More forced into care homes

By Mithran Samuel, Maria Ahmed and Derren Hayes

Academies restored to the local fold

Children’s secretary has signalled a change in tone in Labour’s approach to education, by calling for a bigger role for local government, more co-operation rather than competition between schools and an emphasis on standards, not structures.

His comments, in a speech to the Labour Party conference, have been interpreted as a signal that the government would make independent academy schools more accountable to local authorities, for instance by giving councils more decision-making power over whether academies should go ahead.

Source:- Financial Times Thursday 27 September 2007 page 2

More forced into care homes

Year-on-year falls in the number of people in care homes have come to an end with numbers set to rise again, care research body Laing and Buisson has found.

It said that in the year to April there was no decrease in the number of people living in care homes and long-stay hospitals for the first time in 14 years and predicts that by 2017 numbers would have risen from 420,000 to 444,000.

Source:- Daily Mail Thursday 27 September 2007 page 12

A lottery for stroke scanning

Thousands of stroke victims are missing out on life-saving brain scans because of an NHS postcode lottery, consumer group Which? has revealed.

It found that in the worst trusts in the country just 10% of patients are scanned within 24 hours of a stroke, the target time.

Source:- Daily Mail Thursday 27 September 2007 page 19

Hodge ‘distressed by handcuffing protest’

Two fathers’ rights activists appeared in court yeserday charged with the false imprisonment of then children’s minister Margaret Hodge at a conference in Manchester in 2004.

The court heard that Jonathan Stanesby, 41, of Ivybridge, Devon, handcuffed himself to Hodge and Jason Hatch, 35, of Cheltenham, also accosted her on stage at the Law Society conference. The case continues.

Source:- Daily Telegraph Thursday 27 September 2007 page 11

Petition to force out travellers ‘breaks race laws’

The Commission for Racial Equality Wales is taking legal action against a businessman for circulating a petition during a Swansea Council by-election in June calling on the authority to evict Irish travellers from a site in the area.

The commission said Carl Lewis’ petition was discriminatory as it focused on the ethnic origin of the travellers rather than simply the issue of whether there should be a settlement on the site or not.

Source:- Daily Telegraph Thursday 27 September 2007 page 13

Punishment fails

Criminals are being let off community punishments because there are not enough staff to supervise them.

Source:- The Times, Thursday 27 September 2007, page 4

Poor care for the elderly

A report on care for elderly patients in hospitals shows serious lapses, the Healthcare Commission has found.

Source:- The Times, Thursday 27 September 2007, page 4

Scots news

Homeless get health and hygiene guide

A guide to help improve the health of homeless people has been produced by a West Lothian health group.

The 72-page Guide to Good Health includes tips on hygiene and information on getting help from local libraries and advice on coping with bereavement.

The booklet, which will be distributed to the homeless and people who work with them, was written by the Health and Homeless Interest Group, which is made up of people from voluntary and statutory organisations.

Source:- The Scotsman, Thursday 27 September