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• Starmer urged to prioritise child sexual exploitation victims

  17-01-2025 09:58
  
  Charities and experts call for national conversation to move away from sensationalism after Musk criticismKeir Starmer must move the conversation on child sexual exploitation away from sensationalism to support for victims who have had help and protection reduced in recent years, charities, campaigners and experts have said.A joint statement, whose signatories include government services contractors such as the Salvation Army and the Snowdrop Project, says changes in the law have made it harder
  
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• Wes Streeting’s plan to fix the NHS – Politics Weekly Westminster

  28-03-2025 06:00
  
  The government has put improving the NHS at the heart of its plans, but will it be able to deliver on its promises? And how long could it take to turn the health service around? Pippa Crerar asked health secretary Wes Streeting at a special Guardian Live event. In a wide-ranging discussion, he also took questions on others issues including assisted dying, transgender rights and the war in Gaza.
  To purchase the full event video on demand, go to the theguardian.live Continue reading...
  
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• Pam Walker obituary

  26-03-2025 17:57
  My friend Pam Walker was a social worker who later turned her attention to painting.After starting out at the London borough of Brent in the early 1970s, a decade later Pam went part-time at the London borough of Barnet so that she could pursue her artistic interests. Working mainly in acrylics and collage, she took as her principal subjects urban landscapes undergoing change, although she also focused on the beaches of the south coast of England, where she went walking with her sketchbooks. Con
  
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• ‘Hospices are in retreat’: funding crisis squeezing UK palliative care providers

  24-03-2025 13:07
  
  St Catherine’s hospice in West Sussex says it has been forced to leave beds empty despite the demand for end-of-life careAt the end of 2023, St Catherine’s hospice near Crawley, West Sussex, moved to a new purpose-built, state-of-the art building. Twenty-four private rooms with en suite bathrooms and French doors leading to individual terraces were designed to make the final days of a patient’s life as peaceful as possible. Medical equipment was concealed, beloved pets were wel
  
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• ‘Nobody found him in time’: how neglect and stress led to the deaths of a full-time carer and his son

  24-03-2025 06:00
  David Lodge died after being found next to his father and full-time carer Peter’s body. His sister Keri believes the strain of caring and lack of government support contributed to their deathsPeter Lodge devoted his life to his son, David. He cherished every moment with him, even when David’s condition left them effectively housebound. Right up until he was 74, Peter would sleep on the living room floor beside David’s hospital bed. Not once did he see his role as a burden.He wa
  
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• In a town far from Whitehall, I saw just how devastating Labour’s cuts will be. So why can’t ministers? | John Harris

  23-03-2025 13:08
  A day with a care worker in Bury showed me the intolerable pressures of her life – and then I heard the news of a new squeeze on benefitsJust under a fortnight ago, my working day began at 6.45am, on a silent cul-de-sac near Bury, in Greater Manchester. I was there to shadow Julia, a domiciliary care worker, on her daily morning rounds. She was about to let herself into the home of a 93-year-old woman. “She’ll be asleep in bed,” Julia told me. In 30 packed minutes, she ha
  
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• In a town far from Whitehall, I saw how devastating Labour’s cuts will be. When will ministers wake up? | John Harris

  23-03-2025 13:08
  
  A day with a care worker in Bury showed me the intolerable pressures of her life – and then I heard the news of a new squeeze on benefitsJust under a fortnight ago, my working day began at 6.45am, on a silent cul-de-sac near Bury, in Greater Manchester. I was there to shadow Julia, a domiciliary care worker, on her daily morning rounds. She was about to let herself into the home of a 93-year-old woman. “She’ll be asleep in bed,” Julia told me. In 30 packed minutes, she ha
  
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• US urged to ‘think bigger’ on healthcare amid Trump onslaught on sector

  22-03-2025 12:00
  
  Healthcare journal calls for radical change in approach, urging policymakers to invest in their communitiesAn academic journal may inject some optimism into US health policy – a scarce commodity amid the Trump administration’s mass layoffs, funding freezes and the ideological research reviews.A new issue of Health Affairs Scholar argues the conversation around healthcare can change – and radically – if academics think “bigger” and policymakers invest in their
  
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• Ministers urged to act as thousands more hit by UK carer’s allowance debts

  21-03-2025 06:00
  
  Latest overpayment figures bring total number falling foul of ‘cliff-edge’ rules on earnings to 144,000More than 9,000 unpaid carers looking after ill and disabled loved ones have become the latest to be hit with carer’s allowance overpayment debts in the past year, prompting calls for ministers to suspend the controversial practice.While the government has promised to tackle the carer’s allowance scandal and launched a review, the latest figures show carers continue to b
  
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• Social care sector faces collapse as NICs and wage rises loom, providers warn

  20-03-2025 08:00
  
  Independent care providers say the government’s planned increases will push many to the brinkA day on the frontline of England’s social care crisis – Politics Weekly UKThe adult social care sector could collapse “in a matter of months” when the government’s rise in national insurance contributions (NICs) and the national living wage (NLW) comes in from April, providers have warned.Thousands of elderly and vulnerable adults rely on social care services that are
  
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• A day on the frontline of England’s social care crisis – Politics Weekly UK

  20-03-2025 06:00
  
  An ageing population, a funding squeeze and a recruitment crisis have taken England’s adult social care system to breaking point. This week, John Harris is in Greater Manchester to find out what a day in the life of a care worker looks like, and whether it is too late to save this vital serviceWe know that not everyone can afford to pay for the news right now, but if you can, please choose to support the Guardian at http://theguardian.com/politicspod Continue reading...
  
