More than 3,600 nursing posts have been axed in London in the past 18 months, figures show today. Hospital managers have been forced to reduce workforce numbers as they face massive debts and pressure from NHS trusts to save money.

The powers of Home Office officials to discipline and order the segregation and restraint of prisoners in Britain’s private jails would be handed over to the prison companies under legislation to be debated today by the House of Lords.

Delays and costs of the multi-billion pound NHS information technology upgrade mean its future is “not looking good”, a group of MPs has said. The Commons public accounts committee, headed by Edward Leigh MP, said urgent action was needed to ensure an adequate service was provided.

Lives are being put at risk because student nurses are being left on their own with patients, a study has claimed. A poll by the Royal College of Nursing of 1,500 student nurses found nearly half had been left unattended with patients without warning.

A teacher found guilty of sexually abusing three young boys over a decade has been jailed for 11 years. Peter Shotton, 55, of The Twitten, Albourne, West Sussex, was sentenced at Hove Crown Court after being convicted on 10 counts in February.

A hearing into the conduct of a Registered Social Worker from Barrow-in-Furness will be held on 25 and 26 April 2007 by the social care workforce regulator for England, the General Social Care Council (GSCC).

A shortage of people willing to adopt has led to more children being taken into care. Latest figures show at the end of March last year 465 children in Warwickshire were being looked after in care compared to 445 two years ago.

Health visitors are losing track of vulnerable families because they are overworked and there are too few of them, research has revealed. A survey of 1,000 health visitors commissioned by Amicus/CPHVA found 55% are making fewer visits to families and cutting routine development checks in a bid to cope with increased workloads.

The public do not support proposed laws that would make it easier to detain and treat people with mental health problems against their wishes, according to a new YouGov poll.

An increasing number of doctors are refusing to carry out abortions, leading to a crisis in NHS services, experts have warned. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists says there has been a big rise in the number of doctors who are “conscientious objectors”.