iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 02/10/2026

None the wiser about my initial question here about Pension Age Disability Payment rules for care home residents in Scotland having read this. www.mygov.scot/pension-age-...

If you live in a care home

If you live in care home:

you can apply if you pay all your own care costs
you cannot usually get Pension Age Disability Payment if a local council pays for your care
if a local council pays for your care, you may apply for Pension Age Disability Payment, but you’ll only get it if you leave the care home

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 02/10/2026

So reading a comparison with Scotland re: free personal care in the FT, how do benefits aside from this work in Scotland? Because this is close to the £ that you can already get in England as self-funder in care from attendance allowance. www.ft.com/content/14e6...

Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found at https://help.ft.com/faq/gifting-and-sharing-an-article/what-is-a-gift-article/.
https://www.ft.com/content/14e6933e-20ce-40be-80fd-c2f0b11450e9?syn-25a6b1a6=1

“It is important to note that the Scottish system does not protect homes and savings — someone in a residential care home in Scotland receives weekly support from the state of £260 against a weekly bill from the care home of £930 or more, leaving a gap of £670 if they fail the means test,” Dilnot said.

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 01/10/2026

I remembered Christ Whitty's 2023 report on ageing has this paragraph that paints a useful picture here: assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/667409...

Ill health and disability in older age is not inevitable
Whilst diseases, long term conditions, and disabilities become more common and
accumulate as we become older, they are far from inevitable, even in later years. For
example, dementia prevalence in the UK is only around 3% for those aged 70 to 74 years
and 11% at 80 to 84 years (in other words, around nine out of ten 80 to 84 year olds do not
have dementia); in those aged 90 to 94 years, around seven out of ten will not have
dementia.1 There is often an assumption that people in older age will need a significant
amount of care and support, and for many, especially those with frailty, that is true, resulting
in a significant loss of independence and often practical and financial strains on families.
However, UK census data from 2021 show that around eight in ten people aged over
90 years were not living in care homes and less than 4% of those aged 80 to 84 were in care
homes.2 There are many straightforward actions that individuals, the NHS and the
government can take to reduce risks of dementia, degenerative disease and frailty for
future generations still further.

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 25/09/2026

Now reading the Graun's analysis piece and what I now don't understand is knock-on effects on clinician time, is ADHD diagnosis demand affecting everything else in psychiatry? www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

Sharp rises in referrals for clinical assessments over the past six years mean nearly 1 million people in England are on ADHD waiting lists, with the average wait already over a year (64 weeks). About 295,000 await an autism assessment.

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 25/09/2026

Also, I wish this story was really about this management issue: Outsourcing to private providers and then seeing bills soar due to very high demand **that could've been predicted** is repeated across adult social care, children's homes, and SEND provision. www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

West Yorkshire NHS integrated care board has introduced a minimum waiting time of two years from referral for anyone seeking an ADHD or autism assessment with an independent provider. That was in response to its bill for such assessments soaring from £7m in 2023-24 to £21m last year, it said.

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 19/09/2026

We already did this to fund defence, so ... 🤷🏻‍♀️

We should reallocate funds that are sent to foreign governments and use this to finance elderly care in this country.

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 19/09/2026

I thought I'd go an try and give the Big Conversation on adult social care another go in good faith, but I just can't really because this is not how anything works 🤷🏻‍♀️

We should make workers pay £1 a month directly to their local NHS to support medical care. The elderly voluntarily pay.

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 11/09/2026

The DHSC is the department for health and SOCIAL CARE and fixing NHS buildings and systems alone will not work if nothing is done about heat in social care settings. www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

The DHSC has set up a heat taskforce to come up with ideas to help the NHS cope with extreme heat. Many hospitals struggled to maintain normal care this summer during the heatwaves.

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 10/09/2026

Another point raised here in the Graun report on PIP is the idea of a fast track for those with terminal illness. This system already exists for Attendance Allowance (pension age). Stopping benefits (and carers allowance, etc.) after 28 days in hospital should be ended for both PIP and AA.

Other recommendations include:

Introducing a fast-track process to allow new claimants with a terminal illness to claim Pip more speedily – and reducing the number of benefit reassessments for people with lifelong or degenerative conditions.

