Pregnant women who drink a few cups of coffee a day are not at increased risk of premature birth or having a low-birth-weight baby, scientists report. Previous research showed that caffeine stays in the system longer in pregnant women and passes easily to the growing baby, who cannot readily metabolise it.

More than half of people would turn to therapists such as faith healers rather than endure long NHS waiting lists, according to a new poll. And more than two thirds (67%) believe in the psychic powers of mediums and clairvoyants, 54% in ghosts, and 41% in an intelligent life on another planet, the poll found.

Parents who teach their children to take care crossing a road may be neglecting a greater danger by living next to one. Researchers have found that young people growing up in homes within 500 metres of a major road suffer significant damage to their lungs from exhaust fumes.

A care home for the elderly may be forced to close because its bedrooms are too small. West Sussex County Council will hold a public meeting on Monday to decide the future of Burrscrofte in Shoreham. Four elderly people live in the home, with 25 other rooms used for intermediate care, short-stay and respite accommodation.

Standards in education for students with learning difficulties in further education is “uneven”, Ofsted says. It found 18 of the 22 colleges it visited lacked expertise in assessing students’ capabilities. This made it difficult to measure their progress.

Beleaguered Home Secretary John Reid is expected to face further detailed questioning about his department’s performance with the publication of new crime figures. The quarterly figures for England and Wales from July to September last year will reveal whether the number of robberies has continued to spiral.

A £73 million funding boost for social enterprise was announced today by Health Minister Ivan Lewis. The money in the social enterprise fund, to be spread over four years, will go towards supporting and encouraging the development social enterprises in health and social care.

The NHS needs to learn from organisations like the John Lewis Partnership that show what can be achieved when employees see that their actions benefit themselves, the organisation they work for, and customers, says Professor Chris Ham in this week’s BMJ.

The message from politicians that Britain cannot afford healthcare – even though it is one of the richest economies in the world – is damaging the NHS. That’s the warning from an A&E consultant columnist writing in BMA News this week.

Methamphetamine, or crystal meth, the highly addictive drug prevalent across the US and Australia, is present in almost every town and city in England and Wales, according to an internal police report.