Local councils across England overspent by £774 million on adult social care last year, the highest overspend in a decade, according to new figures from the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS). Pressures to meet legal duties have forced councils to divert funding away from early intervention and preventative care, cutting this part of the budget by over 10%.

Despite government ambitions to move health and care services closer to communities, social care leaders warn this goal is unattainable without proper investment. The growing complexity of care needs, alongside rising costs, has left councils focusing solely on crisis support. With tighter eligibility criteria expected, fewer people are likely to receive help before reaching breaking point.

Care providers and campaigners say this reactive approach puts extra pressure on the NHS and leaves vulnerable people at greater risk. Ongoing issues include a postcode lottery for Continuing Healthcare funding and care staff being asked to carry out NHS duties without additional funding. All social care directors surveyed said they expect NHS pressures to increase demand on their services in the coming year.

Sector leaders are calling for urgent funding reform, warning that without long-term investment in community-based care, the government’s prevention-focused vision for health and social care cannot be realised.

A growing grassroots campaign is warning that the government’s Access to Work scheme, which supports disabled people in employment, is now in serious jeopardy. The Access to Work Collective – a group of over 3,000 disabled individuals and allies – has launched the #AccessToNowhere campaign in response to mounting concerns about delays, funding reductions and mismanagement since early 2024.

Launched in 1994, the scheme provides practical help like specialist equipment, transport support, BSL interpreters and workplace assistants, allowing disabled employees to access and stay in work. It also eases pressure on employers by covering costs that might otherwise deter inclusive hiring. Despite its proven benefits, many now face award cuts of up to 60% and months-long delays in both new applications and renewals.

Campaigners say the system is now overwhelmed, with 62,000 applications still awaiting decisions and a backlog of 33,000 unpaid claims. Behind these statistics are real people – some who have already lost their jobs, and others struggling to stay in work without the support they’ve been promised.

Public figures like Rose Ayling-Ellis and Adam Pearson have condemned the cuts. They argue the scheme’s collapse risks pushing thousands of disabled people out of employment, calling it a failure of leadership and a step backwards for disability rights in the UK.

The Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Bill has cleared its Second Reading in Parliament, passing by 335 votes to 260, after the Government introduced last-minute changes to appease growing opposition. Mounting criticism from disability campaigners and over 120 Labour MPs nearly derailed the legislation, prompting the Government to delay key aspects of the proposed reforms.

Central to the backlash were changes to PIP, which many warned could deepen hardship for disabled people. In response, ministers announced that current recipients of PIP and the health element of Universal Credit will remain unaffected, with reforms applying only to new claimants. Still, disability organisations have dismissed these adjustments as inadequate.

A further concession was made with the announcement that no changes to PIP would occur before late 2026, following a comprehensive review led by Sir Stephen Timms. The review will include direct input from disabled people and focus on improving assessment accuracy, not reducing costs. Advocacy groups welcomed this development but warned that true reform must prioritise lived experience over financial cuts.

Critics argue the bill was pushed forward without key supporting evidence, including impact assessments and employment data. Campaigners say the reforms echo the harshness of past austerity measures and unfairly target disabled individuals to plug gaps in public spending.

A newly published 10-year vision for the NHS sets out to reshape the health service into one that prevents illness rather than simply treating it. The government’s blueprint aims to move much of the burden away from hospitals by investing in local care and early intervention. The plan highlights the need for inclusive care, especially for disabled people and those with learning disabilities, who continue to experience stark health inequalities and shorter life expectancy.

The strategy places emphasis on holistic neighbourhood teams that can offer more consistent support. Parents and young children are set to benefit from better developmental monitoring, while efforts will also focus on more inclusive, community-based care for people with complex needs. The plan was shaped by over 250,000 contributions through the "Change NHS" campaign, reflecting wide public and professional input.

Lord Darzi’s recent review revealed serious shortcomings in NHS performance, particularly around support for individuals with learning disabilities. Despite multiple targets set over the past decade, thousands remain detained in mental health facilities. Critics argue that without urgent, specific measures to address this, the latest targets risk falling short again.

While organisations like Mencap and the Health Foundation welcome the vision, they stress that lasting change hinges on investment, social care reform, and clear implementation plans - without which, the promises may never reach patients.

Food retailers and manufacturers in England will work alongside ministers on a new drive to make it easier for people to choose healthier options when shopping. The government’s latest strategy aims to tackle high obesity levels by encouraging supermarkets to promote nutritious products through incentives like loyalty points, offers, or changing store layouts. The idea forms part of a broader ten-year NHS improvement plan due to be published shortly.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the approach marks a shift from past efforts, favouring collaboration with businesses over strict regulation. The plans include asking major food firms to report on healthy food sales and meet new targets agreed with government. There’s also discussion about reformulating products to improve their nutritional content. Ministers believe these changes could help lower obesity rates, reduce pressure on health services, and support families to make better choices without dictating what they should buy.

Retailers have welcomed the move, though some experts warn the strategy must be far-reaching. Campaigners argue that without involving takeaways and convenience stores, progress will be limited. The government also intends to explore tighter rules on alcohol marketing and expand programmes supporting weight management. Vouchers rewarding healthy lifestyles are expected to be offered through a new app.

Critics stress that healthier food still costs significantly more than processed alternatives, and a more comprehensive plan is needed to make nutritious diets affordable and accessible for all.

A new code of practice has been unveiled by the Government to ensure consistent training for staff working in health and social care settings. The guidance applies to all providers regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and aims to improve how people with learning disabilities and autistic individuals are supported. This training standard carries the name of Oliver McGowan, a teenager from Bristol who sadly died after being given medication despite clear objections from both him and his family.

