Lucy Cox died at the Parkfields home at Butleigh near Adult agencys dating uk wiltshire
, Somerset, on New Year’s Day.

Rachel and Leigh Baker, who work at the home, were arrested following Ms Cox’s death and later released on bail.

The Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) said it had cancelled the home’s adult lesbian dating
because the owners had failed to improve standards.

Mrs Baker, 45, a registered nurse at the care home, was arrested on suspicion of administering a noxious substance.

Six deaths

Her husband Leigh, 48, was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the administration of a noxious substance.

Police are investigating Ms Cox’s death, but it has been reported that as part of routine investigations, another six deaths are being looked at.

An Avon and Somerset Police spokesperson said: “A number of issues surrounding the care of residents at the home are being investigated.”

The investigation is being carried out jointly with the CSCI.

Registration cancelled

A CSCI spokeswoman said certain matters were brought to its attention in early January.

“Because the owners had failed to improve standards since the January inspection we have issued a notice to cancel their registration which will effectively close the home,” she said.

Somerset County Council said it had been working closely with the CSCI investigation to ensure that appropriate and safe care was available to all of the current residents at Parkfields 100 free adult dating
Care Home.

In a statement, Miriam Maddison, Director of Adult Social Services, said; “During this time, we have been able to complete individual care assessments with every resident to ensure that we have an up to date picture of their care needs.

“We are working with CSCI to ensure that appropriate information is readily available to residents and their families.”

No-one from Parkfields was available for comment on Thursday afternoon.

David Eagle’s mother is in a care home with a form of dementia. Before that, she used to receive nursing care at home which he paid for.

He’s heard that he can make a retrospective claim to get some of this money back. Who should he make a claim to and what evidence will he need?

Mervyn: Claims are seldom allowed retrospectively. However it is not unknown for local authorities and the NHS to make the wrong judgements, and in these circumstances, challenges can be made and funds recovered.

Reporting last year, the Health Ombudsman found that there was little consistency in the way the NHS conducted continuing care assessments and discharged its responsibility for paying for care costs arising from a primarily health need.

Mervyn helps with queries on care

There are complaints procedures which can be pursued against the local authority or the local Primary Care Trust. In David’s case, unless he can show that he has been unfairly deprived of support for the care he has been buying in the past, I doubt if he has a case for any retrospective payments.

Wendy Sulley from Haselemere has this question. Her husband’s grandmother needs to go into care. Wendy understands that as she shares a home with his grandfather the house will not have to be sold to fund this and that the local authority will pay.

But she’s also heard that when the house is eventually sold the council may then make a claim to claw some of the money back. Is this true and, if so, what kind of money would that be?

Mervyn: When a person moves into a care home, their house only becomes an issue if it is not being occupied by a relative over 60, a relative (of any age) who is incapacitated, or a child (of the first person) under 16. So Wendy’s husband’s grandmother can go into a care home, and the grandfather can carry on living in the house untroubled.

But if he were to die, the house would be regarded as the grandmother’s asset, and if the local authority was paying for her care, it could put a charge on the property at that point and seek to recoup its money when the house is eventually sold. The local authority cannot force anyone to sell their home, but it can enter a ‘deferred payments agreement’ if it is paying care fees for which you are now responsible.

Mike Barnham’s mother shares his house with him and his wife. In fact, his mother has a one-quarter share, whilst he and his wife have three-eighths each.

If Mike’s mother were to have to go into a care home full-time, then would her share in the house not be included in the assessment of her capital and savings, because one of the other occupants of the house (namely him) is a close relative over the age of 60. Is this correct?

Mervyn: Mike will not be in difficulty because he is a relative over 60. If he was 59, we get into much greyer areas. Theoretically, the local authority can assess the value of his mother’s interest in the house (one quarter in this case), and treat that as available capital, but there would also have to be a ‘willing buyer’.

Few people are likely to want to buy a quarter of a house, so in market terms, the value of Mike’s mother’s share is probably zero. This is the stuff of arguments between valuers.

