One in 10 homeless is ex-forces

By Mithran Samuel, Maria Ahmed, Derren Hayes and Amy Taylor
 
Patientline cuts call charges

Hospital telephone provider Patientline has reversed its controversial decision to increase call charges from hospital beds by 160% and decided to cut them instead.

Calls will be cut from today to a 10p minimum charge, down from 40p, while call charges will be 10p a minute, dowm from 26p.

The company was criticised for proposing such a huge increase, a decision taken to reverse huge losses sustained since it entered a private finance initiative deal with the Department of Health in 2002.

Source:- The Financial Times Wednesday 8 August 2007 page 4

Fourth boy’s suicide

A teenage boy has taken his life in an area of Northern Ireland where three other young people have committed suicide this summer.

The body of Paul Cairns, 14, was found in a shed behind his home in Ballyvarley in County Armagh on Sunday, two months after three boys committed suicide in the nearby village of Laurelvale.

Source:- The Times Wednesday 8 August 2007 page 23

One in 10 homeless is ex-forces

As many as 10% of homeless people are ex-Armed Forces personnel, a veteran’s charity said yesterday, though this has fallen from 22% in 1997.

However, the Sir Oswald Stoll Foundation fears that the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan may make things worse and has called on the government to provide more support for those service personnel who are or become homeless.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Wednesday 8 August 2007 page 12

Boy was shot for refusing to join a gang, mother says

A 15-year-old boy who was shot dead in Moss Side, Manchester, last September, was killed because he refused to join a local gang, his mother told his inquest yesterday.

Barabara Reid told the inquest that Jessie James was told that he had to choose between joining one of two local gangs, and his defiance “humiliated” the gangsters into killing him.

Source:- The Guardian Wednesday 8 August 2007 page 7

One in five young adults is jobless

New figures revealed yesterday show one in five young adults are not in employment education or training.

The statistics show 1.25 million 16-24 year olds were doing nothing, a 20 per cent rise since Labour came to power.

Source:- Daily Mail, Wednesday, August 8 2007, page 2

Living in a nowhere land

She was an articulate, eccentric Beatles fan whose move to the city of her heroes turned into a nightmare. The lonely death of a modern day Eleanor Rigby.

Source:- Guardian Society, Wednesday 8 August 2007, page 1
 
Fitting response

The arrival of large numbers of workers from the new EU member states has propelled many councils into new territory.

Source:- Guardian Society, Wednesday 8 August 2007, page 1
 
Can-do councillor

The only non-white member of Birmingham Council’s cabinet on why he has put his lucrative legal career on hold to help create the opportunities that will stop Britain ‘sleepwalking’ towards segregation.

Source:- Guardian Society, Wednesday 8 August 2007, page 5
 
Timed out

Some of society’s most vulnerable people are at risk of being left without legal representation as reforms force laws centre to take on the least complicated cases.

Source:- Guardian Society, Wednesday 8 August 2007, page 6
 
Sovereign remedy

After 100 years, the King’s Fund, Britain’s most established health think-tank says it is now time for change.

Source:- Guardian Society, Wednesday 8 August 2007, page 7

Scottish news

‘Postcode lottery’ for groundbreaking eye drug

Patients losing their eyesight are facing a postcode lottery over accessing groundbreaking treatment for their condition.

While the drug Lucentis is already available in some of Scotland’s board areas, it is yet to be introduced in places such as Glasgow.

In June, the Scottish Medicines Consortium, the body which advises NHS Scotland on new treatments, backed the therapy, however, almost two months on, a number of health boards have still to make it available to patients.

Source:- The Herald, Wednesday 8th August

Call to end use of colleges as ‘day centres for disabled’

The Disability Rights Commission (DRC) has warned colleges must overhaul their provision for disabled students to comply with new legislation.

Since the Disability Equality Duty came into force in December, three colleges have been warned and eight others are under investigation for failing to meet its requirements.

The DRC says action is needed to prevent thousands more Scots falling into an education “revolving door” which gives few qualifications and a life on benefits.

Source:- The Scotsman, Wednesday 8th August

Welsh news

Teen sold for sex in return for diesel

A man was found guilty of selling a teenage girl for sex in return for diesel at Cardiff Crown Court.

David John Chaney, 58, was convicted of procuring the girl to become a prostitute from the age of 15. He was also found guilty of five counts of indecently assaulting the girl. The jury is today considering one remaining charge against him of raping the girl.

Source:- Western Mail, Wednesday, August 8 2007

Backing for staff

Disabled workers in south Wales are taking part in a nationwide attempt to try to save Remploy factories earmarked for closure.

Remploy factories in Bridgend, Aberdare and Treforest, all set to close under recent proposals, will be visited by GMB trade union officials on September 11 as  part of a tour of all the factories.

Source:- South Wales Echo, Wednesday, 8 August 2007

 

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