The NHS is still spending too much on stand-in nurses to cover absences, with the 2005 bill topping £1bn, MPs say. The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee pointed out this was 9% of the total nursing budget.

A month-old baby boy is in hospital with serious injuries after falling from a window at a mental health clinic which treats post-natal depression. A 29-year-old woman, understood to be

Mentally ill prisoners wait significantly longer to be transferred to hospital than their counterparts in the community and the new mental health bill must address this inequality, argue two doctors in this week’s BMJ.

A hearing into the conduct of a Registered Social Worker from London will be held on 14 and 15 June 2007 by the social care workforce regulator for England, the General Social Care Council (GSCC).

A major advance in understanding the genetics behind several of the world’s most common diseases has been reported. The landmark Wellcome Trust study analysed DNA from the blood of 17,000 people to find genetic differences.

A toolkit that calls on governments to put the health of their citizens first has been released by the BMA and the Commonwealth Medical Trust. Mary Robinson, President of Realizing Rights: the Ethical Globalization Initiative, former President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is launching the ‘Right to Health’ toolkit.

People on anti-HIV drug Viracept are being warned batches of the therapy may have been contaminated with potentially cancer-causing chemicals. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency put out the alert after makers Roche moved to recall all batches of the drug in circulation.

Leslie Morphy, chief executive of Crisis has highlighted the shortage of accommodation for homeless people at the organisation’s annual conference in London. Morphy was the opening speaker yesterday at the Crisis ‘Tackling homelessness in the next decade’ conference at the Stock Exchange in London.

Leicestershire County Council has implemented a new electronic documents and records management system to improve access to social services case files and other information.

The Government’s proposed new model for health visiting has sparked fears that many families will be left without access to a health visitor. Children Now understands the Government is considering clarifying the roles of health visitors as part of an imminent shake-up of the profession. The roles could also apply to midwives and children’s nurses.