Tag: social care

Bishop of Norwich raises need for integrated health and social care service

On 16th October 2017 Lord Dubs asked Her Majesty’s Government “what is their estimate of the number of people currently in hospital waiting to be discharged to care homes when places become available.” The Bishop of Norwich, Rt Revd Graham James, asked a follow up question:

The Lord Bishop of Norwich: My Lords, since the difficulties of hospital patients awaiting discharge to care homes is but one of a number of bottlenecks in the present system, does that not suggest that we need a fully integrated national health and social care service and that, until we achieve such integration, these problems are bound to recur—as the National Audit Office report in February this year so clearly and vividly illustrated? Continue reading “Bishop of Norwich raises need for integrated health and social care service”

Bishop of Chester speaks about national debt and expenditure pressures in Budget debate

Chester1On 14th March 2017, the Commercial Secretary to the Treasury, Baroness Neville-Rolfe, moved that this House takes note of the economy in the light of the Budget Statement. The Bishop of Chester, the Rt Revd Peter Forster, spoke in the debate, focusing on national debt and expenditure pressures.

The Lord Bishop of Chester My Lords, it is not only the last spring Budget, it is the last Budget in Lent. If we had any doubts, then the early speeches in this debate brought that Lenten theme home rather well.

I do not want to get into the details of the Budget, which are very political, but to talk about two broader, longer-term issues to which the Chancellor referred in his speech. The first, which has already been alluded to, is our national debt. Its rate of growth is forecast to slow in this decade, but that is stabilisation at a very high level, representing nearly £62,000 for every household in the country. Even at the current very low interest rates, servicing that debt costs £50 billion a year—more than the combined costs of defence and police services in this country. Continue reading “Bishop of Chester speaks about national debt and expenditure pressures in Budget debate”

Bishop of Winchester asks Government about partnership with faith groups in social care delivery

Bishop of WinchesterOn 15th November 2016, Baroness Pitkeathley asked Her Majesty’s Government “what is their response to the warning by the Care Quality Commission in their State of Care report, published in October, that adult social care is approaching “tipping point”. The Bishop of Winchester, Rt Revd Tim Dakin, asked a follow up question:.

The Lord Bishop of Winchester My Lords, given the well-established engagement of faith groups in the area of social care, such as the Good Neighbours support service in Hampshire, what progress have Her Majesty’s Government made in reducing barriers to engagement by faith and belief groups, as recommended by the Local Government Association in its 2012 report, Faith and Belief in Partnership? Continue reading “Bishop of Winchester asks Government about partnership with faith groups in social care delivery”

Bishop of Durham highlights workload faced by children’s social workers

Bp Durham June 2015 bOn 7th November 2016, Lord Laming asked the Government “what steps they are taking to ensure that children in local authority care are placed in a location close to their extended family and current school.” The Bishop of Durham, the Rt Revd Paul Butler, asked a supplementary question.

The Lord Bishop of Durham: Does the Minister agree that children’s social workers do a fantastically good job, but one of the difficulties they face is their sheer workload, which means that their monitoring of children in care is not as adequate as it is should be? Continue reading “Bishop of Durham highlights workload faced by children’s social workers”

Bishop of St Albans asks Government about impact of rent reductions on supported housing schemes

St Albans 2On the 13th October 2016 Baroness Warwick of Undercliffe asked Her Majesty’s Government “how they plan to ensure that there is an increase in the level of supported housing across England so that the needs of vulnerable people are met.” The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, asked a follow up question:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, last year Her Majesty’s Government decided to delay the 1% reduction in social rents for supported housing in order to assess the impact it would have on the sector. The move was widely welcomed around this House. Now that Her Majesty’s Government have decided to press ahead with largely the same proposal—there are one or two exceptions, I grant—will the Minister consider publishing the detailed analysis of that assessment to allay fears that the reduction threatens the viability of present and future supported housing schemes?

Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government about impact of rent reductions on supported housing schemes”

Bishop of Derby questions the drive for efficiency in the use of technology instead of assisting meaningful face-to-face pastoral engagement

Derby 191115c

On the 14th April 2014 the Bishop of Derby, the Rt Revd Alastair Redfern spoke during a debate on the Deloitte report ‘Technology and people: The great job-creating machine published in August.’ Bishop Alastair spoke about the competing pressures of company supply chains and corporate responsibility, the values of society and the impact technology is having as efficiency cuts across the face-to-face pastoral engagement of professions such as healthcare. The Minister Baroness Neville-Rolfe responded for the Government and addressed a number of the questions highlighted by the Bishop.

Continue reading “Bishop of Derby questions the drive for efficiency in the use of technology instead of assisting meaningful face-to-face pastoral engagement”

Bishop of Bristol calls for greater priority on standards and funding for residential care

On 10th December 2015 the House of Lords debated a motion from  Baroness Wheeler “That this House takes note of the quality and viability of the residential care sector in the light of the Government’s decision to delay the implementation of the care cost cap.” The Bishop of Bristol, Rt Revd Mike Hill, spoke in the debate, calling for Government to give more priority to residential care standards and funding.

Bishop of Bristol June 2015The Lord Bishop of Bristol: My Lords, I join other Members of your Lordships’ House in thanking the noble Baroness for securing this debate. I admired her high-paced delivery of a lot of information without losing any clarity. Like the noble Baroness, I hope that this will not become a debate where we just trade statistics across the House, because in the end, as the noble Lord, Lord Filkin, has just drawn our attention to, this is about people and their lives, and therefore it is a matter that should be, and is, of great concern to us all.

If I stand in my bathroom and look out across the fields in north Bristol, I see the shell of Winterbourne View standing there as a testimony of what can go wrong with residential care when the business model is bust and the whole thing falls apart. It pains me to look at that building day by day. Continue reading “Bishop of Bristol calls for greater priority on standards and funding for residential care”

Elder Abuse – Answers in Schools and Civil Society says Bishop of Oxford

“Western culture has developed—or, rather, deteriorated—into an atomised individualism… As we have scattered to our own personal enclaves, as it were, we have left the elderly behind as unproductive, unrewarding problems” – Bishop of Oxford, 14/5/14

 

11.12.15 Bishop of OxfordOn 14th May 2014 the House of Lords debated a question for short debate from Baroness Cumberlege, “To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the incidence of elder abuse across the nation.” The Bishop of Oxford, Rt Rev John Pritchard spoke about the need to focus on schools and civil society to counter recent worrying trends.

Continue reading “Elder Abuse – Answers in Schools and Civil Society says Bishop of Oxford”

Vote – Care Bill

House of Lords Division Lobby
House of Lords Division Lobby

On 7th May, the Rt Revd Christopher Cocksworth, Bishop of Coventry, took part in a division during the ‘ping-pong’ stage of the Government’s Care Bill.

Independent Social Democrat Peer Lord Owen moved Amendments 45E and 45F, which sought to introduce an independent Oversight Panel to advise the Secretary of State on matters relating to health and adult social care.

There were Contents: 165 / Not Contents: 259. Result: Government Win

The Bishop of Coventry voted ‘content’. No bishop voted ‘not content’.

(via Parliament.uk)

Bishop of Leicester asks question on mental health spending for those living with dementia

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath asked Her Majesty’s Government why they have discontinued the annual survey of mental health spending.

The Bishop of Leicester asked a supplementary question:

The Lord Bishop of LeicesteLeicesterr: My Lords, between 2011 and 2012 home support services saw a decrease of some 5.5% in expenditure. Can the noble Baroness tell us what impact this is likely to have on the mental well-being of people living with dementia and their carers? How can this impact be monitored if detailed spending figures are not yet available?

Baroness Jolly: Dementia services are delivered jointly with social care. The Government will be working with NHS England through clinical commissioning groups to make sure that the joint strategic needs assessments that are set out in local plans include provision for people living with dementia. My honourable friend in the other place has set up pioneering groups that are looking at integration of services. All that is very high on the agenda.

(via Parliament.uk)