Comment on White Paper
In The Times, Stephen Burke calls for cross-party support for care home; he mentions that the upcoming White Paper will address the funding gap. (03 Dec)
The Sunday Express writes that the Prime Minister is facing a backbench revolt over plans to axe benefits for pensioners in order to fund care reforms. (06 Dec)
Care Quality Commission Report
The Times, Financial Times, The Guardian, The Independent, Daily Mail, Daily Mirror and The Daily Express cover a report by the Care Quality Commission finding that councils are failing the elderly and that 400 care homes in Britain need to improve immediately or close. (03 Dec)
In another article, The Times reports that the councils criticised in the report have now challenged the CQC’s competency. (03 Dec)
The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, The Mail on Sunday and Yahoo! UK and Ireland report that Baroness Young has announced she is stepping down as the chairwoman of the Care Quality Commission. (05, 06 Dec)
Fiona Phillips writes in The Daily Mirror that poor conditions in care homes are common. (05 Dec)
General Care
The Guardian covers the Oxfam report ‘Who Cares?’, finding that some British care agencies exploit the migrant carers whom they increasingly rely on. (02 Dec)
The Daily Telegraph reports that elderly people could be offered accommodation in communal purpose-built retirement housing rather than care homes. (04 Dec)
The Daily Mirror reports on research finding that 1 in 6 carers has to give up work or cut their hours to look after loved ones. (04 Dec)
In The Guardian, Polly Toynbee praises inspections under the Labour Government that lead to stricter standards for social care, as well as health and schools. (05 Dec)
The Sunday Times reports that a consortium of banks is to write off more than £800m of loans to Four Seasons nursing homes, following poor lending decisions. (06 Dec)
Dementia in the press
The Daily Mail reports that a GP has set up a website where people can share their experiences of health problems including dementia. (01 Dec)
A feature in The Daily Telegraph, referring to the CQC report, discusses Sir Gerry Robinson’s findings about the poor treatment of dementia patients in care homes, and his proposals for better inspections and training to improve the situation. (04 Dec)
The Daily Express reports that drinking green tea can halt brain diseases including Alzheimer’s. (05 Dec)
General
The BBC reports that the ageing population will increase pressure on NHS dentistry. (02 Dec)
The Times, The Guardian, The Daily Mail, The Daily Express and The Sun write that men in the village of Montacute, Somerset have the highest life expectancy in the country, attributing this to the fact that many of them grow their own vegetables. (04 Dec)