Society daily 05.01.2011

NHS hospital beds — Doctors have warned that bed blocking is on the rise again as people who are fit to leave hospital remain as they can't access vital care services at home. Photograph: Graham Turner for the Guardian

Today's top SocietyGuardian stories

Bed blocking on the rise as care cuts leave elderly stuck in hospital

'Savage' cuts to youth spending could rob a generation of chances

Anti-cuts campaigners meet to debate next move

Letters: self-indulgent charities must change

Patrick Kingsley: what happens to your Oxfam donations?

Peter Beresford: Society's hidden have found their protesting voice

All today's SocietyGuardian stories

Other news

• The rise in VAT to 20% will cut the amount of social care that charities can deliver, Sue Ryder Care warns in Community Care. It says the VAT hike will push its own tax bill over £1m, equivalent to six month's funding for a 16-bed hospice.

• Councils will be put under pressure to return to weekly bin collections after complaints over disrupted collections caused by bad weather and the Christmas holidays, reports the Daily Telegraph.

• Some 200,000 jobs will be cut by councils as a result of spending cuts, the GMB union has estimated, reports the BBC.

SocietyGuardian supplement highlights

Pioneering commissioning GPs talk about life on the on the 'dark side'

Randeep Ramesh: Andrew Lansley's NHS will become unrecognisable

Profile: Helen Browning, director, Soil Association

All today's SocietyGuardian supplement stories

Guardian and Observer Christmas Charity Appeal 2010

Charities working with disadvantaged young people in the UK will be the beneficiaries of this year's Guardian and Observer charity appeal.

Read profiles of our 10 chosen charities, see our pick of their photographs and make a donation in the Christmas Charity Appeal area of our site.

Events

HR Summit, 18 January, London. Creating the workforce you need to meet the challenges ahead. 2 for 1 delegate place offer available.

Public Services Summit: new models, new relationships, a new era. 10 & 11 February, St Albans. Join leading thinkers, practitioners and policy makers for discussion and debate about the future of our public services. 15% early bird discount available.

Mobile and Wireless Healthcare: enabling access to care at the point of need. 16 February, Birmingham. This conference is aimed at ICT and service delivery teams in the NHS to give them practical advice and guidance at a time when all we can be certain of is a reduction in public sector budgets. 2 for 1 delegate place offer available.

Public Sector Procurement, 17 February, Manchester. Only £99 to attend. A one-day conference for public sector buyers and suppliers, exploring new policy and innovation from across the north of England. Book two delegate places and get 10% off.