'Social Care - one of the biggest unresolved issues of our time - and comparable with the pensions crisis'.

Until Radio 4's 'You and Yours' programme launched a groundbreaking 'Care in the UK' season, the future and funding of Social Care for older and disabled people was not high on the agenda. However,that changed during January 2008,

with the development of 3 online devices, together with on air broadcasts.

We informed and educated listeners, promoted awareness and prompted national debate, by developing a 'Care Calculator', a 'Care Map' and a 'Care Questionnaire'. They were contained within a specially built 'Care in the UK' website, which also included Have Your Say, Information, and Links and Contacts. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/youandyours/careintheuk/index.sh...

Our groundbreaking interactive Care Calculator, developed in conjunction with the London School of Economics, showed people the level of Social Care they might get, on average, in England. It was revealing and shocking to many. Listeners played a 'game', choosing hypothetical scenarios, to see what care they might get from councils, subject to means testing and eligibility criteria. It prompted a huge response - please see below. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/youandyours/careintheuk/calculat...

We also created another first - a 'Care Map' of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The 'zoom in' map is a practical, first-step-guide for people who don't know where to go or how to get support in their area. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/youandyours/careintheuk/map.shtm...

The Care Questionnaire encouraged people to give their views about how they want Social Care to be funded and provided in the future. The LSE's Dr Jose-Luis Fernandez commented: 'This is the first time that such broad web based consultation has been carried out, and that it is very timely given the forthcoming Green Paper and the increasingly tighter Local Authority eligibility criteria. The survey should provide a very interesting picture of society's attitudes towards the social care system.' http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/youandyours/careintheuk/question...

Importantly, the Department of Health agreed that listener emails, letters and comments would be forwarded to the national consultation, ahead of a Green Paper on Social Care Funding. The Care Minister Ivan Lewis commented:'I think the Care Calculator's excellent, I think it'll raise awareness…..and will help people to ... think through the consequences, to think about the caring circumstances they may find themselves in.'

Links to the 'Care in the UK' site were carried by scores of leading charities and organisations, BBC News Online and the BBC 'Where I Live' Sites. We hosted a Messageboard and Bloggers blogged. Woman's Hour, Today, Moneybox, Radio 5 Live, Radio 4 Bulletins, Pick of the Week, BBC Local Radio, Community Care's website, Guardian Society.co.uk, The Guardian, Daily Mail, BBC Breakfast, BBC TV 6 O'clock News, and The Politics Show all ran care stories, and linked to the 'Care in the UK' site. The site is ongoing and continually updated.

In the month itself the Care Calculator page was visited by 81,000 people in a single week, the 8th most visited Radio 4 page. Hits on the 'You and Yours' website in January were three times the usual number and our Health podcast downloads almost doubled from 25,000 in December 07 to 46,000 in January 08.

Nominated by ANDREW SMITH, 31 May 2008

'Social Care - one of the biggest unresolved issues of our time - and comparable with the pensions crisis'.

'You and Yours' and 'Woman's Hour' pushed this much neglected issue high up the Government's agenda by launching a month long 'Care in the UK' season across Radio 4 and other parts of the BBC. Thousands of listeners, viewers and web users shared their experiences about the current system and offered solutions for the future of Social Care funding.

Through a combination of groundbreaking new media developments, Messageboards, Podcasts, Blogs, Emails, Phone In programmes and on air radio and television broadcasts, the public (including service users, carers and older and disabled people), were uniquely able to speak to and question the key decision makers in the care sector, including the Care Minister, as well as those who influence those decision makers, like Chief Executives of charities, Directors of Social Services, care providers and regulators.

Importantly, the Department of Health agreed that listener emails, letters and comments would be formally included in their national consultation ahead of a Green Paper on Social Care Funding.

The Prime Minister Gordon Brown told 'You and Yours':

' I welcome the fact that so many people are contributing through the work of the programme and the excellent programmes that you do. I also think it's really important we hear the whole range of concerns that people have. From your listeners I think we will hear information that will influence what we do.'

