Blog

Simon Bottery looks at the context behind the latest row on the Better Care Fund and delayed transfers of care.

Can we reduce late-life dependency or plan for it better? David Oliver reflects on the findings of a recent Lancet paper and asks what we can do to tackle the challenges it highlights.

In this guest blog, speech and language therapist Joanne Fillingham makes the case for a stronger leadership role for allied health professionals (AHPs).

The political tumult of recent weeks seems to be subsiding and a second snap election appears less likely – for now. Leo Ewbank asks what the new political environment might mean for health and social care.

How can the good practice in enhanced care home projects be shared more widely? Alex Baylis sets out the challenges.

The 'dementia tax' debacle was one of the turning points of the election campaign. Nicholas Timmins asks whether all proposals for reforming social care are now a dead letter for this parliament given the government's lack of a majority.

Richard Humphries reflects on the 2017 general election manifestos and finds that they all fall short in setting clear, credible and costed proposals that address the scale of the challenges facing social care.

Katie Mantell argues we need to do more to raise understanding of what social care is and how it's provided and funded.

The extra £2 billion for adult social care announced in the Spring Budget will be gratefully received, but local councils now face tough choices about where to allocate the money. Richard Humphries considers the context.

Is the government about to announce plans for a new approach to funding social care? Nicholas Timmins asks if a tax on people's estates after they have died will be an acceptable idea this time around.

Delayed transfers of care will only be solved when there is substantial additional investment in community-based services alongside local reform and improvement, argues Richard Humphries.

Beccy Baird reflects on perceived public feeling towards the proposal that the NHS should invest in community-based health care rather than hospitals.

Widespread dismay greeted the omission of any reference in the 2016 Autumn Statement to the perilous state of social care funding. Richard Humphries looks at the options available.

With recent research from Age UK suggesting that 1.2 million older people are not receiving the social care they need, Anna Charles looks at how this issue appears to be slipping under the radar.

As we publish a joint statement on health and social care, Richard Humphries considers the rising levels of concern in the social care sector about funding and quality of care.

David Oliver considers the role of care homes in the social care sector, and the challenges that need to be tackled while seeking to improve the health and wellbeing of care home residents.

Following the launch of the Social care for older people: home truths report, Patrick Hall considers whether older people are paying the price for cuts to social care.

Rebecca Myers, a community staff nurse in London, shares her thoughts on what good care looks like in district nursing services.

How much do we know about district nursing services? Anna Charles reflects on the challenges of assessing the volume and quality of care being delivered in people's homes.

In the current financial climate, can the NHS shift care from the acute sector into community settings? Richard Murray considers the possibility.