September 06, 2007
Thursday, 6th September 2007
Greetings from Angela Gifford, Proprietor of Able Community Care, and welcome to the Able Newsflash, published by email every Thursday morning.
If you enjoy reading it please forward it to any other person who may also find it of interest.
Alternatively, they can subscribe directly for their own copy each week from our website: http://www.uk-care.com
Care News
A care home in Gloucestershire is to close and alternative accommodation is being sought for its residents. The home is run by Blanchworth Care Group who blamed a combination of factors for the closure.
APIL - the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers have called on the Government to change a “grossly unfair” law which means local authorities are shouldering the cost of paying for injured peoples care. The Association believes that the defendant who caused the injury should pay, not the local authority.
(Source: APIL)
Figures from the National Minimum Dataset for Social Care, published after obtaining data from care providers, have found that the hourly rate for senior care staff is £6.15 per hour 28 pence above the average care worker rate.
A BBC Scotland’s Frontline programme estimated that up to 20,000 people in care homes in Scotland could be missing out on NHS funding., In the survey carried out, it is estimated that 90% of the people surveyed for the programme would have qualified for funding under the English guidelines.
(Source: BBC News)
In-House News
Potential clients have been visited in Cambridge, Peterborough, London and Lincolnshire.Care reviews have been carried out in Norfolk and London.
Risk assessments and Manual Handling training has taken place in London, Norfolk and Kent.
A further meeting has been held with Achor Training Company of Beccles in Suffolk. They are able to provide Induction and NVQ 11 training by distance learning in conjunction with a personal assessment on site.
A new post has begun in Solihull for an elderly lady with dementia, poor site and hearing. Salary is £547.00 inc. Care Manager Jackie Maasz.
Able Personal Litigation Services are part of Able Community Care and have been so since 1990. During the month of August three new instructions for care reports have been requested from us. The time scale from assessment visit to initial report is usually fifteen working days.
Interesting Information
The National Patient Choice Survey, England – March 2007 has published the following findings:- 37% of patients were aware before they visited their GP that they had a choice of hospitals for their first appointment.
- 66% of patients said that location or transport considerations were an important factor when choosing a hospital.
The question this week is from April 2005.
Question - My Mother, who is unsteady on her feet, lives a distance out of her village and she frequently misses the dustbin lorry as she feels, that at times, she is not able to safely take her bin to the road. There are no near neighbours to help her put the bin out and I do not live near enough to her to be able to commit to doing this job regularly. As a pensioner does she qualify for help?
Answer - Being a pensioner does not qualify you for help with your wheelie bin but if you are frail elderly or disabled then assistance should be available. It could be that you are unable to pull a bin or there may be steps to negotiate for example. Many Local Authorities maintain a register of those persons requesting assistance and the Refuse Collectors give additional help to those entered on the register. e.g. collecting and returning the bin to it normal place of storage. Contact your Mother’s local Council Waste Department to register.
We hope you have enjoyed reading this and "see you next week".
Best Wishes,
Angela Gifford, Proprietor
Able Community Care.
Able Community Care is a nationwide provider of Live-in Care services.
Second Hand Disability Equipment - Buy it and sell it here.
Able Litigation Service is an Expert Witness Service provided to both the insurance industry and personal accident litigation solicitors.