By Clare Jerrom.
‘Shifty’ Whiting changed stories, Sarah jury told
Lewes crown court was told that a jigsaw of compelling scientific evidence proved that Roy Whiting abducted and killed Sarah Payne in July last year.
Timothy Langdale QC said Roy Whiting had been shifty, lied and was evasive when questioned about his movements on the weekend that the girl vanished.
In his closing speech, Langdale said he had given two dramatically different stories about his movements on 1 July last year. He initially told police he had been to a fun fair, but earlier this week, it emerged he had also visited a number of parks before driving home to Littlehampton.
He denied he had been on the prowl for children, and also denies kidnap and murder.
Sally O’Neill QC is due to begin her closing speech for the defence today.
Source:- The Times Friday 7 December page 11
Schizophrenia link to lack of ethnic community
Levels of schizophrenia among black people may depend on the size of the ethnic minority communities in which they live, according to research published today.
The study reveals that there are more likely to be proportionately more patients with the disorder when they are living among fewer people from the same ethnic background.
The lower proportion of non-whites in an area, the higher the rate of schizophrenia, said the study of mental health in people in Camberwell in south London, which was conducted over 10 years to 1997.
Higher levels of schizophrenia have long been reported among Africans and Afro Caribbeans, but this study published in the British Medical Journal suggested rates might be worse where individuals lacked social networks to protect against discrimination and alienation.
The study was carried out by researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry in London.
Source:- The Guardian Friday 7 December page 9
Private involvement in NHS is here to stay, says Milburn
The private sector will play a permanent and increasing role in National Health Service provision, the government pledged last night.
Tony Blair said the government would go much further than the scheme announced yesterday, which will allow 180,000 patients to be treated in a private or NHS hospital if they have been waiting for an operation for over six months.
People waiting for heart operations will be the first to benefit.
Blair said: "I will not let ideology or dogma prevent this government from doing what it knows to be right for patients."
Source:- The Independent Friday 7 December page 1
‘I’ve no idea if I could cope caring for a sick relative’
The widespread closure of nursing homes for the old and ill must be reversed, the Princess Royal says.
Source:- Daily Telegraph Friday 7 December page 11
Scottish newspapers
Using private hospitals would cut NHS waiting lists by 10,000
Using private hospitals to treat NHS patients would cut hospital waiting lists by up to 10,000, it was claimed last night.
Gordon Masterton, chairperson of the Scottish Independent Hospitals Associations, said that ministers could make substantial cuts in Scotland’s 80,000-long waiting list if they entered into full partnership with the private sector.
Masterton’s admission, however, contradicts recent assertions by health minister Malcolm Chisholm that with a total capacity of 900 beds, the private sector was so small it could not provide any real hope.
Masterton said spare capacity in private hospitals varied from very busy on the lead up to Christmas to hardly used in summer months. He claimed the spare capacity could be harnessed if the executive gave a clear lead to the trusts and co-ordinated planning between the two sectors.
Source:- The Scotsman Friday 7 December 01
I will put cancer unit back on track
The troubleshooter ordered to cure a crisis at Scotland’s largest cancer centre said his role would be an "enormous challenge".
Dr Adam Bryson said reversing the decline at Glasgow’s Beatson oncology centre would be difficult after the resignation of four consultants.
Yesterday, he said he would recruit abroad if necessary to fill 10 vacant posts, six of which are newly created, after talks with staff, his director and the chief executive of Greater Glasgow NHS Board.
Former NHS medical director Bryson was appointed to manage Beatson after Malcolm Chisholm ordered it to be taken out of the control of North Glasgow NHS Trust.
Source:- The Scotsman Friday 7 December
