The Your Health, Your Care, Your Say initiative for the Department of Health, which was completed last year, created one of the largest and most ambitious public engagement exercises ever mounted in the UK. The aims were to ensure that the public were actively involved in deliberative debates on contentious issues including ‘trading off’ public investment in differenttypes of health and social care servicesThis report summarises the results of an evaluation study which examines the whole process but which focuses on the ‘listening exercise’ – the local, regional and national deliberative events that enabled members of the public to discuss a range of topics. The evaluation study aimed to come to conclusions about the extent to which the methodology chosen and the delivery of initiative met the objectives set, and draw out learning for future public engagement activity.

Read more on EVALUATION OF YOUR HEALTH, YOUR CARE, YOUR SAY…

REPORT SAYS CARE SYSTEM IS FAILING CHILDREN

A report today sets out what it labels the ‘catastrophic failure’ of the system for looking after children in care. In “Handle With Care: an investigation into the care system”, the author Harriet Sergeant analyses each stage of the system and describes what the Centre for Policy Studies is calling “the betrayal of 60,000 young people in care.”

Read more on REPORT SAYS CARE SYSTEM IS FAILING CHILDREN…

SURVEY FINDS ‘TRIPLE LOTTERY’ FOR OLDER PEOPLE IN NEED OF CARE

It is claimed today that older people who need access to social care services face a triple lottery based not just on where they live but on how their local authority applies eligibility criteria and the authority’s charging policy. The claim comes with the publication today of a national survey of councils conducted by Counsel and Care, which presents a picture of NHS and social care budgets under increasing pressure.

Read more on SURVEY FINDS ‘TRIPLE LOTTERY’ FOR OLDER PEOPLE IN NEED OF CARE…