Round-up of the week

Round up of the week

Monday 25 April

Rethink severe mental illness published a report which
highlighted that around 50,000 people with severe mental health
problems are having their mental, physical and social needs
ignored. The charity called on GP practices to offer more services
to this group, including physical health checks and launched an
action pack to offer advice on self-management, health checks,
medication reviews and how to campaign for better services.

Tuesday 26 April

A salary survey published by Community Care found that
almost 40 per cent of social care professionals think that social
care as a distinct discipline will not exist in five years’
time, whoever wins the election. The survey of more than 3,000
social care professionals also found that more than three quarters
agreed or strongly agreed that most politicians are ignorant about
social care.

The inquest into the death of Julie Walsh at Styal prison in
Cheshire found that she obtained drugs and died of an overdose
because a nurse failed to ensure the medication trolley was secure.
Walsh was one of six women with drug and mental health problems to
die at the prison between August 2002 and August 2003. The jury at
the inquest at Macclesfield Town Hall today ruled that
Walshs’ death was “an unintentional consequence of her
actions”.

Wednesday 27 April

A Joseph Rowntree Foundation report found that living with a
heroin or crack-cocaine addict can have a devastating impact on the
rest of their family, prompting health problems and encouraging
other family members to experiment themselves. The research found
that families are drawn into a downward spiral of problems,
including anxiety, rows and routine exposure to drug taking at
home.

An exclusive survey carried out by Community Care
revealed that social workers are to desert Labour in their droves
in the coming eneral election having been disillusioned with the
party’s policy on the Iraq war and asylum. The poll revealed
that just over one-third of social workers plan to vote Labour,
compared to over 60 per cent in 2001.

Thursday 28 April

A survey by Community Care found that social care
professionals thought that asylum and immigration is the social
care area on which the government has performed most poorly. Almost
one third of social care professionals rated Labour’s
performance on asylum and immigration as ‘very poor’
double the amount which gave mental health services the same
verdict – the next worst performing area, according to the
poll.

Zahid Mubarek

Institutional racism in the Prison Service and Feltham Young
Offender Institution contributed to the murder of Zahid Mubarek by
Robert Stewart, it was alleged at the Mubarek inquiry. The Mubarek
family’s counsel, Patrick O’Connor QC, told the inquiry
that it was because of institutional racism that Stewart was
allowed to share a cell with Mubarek despite being identified as a
racist.

Friday 29 April

Figures published today showed that the prison population in
England and Wales reached a record high of 75,550. The Howard
League for Penal Reform urged election candidates to take a stand
against the unnecessary use of custody and encourage the use of
community alternatives to prison sentences.