Mother wants disabled girl to have hysterectomy ‘to give her a better life’

Health to be the biggest winner

Health looks set to be the biggest winner in tomorrow’s comprehensive spending review, squeezing out funding for other areas, including local government.

The Department of Health believes the NHS will receive a rise of at least 3% per year in real terms, which would mean that local government and other areas still to be announced would receive an average of 1.1% per year at most.

Source:- The Financial Times, Monday 8 October 2007, page 4

Methadone linked to big rise in Scottish drug deaths

Scottish police forces recorded a 42% rise in drug-related deaths last year, prompting fears that substance misuse is spiralling out of control.

Over 70% of the 374 deaths in 2006 were attributed to heroin and morphine overdoses and nearly a quarter to methadone, a heroin substitute used to combat addiction.

Figures for England and Wales showed a 1% fall in drug-related deaths over the same period.

Source:- The Guardian, Monday 8 October 2007, page 7

Minister reviews voting system for closing grammar schools

The government is reviewing the system of local ballots for closing grammar schools, which was heavily criticised as a waste of money in an education select committee report in 2005.

Currently, 20% of affected parents need to sign a petition to trigger a ballot, a figure widely seen as being too high, and it is believed that the government is considering lowering the threshold.

Source:- The Guardian, Monday 8 October 2007, page 12

European court to rule on UK disability discrimination ban

A test case goes before the European Court of Justice tomorrow which could affect the employment rights of thousands of carers.

Legal secretary Sharon Coleman is claiming that the law firm she worked for treated her less favourably because she has a disabled child.

She claims she was not allowed to return to her old job after maternity leave, was not accorded the same flexibility as mothers of non-disabled children when their children were ill and subjected to abusive and insulting remarks.

Attridge Law, her employer, denies the claim.

Source:- The Guardian Monday 8 October 2007 page 14

Playground bullies

A quarter of primary school children have been bullied at break time, according to a survey of 2,000 pupils and parents.

Source:- The Times, Monday 8 October 2007, page 9

Girl, 10, hanged

A 10-year-old girl found dead in her bedroom accidentally hanged herself, police said after a post-mortem examination.

Source:- The Times, Monday 8 October 2007, page 9

Health trusts reprimanded for ignoring patients’ complaints

Hospitals and other NHS trusts have been accused by the health regulator of ignoring patients’ complaints and not doing enough to learn from them.

Source:- The Times, Monday 8 October 2007, page 11

A severely disabled teenager’s womb may be removed to improve her quality of life, and not because it is medically necessary, in what is thought to be British first which has reignited debate over medical ethics.

Source:- The Times, Monday 8 October 2007, page 15

Airline refuses to carry people who are ‘forcibly removed’

XL Airways, a leading airline, has announced it will refuse to carry failed asylum seekers back to their home countries because it opposes the government’s immigration policy.

The Independent, Monday 8 October, page 8

Hospitals cut back on chaplaincy care

Overspending and financial cuts across the health services are leading reductions in chaplaincy services by nearly one in four NHS trusts.

Source:- The Times, Monday 8 October 2007, page 27

Children are struggling to cope with the pressures of modern life because their parents do not give them the emotional support they need, a leading charity claims today.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph, Monday 8 October 2007, page 27

Welsh news

Ten steps we must take to improve the future for our children

Children’s charity NCH Cymru has released a new report arguing for better services to improve children’s emotional wellbeing in Wales.

It has called on the assembly to commit to 10 steps to improve youngsters emotional health.

Source:- Western Mail, Monday, October 8 2007

Acquitted father’s anger at council

A man has expressed anger at Torfaen Council’s decision to use details of his acquittal of an assault charge against two children  in a court application to take his newborn baby into care.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said that he was found not guilty and therefore the details should not have been mentioned.

Source:- Western Mail, Monday, October 8 2007

Victim arrested for waging paedophile alert campaign

A woman who gave out leaflets to warn people that her paedophile adoptive dad lived in their neighbourhood has been arrested by police.

Her father was jailed for seven years in 2003 for 10 counts of raping and abusing her. The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was giving out the leaflets in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire.

Source:- Wales on Sunday October 7 2007

Charity joins up

A leading provider of social housing and support services in Wales has added a new group to its organisation.

The Seren Group will now also incorporate Cardiff-based drugs and alcohol misuse charity Pen yr Enfys.

Source:- South Wales Echo, Saturday October 6 2007