Oliver, who was autistic and had a learning disability as well as epilepsy, lost his life in circumstances his parents believe were entirely avoidable. They say better understanding among healthcare professionals could have prevented his death. The new code outlines how staff should be trained so that future care is safer and more person-centred.

From April 2025, care providers offering this training will be able to claim back costs through a government-funded scheme, with funding set aside for the following year. This is in line with the Health and Care Act 2022, which made it mandatory for CQC-registered services to ensure staff complete this type of training.

Care Minister Stephen Kinnock praised Oliver’s parents for their dedication in pushing for change, saying their efforts will help create a fairer, more compassionate system for some of society’s most vulnerable people.

More than 120 Labour back-benchers have placed their names on a “reasoned amendment” designed to halt the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill at its Commons Second Reading next week. If the Speaker selects the amendment and the other opposition parties fall in behind it, ministers could lose the vote - an outcome that would stall the flagship welfare overhaul.

The dissenting MPs argue the Bill fails basic tests of fairness and compassion. Their text says it lacks a credible plan to give disabled people personalised help into work, was drawn up without meaningful input from those affected, and rests on flimsy evidence. Departmental analysis, they note, forecasts that 250,000 more people, including 50,000 children, would be pushed into relative poverty. The amendment also warns that tightening functional descriptors will penalise those with fluctuating mental-health conditions or other “non-visible” impairments, undermining dignity and independence.

Downing Street insists there is a “moral case” for change, describing the present welfare model as unsustainable. Measures set out in the recent green paper target savings of £5 billion by 2030 through adjustments to Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance and PIP. The Prime Minister argues that without reform future support could collapse altogether.

Disability organisations and anti-poverty campaigners dismiss that narrative. They accuse the government of rushing ahead with austerity-style cutbacks while withholding detail of how assessments will change. With so many unknowns, opponents say few MPs could endorse the legislation in good conscience, warning that once again disabled and working-class households are being told to shoulder the burden.

A new set of “Healthy Living Toolkits” has been released by the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Learning Disabilities and Autism Collaborative to help people with learning disabilities enjoy better nutrition, hydration and physical activity. By tackling lifestyle factors linked to serious illness, the resource aims to narrow the long-standing health gap faced by this community.

Data show that individuals with learning disabilities are far more likely to develop conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, respiratory problems and some cancers. Locally, 11 per cent are underweight while 33 per cent live with obesity, underscoring the need for tailored support that encourages healthy choices and routine monitoring.

Senior strategic dietitian Noor Al-Refae, who led the project, said persistent calls for a single, easy-to-navigate guide inspired the work. Separate versions have been produced for GP teams, paid carers, family carers and people with learning disabilities themselves. “Providing clear, relevant information means we can prevent avoidable illness and help people live longer, healthier lives,” she explained.

Each toolkit sets out role-specific advice, practical meal tips and simple exercise ideas, while promoting accessible community facilities such as wheelchair-friendly scales. The full collection, including an easy-read edition, is available free of charge on the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Health and Wellbeing Partnership website.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has mapped out the next three years of Whitehall funding, promising a 3 per cent annual rise for the NHS - about £29 billion extra overall - and a renewed push to anchor services in local communities. Money will train thousands more GPs and create millions of additional appointments, a move health leaders say is vital as rising numbers of people live with complex physical and mental conditions.

Social care wins some help, chiefly for children: £555 million from a Transformation Fund to keep more families together and £560 million to modernise children’s homes and foster places. Adult provision is less clear-cut. Up to £4 billion could flow into councils via the Better Care Fund by 2028-29, but ministers are waiting for Baroness Casey’s commission to recommend deeper reform. Critics warn that, without urgent cash, services will continue to buckle.

Education fares better. Core school funding climbs by £4.7 billion in cash terms, with a chunk reserved for expanding free meals and covering next year’s teacher-pay deal. Reeves is also pledging £2.3 billion a year for repairs plus £2.4 billion to rebuild more than 500 schools, while a forthcoming White Paper will overhaul the special educational needs and disabilities system. A further £1.2 billion will widen apprenticeships and training.

Housing gets the largest single headline: a £39 billion decade-long commitment to social and affordable homes - the biggest pledge in half a century. Disability groups welcomed investment in children, SEND and the NHS but condemned the absence of stand-alone adult-care funding, arguing that without a solid settlement the government’s growth ambitions risk faltering.

Autistic adults are markedly more prone to Parkinson’s disease, with new research showing a four-fold increase in risk compared with non-autistic peers. Swedish registry records reveal that the overlap is visible even after taking account of income, family history of psychiatric illness and known genetic susceptibility to Parkinson’s.

The investigation, led by Karolinska Institutet, analysed health data for more than two million people born in Sweden and tracked from young adulthood onwards. By focusing on diagnoses made before the age of fifty, the team could test whether autism spectrum disorder (ASD) predicts early-onset Parkinson’s rather than the more common late-life form of the condition.

One proposal is that both disorders spring from similar faults in the brain’s dopamine circuitry. Dopamine governs movement and social motivation, so defects in its signalling could conceivably underpin both the motor decline seen in Parkinson’s and the social-communication differences central to autism. “Shared biological drivers are likely,” said study author Weiyao Yin, who hopes the findings push research towards common molecular pathways.

While Parkinson’s before mid-life remains rare – even in autistic groups – the authors urge clinicians to keep an eye on neurological symptoms in autistic patients, especially those already managing multiple health issues or complex medication regimes. The project received backing from the Simons Foundation and the Swedish Research Council.