On April the first this year, the National Minimum Wage that employers are obliged to pay staff increased to £7.20 an hour for those aged 25 and over. As a result of this policy, millions of low paid workers have seen their salaries increase by 50 pence an hour, which will make a significant difference to their pay packets each month. The social care sector has been at the forefront of the changes, with many of its 1.3 million employees qualifying for the mandatory increase. This is well-deserved too; social care workers perform crucial work within society and should well remunerated [...]
Nurse or carer: which job is for me? | Prestige Nursing + Care
Want to get into healthcare but unsure where your future lies? Find everything you need to know about nursing and care careers at Prestige Nursing and Care.
Careers in the social care sector are both varied and rewarding. However, for those interested in health and social care careers, making sense of all the different options can be challenging. Two of the most common routes into the social care sector include becoming a nurse and being a care worker. Both of these directly involve providing the vulnerable with care and meeting their needs, but have different responsibilities and require different routes into [...]
A day in the life of a carer
Social care has never been in more demand. Between 2005 and 2014 the population aged 85 and over – the group most likely to require care – increased by 30%. As people continue to live longer, demand for care is only going to increase. This comes at a time when government cuts in social care spending and strains on the NHS are restricting the provision of care, and making recruitment into the sector a huge challenge.
As demand increases, so must recruitment. Yet many people are unaware of the varied and rewarding role care work can provide. Have you ever wondered what being [...]
The hidden cost of dementia care
A new report from Alzheimer’s Research UK illustrates how the condition has a huge impact on not only
Caring at Christmas | Prestige Nursing + Care
There’s never been a better time to get into care work than at Christmas. Find all you need to know about caring over the festive season with Prestige Nursing.
In December 2014, research from Age UK showed that over 400,000 elderly people were worried about spending Christmas alone. It’s very concerning that some of the most vulnerable people in society have to spend the festive season without company – especially when you consider that loneliness has been shown to compound some of the issues that elderly adults regularly face. For example, research has suggested that loneliness could accelerate the effects of [...]
Caring for a child with a severe physical neurological and physical disabilities
Jack has an unknown, but severe, neurological condition. He requires round-the-clock care; his mother Vicky was recommended Prestige Nursing+Care (Doncaster) to provide care and support to Jack and his family. Read their story here.
Jack has an unknown, but severe neurological condition.
The eight-year-old has complex medical needs that include, Supra Nuclear Palsy, Balbar Palsy, scoliosis of the spine, global developmental delay, hiatus hernia, fundoplication, micronutrients, gastrostomy and a specialist tracheostomy.
He has had numerous hospital admissions throughout his life and is such a fighter. He has almost died on numerous occasions over the years and his parents have held him whilst they [...]
The Autumn Statement and Social Care
The social care sector has been on the verge of financial catastrophe for months, and leaders in the sector have long been calling upon the government to provide it with more funding. But the latest spending review from the Chancellor, while offering a small reprieve, will ultimately provide little more than a sticking plaster.
In the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement on the 25th November, local councils were given the power to raise funds for social care provision for the elderly, with the chancellor estimating this would boost budgets by £2bn. This is not an adequate solution however, and will fail to provide enough to [...]
How to help someone with dementia
Find out how you can help those diagnosed with dementia by pursuing a career with Prestige Nursing + Care. Nursing and care jobs available across the UK.
Dementia presents a national challenge for an ageing population and a health and social care sector struck by massive funding shortages. Those with dementia can suffer from memory loss, personality change, and impaired reasoning as a result of the developed brain disease. With 1 million expected to suffer from dementia by 2020, it is clear that more needs to be done to help support those living with the condition.
Help with dementia
Dementia is a lonely [...]
Social care providers face increased CQC fees
The government’s recent demand that regulators must recover the full costs of regulating services means social care providers will face sharp increases in the fees they pay to the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The proposal would see 100% of the CQC’s annual regulation costs covered through provider fees while currently 50% is paid for by the government. The changes would also result in community social care providers costs rising by 313% to £3,287 per year, a fee the care sector – which is already at breaking point – simply cannot afford. The move has generated extreme backlash within the industry who say [...]
Funding cuts drive unsafe care
The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) annual State of Care report has found that one in ten adult social care services is delivering unsafe care.
Safety was cited as the greatest concern in an extensive report across the sector, with a third of adult care services requiring improvement in this area. Residential nursing homes have been the worst offenders for providing substandard care, a consistent trend from previous years, with one in ten rated as inadequate. In contrast, the domiciliary sector was highlighted as one of the best providers of adult social care.
Of those offering outstanding care, the CQC highlighted the importance of person-centric [...]