MPs have backed new laws that will allow the NHS to give patients – including those with long-term conditions – direct cash payments to spend on their own treatment. The Department of Health has already approved 70 pilot projects across … Continue reading →

The BBC is to introduce a wheelchair-using actor into its flagship soap opera EastEnders, as part of efforts to raise the profile of disabled performers across the industry. David Proud will join the cast of EastEnders later this year, playing … Continue reading →

Peers have called for more to be done to support people with dementia and their families, despite welcoming the government’s national strategy. They were speaking during a Lords debate on dementia secured by Baroness Murphy, a former professor of old … Continue reading →

Most of the social care workforce has a “very limited” knowledge of dementia, according to a “deeply disturbing” new report by a committee of MPs and peers. The Prepared to Care report by the all-party parliamentary group on dementia concludes … Continue reading →

The new independent care regulator is to examine the long-term impact of the recession on social care and health services, as one of seven studies and reviews it will be carrying out this year. The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) recession … Continue reading →

More must be done to harness the power of a human rights culture to improve people’s lives, according to a major independent inquiry. The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) human rights inquiry is the most comprehensive yet to examine … Continue reading →

Campaigners have welcomed a “landmark” high court ruling in the case of a former council boss accused by her employer of withholding a history of depression. Cheltenham borough council lost its claim for a million pounds in compensation from its … Continue reading →

Most councils and NHS bodies in England have no idea how many adults with autism live in the area they serve, according to a report by the public spending watchdog. The National Audit Office (NAO) report accuses the government, local … Continue reading →

The prospect of England’s first autism-specific legislation moved a big step closer after a private member’s bill passed its third Commons reading. Cheryl Gillan MP’s autism bill received government backing during its committee stage and now includes the government’s planned … Continue reading →

A new government strategy aims to find more “real jobs” for people with learning difficulties in England. The Valuing Employment Now cross-government strategy will focus on efforts to “increase radically” the number of people with moderate and severe learning difficulties … Continue reading →