Individuals and families across England are increasingly having to find and pay for their own social care, as councils restrict services to people with the highest levels of need, says CSCI in a new report out today.

{mosimage}‘The State of Social Care in England 2005-06’, a comprehensive annual overview of the entire social care sector, finds that more services are meeting minimum standards, but despite spending more, councils are tightening local rules about who qualifies for state-funded social care.

This means that more and more older and disabled people either have to find and pay for their own private care or rely on family members or friends.

As local councils support fewer people, informal carers have to fill in the gaps, with inadequate support structures to help them and no system in many areas to help people find the services they need.

Those who have no one to rely on may have to make do without support until their situation becomes critical. The lack of ‘respite’ help for people who have caring responsibilities can affect their ability to hold down a job, fulfil other family responsibilities such as looking after children, and may damage their own long-term health and emotional well being.

Commenting on the CSCI report, State of Social Care, Cllr David Rogers, chair of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “This report exposes the deeply worrying trends within social care.

Women who falsely accuse men of sexual offences could lose their right to anonymity, under a law reform being considered by ministers. The proposed change follows the case of a man who spent more than three years in prison after he was wrongly convicted of rape.

Former director general of the Prison Service, Martin Narey, has strongly criticised overcrowding in jails. The prison population in England and Wales hit an all-time high of 80,000 at the end of last year.

Offenders’ lack of trust in medical professionals means many may not seek help when they are experiencing mental distress, says a new BMJ study. Men who have been incarcerated have significantly higher rates of mental illness and suicide and under-utilise mental health services compared to the general population.

The UK government is failing sex workers by continuing to promote discriminatory laws and practices, argue experts in this week’s BMJ. Professor Michael Goodyear and Dr Linda Cusick call on the prime minister to protect women by decriminalising all aspects of sex work now.

Poor ward care is harming patients, warns a senior doctor in this week’s BMJ. Recent figures show that three of the four commonest causes of delayed discharge are associated with inadequate care on the ward: pressure sores, healthcare acquired infections, and medication errors.

At a time when many government and public bodies are recognising the importance of engaging with faith communities, in this week’s BMJ two experts consider the case for faith based health services for Muslims.

Council estate resident groups in England will be able to apply for anti-social behaviour orders, under measures announced by the government. The resident groups will be assessed before being allowed such powers, with “clear safeguards” to make sure they are not abused.

The chief executive of St Gemma’s Hospice in Leeds has quit five months after being suspended from his role. It was confirmed that David Parr left by mutual agreement. In August the YEP revealed how Mr Parr had been suspended from the hospice in Moortown to carry out a review into his performance.