A bulletin published today by social care watchdog the Commission for Social Care Inspection shows that, while many services have improved the way they handle people’s money, there are examples of bad practice.

Doctors’ leaders launched a fierce attack on Labour’s handling of the NHS yesterday and said an independent board of governors should take over its day-to-day running.

Britain’s first Ministry of Justice emerges today out of the rubble of the “not fit for purpose” Home Office to face a mounting prison crisis with prisoner numbers in England and Wales hitting a new record.

A nurse was sexually assaulted as she used a hospital toilet while on duty, police have revealed. The woman was attacked at the Princess Royal University Hospital, near Orpington, in south-east London.

A charity for young carers is calling on the government to set up an urgent inquiry into the plight of children caring for disabled relatives.

The opening of another brand new Extra Care Housing scheme for Plymouth means there are yet more options for vulnerable adults who need help to stay independent. Astor Court, developed by Signpost Housing Association, is the latest Extra Care Housing scheme to open its doors with spaces available for up 36 tenants aged 50 and over.

Doctors are calling for regulators to offer guidance over whether they should help patients circumvent “shortcomings” of NHS care. A recent report highlighted moves such as having tests done privately to jump NHS waiting lists.

A mass rally yesterday called for a one-off amnesty to allow hundreds of thousands of immigrants living in the UK to become full citizens. The Strangers Into Citizens campaign, which attracted thousands of supporters to Trafalgar Square, proposes that migrants who have been in Britain for more than four years should be given a two year work permit without access to benefits.

The genetic roots of bipolar disorder – manic depression – have been revealed by the first scan of the entire human genetic code, revealing a new target for treatments. Bipolar disorder affects one person in every 100 inducing mood changes from extremes of depression to irritation, elation and mania.

A package of measures to head off a summer prison overcrowding crisis, including abolishing the option of custody for shoplifting offences, has been vetoed by Tony Blair, The Times has learnt.