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• My late husband’s care home owes me £10,000 and won’t pay

  18-03-2025 09:30
  The council took over the costs for his care and sent the provider a refund for five months of fees I’d paid. But it isn’t passing it onCan you help me get £10,000 owed to me by the care home provider Leicestershire County Care?My husband was resident in one of their care homes before he died in June last year. Because our savings had dropped below the ­government threshold for self-funded care, the local authority had agreed to pay the £5,000-a-month cost. However, b
  
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• Flawed UK visa scheme led to ‘horrific’ care worker abuse, says watchdog

  16-03-2025 11:00
  
  Anti-slavery commissioner says scheme to plug staffing gaps post-Brexit was a ‘blunt instrument’ that enabled exploitation of the vulnerableA post-Brexit visa scheme to fill vacancies in social care was badly designed and enabled “horrific” abuse of migrant workers, the UK’s anti-slavery watchdog has said.Commissioner Eleanor Lyons said the care worker visa route introduced by the Conservatives in February 2022 had caused avoidable harm and “some really severe
  
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• Ministers delaying inquiry into treatment of migrant carers, RCN says

  07-03-2025 08:00
  
  Exclusive: Nursing union says it continues to receive complaints about low pay, unfit housing and illegal feesMinisters are dragging their heels on an investigation into the mistreatment of migrant carers, the country’s largest nursing union has said, as it continues to receive complaints about low pay, substandard accommodation and illegal fees.Nicola Ranger, the general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, has written to Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, to urge her to speed up he
  
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• The Guardian view on Labour and the NHS: there is no miracle cure for a struggling health system | Editorial

  03-03-2025 19:25
  
  Wes Streeting is building a team of reformers, but ingrained weaknesses in the health service will be hard to fixSpeaking to MPs last week, Dr Penny Dash quoted the Guardian’s description of her as a reforming zealot. Dr Dash is less zealous than she used to be, she said, and better at listening. But the doctor and management consultant, who has just been appointed chair of NHS England, has lost none of her determination to make the health service better and more productive.How this b
  
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• ‘I visit and his face lights up’: caring for West Yorkshire’s ageing population – photo essay

  28-02-2025 08:00
  
  Photographer Graeme Robertson has been spending time with elderly people supported by Age UK. Programme manager Brenda Wardle describes how she supports people around Wakefield amid a crisis in social careIn the years I have worked for Age UK, I’ve found there is always more to do, always someone else to help, and even with double the staff we could only scratch the surface.Brenda Wardle, Age UK Continue reading...
  
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• Almost half of England’s councils ‘could face bankruptcy over £4.6bn deficit’

  28-02-2025 07:00
  
  Damning National Audit Office report says action is needed to address deficit accumulated under Tory-era policyAlmost half of councils in England risk falling into bankruptcy without action to address a £4.6bn deficit amassed under a Conservative-era policy, the government’s spending watchdog has warned.In a damning report, the National Audit Office said that rising pressure on public services and repeated delays to reform the funding of local government meant town halls were in an &
  
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• ‘I’m still dancing’: Derbyshire woman has 105th birthday rave at care home

  27-02-2025 07:00
  
  Hilda Jackson and fellow residents partied with strobe lights, glowsticks and drum’n’bass from festival-headlinerIt was a birthday party that would do even the most seasoned raver proud, with strobe lighting, glow sticks and a headline act who has played some of the biggest festivals in the UK.The birthday girl sipped on champagne, while guests helped themselves to free-flowing cocktails from a pop-up bar run by Jägermeister. This was not an Instagram influencer’s Ibiza po
  
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• Mother had carer’s allowance stopped while with disabled daughter in hospital

  27-02-2025 06:00
  
  Rachel Adam-Smith says stopping benefits when loved ones are in hospital fails to recognise carers’ ongoing roleThe mother of a severely disabled young woman was left in financial hardship after her carer’s allowance was wrongly stopped while her daughter was seriously ill in hospital.Rachel Adam-Smith, 48, spent five weeks in hospital alongside her 22-year-old daughter who was being treated for severe gastrointestinal issues last month. Continue reading...
  
