The Scottish Executive is to hold talks aimed at persuading GPs to open their surgeries at evenings and weekends, it was revealed yesterday by the Scottish Health Secretary.

A disturbing picture of a fragmented and under-funded service for dementia sufferers in Scotland was revealed yesterday in a damning report which told how some patients are locked up 24 hours a day for years.

The Scottish Executive is examining the possibility of opening courts at weekends to cope with the rising tide of offenders arrested on Friday nights.

A new report published by the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland, says that hospital based care for patients with severe dementia should be driven by patient need rather than resources.

The winners of Scotland’s national Care Accolades awards were announced at a glittering gala lunch at the Balmoral Hotel, Edinburgh, hosted by Kaye Adams. The annual event recognises best practice throughout the social service sector and today’s guests were treated to stories of ground breaking research, heart-warming efforts and innovative professional practice.

Children who undergo heart surgery in Scotland are more likely to die than elsewhere in the UK, according to new statistics from a NHS database. The figures showed mortality rates for Scots youngsters were higher than in England and Wales in about two-thirds of heart procedures.

About 50 detainees at a immigration removal detention centre in South Lanarkshire are refusing food, the Home Office has confirmed. Earlier, a detainee at the Dungavel detention centre told BBC Scotland that 100 people were involved.

It comes with twice the salary being offered by Sir Alan Sugar. And it has already had its own “Katie” moment, with a position offered only to be refused at the last minute. So why does no-one seem to want one of the biggest jobs in Scotland’s social sector? And are critics correct to describe it as the highest-paid poisoned chalice in the country?

Council tax payers are facing a demand for up to £100,000 to cover the cost of winding up a failed childcare company. Craigmillar Childcare Services (CCS), which manages five centres and looks after up to 200 children, says it cannot afford redundancy payments for staff or to provide training and advice.

A dangerous sex offender was on the loose last night after escaping from a hospital. William Graham, 33, escaped from Hartwoodhill Hospital in Shotts, Lanarkshire, yesterday afternoon. Strathclyde Police warned he is a high-risk sex offender, potentially violent, and is not to be approached by any member of the public.