A “damning” ombudsman’s report has found a hospital guilty of widespread failings in the care provided to a woman with learning difficulties and high support needs who died after a routine operation. The findings of the parliamentary and health ombudsman came […]
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Health white paper: NICE given social care remit
The government is to hand responsibility for developing social care “quality standards” to the body that provides advice on drugs and other medical treatments. The move to shift some social care responsibilities from the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) to […]
Health white paper: Concerns over new role for GPs
Disability charities have raised key concerns over the government’s sweeping and controversial plans to reform the NHS. The health white paper, Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS, contains plans to give GPs more power, with groups of GP practices to be […]
Disabled peer secures victory over government on academy plans
A disabled peer has engineered a victory over the government in a Lords vote that could help guarantee the future of local authority support services for disabled pupils. Baroness [Rosalie] Wilkins was one of several disabled peers who raised serious concerns […]
Campaigners fear government will water down Equality Act
Campaigners fear that delays in bringing forward key elements of the Equality Act could mean the coalition government is planning to water down parts of the legislation. The government announced this week that much of Labour’s act – which streamlines existing […]
Government research finds DLA plays vital role
Disability living allowance (DLA) allows disabled people to maintain control and independence in their lives, and helps them avoid having to move into residential care, according to new government-funded research. The Impact of Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance report, published […]
SEN review ‘is chance to fight for inclusion’
Inclusive education campaigners have welcomed the announcement that the government is to publish a green paper on disabled children and those with special educational needs (SEN) this autumn. Sarah Teather, the Liberal Democrat children’s minister, said the SEN system needed to […]
Leap in ESA appeals ‘exposes flaws in system’
The number of disabled people appealing against a decision to refuse their claim for the new out-of-work disability benefit has rocketed over the last year. New figures released by the Tribunals Service show that in the first quarter of 2009-10 there […]
Anger grows over government’s plans for DLA
Anger at the government’s plans to slash spending on disability living allowance (DLA) has continued to mount, with one disabled people’s organisation describing it as “wholesale, brutal attack on disabled people”. Documents published after last month’s emergency budget reveal that the […]
Academies bill ‘could undermine specialist support for pupils’
Disabled peers have raised fears that the government’s academies bill could “fatally undermine” the provision of specialist support to disabled pupils. They fear that withdrawing money from councils’ specialist support budgets to give to new academy schools – as proposed by […]