Drink taking heavy toll on children

Drink taking heavy toll on children

Almost 5,300 children ended up in hospital for alcohol-related problems last year, a rise of one third in ten years, while adult admissions have doubled to 187,640.

Most of the young people, 59% of whom were girls, were admitted for “mental and behavioural disorders” caused by alcohol, with a minority suffering alcohol poisoning.

The figures, published by the government’s Information Centre for health and social care, do not include those injured in alcohol-fuelled fights and accidents.

Source:- The Guardian Wednesday 27 June 2007 page 12

Sex workers caught persistently loitering or soliciting will face compulsory drug and alcohol rehabilitation courses on pain of 72 hours’ detention if they fail to attend, under a bill published yesterday by the government.

The Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill also introduces new offences of causing nuisance or disturbance on NHS premises and possessing “extreme pornography”, alongside measures designed to reduce the prison population.

Source:- The Guardian Wednesday 27 June 2007 page 13

More yobs allowed back in classroom as expulsions are overruled

The number of pupils receiving fixed-term exclusions rose by 4% last year, while permanent exclusions fell, according to government statistics.

Ministers said this showed the effectiveness of “short, sharp, shock” tactics, however head teachers warned they were increasingly turning to fixed-term exclusions because pupils were successfully challenging permanent expulsions.

Source:- Daily Telgraph Wednesday 27 June 2007 page 12

Almost one in 10 16- to 18-year-olds were not in education, employment or training last year, compared to about one in 12 when Tony Blair entered Downing Street in 1997, according to government figures out yesterday.

The government was accused of failing working-class children by the Conservatives, but claimed that the number of NEETs had fallen over the past 12 months.

Source:- Daily Telegraph Wednesday 27 June 2007 page 12

Forty fathers who are failing to support their children became the first to be “named and shamed” by the Child Support Agency on its website yesterday.

However, the move was criticised by the charity One Parent Families, which described it as a “headline-grabbing measure” that may not be in children’s best interests.

Source:- Daily Telegraph Wednesday 27 June 2007 page 19

Carers do not count in Alzheimer’s drug verdict, says rationing watchdog

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence’s decision to restrict acces to a number of Alzheimer’s drugs was taken despite the knowledge it would not benefit carers of people with dementia, the judicial review into the issue heard yesterday.

The finding was described as “scientifically absurd and morally bankrupt” by Alzheimer’s Society chief executive Neil Hunt outside the High Court yesterday.

Drugs companies Pfizer and Eisai, which manufacture one of the drugs, are bringing the case against Nice.

Source:- Daily Mail Wednesday 27 June 2007 page 17

A ‘fairer deal’ on care funds, but 60,000 miss out

Charities warned that a new NHS continuing care framework could leave 60,000 people wrongly ineligible for fully-funded long-term care.

Care services minister Ivan Lewis said the new framework, which will replace regional with national criteria, would result in “fair and consistent NHS funding across England”, at an extra cost of £220m.

However, Age Concern director general Gordon Lishman said it would increase the number of people receiving continuing care from 31,000 to 39,000, when 100,000 should be eligible.

Source:- Daily Mail Wednesday 27 June 2007 page 20

Alcohol-linked NHS admissions double in 10 years

Britain is on a dangerous drinking binge which is claiming lives and causing increasing damage to adults and children.

Source:- The Independent, Wednesday 27 June 2007, page 13
 
Epilepsy care ‘a scandal’

An inquiry has found that more than 400 people are dying needlessly every year because of inadequate epilepsy treatment.

Source:- The Independent, Wednesday 27 June 2007, page 13
 
Teachers angry over reinstated pupils as exclusions increase

There has been a sharp rise in the number of pupils excluded from secondary schools, taking the annual total to more than a third of a million.

Source:- The Independent, Wednesday 27 June 2007, page 18

Nursing care help

Thousands of people are likely to receive more help towards the cost of their nursing care.

Source:- The Times, Wednesday 27 June 2007, page 2
 
Couple who fled abuse claims can keep child

A couple who fled Ireland to stop their baby being taken into care at birth have won an assurance that they can keep him after doubts were raised over the original evidence that they were guilty of abuse

Source:- The Times, Wednesday 27 June 2007, page 21

 
Prostitution reform to ease penalties and offer support

The law on prostitution is to be reformed under government measures announced last night that will result in thousands fewer offenders being sent to jail each year.

Source:- The Times, Wednesday 27 June 2007, page 26

Scottish news

Cost of free care risks running out of control

The cost of free personal care for Scotland’s elderly people has risen by 60% since it was introduced, bringing renewed warnings that it risks running out of control.

As the numbers who benefit from the scheme passed the 50,000 mark, newly published figures show that the cost rose from £149m to £237m between 2002-03 and 2005-06.

The sharply rising bill will add to the growing resentment in England that Scottish public services are funded from the same Treasury source as the rest of the UK but are more generous than in England.

Source:- The Herald, Wednesday 27 June

Secure unit head sacked in Kerelaw abuse purge

The head of Scotland’s flagship secure unit for children has been sacked in the latest fall-out from the Kerelaw abuse investigation.

William McFadyen was dismissed from St Philip’s School near Airdrie, Lanarkshire, earlier this month after being named as a suspect by social workers.

Before joining St Philip’s, McFadyen was a deputy head at Kerelaw, the residential school at the centre of one of Britain’s biggest child abuse scandals.

Source:- The Herald, Wednesday 27 June

Motor neurone sufferer gives £1m to create research centre

A motor neurone disease sufferer and his family have donated £1 million to fund a new research centre which aims to find a cure for the fatal illness.

Euan MacDonald was only 29 when he was diagnosed with the condition. Now Euan and his father, Donald MacDonald, owner of the City Inn hotel chain and joint chairman of Caledonian Brewery, have helped Edinburgh University to establish Scotland’s first motor neurone research centre designed to develop both treatments and potential cures for the condition.

They raised the money by organising a series of fundraising events including dinners, sponsored bike rides and marathons.

Source:- The Scotsman, Wednesday 27 June 

Welsh news

Wales could see jobs boost in caring sector

Unemployed people in Wales should be able to find work looking after the thousands of retired people who move to the country each year, an economist said yesterday.

Professor Robert Rowthorn of King’s College, Cambridge, who made the comments in a paper for the Welsh Affairs Select Committee, said that jobs could be created by the 60, 000 people who move to Wales each year – many of them retired.

Source:- Western Mail, Wednesday, June 27 2007

Difficulties of social worker ignored, tribunal told

A social worker who alleges that she was forced to leave her job due to bullying has been unable to work since, a tribunal heard yesterday.

Julie Jones, who is suing Swansea Council for constructive unfair dismissal was signed off work by her GP in May 2005.

Source:- Western Mail, Wednesday, June 27 2007

Social services monitored after baby murder

A Welsh council blamed for not following up child abuse allegations about a baby who was later murdered are set to have their social services department regularly monitored.

Swansea’s social services were heavily criticised by inspectors who raised serious concerns about child protection services in the department.

A review by the Care and Social Services Inspectorate found a backlog of cases waiting to be allocated to social workers.

Source:- Western Mail, Wednesday, June 27 2007