Social Work chief Andrew Lowe has defended Scottish Borders Council’s use of the courts to block what it says was an attempt to reveal the whereabouts of one of the men convicted in the notorious ‘Miss X’ torture case. Mr Lowe told The Southern the local authority took legal action at the weekend to halt plans by The Sunday Mail to print a story that would have given away the new address of recently-released Alexander Maben, alongside an up-to-date photograph of him.

Glasgow’s antisocial behaviour “tsar” yesterday questioned the value of ASBOs as official figures showed the city council has not sought a single order in three years. Councillor Jim Coleman said slapping antisocial behaviour orders – one of First Minister Jack McConnell’s flagship policies – on persistent trouble-makers did no more than offer short-term peace of mind to neighbours, and they should only ever be used as a last resort.

A psychiatrist who hosted a party where a man died from an overdose has admitted that he also used class A drugs. Dr Clint Tatchell, who specialised in addiction therapy, has denied inappropriately supplying pills to his friends at the Roman-themed event at his luxury Glasgow flat.

Patients are continuing to benefit from improved NHS waiting times but substantial improvements are still needed on cancer waits, Health Minister Andy Kerr has said. The latest quarterly figures (to end September 2006) for inpatient and day cases, and for outpatient consultations, show that the current six month maximum wait guarantee has again been met with further progress made towards the 18 week target effective from the end of 2007.

The BMA in Scotland has welcomed the publication of an Audit Scotland report into catering for patients in hospital which found that progress had been made on recommendations made in an initial review in 2003. The report however identified a need for routine screening for under-nutrition of patients on admission to hospital and for all NHS Boards to have systems for ensuring the nutritional balance of patient meals.

Councils could be forced to scrap waiting lists for free personal care for the elderly after a landmark ruling by the public services watchdog. Professor Alice Brown yesterday criticised Argyll & Bute Council for refusing to pay the care home costs of a 90-year-old man for four months earlier this year.

Care Commission chiefs are being asked to investigate the unexplained death of a 39-year-old woman at a north-east nursing home. Fraserburgh mother Helen Robertson was found dead in a room at the Broch’s Glencairn Lodge seven years ago.

A local authority has been ordered to reimburse the cost of a 90-year-old’s free personal care, following an inquiry by a public services watchdog. Argyll and Bute Council said a lack of funds meant it was not able to fund the man’s care between February and June.

CHILDREN 1ST has announced the appointment of Anne Houston, Director of ChildLine, as its new Chief Executive. Anne has been Director of ChildLine in Scotland for the past twelve years and has been responsible for the ChildLine service across the UK since February of this year. She will take over from Margaret McKay, who retires in December.

It is 8am and the director, Andrew Anderson, arrives to open the Edinburgh Maggie’s Centre. At 8:30 he has an appointment with a patient in haematology who is not allowed out of his hospital room. Before coming to Maggie’s six years ago, he worked as a nurse in oncology.