RECENT BRIEFINGS (EXAMPLES)

 

 NB Silver Voices Members can obtain back copies of specific briefings by e-mailing info@silvervoices.co.uk 

 

APP-DRIVEN SOCIETY

Briefing 35/22, dated 14 July 2022, covers the uncontrolled spread of smartphone Apps in business and the public services to conduct transactions. Silver Voices is concerned that this trend risks excluding millions from everyday services and transactions and is clearly age-discriminatory. 

 

STATE PENSION STATISTICS

Briefing 32/22, dated 29 June 2022, provides statistics from the DWP that show that only 6% of state pensioners receive the top rate of £185 per week widely quoted in the media. 87% receive the old state pension rate of £142. 

 

COST-OF-LIVING CAMPAIGN

Briefing 28/22, dated 5 June 2022, analyses the Chancellor’s latest energy support package, and includes a survey of all members to determine the next steps in the campaign.

 

DIGITAL VOICE

Briefing 27/22, dated 30 May 2022, outlines the dangers of the project to abandon telephone landlines in favour of an internet-based system.  

 

QUEEN’S SPEECH

Briefing 25/22, dated 17 May 2022, covers the Queen’s Speech on future legislation, notable for its lack of measures to tackle the cost-of-living crisis. 

 

REBUILD GENERAL PRACTICE

Briefing 24/22, dated 11May 2022, reports on the campaign by frontline doctors to hold Government to its promises on increasing the number of GPs.  

 

ACCESSIBLE HOUSING

Briefing 22/22, dated 27 April 2022, reports on the lack of accessible housing in the UK and the long waiting lists for home adaptions. 

MAY LOCAL ELECTIONS

Briefing 19/22, dated 9 April 2022, urged older people to deny the Conservatives their votes in the May local elections in protest at the many broken promises to senior citizens, including the suspension of the triple lock. 

 

COVID FREE TESTING SHAMBLES

Briefing 17/22, dated 30 March 2022, called for free testing to be reinstated across the UK, particularly for those with symptoms, and for the fourth dose vaccine programme to be accelerated.

 

SPRING SPENDING STATEMENT

Briefing 16/22, dated 23 March, reported on the Chancellor’s mini-Budget that day, which contained no measures to support the plight of older people facing astronomical price increases. 

 

NHS AND SOCIAL CARE 

Briefing 15/22, dated 20 March 2022, reported on the continuing crisis in health and social care and the need for a proper recovery plan.  

 

FUTURE STATE PENSION RISES

Briefing 13/22, dated 8 March, calls for no further rises in the age at which the state pension becomes payable, for at least ten years.

 

DEMENTIA PROMISES BROKEN

Briefing 10/22, dated 19 February 2022, outlines the broken promises by the Government on dementia support and research. 

 

ENERGY PACKAGE

Briefing 8/22, dated 7 February 2022, criticises the energy support package announced by the Chancellor, which does little to help older people. 

 

NATIONAL INSURANCE RISE SOLD ON A LIE

Briefing 7/22, dated 2 February 2022, criticises the health and social care levy on National Insurance, from the perspective that it is being sold as necessary to fix the social care crisis, when it will do nothing of the sort.  

 

BBC LICENCE SETTLEMENT

Briefing 5/22, dated 22 January 2022, describes the Government settlement with the BBC over the future of the licence fee for the next six years. There are no provisions in the settlement to alter the position of the over 75s being pursued over non-payment.  

OPEN LETTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER

Our first briefing of the New Year, 01/22, dated 3 January 2022, covered an open letter to the Prime Minister indicating why older people have lost trust in his Government. The letter calls for urgent action on pensions and the health and social care crisis.

COVID-19 SURVEY

Our Briefing 64/21, dated 30 November 2021, outlined the results of our large survey of members on their attitudes to Government Covid restrictions. A large majority are still cautious about social mixing and want more protective measures introduced. 

