MPs Call for Social Care Premium to fund personal care for all

MPs Call for Social Care Premium to fund personal care for all The Housing, Communities and Local Government and Health and Social Care Committees' joint report calls for a sustainable funding solution for adult social care.

The report calls for the introduction of a ‘Social Care Premium’, either as an additional element of National Insurance or with the premium paid into dedicated not-for-profit social insurance fund that people would be confident could only be used for social care.

To ensure fairness between the generations, the premium should only be paid by those aged over 40 and extended to those over the age of 65, with the money being held in an independent, dedicated and audited fund to help gain public trust and acceptance for the measure.

See also:

• Tax over-40s for old age care, say MPs BBC News
• MPs calls for over-40s to pay a ‘social care premium’ The Daily Mail
• Over 40s should pay new tax to fund creaking social care, MPs say The Independent

Healthy ageing should be part of long-term plan

Healthy ageing should be part of long-term plan An older people’s charity sets out the case for why NHS England should make some bold commitments to healthy ageing in its long-term plan. Centre for Ageing Better

Monetising goodwill: empowering places for civic renewal

Monetising goodwill: empowering places for civic renewal This report claims that the majority of people would be willing to pay more in council tax or voluntary one-off levies to better fund particular local services across the country. Polling undertaken by YouGov reveals the top five public services people would pay more per month in council tax are, in rank order: public health, fire, police, adult social care and children’s social care. The survey uncovered six issues with majority support for paying some extra cash as a voluntary one-off levy: helping older people to live independently for longer; support for local homeless people; improving disability access; repairing potholes; reducing loneliness and reducing anti-social behaviour. Regional variations in attitudes to tax and spending showed residents of the East Midlands were the most willing to make bigger tax contributions, followed by respondents from Yorkshire and the Humber and London. Localis

'Tax and regulate more to improve health'

'Tax and regulate more to improve health' The government should tax and regulate more to encourage people to be healthier, a group of experts says.

The independent analysis, produced for the BBC, said the success of the smoking ban and sugary drinks tax should embolden ministers.

The experts also said the fear of the "nanny state" tag was unfounded as polling suggested the public have an appetite for tough action.

It comes after ministers in England unveiled new plans for child obesity. BBC News

See also:

• Government should do more to improve the public’s health The King's Fund

'It's like Michael walking into a fog'

'It's like Michael walking into a fog' "It is like Michael walking into a fog," says Lynda Basford, describing the 13 years during which her husband Michael has descended into dementia.

She has been at his side throughout.

"You can't quite hold on to him," she says, "and as the years go by, he gets deeper and deeper into that fog and you can't do anything about it."

Michael needs a lot of support. He doesn't really know where he is and he no longer recognises his wife. Even remembering to eat requires encouragement.

She looked after him for years in their own home with little support but, last year, it all became too much. BBC News

Ofsted warns parents could be overmedicating their children as ritalin prescriptions double in a decade

Ofsted warns parents could be overmedicating their children as ritalin prescriptions double in a decade Ritalin use has more than doubled in the past ten years, the chief of Ofsted has claimed, warning that parents may be medicating their children instead of addressing behavioural problems.

Prescriptions for “smart drugs,” which are often used to tackle attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), reportedly increased to 1.5 million in 2017 – up from 700,000 a decade earlier. The Independent

Government spending watchdog challenges NHS funding claims

Government spending watchdog challenges NHS funding claims ‘Brexit dividend’ is several years away, cross-party committee report says

Theresa May’s claim that the extra £20bn-a-year for the NHS will be funded by a “Brexit dividend” is being challenged by parliament’s spending watchdog.

The public accounts committee is warning that any cash boost that might come in the wake of the UK’s exit from the European Union is several years away. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Clarity on costs crucial to meaningful vote on Brexit Public Accounts Committee 

Doctors want a similar healthcare system to Sweden with just 13 appointments a day

Doctors want a similar healthcare system to Sweden with just 13 appointments a day Doctors want a similar healthcare system to Sweden where GPs have just 13 appointments a day.

The GPs’ union is calling for a cap on consultations so family doctors can turn patients away.

They say the safety of patients and ‘sanity’ of doctors is being put at risk, with claims that GPs carry out up to 70 consultations on busy days. The Daily Mail

See also:

• GPs 'will go mad' without limits on patient numbers The Daily Telegraph
• BMA demands GP workload cap to protect patients and doctors GPonline