A scientific and medical Wonderland – or a new eugenics?
I think the last time I wrote anything on the complex issue of medical ethics was a piece in Resnews on the reconstruction of the Aktion T4 memorial in Berlin, with my reflections on the ‘science’ of eugenics and on the consequences of a concept of ‘Lebensunwertes Leben’ (life not worth living). In the Guardian’s […]
Camphill Village Trust, Action for Botton, and Botton Village: News Updates
The unfolding events at Botton Village, and the campaign of the Action for Botton group, are now attracting wider media attention. (The Whitby Gazette, BBC Television News, BBC News website, Guardian Society, The Northern Echo). Latest news (from The Northern Echo, Wednesday 17 September 2014): “Campaigners fight to retain ethos of Botton Village – with […]
A brief update on the difficulties of obtaining Deputyship for Personal Welfare.
I was relieved, but saddened, when I received recent corroboration of the views I expressed in a blog-post in January, on the difficulty in obtaining Deputyship for Personal Welfare from the Court of Protection. Alex Ruck Keene, barrister at the London chambers 39 Essex Street , and an expert in the Mental Capacity Act, spoke at the Rescare members’ meeting on 27th […]
The Care Act 2014 – an overview and a critique
Please take note: The Care Act 2014 is now on the statute book. At the moment, the Code of Practice and Guidance to accompany this new legislation has been put out to consultation by the Department of Health (as we reported in a previous news item in June https://rescare.org.uk/dept-of-health-launches-consultation-on-care-act-2014-regulations-guidance/ ) Luke Clements, Cerebra Professor of Law at Cardiff […]
Improving healthcare for people with learning disability: Lords debate CIPOLD progress
CIPOLD was the Confidential Inquiry into premature deaths of people with learning disabilities. Full details here. In March 2013 CIPOLD reported its findings to the Department of Health, which committed itself to improving the experience of people with learning disabilities in hospital and other medical contexts. Jon Rouse, Director General, Social Care, Local Government and Care Partnerships, Department of […]
Sir Stephen Bubb chairs steering group on community based support for people with learning disabilities
The NHS England website has just announced (1st Aug) the appointment Sir Stephen Bubb to chair the steering group whose ultimate goal ‘is to help people with a learning disability to be supported in community settings closer to home’. The steering group has been created in response to a pledge set out in the Winterbourne View Concordat. Its main focus will […]
The Times: care home closures
The issue of care home closures seems to be gaining a higher profile in the national media, notably The Times. Alice Thomson wrote a scathing opinion piece on the 9th July headlined ‘This isn’t caring for the fragile. It’s neglect’. See http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/columnists/article4142370.ece And on July 11th Kaya Burgess provided an overview of current developments in the […]
A Commons Debate: Learning Disabilities (Community Provision)
As anticipated, a question from Tom Clarke MP (Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Learning Disability) led to an interesting debate in the Commons on Tuesday 15th July. The Minister of State at the Department of Health, Norman Lamb, reported on ‘progress’ post-Winterbourne on transferring people with learning disabilities out of assessment units, and admitted his […]
Jeremy Hunt to face Commons Health Committee over ‘an ongoing scandal’
Listened this morning (15th July) to report by Zoe Conway on Radio 4’s Today program, on the failure to implement the recommendations of the Winterbourne View inquiry. Contrary to expectations, the number of persons with learning disabilities being held in NHS assessment units/centres is rising and is still well over 3000. The programme can be heard […]
Personalisation, TLAP, and a partnership agreement…
More on the trend towards personalisation. What follows has been gleaned from a Department of Health blog page within the Gov.UK website , and specifically the contributions of Mark Osterloh, who holds the position of Senior Policy Manager. On 1st July Osterloh published a blog entitled “Expanded partnership pledges greater personalisation of care services“, which […]