Barely a fortnight ago, I was writing about the apparent impunity with which local authorities were disregarding the Care Act 2014.

Now Norfolk County Council has the dubious distinction of being the first local authority called to account, as Equal Lives refers them to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for systemic failings in their delivery of care and support. More details here.

Of course, adult social care departments are under huge financial pressure, but it is important to remember that it is the law which dictates the services they must provide, not the amount of money they have, or the staffing resources.

A new series of webinars from social care legal expert Belinda Schwehr aims to spread understanding of the law as widely as possible, providing the tools to help ensure that local authorities deliver on their social care obligations.

The first webinar is free, and is on 2nd March, at 10.30 am. It will be looking at Care Act reviews and advocacy rights. You can register here

I am pleased to say that we have a new contributor on Independent Living, with a fresh viewpoint to share on managing daily life with a disability.

Irene Robinson is an enthusiastic traveller, scuba diver and Bridge Grand Master, who hasn't let mobility problems get in the way of what she wants to do.

Born in South Africa, but brought up in England after her family arrived as refugees when she was five, she has seen what life is like with a disability in many different parts of the world, and her first article for us is entitled "How Lucky Are You?" which may give you a hint about how she thinks life in Britain compares...

You can read her article here and add your thoughts about how lucky - or not - you feel!

Central government has agreed to give local authorities Independent Living Fund money for four more years. The money is intended to provide for those disabled individuals who were previously receiving funds from the ILF, before it closed last year.

But although councils will now receive the funding until 2020, rather than just until this April, they aren’t compelled to spend it on former ILF recipients; in fact, they don’t even have to spend it on social care.

In a skilled piece of buck-passing, the Department of Communities and Local Government states in the equalities statement within the consultation document, that there is no way to assess whether councils will actually use the funding to maintain care packages in full.

“However, the government is committed to ensuring that funding is provided at a level where the choice to do so is made by the council”. Sir Humphrey would be proud.

You can read more about the funding arrangements here.

Long-term care tends to be split into two types: domiciliary care, where somebody (or more likely many people) comes to your home to provide care; and residential, where the person who can no longer manage unaided, moves into a care home with others in a similar situation.

There is, of course, a third option – and it is one that is beginning to become more popular, as care home fees continue to rise, and the quality of service provided by many care agencies comes under fire.

Live-in care answers two big challenges: the loneliness experienced by many older and disabled people living alone, and the significant upheaval of relocating into residential care at a time of life when familiar surroundings are much valued.

The Care Agency has written an interesting guest blog about the benefits of this third option for long-term care, which you can read here

You probably know Clos-o-Mat as a leading provider of assisted toileting solutions, but did you know that they also supply ceiling track hoists?

Over a quarter of a million people need help to move around their home, and getting from a bed or chair to the toilet is one of the most difficult manoeuvres; rated by care workers as the most stressful task they have to undertake.

Having a ceiling track hoist installed reduces the risk of injury to carers and cared-for alike. You can see more details of Clos-o-Mat's solutions here

If you provide high quality products and services, and you would like to reach our site visitors and newsletter readers, please email derek@independentliving.co.uk

Electric Mobility's showcase page on Independent Living has been updated with some of their latest products, including the Rascal Rialto mid-wheel drive power chair (shown here), which provides configurable options normally found on higher cost models. The Rialto, which is crash tested for using as a seat in a vehicle, is a great way to bridge the gap between high-end and basic powerchairs.

Geberit's showcase page has also been updated: see the latest about their stylish Aquaclean 8000plus automatic shower toilet.

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Until next time, all good wishes,

Frances