Charity and Voluntary Sector

PCS: The government's plans to open up more public services to voluntary groups could mean a bonanza for fraudsters if cuts to the charity regulator are not reversed, the PCS union warns. At the same time as encouraging more of the third sector to take control of services, the government is planning to cut the Charity Commission’s budget by a third - a move that will leave the commission unable to fulfil is important functions, the union says.
 
PCS members from the Charity Commission told MPs recently that, in 2008, there was an estimated £32m of fraud in the charitable sector and that commission staff have long felt they had insufficient resources to tackle the problem effectively.
Press release ~ Read PCS's alternative to the cuts
 
DWP: Community groups in 30 areas across the country can now bid for money to help older people keep active & make the most of their later lives. As part of its Big Society ambition, the Government is providing £1m to fund ‘Active at 60’, a project that will help older people who are most at risk of loneliness & social isolation.
Press release ~ Community Development Foundation ~ NHS Choices: Keep Active at 60
 
DUK: The scale of the "postcode lottery" of care that patients can expect across England, and the different amounts of money health authorities spend on health issues, has been highlighted for the first time in an NHS survey.  The NHS Atlas of Variation has found that some NHS trusts are failing in key areas including diabetes care, cancer and stroke.  The atlas, which consists of 34 maps, shows that people with Type 2 diabetes in the SW of England are twice as likely to have an amputation, than those in the SE.
Press release ~ NHS atlas ~ Guide to diabetes ~ How Diabetes UK helps ~ How to get involved
 
CRUK: CANCER patients from deprived backgrounds are more likely to develop life-threatening health problems, research published in the British Journal of Cancer shows. The study found that less affluent patients are 50% more likely to develop at least one serious illness like heart disease, tuberculosis, dementia or diabetes, which could reduce their chance of recovering from cancer.
Press release
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