Reviewing strict and “unnecessarily stressful” rules that suspend an individual’s Pip award automatically after they have spent more than 28 consecutive days in hospital.

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 07/09/2026

Some conclusions from the King's Fund:

The King’s Fund’s view is that improving the interface between health and care depends on widening eligibility for publicly funded social care. There are different ways this could be achieved – and all come at a cost. Making the current means tested system more generous would represent a minimum step forward by providing protection for more families against catastrophic care costs. Other options, such as free personal care or social insurance models, would go further in narrowing the gap between health and care by increasing collective risk‑sharing and providing clearer entitlement.

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 07/09/2026

I would add that constant turn-over of staff is very stressful for those drawing on care.

Unequal pay, terms and conditions contribute to social care professionals moving from social care into NHS roles, reducing capacity in one part of the system without increasing overall system capability. At the same time, workforce gaps in the NHS in community nursing, therapy services and primary care constrain capacity at the points where collaboration with social care is most important, such as discharge and reablement. When the workforce in both sectors is stretched, neither has enough headroom for effective collaboration or time to embed shared approaches.

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 07/09/2026

On structural issues with commissioning and working together, effect of ICB budget cuts in 2025. (Adding this to my list of ways in which Labour have actively undermined social care.)

Repeated reorganisation of NHS commissioning has added further instability. The statutory introduction of integrated care systems in 2022 brought together providers and commissioners of NHS services with local authorities, and further changes in 2025 narrowed the role of ICBs and drastically cut their budgets by 50%. These structural changes disrupt established ways of working and make it harder for teams operating at the interface of health and care to build and maintain steady and effective working relationships. They also draw leadership focus and time away from improving day-to-day service delivery.

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 07/09/2026

Kind of covered actually, this is a great explainer of a system that is designed to work against the best interests of those in need of care.

What CHC exposes about the interface of health and social care

The fundamental problems of CHC are not solely due to poor co-ordination or inconsistent local practice. The requirement to determine whether a person has a ‘primary health need’ can force services and health care professionals into making distinctions that bear little relation to lived experience. Care needs associated with frailty, dementia or neurological conditions are rarely solely medical or personal, yet CHC requires them to be treated as such. In doing so, it transforms questions about how to best support each of the many tens of thousands of people with complex care needs into disputes about funding responsibility. Until this artificial divide between health and care is addressed, CHC will continue to generate instability, uncertainty and significant financial anxiety for those caught at this interface.

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 07/09/2026

Handy short explainer on NHS Continuing Health Care:

CHC is a package of health and social care provided outside hospital, often at home or in a care home, which is arranged and funded solely by the NHS. People who are eligible have long-term and complex physical or mental health needs. To qualify, their needs must primarily be for health care rather than for social care. CHC sits at the heart of the health and social care interface and has become a flashpoint for disputes about inequity, statutory responsibilities, and cost.

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 05/09/2026

So the 38 influential posters voting has a list of alternative ATProto hosts and it's (1) looking a lot like Mastodon and (2) Anisota and Red Dwarf are not honouring requiring sign-in to view profile, so FYI. Of course, this platform is completely open so this is inevitable ... but still FYI.

List of alternative ATProto sites from a drop down they are: Bluesky, Northsky, Blacksky, Anisota, Mu, Red Dwarf.

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 02/09/2026

Went to the Bar Convent to see the Arma Christi (unforch I think we saw the replica) and my two favourites were the excellent prayer dial and St Anne as Jesus's grandma.

Wooden statue of St Anne, holding the Virgin Mary on her lap and who is holding a baby Jesus. The Virgin Mary has a crown.

Very intricate pray dial with a spinny wheel at the centre with an outer ring saying things like "Harken to God" and the inner ring "universal providence"

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 02/09/2026

Bottom of page 12, files.ippr.org/production/D...

The opportunities to build these kinds of in-person connections have withered away.
Austerity decimated youth services, reducing funding by three-quarters (76 per cent)
since 2010–11 (YMCA 2026); leaving many young people with limited access to free
spaces and activities. The number of youth workers halved in England between 2012–
13 and 2018–19 (ibid). These cuts were the result of political choices that withdrew
public funding from young people. A ‘Big Society’ that could never materialise
was supposed to fill the gap (Gibbons and Hilber 2022). This resulted in reduced
attainment and increased crime in areas where youth clubs closed (Villa 2024).

