The Land Registry sent me a pile of leaflets pointing out that older people who live away from their property (for example in a care home) run the risk of fraudsters taking over the title of their home without their knowledge and selling it on. You have to make sure the register is up-to-date and they know how to contact you if you live somewhere else. Otherwise, presumably, someone claiming to have taken over your house can simply pick up mail from the Land Registry and you would never know.

Contact them on: http://www.landregistry.gov.uk/ to get leaflets yourself; currently this issue is on their front page, but there’s loads of other property info there.

The question mark says it all. Phil No-hope (the minster for all things social care) said on 19^th January that the government, in response to the consultation on the review of the No Secrets guidance on adult safeguarding, would legislate. But it is only legislation to formalise a bureaucracy that is mostly there anyway: they want safeguarding adults panels, like safeguarding children panels, in every area. Most places have these, so it’s a bit pointless. He also said they would issue new and improved guidance. It’s 10 years now since the last major piece of guidance, so this is not surprising.

I imagine nothing will happen before the election and that the other lot, if they get in, will not be bothering. This is mainly because the media frenzy and the political wibble-wobbles don’t happen when older people are biffed, neglected or stolen from by their relatives or carers; only when it’s children.

See the announcement and connect with the documents on: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/News/Recentstories/DH_111276