Patients in mid Wales are suffering because of a “shambolic situation” in health care on the Wales-England border, an assembly member has claimed. Glyn Davies says arrangements to treat Powys patients at Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH), in Shropshire, are in “turmoil”.

Wales’ most senior judge is due to warn that a lack of prisons in Wales could be hindering offenders’ rehabilitation. Sir Roderick Evans will call for more prison places in Wales saying families often have to travel long distances to visit relatives in jail. This endangers family contact which is vital for prisoners’ reintegration into society, the judge will tell a Law Society event on Thursday.

Parc Prison failed to meet latest inspection tests but is working on its problems, according to a report into the privately-run jail in Bridgend. In the last four years, there have been three changes in management at Parc – a fact that the Prison Reform Trust blames for Parc’s failings. Despite the findings, prison inspectors said the jail was in recovery.

The highs and lows of the Welsh criminal justice system, are revealed today by those who work within it. Six key staff – including members of the police, forensic science service and the legal profession – were questioned about their day-to-day lives and the  difficulties they face. Some admitted they struggle to work within the confines of laws which seem to stand in the way of justice, while others said they have to fight public opinion and the media.

A draft new strategy for social services in Wales which will expect more consistent high quality services for those in need and greater links with the community to promote independence and well being has been launched by Health and Social Services Minister Dr Brian Gibbons. Dr Gibbons said the proposals in Fulfilled Lives, Supportive Communities promote social inclusion and the rights of the individual.

The Welsh Assembly Government has promised to deliver “world-class” social services for Wales as it reveals its 10-year plan to drive up standards. It aims to complement the government’s 10-year Designed for Life health plan which was announced last year. The number of people currently using social services has risen by 50% over the past five years to 150,000. The strategy, called Fulfilled Lives, Supportive Communities, aims to help more people remain living in their homes.

A university lecturer has become the first professional to be elected president of the Nursing and Midwifery Council. Sandra Arthur takes over at a time when professional regulation faces increased government scrutiny. She replaces Sir Jonathan Asbridge who was appointed as the first NMC president.

Positive test results for Hepatitis C have been found in patients of a health care worker diagnosed with the disease. More than 2,000 people in Gwynedd were tested after it was revealed a health worker was carrying the infection. The National Public Health Service for Wales and Gwynedd Local Health Board said there was no evidence to link the positive tests with the health worker.

Serious questions were last night being asked about how two dangerous paedophiles were able to escape from one of the country’s most open prisons a week after they were transferred there. John Elms and Martin Aspinall, both serving life sentences for the rape of young girls, escaped from HMP Prescoed on Friday. For almost 48 hours residents in nearby communities lived in fear their children could become the pair’s next victims.

A teenager died after abusing a can of fabric freshener which her family thought she sprayed to hide the smell of cigarettes, a coroner ruled today. The distraught mother of Helen Coffey thought her daughter was using the aerosol to mask the smell of tobacco on her clothes. The 14-year-old was taken to hospital when she was found collapsed and “smelling of furniture polish” by her sister. She died a week later on April 19 last year from brain damage.