Archives for January 2012

PUBLIC SECTOR PENSIONS DEAL HAS NO BENEFIT TO THE TAXPAYER

Headlines, PublicNet: 31 January, 2012

Public pensions reforms, now in the final stage of negotiation, are unlikely to save the taxpayer any money. This is the main finding from an IFS study.

The pension reforms just negotiated will make little or no difference to the long-term costs of public service pensions. The savings from higher pension ages are, on average, offset by other elements of the pensions becoming more generous. In general lower earners in the public sector will actually get a more generous pension as a result of the recently announced reforms. That is, they will be able to retire at age 65 with a higher annual pension than they would receive under current arrangements. This results from the move from final salary to career average schemes and the particular changes to accrual and indexation rules.

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TOTAL PLACE PRACTITIONERS GUIDE

Book News, PublicNet: 30 January, 2012

The current development of Community Budgets, both at the neighbourhood and whole place levels, is based on the pioneering experience of the Total Place pilots of 2009/10. This guide distils the learning from the pilots.

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THE HEDGEHOG EFFECT

Book News, PublicNet: 27 January, 2012

Manfred Kets de Vries throws the spotlight on the secrets of building high performance teams. He presents the case for leadership group coaching as an experiential training ground for learning to function as a high performance team.

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DEPRIVED AREAS HARDEST HIT BY CUTS

Headlines, PublicNet: 26 January, 2012

Councils in deprived areas have been hardest hit by the cuts according to the first systematic review of the real impact of public spending cuts on councils published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation today. The review also finds conflict within councils over whether the needs of vulnerable people should be prioritised.

The review looked at 25 local authorities and provides an early insight into how local government is coping with the severe contraction in grant income implemented after the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review. It finds a strong likelihood that the contraction of local government service provision will be felt differently across England. Analysis of the patterns of spending cuts show greater cuts in the most deprived authorities, compared with the most affluent.

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GROWING PATIENT CONCERN ABOUT NHS CUTS

Headlines, PublicNet: 25 January, 2012

The number of patients mentioning NHS spending levels in NHS feedback has increased over threefold in the past year, according to figures released today by independent feedback website Patient Opinion.

The figures were released in response to the Health Select Committee’s accusations that hospitals are ‘salami slicing’ less headline grabbing services such as physiotherapy for elderly people, in attempts to find £20bn in efficiency savings. See Publicnet

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OFSTED PLANS SHAKE-UP FOR INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

Headlines, PublicNet: 25 January, 2012
    Plans have been announced for changing the inspection arrangements for about 1000 independent schools, such as childrens’ homes providing education. The changes, proposed for September 2012, are intended to raise expectations for improvement in the performance of these schools, for the benefit of children, parents and carers.

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HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE SERVICES FAILING TO RESPOND TO EFFICIENCY CHALLENGE

Headlines, PublicNet: 24 January, 2012

The magnitude of the challenge facing the health and social care services has not been fully grasped. Plans to meet the challenge are unlikely to deliver the result. This is the conclusion of the Parliamentary Health Committee in its report published today.

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KEEPING THE ELDERLY IN HOMES FOR LONGER

Features, PublicNet: 23 January, 2012

As cross-party talks on social care reform bring the future funding of elderly care into the spotlight, Ian Stone, sales, marketing and development Director at apetito examines the vital role Community Meals play in keeping the elderly in their homes for longer, easing the burden on Britain’s overstretched care system.

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SPORTING CHANCE BRINGS CRIME REDUCTION

Features, PublicNet: 20 January, 2012

Anti-social behaviour and petty crime bring misery to many areas across the country. Many approaches are being used to tackle the problem, some more expensive than others. This feature describes how a crime reduction charity working in partnership with Community Housing succeeded in bringing change through a sports project.

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WORKPLACE RETHINK BOOSTED WITH ANYWHERE WORKING PORTAL

Headlines, PublicNet: 18 January, 2012

The Anywhere Working Consortium have launched a new online portal to help UK organisations adopt more flexible working practices. The business led Consortium provides a range of advice, guidance, case studies and online training to encourage individuals and organisations in the public and private sector looking to work more flexibly.

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