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A fundamental review of social care that could lead to radical changes in the way the £10bn-a-year care business is funded is being launched by ministers.

{mosimage} Elderly people are being neglected and poorly treated by England’s health system, inspectors say. The joint report by three public sector watchdogs said the NHS and care services treated older people with a lack of dignity and respect.

More needs to be done to help young people who self-harm, a two-year inquiry into the issue has found. It said teachers, doctors and social workers do not receive the training they need to deal with self-harm cases, leaving many “struggling in the dark”.

Health unions have joined forces to call for crisis talks with the secretary of state over the rash of job cuts across the NHS. Hospital trusts have announced more than 4,000 job cuts in the past few weeks as they try to balance the books.

One in five secondary school children experimented in drug taking in the UK last year according to a health and social care survey.

Approximately half of local authorities need to improve their services for cared-for children, education inspectors have said.

Forthcoming changes to the way in which inspectors from the Commission for Social Care Inspection gather information will place more importance than ever on how activities are placed at the heart of care.