The local government and social care ombudsman has warned that he is seeing far fewer “one-off mistakes” within adult social care services, with errors instead tending to be a result of “systemic failings.” Ombudsman Michael King spoke after the publication of his annual report on adult social care complaints. He explained that many complaints and […]

A new study has found that young girls are more likely to experience feelings of loneliness than young men. The study from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which is the first of its kind in the UK, found that around 1 in 10 young people (11%) often feel lonely, with a further 34% sometimes […]

A plastic manufacturing company has been fined £293,000 following the tragic death of an employee which “could have been prevented.” Nylacast Limited, based in Leicester, appeared at Leicester Magistrates’ Court last week (3rd December 2018) where they pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety law in relation to the incident, which occurred on 15th April […]

Skills for Care are counting down until Christmas with 12 days of free tips, resources and stories to support providers in health and social care over the festive period. Their 2018 Christmas ‘advent calendar’ went live on Monday 10th December, with a new tip or handy resource published each day to help support care services […]

The NSPCC has launched a new appeal to raise awareness of, and help tackle, child neglect this Christmas. The Light for Every Childhood Christmas Appeal has been launched after the charity’s helpline handled almost 600 calls about the subject last Christmas. The NSPCC says that, in total during 2017-18, their helpline responded to nearly 20,000 […]

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has busted some common health and safety myths that tend to circulate around the festive period. Keen to dispel the many myths and misconceptions around health and safety law, guidance and standards, the HSE has identified a series of festive myths through media stories and reports from the public […]

Fears over children hurting themselves during activities such as playing outside are stifling their educational development, warns a recent report by Ofsted. “There’s a great deal of concern about children hurting themselves, concern about children having the lumps and bumps that we know are part of childhood,” said Ms Spielman from Ofsted. “It is very important […]

An independent review ordered by the government reveals that patient’s rights are not properly protected under the 1983 Mental Health Act. The review heard from patients with severe mental health issues who explained how sectioning and detentions are being misused. The 18-month review recommended a number of changes, including: New rights for patients to legally […]

The number of children with special needs in England missing out on support reached 2,060 in 2018, with Ofsted describing the figure as a “national scandal.” These children all have education, health and care plans (EHCs) that set out their needs, but parents say that some children are only assessed once they have been excluded; […]

Described as understaffed and unsafe, Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) is England’s worst performing mental health trust. For the third time, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has given the trust an ‘inadequate’ rating, revealing that multiple patients have tried to take their lives while waiting for care. “We saw many situations where people […]