Elderly face an end to home care

Elderly face an end to home care
The Commission for Social Care Inspection has raised concerns about rising eligibility criteria for adult services as it published star ratings for the sector today.
It said nearly two-thirds had tightened criteria thereby withdrawing care from people with lower level needs.
The ratings showed three-quarters of councils gained either two or three stars and none received zero stars.
Source:- The Times, Thursday 30 November 2006, page 15

Riots wreck immigration detention centre
One hundred and fifty immigration detainees to be given bail to make room for inmates from Harmonsdworth immigration removal centre, after the facility was severely damaged by 18 hours of rioting.
The riots hits all four wings of the centre in west London, which followed a damning report on conditions from chief inspector of prisons Anne Owers.
Source:- The Times, Thursday 30 November 2006, page 13

Special needs guidelines
Councils will not be able to close special schools unless they can demonstrate they are replacing them with better provision, the government said yesterday.
Education minister Lord Adonis also said that mandatory training for school special needs co-ordinators would come in by 2008.
Source:- The Times, Thursday 30 November 2006, page 36

First and second degree murder chargers will snare more killers
Children who kill could be convicted of a new, lower category of crime if it is proved they are developmentally immature, under a shakeup of murder law proposed by watchdog the Law Commission.
Under the plans, women who kill violent or abusive husbands would be able to plead provocation and be convicted of second-degree murder.
Source:- The Times, Thursday 30 November 2006, page 34

Payout for victims
Nine men abused by a ring of paedophiles at a children’s homes have settled out of court for more than £300,000. All were resident at Green Field House in Maidenhead, Berkshire between 1964 and 1970.
Source:- The Times Thursday 30 November 2006 page 34

Blair plans to double number of new city academies
Tony Blair will call for a doubling in the government’s target for city academies to 400, meaning 10 per cent of secondary schools will be in this category.
He will justify the move in terms of exam results achieved by the current crop of academies, however critics said there was no proved “academies effect” in performance.
Source:- The Guardian, Thursday 30 November 2006, page 6

Charities win fight for new cancer plan
Charity Macmillan has called for cancer policy to focus on the experiences of patients, ahead of an expected announcement of a new cancer plan from health secretary Patricia Hewitt today.
Source:- The Guardian, Thursday 30 November 2006, page 6

Education adviser warns of two-tier system
Sir Cyril Taylor, chairman of the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust will warn today of an increasing segregation “between haves and have nots”.
Source:- The Independent, Thursday 30 November 2006, page 23

Minister announces £1m drive to tackle HIV
A £1m drive to tackle the increase in HIV cases among gay men and member of Britain’s African communities was launched yesterday.
Source:- The Independent, Thursday 30 November 2006, page 25

Welsh news

Hospital to place patients in hotel
A Welsh hospital has resorted to putting patients up in hotels to deal with overcrowding and infections on wards. The University Hospital of Wales is piloting using twin-bed rooms in a Cardiff hotel for patients recovering from bone marrow transplants.
Source:- Western Mail, Thursday 30 November 2006