RECENT NEWS

Jonathan Freeman, founder and chief executive of the CareTech Foundation - the first independent grant-making charitable corporate foundation in the care sector - has been awarded an MBE for services to charity in the Queen’s new year’s honours list.

GPs are to earn an extra £10 for every care home resident they are able to vaccinate against Covid by the end of January in an accelerated drive by the NHS to protect the most vulnerable.

GPs have been given the green light by NHS England to start vaccinating care home residents and staff in England.

Care UK has deployed fogging machines, air purifiers and thermal imaging cameras in all 124 of its homes to boost infection control as community infection rates for Covid-19 continue to rise.

Fresh guidance issued by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has banned close-contact visits in English care homes located in Tier 4 areas.

Lichfield-based provider Voyage Care has completed the acquisition of five services from local counterpart Day Opportunities.

Not-for-profit social care provider membership association National Care Forum (NCF) has launched an ebook compiling a stories about care, communities and leadership during the pandemic.

Majesticare has partnered with 4th Wave Technology and Airnitative to install clean air technology across its eight luxury care homes in southern England.

A national research project has been launched to study the impact of Covid-19 on retirement villages and extra care housing schemes across England.

The first residents have moved into the new £14m Queens Quay House care home in the West Dunbartonshire town of Clydebank in the west of Scotland.

Innovate UK has awarded £140,000 to a new tool developed by an offshoot of tech outfit Florence that helps care providers more safely staff their services.

The Welsh government has relaxed guidance for discharging hospital patients who have tested positive for Covid to social care settings.

Meallmore, one of Scotland’s largest independent care home operators, is to expand its portfolio following a £41m cash injection backing from HSBC UK.

Octopus Real Estate has acquired eight care homes from LNT Care Developments in a deal worth around £100m.

Many care home residents will not be reunited with loved ones by Christmas despite pledges by the government to the contrary, according to Age UK.

Covid vaccination of care home residents has kicked off in Scotland with the first jabs administered at Abercorn House in Hamilton in Lanarkshire.

Lancashire County Council has filed proposals to build a later living scheme consisting of a 45-bed care home and 65-apartment extra care development in Garstang.

Campaigners are renewing calls for urgent government reform to adult social care after NHS figures revealed that almost a quarter of older people seeking help in England were denied it.

National charity Making Space has picked electronic planning provider Nourish Care to improve the former’s quality of care through a dedicated digital platform.

Care provider Anchor Hanover has appointed Rob Martin to its executive board as managing director of care services with effect from 1 March.