Happy New Year! I hope every adult social care colleague, carer and those accessing care and support had a lovely Christmas and welcomed in 2026 with rest, reflection and renewed energy.
If you haven’t heard of them, you’re not alone and if you have, like many, you may not like the name or fear what they imply. So what are they for? Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DOLS) are for people in …
If you haven't had the opportunity to view the Department's recently published maps of variation and state of the nation report into the range and provision of dementia care and support services in England, I urge you to do so …
The Social Care News blog will always signpost and champion any initiative designed to improve quality of services – and mental health is no exception. The Green Light Toolkit is a guide to auditing and improving mental health services to …
Just a quick reminder that the consultation on social work placement funding is due to close on 8 December. Comments are sought from social work placement providers, practice educators, universities and students to be fed into the consultation process. Department …
Should DH be investing in a national comparison/user feedback tool for care homes and home care on NHS Choices when several external websites already do similar things? I think they should. What is different about these online quality profiles for …
Right now we are getting ready for an online homecare panel debate taking place Tuesday 5 November 12.30 - 14.30 (GMT) – hosted by the Guardian and attended by the Minister for Care and Support, Norman Lamb. He’ll be joined …
With the care and support sector under the greatest pressure to perform, more so than at any time since the creation of the welfare state, the need for radical ideas to better integrate health and social care services has never …
Whilst there has been much talk around better integration of health and care services (as evidenced by the £3.8 billion integration innovation fund launched earlier this year), a vital component of this enterprise is the promotion and support of personalised …
I was really pleased to read the words of my colleague Jon Rouse about the success of the Social Care Commitment. I was lucky enough to be involved in its development with Skills for Care and other sector leaders, as …
Last week’s National Children and Adult Services Conference 2013 (NCAS), proved a fruitful and engaging exercise for many delegates. This gathering of the care and support sector’s great and the good in Harrogate, North Yorkshire gave Department of Health ministers, …