The number of elderly people in England getting council-funded care has fallen by 11% in the last two years, figures obtained by Labour suggest.

Freedom of Information responses from 121 councils showed they provided free care to 59,056 over 65s in 2011-12, down from 66,342 in 2009-10.

The drop comes despite the rise in over-65s due to the ageing population.

Campaigners said it proved the system needed urgent reform – something ministers say they are looking to do.

Labour asked all 153 councils that have responsibility for providing free care at home and in care homes a series of FOI questions.

Responses were received from around 80% (121) of local authorities.

Not all councils could provide data for the current 2012-13 year, but the figures from those that did suggested the rate of decrease was accelerating.

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By Nick Triggle Health correspondent, BBC News

Health services in the community are reaching breaking point in the UK, the Royal College of Nursing is claiming.

The union said evidence from its members showed cuts to councils and hospitals were over-burdening nurses in the community.

The research was released as nurses gather in Harrogate for their annual conference which will be addressed by the Health Secretary Andrew Lansley.

Ministers have said reforms to the NHS will improve services for patients.

RCN General Secretary Peter Carter said nurses were bound to “demonstrate their serious concerns” about the NHS in a Q&A session with Mr Lansley.

At last year’s conference RCN members gave him a vote of no confidence.

The latest research was based on online feedback from nearly 2,700 nurses in the community including district nurses, those who work in GP practices and those who specialise in mental health.

Nine in 10 reported their caseloads had increased in the last year with some saying they were even having to fill in for council social care teams by making meals for patients and doing their shopping.

Ministers have talked about moving care away from hospitals and into the community so patients can get more appropriate services.

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By Nick Triggle Health correspondent, BBC News, Harrogate

A more joined-up strategy, driven at the local rather than national level, is needed to cut falls by the elderly, says an NHS Confederation report.

They warn that prevention needs to become a key priority as the elderly population grows.

The group says not enough is being done to stop people falling again after an initial incident.

The Department of Health said it was working hard to prevent falls and improve the treatment of them.

Injuries from falls are the cause of leading death in people over 75 in the UK.

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There must be no half-measures on the reform of social care in England, campaigners are warning, amid signs ministers are getting cold feet.

Eighty-five groups have written to David Cameron asking him to make urgent reform his “personal mission”, and to host a summit to galvanise support.

A White Paper setting out new plans, including how care will be funded in the future, was due by Easter.

Ministers say it is now due to be released in the summer.

But fears are growing that even if the plans are set out in the coming weeks, they will fall short of the radical reform originally promised.

Behind the scenes officials are already talking about not addressing the trickiest question – paying for care – until the next Parliament.

The open letter – signed by leading charities and the Local Government Association – says that without radical change the elderly and disabled will be left living in “misery and fear”.

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By Nick Triggle Health correspondent, BBC News

PEOPLE travelling on the A342 between Rowde and Bromham will have to take an eight-mile diversion around Melksham while major road works take place.

The maintenance will be carried out in two phases over four weeks and is between the junction with Netherstreet to the junction with Cock Road in Rowde.

It includes the notorious bend to the north of Rowdeford School where three teenage boys from Chippenham died following a crash on New Year’s Eve in 2010 and where other accidents have happened.

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Gazette & Herald – Thursday 3rd May 2012

Residents in Wiltshire are being asked if they want a new health record intended to help in unscheduled, emergency and out of hours situations.

Letters will be sent to adults in Wiltshire from 30 April 2012, telling people about this national scheme, which puts a summary of patients’ medications, allergies and any previous adverse reactions to drugs onto a centrally held computer system.

Known as the Summary Care Record (SCR), the record will be used by doctors and clinicians to make decisions when the GP’s record is not available, saving time for patients and clinical staff alike and helping clinicians make the right decisions for patients.

Doctors, nurses and other clinicians are already successfully viewing SCRs in many parts of the country. Dr Simon Collins of the Medway out of hours service said recently:

“An elderly man who had repeatedly denied having any drug allergies was found, using the SCR, to have a severe anaphylactic reaction to penicillin.  In fact his allergy was so severe that he had been prescribed an Epipen.  Our healthcare staff were about to give him amoxicillin, which is a penicillin-based antibiotic and which would have caused him severe problems.  Thankfully we were able to check the patient’s allergies via his Summary Care Record.”

The SCR helps clinicians to make safer decisions, improves communication and speeds up the time between consultation and treatment.  A triage nurse in Bury reported that a patient:

“…couldn’t communicate well and explain his medications. Looking at his SCR helped me to make an informed decision about the best way to treat him.”