BBC LOSES OUT ON BACK PAYMENTS FROM OVER 75s

Briefing 63/21, dated 23 November 2021, describes how the BBC can no longer claim back payments from unlicensed over 75s’ households, a blunder discovered by Silver Voices

THREE LINE WHIP TO DEFEAT TRIPLE LOCK AMENDMENT

Briefing 62/21, dated 16 November 2021, outlined the growing political opposition to the decision to suspend the Triple Lock on uprating state pensions, following a Lords’ amendment to reinstate the earnings link 

 

 BUDGET 2021

Briefing 57/21, dated 28 October 2021, outlined a Budget which excluded any reference to the concerns of older people over pensions, benefits, the cost of living crisis or social care. 

 

GP APPOINTMENTS CAMPAIGN 

 

Briefing 55/21, dated 17 October 2021, outlined the Government announcement on improving access to GPs by patients, explicitly recognising the Silver Voices request for patient choice to be the determining factor in whether a face-to-face appointment is granted. 

 

 CLIMATE CHANGE SURVEY and more

 

Briefing 53/21, dated 5 October 2021, provided a campaign round-up on the cost of living crisis, face-to-face GP appointments, free TV licences, and our climate change survey. The survey results are available here: 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/results/SM-HGV88CMY9/

 

FREE TV LICENCES CAMPAIGN: LATEST ADVICE 

 

Briefing 52/21, dated 28 September 2021, offered guidance to members, aged over 75, on how they could handle forthcoming visits from so-called ‘customer care’ staff from TV Licensing.

 

TRIPLE LOCK AND SOCIAL CARE ANNOUNCEMENTS

Our Briefing 48/21, dated 8 September 2021, covered the anger over the Government decision to suspend the Triple Lock on state pensions and pointed out some of the flaws in the social care reform plans.

 

WINTER FUEL PAYMENTS

Briefing 45/21, dated 17 August, pointed out that winter fuel payments have not been updated since 2011and that there is a need for these payments to be uplifted in line with rising energy prices. 

 

TRIPLE LOCK

Briefing 43/21, dated 4 August, outlined the threats to the triple lock on state pension increases and posed the question to members that if the Government scraps or suspends the lock, should we campaign for older voters to deny their vote to the Conservatives? 

BENEFITS UNDER ATTACK

Briefing 39/21 dated 12 July, covered the latest advice on the free TV licences campaign, and linked it to the latest benefits threat to free prescriptions for older people

NHS DENTISTS’ CRISIS

Briefing 38/21 dated 6 July outlined the crisis in NHS dentistry services across the UK and contained a survey on members’ experiences. 

 

CLIMATE EMERGENCY

Briefing 34/21 dated 16 June kicked off a debate on climate change and what contribution older people can make.

 

BREAKING THE IMPASSE ON FREE TV LICENCES

Briefing 31/21 dated 3 June 2021 included a Silver Voices letter to the Director General of the BBC calling for a joint approach to the Department of Culture to break the impasse over free TV licences for the over-75s.

FACE TO FACE MEETINGS WITH GPs

Briefing 30/21 dated 30 May 2021 proposes a campaign to enforce the right of patients to have a timely face to face appointment with their GP. The pressures of the pandemic are being used to alter the ways in which the NHS is delivered locally. Remote consultations only are inherently unsafe and discriminate against older patients.

UK STATE PENSION SHAME

Briefing 29/21, dated 24 May 2021, reported on  damning research by the House of Commons, showing how poor the UK state pension is in comparison to other developed countries and why pensioner poverty is so high in the UK. 

 

THE CHANGING FACE OF THE NHS

Briefing 26/21, dated 5 May 2021, outlined the insidious service transformations taking place in the NHS under cover of the pandemic, including increased charging for previously free services and refusal of face-to-face appointments with doctors.

VACCINATION SURVEY

Our Briefing 21/21 outlines the results of a major survey on the Covid-19 vaccination programme. There was strong support for a vaccine passport/certification scheme for both foreign and domestic use. And nine in ten members agreed that health and social care staff in direct contact with vulnerable people should be vaccinated.

RETIREMENT HOUSING

Our Briefing 14/21 proposed a new model of retirement homes, advanced community villages, which are self-sufficient in terms of funding and retain close links with the surrounding communities.  The Advanced Communities Prospectus can be accessed here:

Advanced Communities Newsletter

 

 COST OF DYING

Briefing 06/21 highlights the staggering rises in the costs of funerals over the last decade and the need for independent regulation and inspection of the funerals industry as recommended by the Competition and Markets Authority.

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