Athena Case Management

09/08/2026

New Institute for Obesity

Research charities set up new Institute for Obesity

Obesity is without doubt one of the major challenges we need to tackle, as the NHS struggles to cope with the increased levels of chronic diseases it causes and individuals suffer the misery of living with the condition.

Weight loss jabs may be part of the solution, but there is still a great deal we simply don’t understand. A new research institute aims to answer questions about obesity, its role in serious diseases and how it might be prevented.

£72 million investment from MRC and BHF. The Medical Research Council (MRC), in partnership with the British Heart Foundation (BHF), is investing £72 million in the UK Obesity Research Institute (UK-ORI).

It will be dedicated to tackling one of the UK’s most significant health challenges.

The investment from BHF will be focused on research into the impact of obesity on cardiovascular disease.

Impacting individuals and healthcare. It comes as obesity continues to place a growing burden on individuals, healthcare services and the economy.

In England alone, there were 8,716 hospital admissions directly attributable to obesity in 2022 to 2023, a 13% increase on the previous year.

During the same period, obesity was a factor in more than 1.2 million hospital admissions, an increase of 8% compared to 2021 to 2022.

What causes obesity?
UK-ORI will undertake research into the origins, prevention, treatment, and health consequences of obesity.

It will focus on how, and why, it affects some people and not others. It will bring together expertise in biomedical science, medicine and technology to develop effective, targeted treatments and improved health outcomes.

Exploring connections with chronic disease
Research will also look at the link between obesity and chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer.

Supported by experimental medicine, the institute will test biological mechanisms in humans and help ensure that promising new therapies are developed safely and effectively.

Translating research into treatments
A key ambition for UK-ORI is to accelerate the translation of research discoveries into real-world health benefits.

The institute will strengthen links between academia, industry and healthcare, helping ensure that scientific advances lead more quickly to patient benefit.

09/08/2026

Steering Social Care Into Safer Waters

Safer waters for social care?
We are sensing a tiny spark of optimism that the new Prime Minister’s determination to sort out adult social care will achieve the change that has been grasped for unsuccessfully so many times in the past 15 years.

CASCAIDr’s Belinda Schwehr, perfectly placed to witness the catastrophic failures of the current system, was inspired by Andy Burnham’s powerful speech launching the Big Conversation on social care, to write a statement on what any reform must actually deliver, with 10 clear points to focus on.

CASCAIDr CIC’s 10 Practical Suggestions for before, during and after the Casey Commission’s Big Conversation

1. Impose Timelines on Care Act Decision-Making

2. Stop Assuming Families Will Cope

3. Pay for Care at Realistic Rates

4. Fix the Boundaries

5. One National Pair of Forms

6. Show Commissioners (and the Public) the Money over the Longer-Term

7. Any New Care Funding Settlement Must Work for Everyone, Not Just Those with Property Wealth

8. Stop Announcing Ambition and Deferring the Decision

9. Fund Independent Advocacy Properly

10. Acknowledge That the Law Must Bind Whoever Runs the System

You can read the full article here (external link will open in a new browser tab or window)

The Big Conversation on Care

The speech that prompted Belinda Schwehr to put pen to paper was Andy Burnham’s, delivered less than a fortnight into his premiership, at an event hosted by Jewish Care. Alongside it, Baroness Louise Casey launched what her Commission calls “the most ambitious public conversation in a generation” – an invitation to the public to help shape the future of adult social care in England.

The Big Conversation on Care runs from 29 July 2026 to April 2027, and the Commission says it wants to hear from a million people: those who draw on care, their families, care workers, providers, and anyone with a view on what the system should look like. It opens with a deliberately plain question – “when we are old or disabled, or have a serious illness, who should support us and how?” – and people can take part online at caseycommission.co.uk/bigconversation, or through a Public Panel running alongside it.

The other headline from launch day was pace. Baroness Casey’s Commission had been due to leave its hardest funding decisions until 2028, conveniently close to the next general election. Mr Burnham has now asked her to report a year earlier, in summer 2027, backed by a new cross-government Ministerial Group intended to stop the usual departmental turf wars between health, housing and social care from slowing things down.

What the sector is saying

The reaction from across social care has been warmer than reform announcements usually get – with a note of “we’ve heard this before” running underneath.

Vic Rayner OBE, chief executive of the National Care Forum, called it “a momentous day for social care,” praising Mr Burnham for speaking “with passion and candour” and welcoming the accelerated timetable. She was equally struck by Baroness Casey’s own words on the Today programme that morning: “I don’t like the idea of profiteering out of human misery and human life. I object to that.” Rayner’s message to government was blunt about what a National Care Service needs to have at its heart: not-for-profit provision, a properly invested workforce, and a system that “embeds rights, fairness and choice for people.”