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 01/09/2026

What value does this have.

Mark, 61
Proposal content

We should use volunteers from the local community to assist with basic tasks such as feeding and providing drinks to reduce care home costs.

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 01/09/2026

What are we doing here.

screenshot from platform, the proposal from Yianni, 48 is "We should stop over-medicating individuals in the care system and focus on supporting their participation in society and exercise."

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 31/08/2026

The weather, it is so pleasant 😌

21 degC, sunny intervals and a moderate breeze

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 29/08/2026

Bit surprised at these proposed data update frequencies given that the DfT thinks passengers need diversion and cancellation updates?

17. Question 17.

At what frequency do you think we should require operators to provide updates to the data? 
Never
At a time chosen by the operator
Daily
Weekly
Bi-weekly
Monthly
Quarterly
Less than a year
Yearly
More than yearly
Another time limit:

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 29/08/2026

We are apparently still using paper for certain types of bus route registration and variation.

Currently, applications to register, vary or cancel a local bus service can be made to the Traffic Commissioner using either paper or electronic means. The paper method is mostly used by operators and is no longer considered fit for purpose due to:

the high administrative burden on TCs
the technical limitations of conducting the registration process on paper rather than electronically
the government’s wider ambitions to digitise public services

There is an existing electronic method for registration, known as electronic bus service registration (EBSR), but this is used by a relatively small proportion of operators and requires updating to make it fit for purpose for the future. Digitising the registration process is expected to bring about benefits to TC analysis and reporting

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 29/08/2026

Kind of a weird thing is that bustimes.org already does what passengers need here, but I guess the DfT can't really admit this?

Equally, passengers want to be able to find out:

where buses in their area and beyond go
when a bus will arrive
what features they can expect to see on local services

Without comprehensive data, none of this is possible and bus performance becomes hard to monitor, preventing both local improvement and strategic national coordination.

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 29/08/2026

Via @transportforall.org.uk newsletter, open consultation form the DfT on info about bus services 🚏🚍 www.gov.uk/government/c...

Help improve bus service information

Knowing where buses go, when routes change and what services are available should be easy. But our research shows that for many disabled people, poor information is a barrier to travel.

The Department for Transport wants your views on plans for a new national source of information about local bus services. Tell them what an accessible information system looks like, including what data should be collected and published, by 11:59pm on 23 September.

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 27/08/2026

For Northern Ireland you are limited to searching on postcodes for location. (I appreciate that this likely a limitation that cannot be easily overcome by the service, but does the service actually work for the public with this limitation?)

Where do you want to check?
England, Scotland or Wales
Northern Ireland
Enter a postcode

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 27/08/2026

More tyre-kicking on location, what if I'm going walking and want to check if there's wildfire smoke? Doesn't appear to have national park or mountain names as locations. I also tried Cairngorm, Skiddaw, Snowdon, Eryri, Yr Wyddfa (in English language interface) with same results.

We could not find 'Cairn gorm'

If you searched for a place in England, Scotland or Wales, you should:

check the spelling
enter a broader location
enter a correct postcode

If you searched for a place in Northern Ireland, check that you have entered the correct postcode.

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 27/08/2026

Taking a look at the advice pages ... I don't know how anyone in a rural area would check to see if agricultural activities were scheduled to occur in their area? Particularly, the air quality forecast in this service does not to my knowledge take this into account 🤷🏻‍♀️

Rural areas

Rural areas have less than 10,000 residents, for example a village, hamlet or small town.

Some pollutants are often higher in the countryside, such as ozone.

Consider the following actions if you live or work in a rural area:

check for agricultural activities and plan to avoid them – ploughing fields, spreading fertilisers, and spraying pesticides can all increase air pollution levels
avoid bonfires and burning garden waste
check pollution forecasts – pollution can travel long distances and you cannot always see the sources

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 27/08/2026

Sorry, this is very underwhelming. Basically you type in a postcode or location and it gives you (what I assume is) the Defra AQI. The email and text alert sign-up options are off the bottom of the page, at least for me on my computer.

