Parents could be sent text messages by police warning them that a paedophile is on the loose in their area under plans being considered by Downing Street.

Up to 200 learning disability units will be inspected after the health watchdog found examples of “institutional abuse” in one NHS trust.

NHS debt is taking its toll on accident and emergency (A&E) departments in England, the BMA says at the launch of a new report on A&E waiting times.

Fewer than one in ten of the general public have the skills to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), new research from the British Heart Foundation (BHF) reveals.

The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) responds to the Healthcare Commission report on neglect of people with learning disabilities:

A health trust has been heavily criticised for “institutional abuse” of people with learning disabilities. The Healthcare Commission, which carried out the review at Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust (PCT), said care was “simply not acceptable”.

{mosimage}It is the second report in six months to highlight neglect of people with learning difficulties. The Commission will now carry out a national audit of 200 NHS and private services in England.

The results will be made available later this year.

The review of care at Orchard Hill hospital, community homes in Sutton and Merton and Osbourne House in Hastings was requested after a number of serious incidents, including allegations of physical and sexual abuse.

Although the trust was found to have followed correct procedures when responding to the serious incidents, the Commission concluded that “outmoded, institutionalised care” had led to neglect of people with learning difficulties.

It found “impoverished and completely unsatisfactory” living conditions, with some people staying in cramped rooms and only having access to three or four hours of activity a week.

Tony Blair tried yesterday to allay fears that the Government is planning to create a Big Brother-style “super-database” after criticism from civil liberties groups. The Prime Minister told a seminar at Downing Street that “perfectly sensible” plans to share information held by government departments had been misrepresented.

A damning report has highlighted the plight of families faced with caring for loved ones in Harrow, while the council makes swingeing cuts to social care services. Since last May, the new Conservative administration has racked up home care charges by raising the weekly cap to £250 per week and charging residents a maximum of £15 an hour for care.