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• Care home throws 'rave' for resident's 105th birthday – video

  26-02-2025 13:13
  
  'I’ve had a wonderful time. The people here are wonderful and I think we’ve had a really good time,' said Hilda Jackson, her face decorated with UV rave paint, after the party held at Holbrook Hall residential home in Derbyshire. Jackson, who has lived at Holbrook Hall for about two-and-a-half years, attributes her long life to being dealt a good hand with her health – and to her love of dancing Continue reading...
  
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• Thousands of children in England suffered faith-based abuse in past decade

  24-02-2025 13:17
  Figures that include children accused of witchcraft are highlighted as Kindoki Witch Boy film tells true story of boy who underwent an exorcismThousands of children in England have been subject to abuse relating to faith or belief over the past decade, according to figures highlighted ahead of a film released on Monday.Faith-based abuse is a worldwide phenomenon but since April 2018 experts found 14,000 social work assessments in this category, which includes harm caused by belief in witchcraft
  
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• Thousands of children in England accused of witchcraft in past decade

  24-02-2025 13:17
  
  Figures emerge as Kindoki Witch Boy film tells true story of Mardoche Yembi who underwent an exorcism as a childThousands of children in England have been accused of witchcraft over the past decade, according to new figures that come alongside a film released on Monday.Faith-based abuse is a worldwide phenomenon but experts found 14,000 social work assessments linked to witchcraft accusations since 2015. In the year running to March 2024 alone, there were 2,180 assessments linked to witchcraft.C
  
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• Migrant health and care workers deserve better than this | Letters

  23-02-2025 18:42
  
  Readers respond to an article by John Harris in which he reflects on a ‘bitter absurdity’ at the heart of British lifeJohn Harris’s article mentions the March 2024 rules banning new migrant care workers from bringing dependants (In an NHS ward I saw how Britain relies on immigrants. Yet still we tell them they’re not wanted, 16 February).Less well known is that thousands of health and care workers who arrived before this date have also been prevented from bringing their c
  
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• What I learned from a lovely woman on a packed ward in hospital | Zoe Williams

  18-02-2025 12:00
  
  Healthy people are being forced to stay in hospital because of a lack of social care – and it’s an indictment of our current systemPoliticians talk constantly about the crisis in social care, and the pressure it puts on the NHS, so that the words just turn into a hum. Then you brush against that in real life and think why is anyone, with any kind of authority over anything, doing any activity that isn’t sorting out social care?My mum has been in hospital, on a ward with five ot
  
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• The Guardian view on the care experience: looked-after children and care leavers must be heard | Editorial

  17-02-2025 19:25
  
  The increased visibility of people whose lives have been shaped by social services is a change for the betterSelect committee hearings typically involve experts answering questions from MPs. Last week there was a strikingly different session, as four care-experienced young people offered their perspectives to the education committee. The point was to increase MPs’ insight by confronting them with children for whom social care is a hugely important fact of life.Some of the material sha
  
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• In an NHS ward I saw how Britain relies on immigrants. Yet still we tell them they’re not wanted | John Harris

  16-02-2025 14:04
  
  My dad’s journey through the health and social care systems proves what politicians secretly know: we’ll be lost if they succeed in ‘sending them home’One bitter absurdity now sits at the heart of British life. It centres on the NHS, our strained systems of social care and an ever-more toxic and hateful conversation about immigration. Without hundreds of thousands of people who have come to the UK from abroad, the most basic aspects of how we look after old, infirm and il
  
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• Unpaid carer wins overpayment penalty case against DWP

  12-02-2025 07:00
  
  Andrea Tucker has overturned the demand for £4,600 in carer’s allowance overpayments for alleged breaches in benefit rulesUnpaid carer Andrea Tucker has won a legal victory against the Department for Work and Pensions, overturning its demand she repay £4,600 for alleged breaches in benefit rules.Tucker, a part-time charity shop worker who until recently cared full-time for her elderly mother, said the tribunal ruling had left her “stunned and relieved” after months
  
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• Migrant workers in UK to fill care roles ‘charged up to £20,000’ in illegal fees

  11-02-2025 01:01
  
  Survey by Unison finds people on health and care worker visas also having to share beds and sleep roughMigrant workers who come to the UK to bolster the country’s care system are having to share beds, sleep rough, and are in some cases being charged more than £20,000 in illegal fees, according to research.A survey of more than 3,000 people who have travelled to the UK on health and care worker visas found that just under a quarter had paid fees to their employer or an intermediary up
  
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• Unpaid carer to challenge DWP allowance overpayment penalty in court

  10-02-2025 07:00
  
  ‘It takes the little people to stand up,’ says Andrea Tucker, who was told to repay £4,600 after caring for mother for 15 yearsAn unpaid carer is to challenge in the courts an “unfair and nonsensical” demand by welfare officials to repay £4,600 in carer’s allowance overpayments, five years after being advised by the same department she was following benefit rules correctly.Andrea Tucker, a part-time charity shop worker who cared full-time for her mother
  
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