Health service must act to tackle rise in dementia, says watchdog

Health service must act to tackle rise in dementia, says watchdog

The steep rise in dementia in England is presenting a “significant and urgent challenge” to health and care services, yet the condition is still given low priority by the government, according to a study by the National Audit Office.

Source:- The Guardian, Wednesday 4 July 2007, page 8
 
 
NHS antenatal care ‘denied to migrants’

Pregnant women are being denied antenatal care by the NHS because of their immigration status, endangering mother and baby, medical charity Medecins du Monde has found.

Source:- The Guardian, Wednesday 4 July 2007, page 11

Truancy warning on raising school leaving age to 18

Thousands more teenagers face ending up with criminal records due to truancy as a result of government plans to raise the leaving age to 18.

Richard Williams, chief executive of education charity Rathbone, made the claim as the charity and the Nuffield Foundation launched an inquiry into why young people aged 16 to 18 are not in education, employment or training.

Under government plans, all teenagers will have to stay on in education or training until 18.

Source:- The Independent Wednesday 4 July 2007 page 5

Elderly starved of home help

Councils are restricting eligibility and raising charges for home care, a survey by charity Counsel and Care has revealed.

Source:- The Daily Mail Wednesday 4 July 2007 page 10

Baby’s skull ‘caved in by sitter’

A babysitter killed an 11-month-old baby in her care by smashing her head against a wall and then hurling her down a flight of stairs, Preston Crown Court heard yesterday.

Prosecutor Andrew O’Byrne said Lynn Jeffrey carried out “the brutal, callous and inexplicable” murder of Courtney Ann Shailes while looking after her when her mother was out.

Source:- The Sun Wednesday 4 July 2007 page 15

Nursery where child died ‘ignored safety risk’

A toddler choked to death on the draw string of a cloth bag hung from her cot despite such items being a well recognised risk.

Molly Cunliffe, who was 16-monthes-old when she died, tangled herself up in the rope tied to her cot’s bars by staff at Tiddlywinks nursery in Gloucester.

Source:- The Times, Wednesday, 4 July 2007, page 11

Scottish news

A union has warned work at Scotland’s biggest social work department could be disrupted from next week in a row about pay and job regrading involving 600 social care workers.

They will begin an indefinite work to rule from Monday after a ballot returned 97% of workers in support.

Social work staff and unions say a strike is inevitable because they claim David Comley, Glasgow council’s director of social work, who is about to leave his £110,000-plus-a-year post, has threatened that anyone refusing tasks will be sent home, in breach of contract. Union officials warned if anybody was suspended for a breach of contract, staff would walk out.

Source:- The Herald, Wednesday 4 July

Why free care became a lottery

A report on behalf of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation is to reveal a hopeless lack of planning in the implementation of the free personal care policy which has led to under-funding and a postcode lottery of services.

“Prior to the introduction of free personal care, no attempt was made to accurately cost personal care,” says the report, conducted by Professor David Bell, Alison Bowes and Alison Dawson of Stirling University.

The problems are thrown into sharp focus by the fact that in 2004-05, Argyll and Bute Council was spending £8,000 a year on each of its free personal care clients, while neighbouring North Ayrshire spent £1,500.

Source:- The Herald, Wednesday 4 July

Welsh news

A council announced its second set of plans to deal with surplus school places last night.

Cardiff Council said that action had to be taken to deal with the 8, 500 empty places in Cardiff schools.

Source:- Western Mail, Wednesday, 4 July 2007

Inquests into deaths of patients ruled out

Inquests into the deaths of 21 people who were patients of a GP cleared of murder will not take place it was announced yesterday.

County Durham Coroner Andrew Tweddle said he did not have “reason to believe” inquests needed to be held.

Dr Howard Martin, 72, who lives in Gwynedd was acquitted of the murder of three men nearly two years ago.

Source:- Western Mail, Wednesday July 4 2007

Vulnerable children ‘need advocate’

The Conservatives are set to argue that the most vulnerable children in Wales need and independent advocate to put across their side today.

The party are concerned that it children want to complain about a local authority or health body the only advocacy services they have access to are those ran by the organisations themselves.

Source:- Western Mail, Wednesday July 4 2007