A psychiatrist specialising in addiction therapy hosted a three-day drink and drugs binge which ended in a guest fatally overdosing on ecstasy, a hearing was told yesterday. Dr Clint Tatchell discovered David Steel dead in his living room and then hurriedly cleaned his Glasgow flat before police arrived, it is claimed. Detectives later discovered Mr Steel had also taken 19 diazepam tablets as well as ecstasy, heroin and cocaine during the party.

Scottish police forces will be able to use banning orders for the first time to target known football hooligans. The orders, which come into force at the weekend, will mean anyone convicted of football-related offences could be banned from matches for up to 10 years. Previously, clubs could stop fans going to their own ground and a sheriff could impose a ban covering their court area. Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson said violence, chants, taunts and songs of hatred were “inexcusable”.

A council’s decision to charge £1 a week for a medical emergency care alarm service was justified, a watchdog said. The wife of a Parkinson’s Disease sufferer branded the charge an attack on the vulnerable and a breach of free personal care for the elderly. But the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman ruled that Stirling Council was entitled to make the decision. A report published by the ombudsman also cleared the local authority of flouting the free care legislation. The complainer, identified as Mrs C, who is her husband’s primary carer, had a mobile emergency care system (Mecs) installed in their home in 2002. This enabled crisis calls to be picked up 24 hours a day by a council contact centre.

Vulnerable people in Glasgow East are set to receive peace of mind thanks to a new scheme that will ensure medical and care staff have instant access to vital personal information. The Message in a Bottle project will see essential details such as medical conditions and medicine needed stored in an easy-to-find, plastic container so that the emergency services can make quick and well-informed decisions over any treatment.

An innovative drug and alcohol programme using horses is being trialled at a hospital in the Borders. Recovering addicts at the Castle Craig Hospital are taking part in treatment known

Scotland’s Health Minister Andy Kerr has given his backing to a drive which is aiming to cut the number of people admitted to hospital by a quarter in two years. Teams of doctors, health and council workers in north-east Scotland have been set a target of reducing use of hospital beds by 25% by 2008. The move follows a survey which found as many as 44% of patients staying overnight in the wards did not need to be there. Mr Kerr praised NHS Grampian for giving community health teams the goal and is encouraging other authorities to follow in their wake with similar target schemes.

The policy of free personal care for the elderly is still beset by confusion over what it covers, ministers conceded yesterday. The admission came in the Scottish Executive’s response to a report by Holyrood’s health committee which identified “major problems”, such as questions about funding, the use of waiting lists by some councils and confusion over whether services such as help with preparing meals was covered.

Scots youngsters have made a record number of complaints about bullying to ChildLine, it emerged yesterday. More than 9600 children phoned the charity hotline in 2005-2006, up from fewer than 9200 a year before. Bullying is now by far the single biggest reason to approach ChildLine, accounting for a quarter of all calls. The overall UK figure for bullying calls was up 12% at 37,000. And that is only for the children who got through.

More than 800 migrant workers from eastern Europe have already registered themselves as homeless in Scotland. The first study to examine the issue of homelessness among “A8 migrants” – those workers from the newest countries to join the European Union – has found that many are living in cramped and overcrowded conditions. As many migrant workers live in tied accommodation, they are more vulnerable to becoming homeless if they lose their job.

Care homes in Edinburgh have been told to cut their agency staff bill as council bosses attempt to claw back a projected £3 million overspend. High sickness levels among council staff and rising numbers of elderly people who need specialist care in residential homes have increased the need to employ agency carers. A soaring number of profoundly disabled young people who have left school this year, and whose care bill has been transferred to Edinburgh City Council’s health and social care department, is also adding to costs.