back about leisure
Slough BC is investing more than £58m in its new leisure strategy. Cllr Sohail Munawar explains the motivations behind the policy and the wider role sport and physical activity has to play in urban renewal.
Councils win right to challenge hospital downgrade
Four Oxfordshire councils have won a fresh hearing over plans to downgrade services at a local hospital.
Edinburgh health chief departs post
The chief officer to the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership, Robert McCulloch-Graham, has left his post.
Health and care 'pretending' they are fully integrated system
A senior health figure has warned that fundamental barriers to integration remain amid warnings the NHS is gearing up for its most severe winter yet.
Don't let the Government divide and rule health and care
NHS Providers' Saffron Cordery calls for unity between health and social care as the Government seeks to drive a wedge between the two sectors.
MPs back social care system overhaul
A poll of 100 English MPs has found just one in 10 believe the current social care system is suitable for the UK’s ageing population.
County call for targets rethink
Councils have called for the Government to rethink a threat to strip them of promised cash if they fail to meet ‘undeliverable and arbitrary’ targets.
Financial uncertainty forcing councils to award shorter contracts
The Government should offer subsidised loans to cash-strapped councils to encourage them to award longer contracts to organisations that support children with mental health difficulties, a think-tank has urged.
Stephenson steps down after post axed
Derbyshire CC’s chief executive has stepped down after the council agreed to abolish the post along with that of assistant chief executive and strategic director of corporate resources.
Connecting the dots in Notts
David Pearson discusses how a Nottingham-based partnership has shown the way health bodies and local government need to work together in order to maximise services and minimise costs.
An intermediate solution
With demands increasing on hospitals and care services, good intermediate care has never been more important, writes Ewan King.
The road ahead for managing social care
Sean Nolan looks at the conflicts ahead for the social care green paper and outlines some of the key approaches CIPFA will be investigating.
Councils win legal battle with health boards
Health boards in Wales ‘misinterpreted’ the law over who is responsible for paying for nurses to deliver social care in residential homes, a court has ruled.
Stretched councils criticise ministers for 'passing buck' on air quality
Council directors have piled in on the Government’s Clean Air Strategy, claiming ministers have shifted the burden of implementing ‘politically unpalatable’ measures onto overstretched authorities.
Good health starts at the district level
John Fuller reveals plans to open a conversation with government and the NHS about ‘prevention precept’ that recognises districts' role in reducing demand in the care system.
Councillors have not been engaged in STP development
Less than 25% of councillors in England feel that they have been engaged in shaping the NHS’ sustainability and transformation partnerships (STPs), according to a new survey conducted by the Local Government Association (LGA).
Call for mental health impact in council reports
Every council report should detail the potential impact decisions will have on residents’ mental health, a NHS board member has urged.
A grand plan for the future of care
With social care firmly on the political agenda, Patrick O’Brien looks at the latest Localis report on joining up health and social care.
A bleak snapshot of social care
Sam Clayden analyses the findings of this year’s ADASS budget survey, which uncovers troubling trends for a sector already stretched to its limits.
Directors’ dismay over Hunt’s bed-blocking funding threats
Adult social care directors have been left ‘very disappointed’ after the Government threatened to take away funding from areas that failed to reduce bed-blocking.