Information panels with Makaton symbols that promote walks, trails, cycle routes, nature reserves, and heritage attractions have been installed at six train stations across Cumbria in North West England. Makaton is a unique language programme that uses symbols, signs, and speech to enable disabled people to communicate. Northen says it is used by over 100,000 children and adults in the UK as their main method of communication or as a way to support speech. The panels have been installed at Corkickle, Dalston, Harrington, Seascale, St Bees, and Wigton stations. Craig Harrop, Regional Director ..read more

A new report from Newlife has painted a worrying picture that there are a growing number of disabled children being let down due to a lack of access to essential support and specialist assistive technologies, such as wheelchairs, buggies, and beds. One headline finding is that three-quarters of professionals are concerned there are children living without essential equipment, with only 39 percent of families feeling their child has all the specialist equipment they need. In the past year, Newlife has worked closely with hundreds of families and professionals to understand their experiences wi ..read more

A review into how patients and their families are kept informed when healthcare goes wrong has been launched by the UK Government. A new call for evidence, launched on 16 April 2024, aims to capture and consider views about how the duty of candour system is honoured, monitored, and enforced in health and social care settings. The duty of candour requires health and care providers to be open and honest when things go wrong. It means that patients and families have a right to receive explanations for what happened as soon as possible and a meaningful apology. The current system has been in plac ..read more

Caerphilly County Borough Council’s telecare service has launched its new digital alarm-receiving centre platform. Caerphilly Careline provides a telecare service to residents in the Caerphilly borough, as well as other local authorities and housing associations in South Wales. The system includes a base unit installed in the individual’s home, which can be activated remotely by a button worn around the neck or on the wrist. Once the alarm is activated, it will connect to an operator who can talk to the caller to find out what support is needed. Changes to the system have been needed to prepa ..read more

In a year marked by significant medtech advancement, IDA Ireland, a national development agency that attracts foreign investment to the country, has released a comprehensive medtech whitepaper. It explores the trajectory of the medtech industry, offering insights into the opportunities and challenges which lie ahead. With insights gathered from diverse industry experts – including World Economic Forum (WEF) Lighthouse companies DePuy and Janssen along with Bausch and Lomb, Baxter Healthcare, and Cook Medical – the whitepaper emphasises the continued acceleration of technology disruption and t ..read more

Action from government, public services and employers is needed to address rising levels of ill-health in England, a new report published by the Health Foundation says. A new report published by the Health Foundation states that action from government, public services and employers is needed to address rising levels of ill-health in England. The report focuses on inequalities in major illness in England, notably among working-age people. It reveals that growing ill-health will continue to significantly impact people’s lives and the economy. On current trends, 3.7 million working-age adults wi ..read more

Stephen Duckworth is one of Precision Rehab’s longest-serving clients and recently took delivery of his fourth powerchair – a Paravan PR50. Stephen was left paralysed following an accident in 1981, but he has refused to let this hold him back. Following his accident, Stephen went back to university, qualified as a doctor, and completed an MSC and PHD at Southampton University. Stephen then ran his own business until 2007, after which he worked for a number of FTSE companies in the city in senior roles until he retired in 2018. “Unlike many retirees I am unable to garden or play golf, so I bec ..read more

More than £9 million is being made available over the next three years to give people who access social care more choice and control over decisions relating to their care in Scotland. This funding builds on an additional £2 billion investment in social care and integration, as part of the Scottish Budget for 2024-25, and delivers on the Scottish Government’s commitment to increase spending by 25 per cent over this Parliament, two years ahead of the original target. The funding for the national ‘Support in the Right Direction’ programme will enable organisations to deliver independent support ..read more

BES Healthcare, a provider of assistive technology and decontamination solutions to the NHS, has partnered with NUA Medical to introduce the novel NEST cushion and mattress as part of a “groundbreaking” environmentally friendly pressure area care solution. The holistic solution includes the integration of the MDD-compliant Kluge & Fielitz washer-disinfectors, which aims to transform the management of medical equipment within community equipment services. At the heart of this solution is the fully washable and recyclable NEST technology, which stives to revolutionise pressure area care. Th ..read more

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC) and the Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC) have published a new policy paper that confirms the conditions and funding for the Better Care Fund for 2023 to 2025. Launched in 2015, the Better Care Fund (BCF) joins up local health, social care, and housing services to deliver person-centred care for people to remain healthy and independent in their own communities for as long as possible. This vision is underpinned by two core objectives, to: Enable people to stay well, safe, and independent at home for longer. Provid ..read more