Screenshot of the new service.

Text begins: Air quality in Westminster Park, Cheshire West and Chester

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 21/08/2026

I think a lot of you would benefit from reading the RCPsych response to the Channel 4 documentary on ADHD. A good response from a medical standpoint that supports the cultural approach (neurodiversity affirming) many of us here want to see. www.rcpsych.ac.uk/news-and-fea...

While we understand individuals may have their own opinions about the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD, the College takes an evidence-based approach. Research suggests 3 to 5% of the population have ADHD, indicating that it is still under-recognised, under-diagnosed and under-treated in the UK.

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 20/08/2026

The Healthwatch Rotherham blog post explains much better than the Graun article, including covering speech impediments which are a disability. Includes a handy list of what to do. healthwatchrotherham.org.uk/blog/2026-07...

What you can do

Ask to speak to a human. Often this triggers you to be put in a hold queue for the human receptionist.
Make a complaint to your GP practice manager. Often, the practice manager can give you the exact process to go through to get an appointment via human communication and log the dissatisfaction at the AI service.
Go into your GP surgery, this process ensures you can speak to a human in a timely manner.
If you require reasonable adjustments for booking or keeping track of your GP appointments, speak to a receptionist. Legally, reasonable requirements have to be made for you so you can receive fair and equal access to healthcare.

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 17/08/2026

Critically, there is an evaluation of Access to Work **Plus** (AtW+) and it found that (1) the scheme didn't serve those with the highest needs and (2) the delays in standard AtW hampered the effectiveness of the Plus scheme. www.gov.uk/government/p...

3.3 Case managers felt AtW+ did not always reach employees with the highest in-work needs.

Case managers felt the eligibility criteria were too broad, particularly around the inclusion of those who had an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). Case managers felt this meant AtW+ was not reaching those with the highest in-work needs or those who faced the most significant barriers to employment.
3.4 The timelines for all stages of the AtW+ process was seen as slow.

The wider delays in the standard Access to Work scheme impacted on AtW+ clearance times and payments. This meant some participants complained about long timelines for the application process and delays in receiving payments. This was reported to have caused delays in starting job roles, lost employment opportunities, significant financial risks while waiting for outcomes, and stress among employees.

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 17/08/2026

I am not sure what happened in the end to the factory in this ITV report. On re-reading, the factory had been operating for 30 years but its future was in jeopardy due to delayed payments from Access to Work **Plus**. www.itv.com/news/meridia...

Headline: Hampshire factory that employs dozens of disabled adults facing closure, with images of the workers in the factory

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 16/08/2026

Worked it out, they will sell you an advance single, per screenshot. If you are selected to trial the app they give you £15 free credit.

Northern ticket website screen shot, £3.35 for an Advance Single

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 14/08/2026

From the website: www.gov.uk/alerts/14-au... I agree about the language. The second sentence sounds like they might have lifted the text from guidance from one of the national parks that has a local fire ban.

Emergency Alert

Issued by the UK Government

There is a very high risk of wildfires nationally. Residents, landowners and visitors should not undertake any activity that could start a fire, including disposable barbecues, firepits, garden incinerators or fireworks. Even a small flame can rapidly develop into a major wildfire placing lives, homes, businesses and emergency responders at risk.

Follow official updates and report signs of fire immediately by calling 999. Search gov.uk/alerts for more information.

Sent by the UK government at 7:01pm on Friday 14 August 2026

This alert was sent to England and Wales.

Surrounding areas might also have received the alert.

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 13/08/2026

Just one paragraph of the ICO reprimand, four years no patch 🤯 PDF here: ico.org.uk/media2/njrja...

Cumulative security hotfixes were released by Kentico between
September 2019 - July 2023. None of these security hotfixes were
applied, meaning the ACRO website remained on an unpatched and
vulnerable version.

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 12/08/2026

Am really impressed by the air conditioning systems of Mercedes eCitaro buses! Consistently gets CO2 down below 1000 ppm even with 70% or so occupancy of the bus and it's cool. Brilliant stuff 🚏🚍

Me holding my CO2 meter on the bus, reading is 912 ppm.

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 12/08/2026

Picture taken 10 July 2026.