Local government, which will have to deliver whatever the Commission recommends, struck a more measured note. Cllr Dr Wendy Taylor MBE, chair of the LGA’s Health and Wellbeing Board, said the current mess “follows decades of national political indecision and delay,” not council failure, and that success “will require a new partnership between national government, local government and citizens” – one that will ultimately be judged by something simpler than any White Paper: whether people stay connected to what matters most in their lives.

That undertone of caution is exactly what CASCAIDr’s ten points are trying to head off. Their article traces the same funding pledge being made and broken by three different governing parties since 2014 – delayed by the Conservatives in 2015, re-legislated and delayed again in 2021-2023, then abandoned altogether by Labour in 2024. As they put it, a speech about direction is “not the same thing as a decision about how it will actually be funded,” and the Big Conversation risks becoming “a public engagement gloss placed over a timetable” unless government commits to when the real funding decisions get made – not just the ambition.

Help shape a fairer future

15/07/2026

Advance care planning (ACP) is not just for end-of-life care. It is a proactive process for adults of any age or health stage to document personal values, goals, and care preferences including what happens to your pets.

This ensures your voice guides medical and sometimes monetary decisions if you ever become temporarily or permanently unable to speak for yourself.

ACP encompasses a wide range of documents and considerations that are highly beneficial throughout your life:

Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA): A legal appointment that lets you choose a trusted person (a proxy) to make health and welfare and separately if required monetary decisions on your behalf if you ever lose the capacity to do so yourself.

Advance Statement: A written record of your general preferences, beliefs, and values (e.g., your preferred environment for care, religious considerations, and dietary choices).

Emergency Care Summaries: Plans like the ReSPECT Process allow you to outline your clinical care and treatment preferences in the event of a sudden emergency at any stage of your life.

Advance Decision to Refuse Treatment (ADRT): Also known as a Living Will, this allows you to refuse specific medical treatments in advance, which becomes legally binding if you meet the required criteria.

Planning ahead empowers you to stay in control of your wellbeing journey, reduces anxiety, and prevents difficult guesswork for your family and medical teams. You can review and update these plans whenever your circumstances or preferences change.

24/06/2026

Creating Memories Without Barriers

Accessibility at Elveden Forest, Center Parcs
Nestled within the Elveden Forest near Suffolk, Center Parcs has launched a stunning new enhanced family lodge specifically designed for guests with disabilities. A core mission for Center Parcs is to ensure that all guests are treated equally by providing a setting where families can create lasting memories, regardless of their individual needs.

A home away from home
For families with disabilities, a holiday can often be a challenge if the facilities aren’t equipped with the right assistive technology. This lodge was designed to change that, functioning as a true “home away from home” with specialised care at its heart.

Accessible bathroom at center parcsPressalit has contributed to the lodge’s high-end accessibility, which includes integrated ceiling track hoists and a sensory area. The bathroom is fully adapted with the Pressalit TL2 toilet lifter, which helps users transition safely between standing and sitting with a 400mm range and a 200kg capacity. To maximise dignity and independence, the lifter is paired with a Geberit wash-dry WC and Pressalit Plus support arms for added security.

The accessibility is further enhanced by a Pressalit Select height-adjustable basin lifter, which ensures the bathroom remains functional for the entire family; it can be easily lowered for seated users or raised for ambulant family members, while the Matrix Curve washbasin provides a comfortable and ergonomic design to lean into.

Changing Places make the village truly accessible
Beyond the lodge itself, the Elveden Forest village also features two Changing Places toilets, ensuring that families can enjoy all the park’s facilities without worrying about basic needs.

Pressalit is proud to collaborate with such an innovative company and to see their products making a difference in beautifully designed facilities for people with complex needs who require extra support.

Contact Pressalit directly for more information – phone 0118 923 2696

24/06/2026

Can We Help? NHS Continuing Healthcare Eligibility

NHS Continuing Healthcare eligibility falls despite unchanged rules
Thousands of people with serious health conditions may be missing out on NHS-funded care, according to new analysis from The King’s Fund.

The health think tank has found that eligibility rates for NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) have fallen significantly over recent years, despite there being no change to the official criteria used to determine who qualifies.

NHS Continuing Healthcare is a package of care arranged and funded entirely by the NHS for people whose primary need is related to their health. It can cover care provided in a person’s own home, a care home or another setting and is not means tested.

A particular area of concern is Fast Track NHS Continuing Healthcare, which is intended for people with a rapidly deteriorating condition that may be entering a terminal phase. The King’s Fund found that the proportion of Fast Track recipients later judged no longer eligible for NHS funding has increased by almost 30 per cent since 2017/18.

