October 19, 2006
Thursday, 19th October 2006
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 national paper last Saturday highlighted the case of a ninety nine year old lady who was being cared for by one of her local care agencies. The elderly lady slept upstairs, and one of her carers tasks was to help her up and down stairs.The care agency, after carrying out two risk assessments, decided that under Health and Safety Regulations it was a situation which could put either the lady herself at the risk of being hurt, e.g. if she fell, or the carer, who could also get hurt should for example, the lady fall backwards and the carer then fell back down the stairs.
The agency therefore suggested that either the lady should sleep downstairs or perhaps a stair lift would be the answer. Social Services, were in agreement with the care agency.
The result of the above is that the agency have been dismissed by the client’s family and they have privately hired a carer.
The above demonstrates, that the regulations that have been forced on all sides of the care industry, e.g. Health and Safety, CRB checks, CSCI Standards, Employment Legislation, the proposed Registration of Care Staff, etc, are impotent when private individuals purchasing care can quite simply, by pass them.
Private social care companies provide the majority of the 40% of services provided to people who need social care or have mental health care needs in the UK. For the year 2005, £5bn was spent in the independent sector on provision of such care services.
In-House News
Potential new clients have been visited in Birmingham and Norfolk.A Review has taken place in Derbyshire and a case conference was held in Hertfordshire.
Care Manager Alan Wilson has attended a course about Parkinson’s Disease.
New posts have been taken on in:
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South Wales - Care Manager Sue Lamb - middle age female req. stroke aftercare. Salary £620.00 per week inc.
Suffolk - Care manager Jackie Maaz - 64 year old female suffering from diabetes and confusion. Salary £536.00 per week inc.
Interesting Information
A study says that an increase in the top rate of income tax, from 40% to 41.5% would fund free, personal care for older people across the UK.(The Personal Social Services Research Unit - www.pssru.ac.uk).
In the UK average weekly fees for all personal care homes rose by 8.2% in the last year, however in the East, fees rose by 25.6% up to an average of £676. 00 per week, The South East grew to 19.2% to £613.00 per week. Average fees in London are £672.00 per week.
(Source Nat West - Care Homes 2006 and Beyond)
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.
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