To facilitate discourse, You and Yours created a 'Care Calculator', a 'Care Map' and a 'Care Questionnaire', contained within a specially built 'Care in the UK' website, which also included Have Your Say, Information, and Links and Contacts. The website is ongoing and continually updated. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/youandyours/careintheuk/index.sh...

The interactive Care Calculator, developed in conjunction with the London School of Economics, showed people the level of social care they might get, on average, in England. It was revealing and shocking to many. Listeners played a 'game', choosing hypothetical scenarios, to see what care they might get from councils, subject to means testing and eligibility criteria. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/youandyours/careintheuk/calculat...

We also created another first - a Care Map of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The 'zoom in' map is a practical, first-step-guide for people who don't know where to go or how to get support, including contact numbers and support organisations in their area. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/youandyours/careintheuk/map.shtm...

The Care Questionnaire encouraged people to give their views about how they want Social Care to be funded and provided in the future. Those views will also be forwarded to the Government's national consultation on Social Care. The LSE's Dr Jose-Luis Fernandez commented: 'This is the first time that such broad web based consultation has been carried out, and that it is very timely given the forthcoming Green Paper and the increasingly tighter Local Authority eligibility criteria. The survey should provide a very interesting picture of society's attitudes towards the social care system.' http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/youandyours/careintheuk/question...

In the month itself the Care Calculator page was visited by 81,000 people in a single week, the 8th most visited Radio 4 page. Hits on the 'You and Yours' website in January were three times the usual number and our Health podcast downloads almost doubled from 25,000 in December 07 to 46,000 in January 08.

Nominated by ANDREW SMITH, 31 May 2008

i am sick to death of listening to this global warming nonsense-it is utter bullshit and the perpetrators of this scare mongering should be flogged

Submitted by george gibson, 23 December 2008

I was preparing for Christmas while listening to your programme about writing your story and with whom I can get in touch to read it and advice about publishing . Can you give me more dtails of contacts and Tel No'splease It was Christmasnot concentrating properly!

Submitted by Hazelbeuret, 06 January 2009

Gordon brown tells us he wishes to hear how people feel about what he is doing, yet he bans the old 100 watt bulb without giving us any opportunity to protest.

Submitted by D.A. Hannigan, 12 January 2009

Bankers should of course be held to account and, if possible, prosecuted for wilful incompetence, which has led to misery for so many people. The knock-on effects of their behaviour will be immense. They have received billions of pounds of tax-payers money which should have been used to support helath, education and social services, etc. and despite this they are considering taking obscene bonuses. Apologies are not enough. They should be penalized for their mistakes - doctors, teachers, nurses, social workers would be hounded out of their jobs for such wanton disregard for their responsiblities. But then our government is not without blame: they allowed these people to operate with very little restraint.

Bankers should be made to repay bonuses paid within the last three years (at least) and they should not be paid further rewards for creating this infernal mess. Unfortunately, they will probably get off scott free while ordinary people will continue to pay for years to come with loss of jobs, loss of interest on savings, and loss of investment in essential services.

Submitted by Mary Rochford, 10 February 2009

Yes - bankers have been greedy and the government seems only too relieved to heap more blame onto them.

However, it would, perhaps be more appropriate for them to follow President Obama's example and freeze all politicians' tax-funded salaries, expenses and goldplated pensions. Then perhaps they could at least be seen attempting to practice what they have so readily been preaching to the long suffering unemployed, savers and pensioners.If they keep bleating how they understand the hardship being caused, why hasnt the question of a freeze on their remuneration been

mentioned before.

Submitted by Mary Johnstone, 17 February 2009

Each month I receive a small dividend on an F&C investment. 20% tax is deducted, although I do not pay Income Tax. I have to reclaim it on a tax form. I do this annually and several weeks later, I receive the payment back. This means the Tax man has the use of 20% of my dividend over the year.Why can't I receive it Tax-free in the first place?

Submitted by Wendy Godfrey., 04 March 2009