Libby Armitage asks: Private care homes can cost from 20,000 to 30,000 a year. When cash from a property sale and life savings has been used up, what contribution does the welfare system make?

Can the person stay on in the private care home or will they have to be moved to a state home?

Mervyn: A person paying (e.g.) 500 per week for a care home place which they are funding from their own resources will be eligible for local authority support once their capital falls below 20,000 (or 20,500 in Wales or 19,000 in Scotland).

But the local authority will conduct a needs assessment, and if it agrees that the person needs to be in a care home, it will offer to support that person in what it considers to be an appropriate home.

That may be a 300 per week care home, offering fewer services and options, but still good care. It cannot decide which home you go to - there is a Choice of Accommodation Directive - but it can choose to pay only for a home which meets your assessed needs, so you could be facing a move from your 500 per week home.

Alex has been receiving Incapacity Benefit for over 10 years. Does Incapacity Benefit count as a credit towards an old age pension, and if not, to which form of income would I be entitled at 65?

If yes, then which would be the most efficient savings vehicle for retirement? He is 43 years old.

Mervyn: The relationship between disabilities benefits, pensions and tax is very confusing. Incapacity Benefit can only be claimed up to pension age, and cannot be claimed in addition to a state retirement pension.

The Carer’s Allowance is taxable, counts as a National Insurance credit (towards a state pension), but cannot be paid on top of a state pension. Disability Living Allowance (largely for under 65s) and Attendance Allowance (for over 65s) are tax free and will not count against other benefits.

War pensions are tax free, but can affect other benefits. Alex will presumably qualify for the Pension Credit at 60, but will lose his Incapacity Benefit at 65, and if he chooses to draw any occupational, personal or public service pension before that, his benefit may be reduced. It makes retirement planning a bit hard!

Joanne: If you claim Incapacity Benefit, you will receive a class one National Insurance credit towards the state retirement pension, which means that Alex will receive the basic state pension on retirement.

I would advise Alex to contact an independent financial adviser about saving towards his retirement or paying into a private pension scheme as they will be able to go through his options.

Association of Independent Financial Advisers

Pension Service

Bryan Avery stopped work in 1994 to look after his disabled wife. Recently he received a letter from the Inland Revenue telling him that he was short on National Insurance contributions. Will this affect his state pension?

Joanne: If Bryan was getting Carers Allowance for this period, his pension will not be affected as one of the benefits to claiming Carers Allowance is that they will credit you with a class one stamp towards your National Insurance.

This means that your basic state pension will be in tact. Since 2003, claiming Carers Allowance also helps you by contributing towards the State Second Pension.

If Bryan did not claim Carers Allowance, his pension may still be protected providing he claims Home Responsibilities Protection. This scheme protects you when you are unable to pay National Insurance contributions because you are looking after someone who is sick or disabled for a whole tax year.

Providing Bryan’s wife was claiming Disability Living Allowance at the middle or higher rate of the care component, or any rate of Attendance Allowance, he will be eligible for this scheme. Otherwise, he may be entitled if he was claiming Income Support on the basis that he was looking after his wife.

Home Responsibilities Protection can be backdated as far back as the scheme began, in 1978, so Bryan should have no problem with claiming from when he first left work in 1994. Since 2002, you can only backdate Home Responsibilities Protection for a maximum of three years, so anyone who thinks they might be entitled should make sure they make the claim as soon as possible before they miss out.

To claim Home Responsibilities Protection, complete the form in leaflet CF411. You can get this from your local social security office, Jobcentre plus or Inland Revenue office.

Department for Work and Pensions

Job Centre Plus

Inland Revenue

Peter from Derby looked after his mother before she died. One of the things which annoyed him is that while he was caring for her, he was claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), because he wasn’t working.

He also claimed Carer’s Allowance but they took it away because he was getting JSA. Why? It doesn’t make sense, he says.

Joanne: Contribution Job Seekers Allowance and Carer’s Allowance sit in a group of benefits called ‘income replacement benefits’ along with other benefits such as the State Retirement Pension and Incapacity benefit. These benefits are designed to compensate you because you are not able to work, or have not been able to find work.

