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Councils ‘under huge pressure’ to meet social care fair funding deadline
Local authorities will struggle to meet a government deadline to submit evidence about social care fair funding to Whitehall, senior figures in the sector have warned MPs.
Sarah Pickup, deputy chief executive of the Local Government Association, was among those raising concerns while giving evidence to the Commons levelling up, housing & communities committee's inquiry into the long-term funding of adult social care.
As part of the reforms of adult social care laid out in the Health & Social Care bill, the Department of Health & Social Care has announced a fair cost of care fund to help local authorities to prepare their markets for reform.
However, a condition of accessing the £1.6bn fund is that councils give DHSC evidence of the work they are completing to prepare for the Health & Social Care bill.
This includes submitting by 14th October:
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Cost of care exercises for 65+ care homes and 18+ domiciliary care
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A provisional market sustainability plan which uses the cost of care exercise as a key input to identify risks in the local market, with councils expected to submit a final plan in February 2023
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A spend report that details how funding allocated for 2022-23 is being spent in line with the fund’s purpose
Source: LGC, 26 April 2022
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USA: Atlantic City dealers’ union backs casino smoking ban
A union representing Atlantic City casino dealers is calling on New Jersey lawmakers to prohibit smoking in the resort’s casinos.
The United Auto Workers (UAW) union wrote earlier this week to state legislators asking them to hold hearings on a bill that would close a loophole in state law that leaves casinos as virtually the only indoor workplace where smoking is permitted. The letter was made public yesterday (28th April).
“Our members include dealers who sit inches away from patrons who blow smoke directly into their face for eight hours a day, every single day,” read the letter on behalf of workers at Caesars, Bally’s and Tropicana casinos. “It is simply unacceptable knowing what we know about the dangers of secondhand smoke. No worker in the state of NJ [New Jersey] should be forced to breathe cancer-causing chemicals every single day.”
For nearly two years, a group of Atlantic City dealers has been pushing lawmakers to prohibit smoking in the casinos. But the casinos’ trade group, The Casino Association of New Jersey, says doing so would place the casinos at a competitive disadvantage in the crowded northeast casino market, particularly when seven of the nine casinos have not exceeded the level of gross operating profit they enjoyed before the pandemic hit.
The UAW rejected what it called “the scare tactics” employed by the casinos, adding nothing is scarier than the health risks of being repeatedly exposed to secondhand smoke.
“We will not stand idly by and watch our members choose between their health and their job,” said the letter. “We all have a right to breathe clean air at our workplaces.”
Source: The Associated Press, 28 April 2022
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USA: FDA moves to ban menthol cigarettes and flavoured cigars
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday (28th April) issued a long-awaited proposal to ban menthol cigarettes and flavoured cigars, a major victory for anti-smoking advocates but one that could dent sales at tobacco companies.
The proposal, which comes a year after the agency announced the plan, still needs to be finalised, and could take years to implement as it is likely to face stiff opposition from big tobacco.
“The proposed rules would help prevent children from becoming the next generation of smokers and help adult smokers quit,” said Health and Human Services Secretary, Xavier Becerra.
For decades, anti-smoking groups have argued that menthol cigarettes contribute to disproportionate health burdens on Black communities and play a role in luring young people into smoking.
The FDA said the public can submit their comments on the rule through 5 July from 5 May, and it will decide whether to issue a final ruling after reviewing them.
Source: The Guardian, 28 April 2022
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Cochrane review of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation - short survey to evaluate approach
The Cochrane group are currently evaluating the living approach to their Cochrane review of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation and gathering feedback via a short survey.
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Let's Talk E-cigarettes podcast, ep. 15
In the latest episode of ‘Let’s talk e-cigarettes’ Assistant Professor Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Dr Nicola Lindson discuss the emerging evidence in e-cigarette research and interview Assistant Professor Alex Liber. This podcast is a companion to the electronic cigarettes Cochrane living systematic review and shares the evidence from the monthly searches.
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ASH Daily News is a digest of published news on smoking-related topics. ASH is not responsible for the content of external websites. ASH does not necessarily endorse the material contained in this bulletin.
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