A MERSEYSIDE man has battled for 10 years to try to reclaim the cost of his mum’s care. After having several strokes which eventually left her paralysed down one side, Phil Newton’s mum Evelyn was taken into a nursing home where she was cared for until she died in June 2005 aged 83.

Trade union Unison has lambasted the Audit Commission for ‘peddling a dangerous myth’ in suggesting councils could easily make £300m savings from care assessment efficiencies.

New research released today by Bupa Care Homes has revealed that millions of people don’t feel equipped to support a friend or relative suffering from dementia.

Councils in England could save £312m annually on adult social care if they carried out client assessments more effectively, the Audit Commission says.

BASW has countered a report by public spending watchdog The Audit Commission, which suggests the adult social care funding gap could be plugged by using unqualified staff to complete assessments, with a reminder that cheaper doesn’t always mean better.

Cornwall has been chosen to pilot a new £400,000 scheme to help keep mentally ill people who have been arrested out of the criminal justice system.