Irascible does not mean incapable – Court of Protection – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted April 11th, 2014 in community care, medical treatment, news by sally

‘This was a case about determination of mental capacity, which both judge and counsel described as “particularly difficult and finely balanced”. The judge was confronted with a great deal of conflicting evidence about the capabilities of the individual in question, but concluded in the end that’

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 10th April 2014

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Regina (Cornwall Council) v Secretary of State for Health – WLR Daily

Posted February 21st, 2014 in community care, disabled persons, law reports, local government by sally

Regina (Cornwall Council) v Secretary of State for Health [2014] EWCA Civ 12; [2014] WLR (D) 80

‘When resolving questions as to the “ordinary residence” of an adult man suffering from multiple complex disabilities, the test whereby a person who was so severely handicapped as to be totally dependent on a parent was in the same position as a small child and his ordinary residence was that of his parents because that was his base, was not to be followed.’

WLR Daily, 18th February 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Regina (Walford) v Worcestershire County Council and another – WLR Daily

Posted February 17th, 2014 in care homes, community care, elderly, fees, law reports, local government, news by sally

Regina (Walford) v Worcestershire County Council and another [2014] EWHC 234 (Admin) ; [2014] WLR (D) 65

‘Whilst a “home” in paragraph 2(1)(b) of Schedule 4 to the National Assistance (Assessment of Resources) Regulations 1992 was to be read as the only or main home it also denoted a place to which a person had a degree of both physical and emotional attachment.’

WLR Daily, 10th February 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Mental health detention powers must be reviewed urgently, says Parliamentary Committee – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted August 14th, 2013 in children, community care, detention, hospitals, human rights, mental health, news, reports by sally

“The House of Commons Health Committee has published a report (PDF) following its inquiries into the Mental Health Act 2007. The MHA 2007 introduced several amendments to the Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA, as amended), some of which were very controversial at the time and continue to be so now. The Health Committee’s report follows post-legislative scrutiny of the legislation by its parent department.”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 14th August 2013

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

High Court rejects challenge to maximum expenditure policy on adult care – Local Government Lawyer

“A High Court judge has rejected claims that a council unlawfully decided to introduce a ‘maximum expenditure policy’ on funding for adult care packages where people choose to live in the community.”

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Local Government Lawyer, 12th August 2013

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

NHS ‘cover-up culture’ to be tackled with fines – The Guardian

“Hospitals that give false information about death rates will face unlimited fines under new powers aimed at preventing another Mid-Staffordshire-style health scandal.”

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The Guardian, 10th May 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Social Services – 11 KBW

Posted August 21st, 2012 in care homes, community care, mental health, news, social services, Wales by sally

“This paper covers 5 topics:
(1) the Social Services (Wales) Bill;
(2) the Mental Health (Wales) Measure;
(3) the role of resources in decisions to provide services and challenges
to decisions about direct payments;
(4) challenges to decisions setting care home fees, and
(5) the relationship between community care and the best interests
jurisdiction.”

Full story (PDF)

11 KBW, 17th August 2012

Source: www.11kbw.com

Social care costs cap wins favour – BBC News

“Legislation to change the funding of social care for elderly and disabled people in England could be introduced during this Parliament, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has said.”

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BBC News, 7th July 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Ofsted turns sights on children’s home at centre of Rochdale sex abuse ring – The Independent

Posted May 16th, 2012 in care homes, child abuse, community care, news, sexual offences by tracey

” The privately-owned children’s home accused of failing to protect a victim of the Rochdale sex abuse ring is being investigated by standards watchdogs.”

Full story

The Independent, 16th May 2012

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Unlawful to refuse support for Portuguese with AIDS – Nearly Legal – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted May 16th, 2012 in AIDS, community care, health, judicial review, news by tracey

“De Almeida, R (on the application of) v Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea [2012] EWHC 1082 (Admin).This was a judicial review of RBK&C’s refusal to provide support under s.21 and s.29 National Assistance Act 1948 and indeed to carry out an assessment under s.47 of the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990.”

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 15th May 2012

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

 

Regina (NM) v Islington Borough Council – WLR Daily

Posted March 2nd, 2012 in community care, judicial review, law reports, social services by tracey

Regina (NM) v Islington Borough Council: [2012] EWHC 414 (Admin);  [2012] WLR (D)  52

“When considering whether a duty of assessment of needs for community care services had arisen under section 47(1) of the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 the interpretation of the words ‘may be in need of any such services’ covered both cases of present need and a narrow penumbra of cases of reasonably predictable future need.”