People are often entitled to more than one of these benefits but they overlap with each other which means you can only be paid the one which is paid at the highest rate. As Carer’s Allowance is the lowest paid income replacement benefit, carers who would be entitled to it often miss out.

It is difficult to answer Peter’s query without having more information about his individual circumstances. It may be that he would have been better off by claiming Carer’s Allowance and Income Support if he was entitled to it. I would advise Peter to get in touch with a local independent advice agency or Carers Centre who can check his situation. If the Department of Work and Pensions wrongly advised him, they will be able to help him claim back any money he missed out on.

Carers UK

Citizens Advice

Princess Royal Trust for Carers

Mr Paine says that earlier in the week we said that people who took time out to care for a relative are entitled to have their National Insurance contributions paid for them under something called “Home Responsibilities Protection”.

Does this apply to grandmothers (of less than pensionable age) who take time out of their career to look after their grandchildren to allow the mother to go back to work in the same way that mothers get their stamp paid for a certain period of time whilst bringing up their family?

Joanne: If the one of the children the grandmother looks after is in receipt of Disability Living Allowance at the middle or higher rate of the care component, it would be possible for the grandmother to apply for Home Responsibilities Protection as it would be for any carer who is looking after someone who claims this benefit.

If the children do not receive one of these benefits, the grandmother would either have to be the person who is paid Child Benefit or be a foster carer of the child in order to qualify for Home Responsibilities Protection. If none of these apply, adult dating online
the grandmother would not be entitled to Home Responsibilities Protection.

Department for Work and Pensions

Job Centre Plus

Inland Revenue

Mr Chisham is a carer and he has contacted us to point out that the Carer’s Allowance is taxed and that if you are in hospital for more than two weeks in the year your Carer’s Allowance is stopped. Is he right?

Joanne: Carer’s Allowance is a taxable benefit. Mr Chisham has been given wrong information about how it relates to stays in hospital though. Carer’s Allowance can officially be paid for up to 12 weeks in a 26 week period. However, in practice, Carer’s Allowance will usually stop sooner because Carer’s Allowance is dependent on the disabled person receiving either the middle or higher rate of the care component of Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance.

When disabled people go into hospital, both Disability Living Allowance Care Component and Attendance Allowance stop after four weeks, or 12 weeks if the disabled person is a child. This means that Carer’s Allowance also stops. Carers who claim Income Support or the Guarantee credit for Pension Credit continue to receive the Carers Premium for a further eight weeks while the person is in hospital.

Carers UK

Citizens Advice

Princess Royal Trust for Carers

Contact a Family

A viewer has contacted us in response to the report on the Carer’s Allowance item. He got the impression from the item that if you get a pension you would not be allowed Carers’ Allowance, which is not the case.

He says if you receive the old age pension or a state pension then that is the case but if it is a company pension that is classed as unearned income so that does not affect people claiming Carer’s Allowance. Can you clarify this matter for us?

Joanne: This man is right to point out that you can still claim Carer’s Allowance if you have a company or work pension and not the state retirement pension, because Carer’s Allowance is only interested in earned income.

In the same way as contribution based Jobseekers Allowance, the State Retirement Pension overlaps with Carer’s Allowance, which means that you can only receive the one which is paid at the highest rate. Carers who are on a low income can still benefit from claiming Carer’s Allowance even if they know it will not be paid because they can have the Carers Premium added to their income based benefits, such as Income Support, Pension Credit and Housing Benefit.

Carers UK

Citizens Advice

Contact a Family

Pension Service

Princess Royal Trust for Carers

Eva caught the tail-end of something to do with a Carer’s Allowance which could be back-dated several years. This is very relevant for her sister, who was their elderly mother’s full-time carer for a number of years. Where can she get more information on this subject?

Joanne: Before October 1994 there were different upper age limits for claiming what was then Invalid Care Allowance (now Carer’s Allowance). This meant that women could only claim Invalid Care Allowance until they were 60 while men were allowed to claim until they were 65.

This discrimination was found to be unlawful and the upper age limit changed to 65. This means that women who were 65 before 1994 may be entitled to a back date in benefit even if they didn’t claim Invalid Care Allowance at the time. Women born before 1929 should find out from an independent advice agency or Carers Centre whether they might be entitled to backdated payments.

Carers UK

Citizens Advice

Princess Royal Trust for Carers

Jenny is a full-time carer for her disabled mother who lives with her and Jenny’s husband and their three children. While Jenny is perfectly happy to be looking after her mother there are occasions when she would like a break for a few days. What help if any is on offer for her?

Madeleine: Jenny’s local Social Services can provide respite care through the Carers Grant, which supports councils to provide breaks and services to carers. This could be in the form of a residential stay for her, giving Jenny a block of time off, or a sitting service which would let her have an evening out or, for example, time to do a course at her local Adult Education Centre - something for Jenny.

Martin and Clare’s daughter has been assessed by their local council (Social Services) as to what level of care she needs. They feel she isn’t getting enough help. How can they appeal against this decision?

Madeleine: There are two issues here: the amount of care provided for their daughter and also any benefits she (and they) may be entitled to.

He said tougher action should be taken against a minority of failing colleges.

Delegates at the Association of Colleges annual conference in Birmingham gave their reaction.

“Some of what the sector does is brilliant - now we can fly,” said Ioan Morgan, principal of Warwickshire College.

“I hope the government are going to say ‘let’s get on and do it,’” said Joanna Tait from Bishop Auckland College.

High praise indeed for a report which delivered an honest assessment to government and further education colleges about what they are doing well and badly.

Employable skills

Sir Andrew Foster said the government had presided over “systemic weaknesses”, and colleges needed to bring poor teaching up to standard and improve leadership.

Christina Conroy (left) and Joanna Tait: Proud of their work

Businesses sometimes perceive that teaching is out of date and needs refreshing, his report said.

His vision is for a sector which is the key provider of the skills employers need.

But Dr John Brennan, Association of Colleges chief executive, said one of the core purposes of further education would always be “to transform individual lives and equip people to realise their hopes and dreams”.

Colleges form many partnerships and have an ability to be innovative - this is their great strength Christina Conroy

It is clear that colleges are unwilling to dilute their adult lifelong learning remit.

Delegates at the association’s annual conference say they have responded to every initiative the government has thrown at them over the years, including foundation degrees, beacon status and Skills for Life - and have got no financial recognition for their successes and adaptability.

Some college leaders may be reluctant to undergo another image change.

Christina Conroy, principal of Richmond Adult Community College, said her college already had strong links with employers.

Inadequate to outstanding Colleges must improve skills

“I have 600 lecturers who work part-time in industry.

“Colleges form many partnerships and have an ability to be innovative - this is their great strength.”

Conference delegates criticised “adult dating list site
” propaganda emanating from the CBI.

Dr Brennan said businesses needed to provide more training and identify the skills they needed rather than adult dating free internet
colleges.

Mix-up and muddle

“Sir Andrew has identified mix-up, muddle and inter-departmental warfare,” Ms Conroy said. “If you want a skilled nation, you have to start to lead from the top.”

Joanna Tait, whose college works in partnership with IBM, agrees. “We are keen to do more but what we need is support from the system to be able to do it,” she said.

But perhaps most of all, everyone seems to agree further education needs to make its presence felt and communicate the value of what it does.

“We need to adult dating free site uk
the value we have added to local areas,” Ms Conroy said.

“We have done ourselves a disservice by not doing so.”

But not everybody thinks further shifts in role will benefit colleges.

Malcolm Cooper now runs his own management consultancy for colleges in financial difficulty, after previously working in further education.

“Whenever the government encourages any kind of change there is chaos,” he said. “It’s good for my business but not for colleges.”

“I have a lot of sympathy with college principals who cannot plan for the skills they need long-term. This will undoubtedly lead to pain.”