Shadow Care and Older People minister Liz Kendall used her keynote speech at the Learning Disability Today conference to outline her vision of the future for social care. Speaking at Olympia on November 27, she called for

- Person-centred problem solving, involving the use of One Page Profiles. These would describe what is important to the user, and what they enjoy doing

- Greater integration of health and social care services

- One point of contact for users

- Small scale services

- The extension of personal health budgets

http://www.learningdisabilitytoday.co.uk/shadow-health-care-minister-liz-kendall-calls-for-social-care-change-at-learning-disability-today-london-2014.aspx

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Consultant surgeon and innovator David Morgan on the inability of the NHS to adapt to change for the benefit of patients. He is very vocal on the health service's inefficiencies, saying, despairingly, "Why have one meeting when you can have 20?"

"There is no doubt that the NHS executive and frontline clinical staff are aligned regarding the need and direction of change. Unfortunately the execution of this becomes bogged down by indifference, ignorance or arrogance at the operational level as no one appears to be empowered to make a decision in case it is the wrong call."

http://www.theguardian.com/healthcare-network/2014/dec/05/nhs-indecision-interview-david-morgan

The Care Quality Commission has had to apologise to hundreds of GPs for rating risks to patient safety incorrectly and unfairly. A BBC investigation found errors in the calculations used by the CQC and GPs have stated that their reputations have been "tarnished by incompetence".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-30344455

Worrying research shows that 44 million people worldwide now have dementia, and this figure is expected to triple by 2050.

Kevin Fong, Doctor and presenter, explains that: “Dementia is not a natural part of ageing. It is an umbrella term for the symptoms of around 100 different brain diseases.”

So, can technology help to defuse the dementia time bomb? The BBC’s iWonder, an educational and interactive guide-based channel, aims to find out more:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z3d99j6

For information about our Compassion and Dignity in Care e-learning course, which includes guidance about ensuring that the people we care for receive the nutrition and fluids that they need, please visit http://goo.gl/we7coV

Shocking figures reveal that one in five elderly people living in residential care are not drinking enough fluids, and that those with dementia are six times more likely to become dehydrated.

Ministers are insisting that the government is making it easier, however, to prosecute homes that fail to look after their residents. Is enough being done to look after our ageing population?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-30312621