The findings raise questions about whether access to NHS-funded care is becoming more restrictive in practice, even though the legal framework and eligibility rules have remained the same.

Key points:
NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) provides fully funded care for people with significant health needs.
The King’s Fund has found falling eligibility rates despite no changes to the official rules.
The proportion of Fast Track recipients later found ineligible has risen by almost 30% since 2017/18.
People denied CHC may face care costs of thousands of pounds each month.
Eligibility depends on the nature and complexity of a person’s needs, not their diagnosis or finances.
Major financial consequences
The issue is particularly significant because of the high cost of social care.

Care home fees can easily exceed £6,000 per month, meaning that people who are not awarded NHS Continuing Healthcare may have to fund their own care through savings, pensions or the sale of property.

Campaigners and legal specialists say some families only discover that their relative may have been entitled to NHS funding after spending substantial sums on care. In some cases, decisions are later overturned following appeals.

For older and disabled people with complex needs, the difference between qualifying for CHC and being assessed as ineligible can have life-changing financial consequences.

Calls for closer scrutiny
The King’s Fund is calling for a review of how Continuing Healthcare operates as part of a wider examination of the relationship between the NHS and social care.

The organisation argues that the current system can be confusing for patients and families, with decisions often involving complex assessments of whether a person’s needs are primarily health-related or social care-related.

As governments continue to explore ways of improving integration between health and social care services, the report suggests that NHS Continuing Healthcare should receive greater attention to ensure people with the highest levels of need receive the support to which they are entitled.

Understanding NHS Continuing Healthcare
Many people are unaware that NHS Continuing Healthcare exists until a relative requires long-term care.

Eligibility is not based on a diagnosis, disability or financial circumstances. Instead, assessors consider the nature, intensity, complexity and unpredictability of a person’s needs to determine whether they have a “primary health need”.

People who believe they may be entitled to NHS Continuing Healthcare can request an assessment through their local NHS services.

With demand for both health and social care continuing to grow, the new findings are likely to renew debate about whether the current system is consistently identifying those who qualify for NHS-funded support.

18/06/2026

What We Do For You

Athena Case Management offers clear, coordinated support to help individuals understand and access the services provided by their local Integrated Care Boards (ICBs).

We guide clients through complex care pathways, ensuring they receive the right support, at the right time, from the right part of the system.

About Integrated Care Boards (ICBs)

ICBs are statutory NHS organisations responsible for planning and funding health services for local populations across England.

They have taken over commissioning responsibilities previously managed by Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) and oversee the majority of the local NHS budget.

ICBs play a central role in:

Planning local health services

Allocating NHS resources

Coordinating care across providers

Improving population health outcomes

How Athena Supports You

Personalised case coordination across ICB pathways

Clear guidance on available services and eligibility

Support with referrals, assessments, and care planning

Advocacy to ensure clients’ needs are understood and met

Navigation of multidisciplinary teams and community services

Why It Matters

The NHS landscape can be overwhelming. Athena Case Management ensures clients never have to navigate it alone.

We bring clarity, structure, and support to every step of the journey.

Athena Case ManagementEmpowering clients. Simplifying care pathways. Supporting better outcomes.

Get in touch for more information:

0116 2339356 or 0753371012

18/06/2026

Your Support Your Way

09/06/2026

20/04/2026

National Audit Office, Report on Shared Ownership Housing

A new investigation by the National Audit Office has reinforced concerns about shared ownership housing, warning that many buyers still do not fully understand the long-term financial risks, including rising service charges and costly staircasing fees.

Shared ownership schemes for buying a property in especially in older age may appear a very attractive way of “rightsizing” – moving into a suitable property at a reasonable cost.

Although there are many government-backed schemes that remains open to new older applicants, the NAO has warned that shared ownership buyers continue to face affordability pressures, rising service charges and unclear long-term costs.

20/04/2026

Tips for Managing Stress

Many people are experiencing higher levels of stress than usual. Rising living costs, pressures on health and social care services, and the challenges of managing long-term conditions or caring responsibilities can all take a toll on mental and physical wellbeing.

Research consistently shows that stress can affect sleep, energy levels, and overall health – and also that small, practical steps can make a meaningful difference.

Quick ways to reduce stress today

*Get outside for 10–15 minutes – fresh air and natural light can quickly lift your mood

*Speak to someone you trust – a quick chat can help put things into perspective

*Take a short break from screens and notifications
Focus on your breathing for a few minutes – slow, steady breaths can calm your mind

*Do one small, manageable task to regain a sense of control
Listen to music, read, or do something you enjoy for a short reset