View of Knaresborough viaduct from the main viewing seating at the castle, only one and a bit arches visible due to very tall tree on the left.

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 11/08/2026

Very cool upcoming railway exhibition at Knaresborough Heritage Centre from 23rd September. Knaresborough on the Tracks: the Story of Knaresborough's Railway and How Not to Build a Viaduct. Details will hopefully be here nearer the time: knaresboroughtownmuseum.org.uk

Poster for Knaresborough on the Tracks exhibition. There is a drawing of an early train with many small characters pulling the train, protesting the train speed, and as passengers on the train.

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 09/08/2026

We need more frequent and more visible guidance on not starting fires of any kind. We are all used to Great Britain being damp and wet and the fire severity index is not being communicated.

Fire severity index with most of England and Wales orange for very high.

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 05/08/2026

I think this is correct, and perhaps I am just less pessimistic that we can achieve this culturally?

There is some evidence that improving social care is actually part of the solution to its refusal: a study examining preferences in countries in the OECD found that “older adults in countries with greater national expenditure on old age support … showed a stronger preference for formal care”. Nobody wants to deal with bad service, and social care is no different. This bodes well, but alone it will not be enough. We need to undo people’s view of dependency as a source of shame. This requires a culture shift. I don’t know how we achieve it, but centring the principles of the disability justice movement is a good place to start. This movement has worked indefatigably to show that people are worthy beyond their productivity, and that interdependence is a fundamental of existence rather than a personal failing. Too few of us have imbibed this wisdom, and the consequences are being played out in households everywhere; we must change that for future generations.

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 31/07/2026

The Bee Network has a data structure for bus stop closures, I'm insanely jealous.

little warning triangles on bustimes.org

description of the closure including timings and dates

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 30/07/2026

Another Big Issue article covering this issue for a deaf council worker. At some point, we need to ask if this is market shaping for BSL interpretation. www.bigissue.com/news/social-...

The Access to Work scheme is failing deaf BSL users, said Robert Geaney, head of policy and campaigns at RNID.

“If the scheme doesn’t provide enough funding for essential interpreter support, people whose first language is BSL cannot communicate with their colleagues or fully participate in the workplace, which can undermine people’s confidence and risks them feeling isolated, which is just not fair,” he said.

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 30/07/2026

Removing job aides and cutting funds available for support (in some cases such that it is not possible to then buy that support from the market) is now very common.

rora’s own support has been cut from 45 hours to 20 per week, with the hourly rate for the role reduced from £30 to £17.50. Her job aide has been removed completely – she told Big Issue this amounts to tens of thousands of pounds of cuts.

The timing could hardly have been worse. In the same month she learned her Access to Work award would be cut, Arora secured two of the biggest achievements of her career: funding from Arts Council England and a prestigious Peggy Ramsay Foundation Award to develop The Burgundy Book. The musical is based on her accident and recovery but the funding is for the production, not for her own support worker.

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 24/07/2026

Fire severity index (experience.arcgis.com/experience/3...) looks like this for tomorrow. Not good. Really really hope we get the rain as forecast on Sunday.

Fire severity map for England and Wales, mostly very high in orange but Lincolnshire and surrounds is Exceptional in red. Cumbria/Lancashire is low.

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 24/07/2026

We need to do better than this for air quality forecasting in the vicinity of wildfires. uk-air.defra.gov.uk

Defra Air Quality forecast, everywhere is green for low except part of the south coast of England. I highlighted the text that says "However, increased air pollution levels are also likely in the vicinity of any significant wildfires, and downwind of their locations. These levels may be significantly higher than those indicated by the forecast maps "

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 24/07/2026

Women in our 40s and 50s vote and we would like this to be reformed, thanks. I think this will become a bigger issue esp for those pinched between teenage kids and older parents. www.ft.com/content/c314...

While most voters agree the costs of illness should be shared, there is no agreement on how far that extends to dressing or shopping for an elderly relative.

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Ann (she/her) @agvbergin.net · 23/07/2026

I think it's fairly obvious that this was because they had a baby rather than the price increases and I do think folk on here could have more sympathy with this.

the screenshot of the couple in plymouth with their little kid who said it was due to the ending of the bus fare cap at £2

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