A County Down man died from hospital acquired infections, an inquest has found. Brendan McDowell, 43, a builder from Annalong, was admitted to the Royal Victoria Hospital for a back operation. But a jury at Belfast Coroner’s Court found he died two months later from the infections, combined with an allergic reaction to drugs given to fight it.
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A union for teachers and childcarers has welcomed the parenting measures announced by the Government but criticised it for linking the new ‘parenting experts’ to the TV programme Supernanny. PAT General Secretary Philip Parkin said: “We would welcome parenting classes or ‘parenting experts’ to support families with problems. I’m sure they will provide valuable and much-needed help.
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Health Minister Dr Brian Gibbons will launch the therapy strategy for Wales on Thursday. Philippa Ford, Policy Officer for Wales of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, explains what therapists hope the strategy will achieve…
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Radical plans to speed the sectioning of mental health patients who refuse to take medicine or accept care ran into a hail of protest this week. Ministers published a new Mental Health Bill designed to update 23-year-old laws after a series of cases in which people were killed by mentally-ill patients. The proposals aim to end the so-called “revolving door” patients released from hospital only to end up being re-sectioned after refusing to further help or medication.
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The Welsh Assembly Government is to create a series of new groups to help those who deliver public services work more closely together. Local Service Boards will be in charge of directing services that involve a number of different bodies. Ministers have been told that services in Wales from refuse collection to care for elderly people are delivered in an inefficient and patchy way. They have promised changes “on an unprecedented scale”.
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The NHS should provide “noisy rooms” and “chill-out zones” in hospitals or other locations where young people are being treated, according to a survey by one of Scotland’s biggest health boards. A common complaint in submissions to a consultation on children and young people’s health services run by NHS Lothian was a lack of “age-appropriate” facilities in both GP surgeries and hospital settings.
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A set of basic standards for public services will tell taxpayers exactly what they can expect under sweeping reforms unveiled by the Assembly Government. Important decisions affecting services from healthcare to schools will be taken by a network of public service boards, consisting of council chiefs, NHS managers, voluntary bodies, the police and public sector organisations. Public services will be made to collaborate in an attempt to make standards consistently higher across Wales.
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The number of illegal killings in Scotland has fallen to its lowest level in 15 years, according to figures. In the year to April, there were 93 killings – 44 fewer than in the previous 12 months. There has also been a significant fall in the number of homicides involving knives and the number killed or injured by firearms dropped by almost 40%. Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson welcomed the figures as evidence that Scotland was becoming a safer place.
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More than 70 “super nannies” are to try to improve parenting in areas with high levels of anti-social behaviour, Tony Blair is expected to announce. The prime minister is expected to announce £4m for parenting experts in 77 areas of the country.
{mosimage}Mr Blair will warn that poor parenting is bad for society and is also catastrophic for children. This comes after a Mori poll suggested 53% of people think poor parenting is the main cause of bad behaviour.
In the poll for the Home Office, 85% of respondents blamed parents for allowing children to become out of control. The child psychologists will be funded by the prime minister’s Respect Task Force to work in deprived areas.
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Health board officials have begun a review to decide whether to fund treatment for an eight-year-old girl with a rare degenerative condition. The parents of Hayleigh Reynolds had been told NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde would not pay for enzyme replacement therapy at a cost of £100,000 a year. Health officials said they sympathised, but the treatment had not been approved for use by the NHS in Scotland. They are reviewing the situation, with a final decision expected in December.
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