19 Oct 2011
A leading health charity has called for a "democratic revolution" in the way care homes in Britain are run. Sue Ryder, which specialises in looking after people at the end of their lives, says they should be governed for residents, by residents. The idea comes in a report for the charity by the research group Demos on the future of care in Britain. The Patients Association says the move would help give care home residents control over their lives.
Many disabled people risk losing essential payments under planned benefits changes, a charity has warned. Scope says the proposed test of claimants' need is flawed for focusing on the disability but ignoring relevant factors like housing and transport. Thousands could be left with little or no financial support, Scope warns. The government argues new payments will be more effectively targeted to those in greatest need, while cutting overpayments of £600m a year.
A. 'Conference calls on the government to take positive action to support carers in the following ways;
Researchers in Norway believe Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), also known as ME, may be caused by a wayward immune system attacking the body. The illness, the cause of which is uncertain and has no known cure, has attracted significant controversy. A small study, reported in PLoS One, showed a cancer drug, which inhibited the immune system, relieved symptoms in some patients.
Financial problems affect more than two-thirds of cancer patients, with some going without food because money is so tight, a charity has claimed. A YouGov survey of 1,500 patients for Macmillan Cancer comes as the charity challenges the Welfare Reform Bill, being debated in the Lords this week. Macmillan claims thousands could lose out because of proposed changes to the Employment and Support Allowance. But the government said those who needed the benefit would still get it.