WLR Daily, 29th February 2012

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Embattled head of care watchdog resigns as inquiry is announced – The Independent

Posted February 24th, 2012 in care homes, community care, health, news by tracey

“Cynthia Bower, chief executive of the Care Quality Commission, announced it was ‘time to move on’ as the Department of Health announced a review of the organisation she heads, which has been beset by low morale, lack of funds and board level disputes.”

Full story

The Independent, 24th February 2012

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Basey and others v Oxford City Council – WLR Daily

Posted February 17th, 2012 in benefits, community care, housing, law reports by sally

Basey and others v Oxford City Council [2012] EWCA Civ 115; [2012] WLR (D) 34

“Since the social security and housing legislation had not defined what ‘sheltered accommodation’ was, it was not legitimate for a housing authority to claim that a sheltered accommodation should have a warden or resident caretaking manager and emergency alarm to qualify as such to impose an obligation on the housing authority to pay the costs of fuel and cleaning of the rooms and windows of the housing benefit tenants living in the accommodation. Therefore, a special needs adult living in a four-bedroom property with three other special needs tenants each occupying a bedroom and sharing a kitchen, bath room, two toilets and two sitting rooms, provided with 24-hour care and support supervision staff to meet the tenants’ needs, was a sheltered accommodation such as to oblige the housing authority to pay the costs of fuel and cleaning expenses as part of the rent out of the housing benefit.”

WLR Daily, 15th February 2012

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Blind man’s care funding case raises profound issues, supreme court told – The Guardian

Posted February 8th, 2012 in budgets, community care, disabled persons, judiciary, local government, news by sally

“A blind man’s care funding battle with a local authority raises ‘important and profound’ issues for disabled people, the supreme court has been told.”

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The Guardian, 7th February 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Pensioner launches High Court bid to stop NHS ‘privatisation’ – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 8th, 2012 in community care, judicial review, news by sally

“A pensioner who lives in a care home launches a High Court bid today (Wednesday) to stop his local health authority from handing an £80 million-a-year contract to a private body.”

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Daily Telegraph, 8th February 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Why this case matters: R (KM) v Cambridgeshire County Council – The Guardian

Posted February 3rd, 2012 in budgets, community care, disabled persons, local government, news by sally

“The supreme court is about to hear another case that cuts to the heart of human dignity in care services.”

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The Guardian, 2nd February 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Courts step in to save vulnerable from cuts – The Independent

Posted November 14th, 2011 in budgets, community care, disabled persons, judicial review, local government, news by sally

“Two disabled men who faced losing their right to care won a landmark High Court case yesterday over cost cutting by their council. It was the latest in a series of rulings that threatens to disrupt the Government’s attempts to slash local authority spending.”

Full story

The Independent, 12th November 2011

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Council’s social care cuts are unlawful, high court rules – The Guardian

Posted November 11th, 2011 in budgets, community care, judicial review, local government, news by tracey

“Two severely disabled adults have won a landmark high court battle over cost-cutting by their local authority when a judge ruled that Isle of Wight council’s plans to reduce its adult social care budget are unlawful.”

Full story

The Guardian, 11th November 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Regina (Hertfordshire County Council) v Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council – WLR Daily

Posted February 18th, 2011 in community care, detention, law reports, local government, mental health by sally
“A  mental patient who was compulsorily detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 was not thereby to be treated as ‘resident’ in the local authority within whose area he was detained. On a proper construction of section 117(3) of the 1983 Act the patient’s ‘residence’ was distinct from his place of detention. Section 117 of the 1983 Act was the appropriate section, rather than section 21 of the National Assistance Act 1948, to determine which authority should have the responsibility of paying for the patient’s after-care accommodation.”
WLR Daily, 16th February 2011

Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.

Appeal court ruling clears way for councils to cut social care services – The Guardian

Posted November 4th, 2010 in budgets, community care, disabled persons, local government, news by sally

“Local councils have been given the green light by the courts to cut social care services to elderly and disabled people previously assessed by law as needing them.”

Full story

The Guardian, 4th November 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk