Care England Daily Press Round-Up (29.08.2025)
National Papers
Older autistic people need more help after years of misdiagnosis, review finds
Research estimates 90% of Britons over 50 with autism aren’t getting right treatment and face added difficulties
Nine in ten autistic people over 40 are undiagnosed, research suggests
This could make them “more susceptible to age-related problems” and socially isolated in older age, researchers warned.
Vaccine against shingles could slash heart attack risk by a fifth, study shows
The vaccine used against shingles can reduce a person's chances of suffering a heart attack by fifth, according to a global review, amid growing evidence that jabs can help people with cardiovascular disease
Media
Ministers didn't do cost review of council mergers
MHCLG based its cost estimates on a 2020 report commissioned by the County Council Network (CCN) that said £2.9bn could be saved over five years. But the CCN chair and Leader of Surrey County Council, who is now seeking to have his county split into fewer new councils, has since revised his analysis and now says the reorganisation could make no savings and actually cost money in some scenarios.
Government and Stakeholder Updates
NHS reliant on beds in the independent sector for mental health care
Nationally, there has been a long-term focus in mental health policy on moving care out of hospitals and into the community – from deinstitutionalisation to the recent community mental health transformation programme within the NHS Long Term Plan.
Sector Updates
Cuts have hit council financial information, report finds
Councillors and members of the public are not being presented with accurate or easy to understand information about local authority budgets, a report has found.
Podcast: Mempathy
Mempathy is a podcast about dementia-related memory loss, hosted by Professor Catherine Loveday, a memory expert who has spent the last 12 years putting her research into practice to support her own mum. In the series, she speaks with Sonia Beldom about everyday issues that arise for families and carers, such as how to have tricky conversations, improve sleep and to scaffold memory.
LGA calls for supported housing investment to reduce strain on health and care services
The Local Government Association is urging Government to address subsidy rules and invest in supported housing to reduce pressures on health services and ensure effective implementation of the Supported Housing Act.