A coalition of employers and campaign groups including BT, Ford, HSBC, Nationwide, John Lewis, Personnel Today, Counsel and Care, Working Families, Carers UK and the Princess Royal Trust for Carers is urging the government to introduce a tax break scheme for workers who care for elderly relatives.

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MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FAILING OLDER PEOPLE

Older peoples’ mental health issues are poorly understood, highly stigmatised and are not given the priority necessary in policy, practice and research. A mental health pandemic and an inadequate Government response mean that over 3.5 million older people who experience mental health problems do not have satisfactory services and support. These findings come from the UK Inquiry into Mental Health and Well-Being in Later Life – a major independent inquiry supported by Age Concern.

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This programme is now available to view on egovtv.tv, the online television channel for public service modernisation. It provides a light hearted overview of the various components needed to achieve transformation. The ‘Two Johns’ sketch charts the challenges faced by senior officials of councils and members in addressing the transformational agenda.The sketch is accompanied by an interview with Nigel Bates, Head of Local and Regional Government at Hedra plc, who discusses the impact and challenges the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 and the current Transformation agenda is posing to local authorities, their senior officers and members, and the work Hedra Consortium is doing to help. The CSR07 challenges authorities long term more than Gershon has done and will bring fundamental change. Performance of every local authority is going to be under greater scrutiny from the public and central Government and its executives are going to have to reconsider the way it delivers services to the citizen.

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