Action at birth needed to save problem children, insists Blair

Action at birth needed to save problem children, insists Blair
Age Concern has said it is disappointed that the social exclusion of older people was not addressed in a keynote speech by prime minister Tony Blair setting out the government’s strategy for the socially excluded.
Blair used the speech to trail next week’s social exclusion action plan and promised that children identified at risk of future offending would face home visits from health visitors for up to two years.
Source:- The Guardian, Wednesday 6 September 2006, page 11

Experts on social exclusion
Experts give their views on the government’s plans to intervene early in the lives of children from the most socially excluded families.
Source:- Society Guardian, Wednesday 6 September 2006, page 3

Bupa admits safety lapse after care home death
Bupa has pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the safety of a care home resident who died after falling while being hoisted into a bath by an inadequately trained care worker.
The healthcare giant, which runs 298 care homes, will be sentenced at Southwark crown court tomorrow.
Source:- The Guardian Wednesday 6 September 2006 page 11

Charity funding cuts in London break rules
A proposed 33 per cent cut in funding to voluntary organisations in London by the Association of London Government has been labelled a “complete breach” of the rules of engagement between the state and the voluntary sector.
The National Council of Voluntary Organisations said the move by the organisation that represents London boroughs was not acceptable.
Source:- Society Guardian, Wednesday 6 September 2006, page 7

Obesity hits sight
Being overweight doubles the risk of loss of sight, according to a report by the Royal National Institute of the Blind.
Source:- The Times, Wednesday 6 September 2006, page 2

Home Office makes sure asylum flight to Iraq is full
Five Iraqi Kurds were granted a last-minute injunction to stop their being forcibly removed on a flight to Iraq that left Britain yesterday.
However, the Home Office ensured the flight was full by putting five people from a reserve list on the plane, prompting concerns from the Refugee Council that they had been denied access to legal advice.
Source:- The Guardian, Wednesday 6 September 2006, page 10

Speech therapy quietly sidelined
Speech and language therapy services are in crisis because of a “devastating de-prioritisation” by primary care trusts, a report commissioned by The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists has said.
Source:- Society Guardian, Wednesday 6 September 2006, page 2

A new deal for older people must become a top political priority
Former cabinet minister Stephen Byers lays out his ideas for older people’s policies, ahead of a lecture hosted by charity Counsel and Care tomorrow.
Source:- Society Guardian, Wednesday 6 September 2006, page 4

Prisoner education found wanting
A bureaucratic, inward-looking culture in the prison service is preventing inmates from
improving their skills to get jobs on the outside, an investigation has found.
Source:- Society Guardian, Wednesday 6 September 2006, page 6

Paralysed author vows to dance all night after work-out wonder cure
A bestselling romantic novelist who was paralysed from the waist down for 16 years says that she has learnt to walk again after spending two minutes on a toning table.
Source:- The Times, Wednesday 6 September 2006, page 8

Key workers get top London allowances
There are large disparities in London weighting rates for public sector workers ranging from £2,000 to £6,300, a survey by Incomes Data Services has found.
Source:- Financial Times, Wednesday 6 September 2006, page 4

Morning-after pill for under age schoolgirls
The morning after pill could be given to schoolgirls under the age of consent at every school in England it has emerged.
School nurses are to be told to give out the pill and could arrange abortions for underage teenagers without their parents’ knowledge under plans announced by the prime minister yesterday.
The package of measures are part a government plan to tackle teenage pregnancy.
Source:- Daily Mail, Wednesday, 6 September 2006, page 10

Scottish news

Record level of rape and drug crimes
Rape and drug crime reached record heights in Scotland last year, despite the total number of offences falling to their lowest level since devolution.
Source:- The Herald, Wednesday 6 September 2006

Warning labels plan as drinks giants join battle against alcohol abuse
Alcohol was confirmed as the Scottish executive’s new public health battleground yesterday as it announced plans to work with the industry on problem drinking.Warning labels on drinks and advice on illnesses linked to excessive intake are among measures to be considered by ministers and alcohol companies.
Source:- The Scotsman, Wednesday 6 September 2006

Doctors prescribe self-help books
Self-help books are being made available on prescription in an attempt to tackle depression, eating disorders and other mental-health issues.
The scheme allows patients to borrow the books anonymously from local libraries for up to six weeks. The initiative has been introduced in Fife and Glasgow, and if successful it is likely to be extended to other health authorities across Scotland.
Source:- The Scotsman, Wednesday 6 September 2006

Pessimism and poverty reduce life expectancy in Scotland
The gap in life expectancy between rich and poor in Scotland is continuing to grow, new figures showed yesterday, with men in deprived areas expected to die almost eight years before their wealthier neighbours.
Source:- The Scotsman, Wednesday 6 September 2006

Welsh news

Wales needs 2, 000 extra social workers
More needs to be done to deal with Wales’ shortage of 2,000 social workers a leading director of social services has said.
Tony Garthwaite, director of personal services (social services and housing) at Bridgend Council said that despite improvements over recent years vacancy rates amongst social workers were still too high.
Garthwaite, who wrote a hard-hitting report on recruitment and retention in social care in Wales last year, added that salaries in the sector were also getting higher and that this was to be welcomed.
Source:- Western Mail, Wednesday, 6 September 2006