This legal action over social care failings is warning to Ministers over standards – The Yorkshire Post says

Scarborough nursing home agrees to pay damages to daughter who claimed poor care marred mother’s final years

This is every family’s worst nightmare and it is important that the Government learns lessons from the family’s unfortunate experience at Rambla Nursing Home in Scarborough as part of its new social care reforms.

Balancing act over GP appointments after patient told they had 12 months to live ‘over the phone’ – The Yorkshire Post says

As the Government accepts, social care is facing a funding crisis and the 1.5 per cent levy on National Insurance is recognition of this – the question is whether money reaches the front line or is engulfed by the wider NHS.

This also matters because these much-delayed reforms should be regarded as an opportunity to provide a care system that is the envy of the world.

It is ambition that needs to be demonstrated by Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid who has described his current brief as his “toughest yet” in government.

As Mr Javid knows, a defining test of civilised societies is their treatment of the most vulnerable and a combination of chronic staffing shortages, and funding pressures, is creating a perfect storm at a time when the number of adults in need of care is at historic levels.

Coupled with a need to enhance community care in order to ease the pressure on hospital beds, this regrettable legal action is a reminder to Mr Javid of the consequences when the quality of care falls short of acceptable standards – and why the response needs to be far swifter if such instances, however regrettable and rare, are to be avoided in the future.

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