If a person agrees to have a SCR, they need not reply to the letter.

Patients attending an A&E department or Out of Hours service must be asked permission for a doctor or nurse to view the SCR and if the record is accessed without permission (perhaps if the patient was unconscious), an alert is generated and investigated by NHS Wiltshire, the organisation responsible for GP care provision. Alerts are generated for all accesses and a proportion where permission has been given will be audited.

‘Smartcards’ with chip and pin technology and pre-defined access rights are being issued to NHS professionals who may need to use the new record. Each card is unique to an individual and that person must have a justifiable reason for viewing the SCR.  Other extensive security arrangements have been put in place and the Summary Care Record is now considered more secure than internet banking.

Those people who don’t want to take part in the scheme can simply ‘opt out’ by completing the form which accompanies the letter and returning it to the address provided or dropping it into their GP surgery.  SCRs will be automatically created for children, so Parents or Guardians of children under 16 may wish to discuss the Summary Care Record with them and complete the opt out form on their behalf if they wish.

Full details, including Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and opt out forms are available on NHS Wiltshire’s web site.  Go to http://www.wiltshire.nhs.uk/Public/Your-health-wellbeing/summary-care-record.htm

or visit the national website, which includes film clips www.nhscarerecords.nhs.uk.

at Pewsey Vale School on Wednesday 23 May 2012, 7 – 9pm   

Facilitator: Sharon Brookes from Wiltshire Council

Wiltshire Council is looking to increase the presence of services within local communities.  To this end, it is investigating the development of ‘Campuses’ in specific areas.  The Pewsey Area is one of the areas selected for this project.  Currently it is imagined that the Pewsey Area Campus will be split between the new Library, located near the Bouverie Hall, which already has various facilities, and the leisure centre, located adjacent to Pewsey Vale School.

As part of the potential development  it is important that the building design ensures that the facilities and services are accessible by all.  To this end it has been decided to run a Workshop.  The workshop will focus on Equalities and Accessibility for everyone.

It is hoped that the workshop will not only provide information about the needs of different groups but will also be a means of exchanging and sharing ideas.

Please extend this invitation to anyone you know within the Pewsey Vale who may have an interest in the workshop.

If you belong to a group or organisation, please let your members know about the workshop. 

If you cannot attend and do not have anyone to represent you, it would be helpful if you could please send us some information about the needs of your group, bearing in mind that the campus  will be of a split nature, between the new library and the leisure centre.

Aspects that may impact on you or your group may include:  information accessibility,  access, involvement and community engagements

Please contact Rachel Goff in the campus team at Wiltshire Council if you can attend the workshop and if you have any access requirements by email at campusconsultation@wiltshire.gov.uk or by telephone 01225 718350.

Please also get in touch if you cannot attend the workshop but would like further information or involvement.

More information about the camps proposal for the Pewsey area is available online at www.wiltshire.gov.uk/pewseycommunitycampus

The Chair of the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, Felicity Longshaw, has decided to resign.  The Deputy Chair, Anthony Gallagher, has assumed the role of acting Chair with immediate effect pending a formal appointments process led by the Appointments Commission.

The Chief Executive, Laura McMurtrie, is taking a period of leave from the Trust.  The Executive Director of Finance and Deputy Chief Executive, Paul Miller, has been appointed acting Chief Executive.

Felicity Longshaw said, “I am proud of the progress the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust has made during my five years as Chair but the Trust faces many challenges as it seeks to achieve Foundation Trust status and I believe this is the right time to hand over to a new Chair.  I have greatly valued my time as Chair and will remain a firm supporter of the Trust, its staff and its service users.”

Anthony Gallagher said, “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Felicity for her service over the past five years.  Over the coming weeks and months I will endeavour to ensure that the provision of top quality services is our number one priority.”

NHS Continuing Healthcare

 Introduction of deadlines for requests for assessments of eligibility for cases during the period 2004-2012

On 15 March 2012, the Department of Health announced the introduction of deadlines for new cases which require assessment of eligibility for NHS Continuing Healthcare funding.

The deadlines apply to previously un-assessed periods of care, which occurred in the following time periods:

If you think that this affects you or a family member, please contact the Continuing Healthcare Team at NHS Wiltshire for further information on how to notify the PCT of a request for assessment of eligibility. This notification should be given within the deadlines above. Some cases may be accepted after the dates outlined above if there are exceptional circumstances for doing so.

Contact the CHC team at NHS Wiltshire on 01380 733865 or chcoffice@wiltshire.nhs.uk