A summary of social care stories in the main newspapers (with page references)

Including Sunday newspapers,

By David Callaghan and Reg McKay.

Left appalled as Blunkett is tipped for Home
Secretary

The left wing of the Labour Party is said to be unhappy at the
prospect of David Blunkett, who is currently education secretary
taking over as home secretary from Jack Straw after the general
election. Blunkett, who is also seen as a potential successor to
prime minister Tony Blair, will lead a crackdown on street
crime.

Straw is tipped to take on John Prescott’s current job at the
department of the environment transport and the regions, with
Prescott, the deputy prime minister, becoming a cabinet
‘trouble-shooter’.

Health secretary Alan Milburn is expected to keep his job so he
can see through the reforms to the NHS begun when he succeeded
Frank Dobson.

Source:- The Independent on Sunday 8 April page 8

No 10 split on job rights for mothers

Prime minister Tony Blair is to set up an independent commission
to examine the rights of mothers to work part-time.

The commission will look at ways to ensure women are able to
enjoy flexible working after giving birth, but it may stop short of
recommending a legally enforceable right for women to reduce their
hours.

Blair has already promised employers there will no new
legislation on employment in the next two years.

Source:- The Observer Sunday 8 April page 8

Over 65s ignore safe sex warnings

Older people are more promiscuous and their rates of sexual
disease are rising, with 10 per cent of new HIV cases being among
the over-65s. They have missed out on safe sex education aimed at
younger people.

Tessa Harding, head of policy at Help The Aged, said there was
very little public recognition of the growing problem because it is
not a subject people usually talk about.

Source:- The Observer Sunday 8 April page 8

Mummy’s little luxury

A news focus – Professional women over 30 are bucking the trend
of a falling birth rate and having three or more children.

In every other social category the birth rate is falling down to
an average of 1.7 children per couple.

Source:- The Sunday Times 8 April page 19

Care home sex-attack victim gives birth

A paralysed woman has given birth after an alleged rape in a
private nursing home. The woman, who is brain damaged, cannot be
named for legal reasons. She is unable to speak and needs 24-hour
care after a car crash nine years ago.

Police have taken DNA samples from male staff at the home in
Warwickshire, and applied to the high court to take a sample from
the baby. A man has been charged with indecent assault and remanded
in custody. He will appear before Mid-Warwickshire magistrates
today.

Source:- Daily Mail Monday 9 April page 31

Police look into deaths of elderly at
hospital

Detectives are investigating the deaths of four older people at
the National Health Service War Memorial Hospital in Gosport,
Hampshire. The Crown Prosecution Service is examining a file on a
91-year-old woman, who was unlawfully killed it has been
alleged.

It is believed the inquiries focus on the use for the
painkilling drug, diamorphine. An ombudsman report cleared the
hospital of any blame for the woman’s death, but criticised staff
for destroying some of the medical records.

Source:- Daily Telegraph Monday 9 April page 9

Scottish newspapers

Too many women ‘dumped’ in jail

Scotland’s only all women jail, Cornton Vale, is still a
“dumping ground” for the most damaged and vulnerable women in
society according to chief inspector of prisons, Clive
Fairweather.

Fairweather said the prison had failed to meet the central
recommendation of his last inspection in 1996 – that numbers
be halved by the year 2000. There were 178 inmates, but this has
risen to 216. Fairweather has praised the improvement in conditions
at the prison including the introduction of new mental health and
drug programmes. However, he said: “Quite simply, most of the women
in Cornton Vale don’t belong there – only one per cent
of the prisoners pose a danger to the public by having committed
violent crime.” Fairweather will carry out his next full inspection
of Cornton Vale on 22 May.

Source:- The Herald Monday 9 April page 1.