RECENT NEWS

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has set out plans to offer insurance cover to care homes that take in discharged Covid patients from hospitals.

Former PRP later living architect Anne-Marie Nicholson has joined Marchese Partners as principal to jointly lead the Australian consultancy’s UK studio.

The government will from this month provide a free four-month supply of daily vitamin D supplements for residents in residential and nursing care homes across England to support their health.

The National Care Association (NCA) has sought legal advice on whether care home staff can be compelled to be vaccinated after it emerged a minority of workers are refusing to take a Covid jab.

The UK government has scrapped proposals to introduce legislation to restrict routine movement of care home staff during the pandemic after it launched a new £120m fund to boost the social care workforce.

Belgian real estate investment trust Aedifica has acquired three care homes in Essex from Excelcare for £40m.

Belong has completed the purchase of land at Wirral Waters in Birkenhead to enable building work on a £15m care village to kick off later this year.

Covid outbreaks in care homes have trebled in a month to levels not seen since the spring 2020 peak of the pandemic, according to Public Health England (PHE).

A virtual Covid ‘vaccine checkmark’ has been launched by tech company Florence for agency staff working in care homes.

All care home residents and staff in England are set to be given their first Covid jab by 24 January after the NHS ordered an acceleration of the vaccination programme.

Social care needs an immediate cash injection and new recruits to support its exhausted workforce, according to the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS).

More than 80 per cent of care home residents in Scotland have been given their first dose of a Covid vaccination as of Tuesday 12 January.

Care home meals provider apetito has launched eight new plant-based dishes as part of its Culinary Inspirations range.

Yorkshire-based provider Exemplar Health Care is investing over £20m to open five new homes in England over the coming 12 months.

The Music for Dementia campaign and the Utley Foundation have launched of The Paul and Nick Harvey Fund to support musical activities for people living with dementia.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has extended the provision of free personal protective equipment (PPE) to care providers until the end of June.

Roar B2B, the organisers of Dementia, Care & Nursing Home Expo, has postponed the event for a third time due to the pandemic.

Care organisations have called on the government to step up Covid vaccinations in care homes after Public Health England data showed outbreaks have more than doubled in England since late December.

Dementia specialist provider Belong has appointed Sue Goldsmith to the newly created role of operations manager in a move designed to enhance the care operator’s provision as it prepares to open villages in Chester and Birkdale.

NHS Providers has called on the government to provide financial incentives and support for the care sector to enable patients to be discharged from hospitals into care settings.