A daily summary of social care stories from the main newspapers

By
Clare Jerrom, Reg McKay and Alex Dosbson.

Spending
on NHS has been effective, says Milburn

The
health secretary made his case yesterday for increased funding for the NHS in
next week’s Budget.

Alan
Milburn argued that last year’s extra spending has achieved results as the
Department of Health published a report detailing progress towards the NHS Plan.

“Today
the NHS is growing at twice the rate of the past and faster than any other
major European country’s health care system. We have a simple formula: investment
plus reform equals results,” he said.

Last
year the NHS budget grew by £5bn to £49bn.

Source:-
The Times  Thursday 11 April page
4

Cigarettes
‘can cause mental ills’

Mental
illness can be caused by smoking, according to research.

Evidence
in the US suggests that tobacco can contribute to panic attacks, anxiety and
schizophrenia. While it is well known that people with a mental health problem
such as schizophrenia usually smoke, this has usually been thought to be a
consequence rather than a cause of their condition.

Jeffrey
Johnson, from the New York Psychiatric Institute, said people that smoke a
packet of cigarettes a day at the age of 16 are 16 times more likely to develop
panic disorders, seven times more likely to be agoraphobic and five times more
likely to develop generalised anxiety disorders than non smokers.

Source:-
The Times  Thursday 11 April page
4

Juror
dismissed in Damilola trial

A
judge at the Old Bailey discharged a woman juror in the Damilola Taylor murder
trial yesterday.

Mr
Justice Hooper refused to give a reason for her dismissal and the trial will
continue with the remaining jury of four women and seven men.

Source:-
The Guardian  Thursday 11 April
page 6

Darling
faces row on child poverty

The
work and pensions secretary could face criticism today as he admits the
government is making slow progress in its aim to reduce child poverty.

Alistair
Darling is said to be upbeat as the figures he will present show he can still
meet his primary goal of reducing the number of children living in poverty by a
quarter by 2004.

The
figures he will refer to are the official figures on households below the
average income, which are seen as the most important annual official survey of
poverty.

Source:-
The Guardian  Thursday 11 April
page 10

Scottish
and Welsh papers

Asylum
seekers end hunger strike

Forty
asylum seekers at Dungavel Detention Centre have ended their hunger strike
after 24 hours. They were protesting at their conditions and delays in
processing their applications for refuge. The hunger strike took place in the
unit for single men.

Source:
The Herald Thursday 11 April page 8

Paedophile
challenges court as breaching his human rights

Convicted
child abuser James Brouillard has launched an appeal against his conviction claiming
that under the European Convention on Human Rights the jury should have given
reasons for finding him guilty.  

Brouillard
was convicted at Glasgow Sheriff Court and sentenced to five years in prison
for abducting two boys and abusing them. Lawyers for Brouillard claim that
Article 6 of the convention has been interpreted as obliging courts to give
reasons for their decisions.  

This
is the latest in a long series of challenges to Scottish criminal procedures
since the convention was adopted into the constitution at the time of
devolution.

Source:
The Scotsman Thursday 11 April page 4

Treatment
of older people blasted by health watchdog

Conditions
for older people in south Glasgow hospitals have been condemned by the Scottish
Health Advisory Service because of a failure to prevent malnutrition.  

Based
on visits to the hospitals in January this year, the advisory service
criticises the hospitals for frequent moves of older patients, long delays in
assessment, the crumbling condition of many of the buildings, as well as
failing to ensure that patients were adequately nourished.

Source:
The Scotsman Thursday 11 April page 4

‘We
will not abandon young people to drugs’

The
chief constable of south Wales has reaffirmed his pledge to tackle the growing
drugs problem in the region.

Sir
Tony Burden told a meeting of the police authority in Merthyr Tydfil that the
police were not prepared to abandon young people to drugs which he described
as a "scourge". He added that drug suppliers were "moving in on
an untapped market" and that the police would do everything they could to
combat the problem.

His
comments follow a much heralded "war on drugs" by south Wales police
which includes the setting up of a new task force aimed at reducing drug abuse.

Source:
South Wales Echo Wednesday April 10 page 2

Councils
will need ‘well over £1bn’ to improve housing

Local
authorities in Wales will require well over £1bn to improve crumbling housing
estates over the next decade.

The
Welsh assembly, in its National Housing Strategy for Wales has reported
"an estimated backlog of at least £750m worth of essential repairs and
modernisation" in maintaining Wales’ stock of council housing.

Source:
Western Mail Thursday April 11 page 2

Disabled
unable to take advantage of free bus passes

Disabled
people in Wales are unable to take advantage of their free bus passes because a
lot of  public transport is inaccessible.

Special
wheelchair ramps are only fitted to a small number of buses and there is not
enough information telling people which buses are accessible, say disability
campaigners.

Access
officer for Disability Wales, Graham Findlay, said: "At the moment
disabled people find it very difficult to travel on buses. It is an issue of equal
rights but we will have to wait several years until all buses are accessible."

Source:
Western Mail Thursday April 11 page 5