ENFIELD Council celebrated achieving a top award for its care of the disabled last week. The borough was awarded Beacon status for its work helping disabled adults live independently last year.

A social worker who admitted taking on two full-time jobs simultaneously, but denied she had been dishonest in not telling both employers, has been cleared of misconduct by a General Social Care Council conduct committee.

Social workers in Derby have lost their battle with the city council to keep allowances for the use of private cars, with Unison agreeing to call a halt to industrial action.  

A CARE worker who claimed benefits totalling over £60,000 has been jailed. Joy Rukyemampunzi, of Saint Dunstan’s Close, Hayes, was sentenced to six months imprisonment and ordered to pay £10,000 in compensation to Hillingdon Council after admitting to five counts of benefit fraud.

TWENTY new jobs could be created in the Selby area if plans to expand a care home are approved. The Mansion House Nursing Home in Main Road, Drax, intends to extend its premises to provide a new unit for dementia patients.

SIGNIFICANT progress is being made in improving services for those with dementia and their carers, according to health chiefs and councils across the region.

A new strategic business alliance has been formed that aims to improve infection control, general cleaning and care home safety within this rapidly growing sector.

A shortage of nurses has led to vulnerable elderly people being forced to leave their nursing home, say the owners.

Outsourcing giant Serco signed a deal today to run a new London jail — despite concerns that public spending cuts could mean less work for support services firms.

Services for older people need to be radically rethought if the needs of an ageing population are to be balanced with budget cuts, campaigners said today.