I am beginning to wonder what exactly is the point of the Care Act?

A well-informed source tells me that there has only been one legal challenge to a council under the new legislation – and that was on a question of advocacy. If you think the lack of legal action means that service users are all satisfied with the support they receive from the local authority – think again. Rather, it seems to be a matter of not knowing where to turn for advice, and councils resting safe in the knowledge that law firms will not be scrambling to take them on, when access to legal aid has been so severely curtailed, and the number of lawyers specialising in social welfare law is rapidly shrinking.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that carers, in particular, are not receiving the support services they should be entitled to, and two recent pieces of research by the charity Independent Age show just how widely the Act is being ignored.

You can read more here, and I would really value your experiences of the Care Act in practice, whether as a care professional, service user or carer.

I confess that I had misgivings about the advisability of applying TripAdvisor principles to care providers – the scope for abuse seems to exist, whether from care providers writing positive reviews of their own services (or negative ones of their competitors) or unscrupulous users blackmailing providers with the threat of a poor evaluation, as apparently often happens on the original TripAdvisor site.

Nevertheless, in the four years it has been operating, the Good Care Guide does seem to have become a useful resource for families checking the quality of care facilities they are considering. But anyone in need of homecare services could be forgiven for worrying – a lot – about the standard of care they can expect. More than half the reviews are bad, up from less than a quarter in 2012. With continuing cuts to social care budgets, the situation is only expected to get worse. More details here, and you can add your opinions too. For example, can live-in care provide better consistency and continuity of care?

Once again, so-called bed blocking is in the news, as the NHS inevitably picks up the pieces following years of determined chopping away at social care budgets.

Of course people are more likely to wind up in hospital if they don't have the necessary support to live safely and independently at home. And of course, they will spend longer there, if there is nowhere suitable for them to be discharged to. Even worse is the A&E revolving door, where recently discharged patients find themselves back in acute care again, for want of proper rehabilitation.

In Cambridgeshire, the Papworth Trust has come up with a fresh approach, to help ease the pressure on beds at the nearby Hinchingbrooke Hospital. Read more about it here.

The Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC) is the body that regulates and registers a wide range of care-related professions, and they have just updated their Standards relating to code of conduct, performance and ethics.

They have made some significant changes, including simplifying the structure, so that service users and carers can find their way around more easily. They also emphasise the importance of raising concerns when the safety and well-being of service users may be at risk; and the need for transparency and an apology when things go wrong.

You can read more, including details of the professions involved, here

Derek Leckie, our marketing guru, takes a look at the recent refurbishment of the Heathfield Neuro Disability Service, at the Priory Hospital near Eastbourne.

The new state-of-the-art care facilities specialise in neuro-rehabilitation programmes for patients with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) or neuro-degenerative conditions such as Motor Neurone Disease and Multiple Sclerosis. With immobile patients who require 24/7 nursing care, the refurbished care wing includes Abacus Healthcare’s Shuttle 200 ceiling track hoists to facilitate safe and dignified transfers. You can see more details about the project 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

Despite the fact that we all really know how important it is to keep active as we get older, by the age of 75, only a third of people are exercising as much as they did previously. Given that the majority of adults aren't meeting basic NHS guidance to clock up 150 minutes of moderate activity a week anyway, there is clearly a way to go, if we want to reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, type II diabetes and depression. Some useful tips to get moving at any age, from Premier Care In Bathing, can be found here.

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Until next time, all good wishes,

Frances