Healthwatch has found four areas of improvement for home care services following new research.
The new report, Home care services: what people told Healthwatch about their experiences analyses the experiences of 3,415 people, their families and front line staff across 52 local areas between August 2015 and June 2017.
The report found that most people had positive things to say about their home care, and that services are invaluable to many people - both for the quality of care provided and the support and company of care workers.

Site investigation works for phase one of the Swansea Central development are due to start in late August.
The works will pave the way for new attractions including a 3-500 capacity digital indoor arena.
Work on phase one, which includes a digital square, a broad pedestrian bridge over Oystermouth Road, a hotel and a new carp park on the current LC carp park site, is expected to start next year. It is expected to be completed in 2020.

10 minutes of brisk walking every day can have great benefits on your health and improve your quality of life, Public Health England says.
As part of the ’Everybody active, every day’ framework, a national, evidence-based approach to embed physical activity into the fabric of daily life, Public Health England has found that just 10 minutes of moderate intensity activity each day can be beneficial to your health and well-being.

New Which? smoke alarm tests have revealed than an expensive, smart smoke alarm is unsafe.
The smoke alarm failed to detect smoke in two fire situations and has been named by Which? as a Don’t Buy.
One sample of the Devolo Home Control Smoke Detector failed to detect smoke at all in a fast-flaming plastics-based fire. When it was after tested with smoke from a solvent-based fire, it again failed to detect any smoke and sound the alarm.

Changes to social care to allow extra control should be benefitting more people, a new report says.
The Audit Scotland found no evidence of the change needed to fully implement a 10-year strategy for self-directed support (SDS).
Since 2014, SDS means that people who need care from a local authority have the option of being given money to organise it themselves. Councils spend £3.4 billon annually on social care, providing support for more than 200,000 vulnerable adults and 18,000 children and their families.

Councillors have launched an ambitious new framework to transform the operating model of Aberdeen City Council.
The framework aims to address the growing challenges of the council. A new target operating model aims to create a customer-focused structure and a series of digital platforms that will change the way the organisation currently works.

NICE is urging councils in England to help adults have more control over day-to-day tasks like cooking and cleaning.

Phase 1 of the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme has won the Large Project of the Year award at the 2017 NEC awards in London.
The NEC Awards recognise excellence in project delivery and showcase examples of good practice through collaboration from across the world.
The driving force behind the award winning scheme is a project team made up of experts from Leeds City Council, Environment Agency, BMMjv (a joint venture between BAM Nutall and Mott MacDonald) and ARUP.