Is a ‘death tax’ for social care about to be announced?

Is a ‘death tax’ for social care about to be announced? In 1972, Richard Nixon visited the People’s Republic of China, reversing years of US policy. His anti-communist credentials enabled him to do something other politicians shied away from for fear of being labelled soft on communism. Are we about to see a ‘Nixon goes to China’ moment for social care? One that will see David Cameron, George Osborne and Andrew Lansley forced to eat a red rose?

Well, just possibly. Reports suggest that Theresa May and Philip Hammond are looking at funding at least some social care costs by making a claim on people’s estates once they have died – a form of inheritance tax, or, as the Conservatives usually dub it, a ‘death tax’. The King's Fund

‘The social care system is on its knees’

‘The social care system is on its knees’ Commenting on the Communities and Local Government Committee’s pre-Budget report on adult social care, Richard Humphries, Senior Policy Fellow at The King’s Fund, said: ‘The Committee’s report adds to the overwhelming evidence that the social care system is on its knees. We estimate that the sector faces a funding gap of around £2 billion next year, so it is essential the Chancellor addresses this in next week’s Budget.

‘Additional funding in the Budget would provide welcome relief for older and disabled people, their families and carers who are being let down by the current system – and for hard-pressed councils and providers struggling to keep the system afloat. But without long-term reform of social care funding, this is like pouring water into a leaking bucket. The King's Fund

Tens of thousands march against 'hospital cuts'

Tens of thousands march against 'hospital cuts' Tens of thousands of people - including NHS workers, campaigners and union representatives - have marched in London to protest against "yet more austerity" in the health service.

Protesters on the #OurNHS march wanted to draw attention to plans which could see hospital services in nearly two-thirds of England cut back.

Union leaders say many NHS services "are on their knees".

The Department of Health says it is investing an extra £4bn in the NHS.

Organisers say that "at least 250,000" people took part in the march, which began in Tavistock Square and ended in Westminster, where speakers including Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn addressed the crowd. BBC News

See also:

• NHS march: Protesters tell their stories BBC News
• Jeremy Corbyn: NHS crisis 'was made in Downing Street' The Daily Telegraph
• Stop pretending we can’t afford the NHS: that’s the message of our march today The Guardian

WHO: Air pollution linked to 600,000 child deaths

WHO: Air pollution linked to 600,000 child deaths The director general of the World Health Organization has said air pollution is "one of the most pernicious threats" facing global public health today and is on a much bigger scale than HIV or Ebola.

Dr Margaret Chan told the Today programme that poor air quality was having a disproportionate impact on the young. BBC News

Number of mental health patients treated hundreds of miles from home hits new high

Number of mental health patients treated hundreds of miles from home hits new high Mental health services for the most seriously ill patients are in “crisis”, experts have warned, with increasing numbers of people being sent hundreds of miles away from home to receive treatment - despite government promises to end the practice.

An analysis of official statistics shows mental health patients in England were sent for “out-of-area” treatment on 2,037 occasions in the four months to January 2017 alone. More patients were in treatment away from their home area in January than at any point since the data began being collected last year. The Independent

BMA calls for extra £10bn a year for NHS in Hammond's budget

BMA calls for extra £10bn a year for NHS in Hammond's budget Increase would bring health spending in line with 10 leading economies in Europe as proportion of GDP, says doctors union

The British Medical Association has urged the government to increase health spending by £10bn a year to bring funding into line with other leading European economies and shore up the NHS.

The union for doctors said increasing health spending to a proportion of GDP that matched that of the 10 leading economies across Europe could pay for at least 35,000 extra beds a day and several thousand more GPs. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Tim Farron: We need a £4bn cash injection now to save the health and care services The Guardian

Emergency £1.5bn funding for social care is needed, MPs tell chancellor

Emergency £1.5bn funding for social care is needed, MPs tell chancellor Communities and local government committee calls on Philip Hammond to plug gaps in budgets

The chancellor should commit an extra £1.5bn in immediate funding for social care in next week’s budget, according to a cross-party committee of MPs who say there is an urgent need for a wider review of the way the system is financed.

The communities and local government committee, which has been taking evidence on the subject for a wider report into adult social care to be published next month, said Philip Hammond should take £1.5bn from the better care fund to plug gaps in the coming financial year. The fund is a £5.3bn pot of money from government intended to help local authorities keep people out of hospital, covering both healthcare and social care. Continue reading... The Guardian

For the vulnerable, there’s no place like home

For the vulnerable, there’s no place like home Proposed funding cuts to supported housing in the community show a damaging lack of joined-up thinking on health and social care

Imagine this. You’ve suffered a debilitating mental illness, you’re admitted to hospital and, after weeks or months of treatment, you’re finally deemed stable enough to go home. Only, you can’t – the home you need in the community is not available.

As a psychiatrist, this is a situation I and many others around the country encounter almost daily. Even when patients are ready to leave hospital, a notable number don’t have the specialist supported housing they need to take that step.

Money can be spent more efficiently when people are in the right setting for their level of need Continue reading... The Guardian

Private firms are accused of 'unethical' health tests

Private firms are accused of 'unethical' health tests Gullible patients are being encouraged to take needless and expensive private medical tests, the government has warned. The tests can cost up to £2000 and include full MRI scans. The Daily Mail

More than 600 health quango chiefs on six figure salaries amid cash crisis

More than 600 health quango chiefs on six figure salaries amid cash crisis More than 600 NHS quango chiefs are now on six-figure salaries, with a doubling in the number earning more than the Prime Minister in just three years, new figures show.

Many of the highest earners have made repeated demands on the Government to increase NHS funding as it battles against its worst financial deficit in history.

But figures uncovered by the Telegraph, show that the nine main health quangos are now employing 628 officials on salaries of at least £100,000. The Daily Telegraph

Hospital smoking ban forces patients onto dangerous roads, says trust

Hospital smoking ban forces patients onto dangerous roads, says trust An NHS hospital is refusing to ban smoking on its premises because it believes doing so would put patients in danger of speeding vehicles.

The bosses of Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals in Dorset are defending their use of designated smoking areas despite pressure from Government health officials.

The trust said it had previously tried a ban of smoking on its grounds, but that this had only forced smokers dangerously close to the adjacent main road where cars and lorries frequently travel at 50 mph. The Daily Telegraph

People with a learning disability are treated as second-class citizens – it has to stop now

People with a learning disability are treated as second-class citizens – it has to stop now Institutions where people with a learning disability are kept out of sight and out of mind belong in a different century. Yet they still exist and are where thousands of people with a learning disability spend year after year, often detained under the Mental Health Act, often hundreds of miles from their families, at increased risk of abuse and neglect

Wednesday's Dispatches programme echoed the horror of BBC Panorama’s 2011 investigation into the abuse at Winterbourne View, showing the ongoing failure of the government and NHS to deliver long promised changes to the way people with a learning disability are supported. The Daily Telegraph