A Conduct Committee of the General Social Care Council (GSCC) yesterday 7 March 2007 decided the case of a social worker from Wolverhampton who was alleged to have breached the code of practice for social care workers by driving with excess of alcohol and failing to declare the conviction to the GSCC.

The announcement this week by the Secretary of State for Health, Patricia Hewitt of consultative proposals for a new commissioning framework for health and social care has been warmly received by Skills for Care – the national workforce development body that is responsible for standards and qualifications in adult social care.

Over 300 workers at Manchester’s mental health and social care trust have won a victory against their bosses following a campaign that included strike action.

Dozens of groups across Swindon who help some of the most disadvantaged people in the town have been celebrating the work they do. The groups are all beneficiaries of the European Social Fund (ESF) and attended a special showcase of all their achievements at Swindon Council’s offices yesterday.

More than 10m working days were lost through stress, depression and anxiety last year, according to a report. Mental ill-health cost the economy billions a year, with the biggest problems reported by workers in public administration, education and health, insurance firm UnumProvident said.

The government must do more to improve the economies and quality of life in some of England’s most run-down seaside towns, a committee of MPs says. The Commons local government committee said many coastal communities had poor housing and that influxes of elderly people put pressure on social services.

About 25 NHS trusts are to be inspected after concerns were raised about the way they care for older people, the Healthcare Commission has said. The inspections will form part of a wider review for a report published later in the year.

{mosimage}The announcement comes after concerns were raised, some by charities, about the way the trusts treat elderly patients. The Healthcare Commission already inspects all trusts but they are allowed to self-report on whether they meet core Government standards such as privacy, treating patients with respect, and ensuring nutritional needs are met.

The 25 or so trusts have said they meet the core standards but this will now be verified by the Healthcare Commission.

The Commission has given the trusts two weeks’ notice that they will be inspected, but not which wards. Inspectors will go through files, observe wards and speak to staff, who will be interviewed anonymously. Trusts that are performing well will also be examined to help inform best practice.

Charities providing employment and training for homeless people and the long-term unemployed are predicting mass redundancies and cuts in services as a result of delays in setting European social fund (ESF) budgets.

Obese mothers-to-be need significantly more NHS care than pregnant women of a healthy weight, a study says. NHS staff told researchers obese women need closer monitoring and special equipment, and have a higher risk of complications such as pre-eclampsia.

Parents are being shown video evidence of their children’s anti-social behaviour on their TV screens, less than 15 minutes after it is committed. Police officers are using footage from tiny helmet cameras to prove to parents their children are offending.