Census reveals wide extent of mixed psychiatric wards

Census reveals wide extent of mixed psychiatric wards
A census of psychiatric inpatients has found that 55 per cent have to share sleeping accommodation or bathrooms with members of the opposite sex, despite government claims that 99 per cent of trusts met requirements for single-sex wards.The census also confirmed that black and some mixed race people were three times more likely to be admitted to a psychiatric ward than the average for white British, Indian and Chinese groups.
Source:- The Guardian, Friday 23 March 2007, page 6

Alcohol and tobacco cause more harm than Ecstasy, study claims
Alcohol and tobacco are more harmful than illegal drugs such as cannabis and Ecstasy, according to a new drug classification system set out by scientists.
Source:- The Times, Friday 23 March 2007, page 33

Women’s charity will open hostel for men who beat their wives
A women’s charity is to open the first hostel for men who beat up their partners.
The £728,000 project in Sunderland will offer accommodation and treatment. It will be run by
Wearside Women in Need.
Source:- The Times, Friday 23 March 2007, page 26

Kids sit on yob juries
Children involved in low-level crime will be judged by a panel of peers in a restorative justice scheme being set up in Preston in Lancashire.Under the plans, offenders will have to sign acceptable behaviour contracts under which they will be required to make amends for their behaviour and stay out of trouble.
Source:- Daily Mirror, Friday 23 March 2007, page 34

Depression ‘damaging’
Labour peer and economist Lord Layard has re-iterated calls for the government to invest in talking therapies to tackle depression, given its prevalence and link to unemployment.
He said mental illness should be a key issue for Labour because it affected one in three families and because it accounted for more incapacity benefit claimants than there were people claiming unemployment benefit.
Source:- Daily Mirror, Friday 23 March 2007, page 37

Reckless NHS recruitment blamed for cash shortage
NHS planning has been a disastrous failure, leading to an uncontrolled boom in the workforce followed by a bust in budgets, a report by MPs says.
The health service set out in 1999 to recruit 20,000 more nurses by 2004 but hired 67,878 — 340 per cent over target. It also recruited twice as many GPs as planned and 69 per cent more health professionals, such as physiotherapists.
Source:- The Times, Friday 23 March 2007, page 14

Leaving school before 18 will become criminal offence
Teenagers who drop out of school or training at 16 will face criminal action and £50 on-the-spot fines under plans to raise the age for leaving full-time education.
Source:- The Times, Friday 23 March 2007, page 8

Scottish news
 
Children’s plea on asylum family
Children handed a petition signed by more than 800 people to the first minister Jack McConnell calling for the release of a family of asylum seekers from a detention centre in Scotland.
The Waku family, who fled the Democratic Republic of Congo six years ago, were removed from their home in Cardonald, Glasgow, and taken to the Dungavel detention centre by immigration officers after failing to gain asylum in Scotland.
Friends of the children at Lourdes secondary school collected 885 signatures calling for the family to be released immediately.
Source:- The Scotsman, Friday 23 March 2007

Extra £15m needed to counter ‘dementia epidemic’
The Scottish executive must spend an extra £15 million to tackle Scotland’s epidemic of dementia, campaigners have said.
Alzheimer Scotland said that the number of people with dementia will increase by 75 per cent in 25 years, from 58,000 to 102,000 in 2031.
The charity’s manifesto said the new Scottish parliament needed to pledge an extra £15 million to help the growing number of dementia sufferers and their carers.
Source:- The Scotsman, Friday 23 March 2007

Welsh news

No social care news today.