The public services ombudsman will not appeal against a court judgment over its ruling that a council was legally obliged to pay for the care of an elderly man, MSPs were told yesterday.

A social worker who was convicted on a charge of careless driving on the A7 in Selkirk blamed her behaviour on running late for an appointment in Hawick.

More than 700 children in Scotland are on waiting lists for foster homes or adoptive parents, it emerged yesterday. A report by the Care Commission said there was still an

The education provided by local authority nurseries in Scotland is more often of a higher standard than that provided by private centres which many working parents have to rely on, a new report has found.

Industrial action by day care staff in Glasgow has entered its fifth week. The walkout, over pay and conditions, has closed 12 drop-in centres for adults with learning difficulties.

A nurse has been struck off for mistreating elderly patients. Katharine Gray, 52, of Dundee, left leg ulcers untreated, ignored patients’ symptoms and failed to ensure life-saving drugs were always

Around 50 of Edinburgh council’s health and social care department staff are set to be offered voluntary redundancy in a bid to help reduce its budget deficit.

{mosimage}Home helps are among those likely to be targeted in a cost-cutting exercise expected to save around £1 million in the course of a full year.

The drastic measures may be necessary because fewer workers than anticipated have left as a result of natural staff turnover. Union leaders today warned such action would impact on vital services for elderly and vulnerable residents across Edinburgh.

The department is responsible for a number of care homes and social work offices. However, council chiefs said they would be able to minimise the effect by increasing the efficiency of the remaining workforce, such as reducing the amount of time spent by workers travelling between clients.

Staff in the health and social care department are already facing extra pressure following a decision to freeze recruitment.

A council spokeswoman said: “Due to the budget situation, we are considering some voluntary severance of staff. There has been no formal agreement yet on the scale of these redundancies.”

THE police chief spearheading Scotland’s war on drugs quit his post last night, blaming bureaucracy, under-manning and lack of co-operation.

Immigrant children in Glasgow suffer racist abuse and bullying from each other as well as from others, according to new research.

A children’s cancer charity boss has paid back more than £50,000 to the scandal-hit organisation’s creditors.