Ex-PM raises issue of Remploy closures in Scotland
15th Jan 2013: in a Commons adjournment debate former Prime Minister Gordon Brown put forward argument against the closure of the Remploy catories in Leven and Cowdenbeath, and cited the strength of feeling on this issue across Scotland. “I rise on behalf of myself, my hon. Friends the Members for Dunfermline and West Fife and for […]
Carers and the new benefits cap
Parents who look after grown-up disabled offspring face benefit cap. An article with this headline, by Patrick Wintour in the Guardian’s Society section on 16th December 2012, raises serious concerns about the implementation of the government’s proposed “£500 benefits cap”, especially in the light of comments extracted from ministers Ian Duncan-Smith and Esther MvVey. According […]
Lords debate report ‘Over-looked Communities, Over-due Change’
The recent publication of the report “Over-looked Communities, Over-due Change : how services can better support BME disabled people”, jointly published by the Equalities National Council and Scope, has been followed by a debate in the House of Lords on 10th Jan 2013. (Transcript available here). The motion, ‘that this House takes note of the […]
Charles Henley: e-petition still available for signature
Rescare’s friend, Charles Henley, publisher of the website http://learningdisabilitiesproblems.co.uk, has written to us to alert us to the following: Charles has ‘upgraded’ the Bulletin Board section of his website, improving functionality and adding content. Please take a look… His e-petition to H.M. Government http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/36834 (“Establish a new agency specifically to identify and implement policies appropriate to […]
Camphill, Scotland: tributes paid in Scottish Parliament
December 11th 2012: the Scottish Parliament – Members’ Business: The Camphill Movement Liberal Democrat MSP Alison McInnes led a debate on the the Camphill Movement which has supported children, young people and adults with learning disabilities, mental health issues and other support needs for more than 70 years. The Camphill movement was founded in 1940 […]
New Year Greetings…
Rescare extends extends New Year Greetings to all, but especially to its members, and to the parents and carers of children and adults with learning disabilities. 2013 promises to be a busy year, especially with welfare reform high on the political agenda, and with the issue of standards-setting and regulation high on the agenda of […]
Ministerial Statement on Welfare Reform (Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance, etc.)
13th December 2012: Lord Freud, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Welfare Reform) at the Department for Work and Pensions) made an important statement in the Lords on the Government’s program of welfare reform, especially on the introduction of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) as a replacement for Disability Living Allowance (DLA). His statement began with […]
Winterbourne View prompts Government rethink on hospital care for people with learning disabilities
The government is planning a “dramatic reduction” in the number of people with learning disabilities kept in hospitals in England, care minister Norman Lamb says. The NHS currently funds hospital care for 3,400 people with learning disabilities. Mr Lamb – announcing the results of a government review into the Winterbourne View scandal in the Commons […]
DSM-5: Asperger’s Syndrome dropped, Autistic Spectrum Disorder added
Asperger’s syndrome is to be dropped from the psychiatrists’ Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of Mental Disorders, the American publication that is one of the most influential references for the profession around the world. The term “Asperger’s disorder” will not appear in the DSM-5, the latest revision of the manual, and instead its symptoms will […]
Health Minister Jeremy Hunt proposes Ofsted-style rating plan for hospitals and care homes.
An “Ofsted-style” ratings system for hospitals and care homes in England has been proposed by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt in a speech at the King’s Fund in London. An independent study to look at how a new ratings system could work is already being undertaken by the healthcare think tank, the Nuffield Trust, which is […]