What’s new? Local, regional and CQC news.
East Midlands
Nottingham
Nottingham City Council have announced a survey to help them in saving £22m required in the budget for 2012/13.
Last year they asked for residents’ views and this year they are doing the same in the ‘Your City, Your Services’ survey which people can use to rate the value of services including Housing and Services to Vulnerable People and the Elderly.
More information and the survey can be found on the Nottingham City Council website
Leicester
Social care for younger adults with learning disabilities and the bus concessions scheme are under scrutiny by residents as the council attempts to save £40m a year due to government budget cuts.
Leicester City Council and Mayor Peter Soulsby launched the consultation, which is to end on the 25 November, to gain an insight into which services local people find most important.
More information can be found on the Leicester City Council website
The questionnaire and an information booklet can be downloaded from the city council website
Derby
Derby City Council have published their budget for 2012/13 with particular focus on saving £34m alongside modernising services for people with learning disabilities.
Over the next three years £4.745m will be saved from the Adults, Health and Housing Directorate as well as proposals to fund £2.567m of pressure across learning disability and older people services in 2012/13.
There are proposals to improve and modernise services for those with learning disabilities. These include:
- Reducing the cost of residential care placements for individuals with learning disabilities in high cost placements
- Modernising daytime activity for people with a learning disability, using personal budgets to gain access to adult education, work and leisure activities
- Modernising short breaks for people with learning disabilities and their family carers, using personal budgets
- The reduction of Budget available for Change Management projects, future requirement to be managed through Transforming Social Care
- Remodelling housing related support services for a range of vulnerable adult groups delivered by independent sector providers
They are seeking views and opinions from the public about the budget.
The full budget report can be accessed via the Derby City Council website
North East
Tees
Southern Cross have been warned about failing standards in its homes. Documents seen by the BBC’s Inside Out summarise inspection reports from homes across the UK which list a series of concerns. They include people with dementia being “poorly served”, inadequate numbers of toilets and bathrooms and medication running out.
More information can be found on the BBC News website
North West
Blackpool
A new scheme where disabled victims of hate crime can report crimes through Disability First instead of at a police station is being piloted.
More information can be found on the BBC News website
Manchester
Plans by Manchester City Council to cut its adult social care budget are not unlawful, a judicial review has found following a claim by two disabled and elderly applicants.
Barristers for the pair claimed the changes did not follow the government’s disability guidelines and the council consultation was unfair but Mr Justice Ruder dismissed the claim; a written ruling is expected in the next few weeks.
More information can be found on the BBC News website
West and South West
Somerset
The Chief Executive of NHS Wiltshire and NHS Bath and North East Somerset, Jeff James, has resigned due to “personal reasons”.
More information can be found on the BBC News Website
Yorkshire and the Humber
Humberside
A respite care unit for people with learning disabilities in North Lincolnshire is to close because it has only 11 families using Scotter House in Scunthorpe.
More information can be found on the BBC News website
South of England
Berkshire
A £50,000 grant is being used to help people with learning disabilities to find a partner.
The Ark charity, in Crowthorne, is using the money to work with community teams in East Berkshire NHS and Wokingham to find volunteers to chaperone those who sign up to go on dates through encouragement and support.
The Umbrella project provides a matching service to help people make friends and includes sessions on sexual health awareness and relationship skills.
More information can be found on the BBC News website