A summary of social care stories from the main newspapers

By David Callaghan and Reg McKay.

Private sector in secret talks over care for the
elderly

The department of health and the private sector are discussing
plans to enable older people and their families to top up state
funding and buy better long term care.

A ‘Concordat Two’ is being drawn up between the National Health
Service and private hospitals. Top-ups are not allowed at present,
although the new Health and Social Care Act made some ‘provision’
for them.

Tim Evans, of the Independent Healthcare Association, confirmed
the talks had taken place over several months. “We are looking at a
package of solutions, including the ring-fencing of funds, better
independent assessment for people to align their care needs to care
packages and top-ups,” he said.

Source:- The Times Wednesday 30 May page 1

Nursing homes give council cash ultimatum

Nursing home owners have given Devon Council an ultimatum to pay
them more money or they will repudiate their contracts.

They have given the council four weeks’ notice of a new scale of
fees. Mike Barnes, who runs Barnfield Nursing Home in Exeter, said:
“All we are asking them to do is to meet our staffing costs. We
have no choice.”

Source:- The Times Wednesday 30 May page 2

Milburn warns ‘blinkered left’ over NHS
reforms

Health secretary Alan Milburn has defined clear boundaries for
the involvement of the private sector in NHS reforms. He said
private hospitals would only be used when they offered value for
money and a health benefit to patients.

Milburn also insisted that private managers would only be
allowed to work in areas where they have expertise, such as running
of non-urgent surgery units. Operations will remain free to NHS
patients on the basis of medical need, he stressed.

Source:- The Guardian Wednesday 30 May page 13

Guardian Society

Doing the biz

Coalition for social enterprise sector

Source: Guardian Society Wednesday 30 May page 4

Call for care before cure

Environmental health group’s challenge to government

Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 30 May page 4

Risk factors

Chris Wheal reports on moves to help ‘financially excluded’
tenants pay for insurance cover along with their rent

Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 30 May page 12

The voice of Sense

Deafblind charity chief’s 20 years on a rollercoaster

Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 30 May page 95

Society facts: Health services spending

Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 30 May page 95

Garden of light

Laurence Pollock on the Flintshire heritage park where
confidence is booming for a DIY group of the mentally ill

Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 30 May page
96-95

Scottish newspapers

Short shrift for care home owners

Private residential and nursing home owners expressed their
disappointment after they left empty-handed from a meeting with the
Scottish executive to discuss the deepening cash crisis in the
sector.

Scottish Care, who represents 800 of Scotland’s 1,100
private residential units, was offered the meeting last week to
divert the threat of an embarrassing publicity campaign. Jim
Proctor, vice chaiperson of Scottish Care, expressed his
disappointment that they were offered only a meeting with the
Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, and reassurances that the
executive recognised the “urgency” of the situation.

The move came as the Liberal Democrats revealed that the number
of older people forced to sell their homes to pay for their care
had almost doubled under Labour. A survey by the Liberal Democrats
revealed that last year 70,000 had been forced to sell their homes
compared with 40,000 when the figures were last calculated in
1995.

Source:- The Herald Wednesday 30 May page 1

Council denies profiting out of refugees

Local residents in Glasgow have claimed Glasgow Council has
profited out of a government contract to house refugees and asylum
seekers.

Resident leaders allege that the council is making £600,000
a month from empty homes earmarked for people seeking refugee
status. The groups also allege that the council has failed to spend
all the home office money intended to help asylum seekers integrate
into the communities in which they were allocated.

The main protests emanated from the Sighthill area where 380
flats are provided for asylum seekers, and where there have been
reports of serious violence over the past month. Norrie Gower,
chairperson of the Fountainwell Tenants’ Association in
Sighthill, said: “Glasgow City Council have seen their opportunity
to get money from the government by putting these people in housing
which is sub-standard.”

A spokesperson for Glasgow Council emphatically denied the
accusations.

Source:- The Scotsman Wednesday 30 May page 1

Judges to rule on paedophile sentences

Scottish courts’ handling of offences of downloading child
pornography from the internet is to be reviewed by three senior
judges from the appeal court. The move follows the latest in a
series of cases where the nature and significance of the offence
has been in dispute.

Yesterday, Sheriff Iain McPhail QC upheld a previous ruling by
Lords McCluskey and Weir that downloading child pornography was a
“victimless offence”. The review has been requested by Lords
Sutherland and Eassie.

Source:- The Scotsman Wednesday 30 May page 4