Western drugmakers should do more to cut prices and must recognise that developing countries have a right to break patents to guarantee access to vital medicines, a top official said on Thursday.

Chief Constables in England and Wales are to discuss whether to boost the recruitment of black and Asian officers by positive discrimination. The plan to be debated by the Association of Chief Police Officers would need employment law changes – a move not favoured by the Home Office.

Hormone replacement therapy may have caused the deaths of more than 1,000 women in the UK from ovarian cancer since 1991, scientists reveal today. HRT has been used by millions of women to alleviate the symptoms of menopause or – in some cases – because they hope it will help them remain youthful and active for longer.

The courts are handing out three times as much prison time for drug offences as a decade ago but such “get tough” sentencing has done little to stem the flow of drugs on to the streets, where prices continue to fall, according to a study.

Most women who have had late abortions say that they had not known they were pregnant for up to three months. An extensive study of women who had abortions between 13 and 24 weeks found that half did not know they were pregnant for at least two months, and a further quarter only discovered their pregnancy at three months or later.

A 53-year-old man is due to appear in court accused of murdering an 11-year-old girl more than 30 years ago. Ronald Castree is charged with the murder of Lesley Molseed on Rishworth Moor, near Ripponden, West Yorkshire, between October 4 and October 9, 1975.

A shortage of specialist care for post-natal depression could drive more and more women to commit suicide, nurses warned yesterday. Suicide is the leading cause of maternal death and every year a small number even kill their own children.

Ambulance services are being stretched to “breaking point” because GPs have opted out of out of hours care, a union has claimed. The debt-ridden NHS is facing a shortfall of around 2,000 ambulance workers – with remaining staff having to work extra shifts to take up the burden, according to Unison.

Plans to tag old people so they can be tracked by satellite received a mixed reaction today. Science Minister Malcolm Wicks said technology could be used to help families keep tabs on frail or elderly relatives. He said tags, similar to those used to monitor criminals, could help give more freedom to those suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

{mosimage}Kate Jopling, of Help the Aged, said that at first glance the proposal smacked of “Big Brother”. But she said the potential of new technology to help vulnerable older people should not be dismissed.
Shami Chakrabarti, director of Liberty, warned of “gimmicks” which are designed to replace expensive care. She said: “A debate about better care for the elderly is a good thing but technical gimmicks often provide cheap and quick fixes rather than dignified and possibly expensive care.”

Mr Wicks said the idea of using satellite monitoring to benefit society should be discussed. He said: “We’ve got an ageing population with many people frail and many suffering from dementia, including Alzheimer’s. How can we get the balance right so that these people have the freedom to live their lives, to go out in the community and go shopping?”

Cornwall Social Services were this week preparing to move residents out of Penhellis Nursing Home at Helston (pictured above).The future for all 27 permanent residents and 40 staff is hanging in the balance as the home faces imminent closure.