'Gap' in child worker checks plan

The government says the system of checks on child workers has become too bureaucratic

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Government plans to change the system of vetting people who work with children in England and Wales contain a "disturbing gap", the NSPCC has said.

The Home Office announced earlier this month that checks would be required only for people working "closely and regularly" with young people.

The NSPCC said it was concerned that some volunteers in schools and children's homes would be exempt.

But it welcomed the coalition's "more proportionate" approach overall.

The comments come as MPs prepare to debate the Freedoms Bill - which contains the proposals - on Tuesday.

The planned changes are part of what the government says is an attempt to end Labour's "13-year assault on hard-won British freedoms".

But the NSPCC said that, under the terms of the bill, a teacher who has been barred but not prosecuted for inappropriate behaviour could become an unpaid, supervised, voluntary worker in a school without any checks revealing the previous behaviour which had led to them being barred.

It added that there would be a loophole in the protection of vulnerable 16- and 17-year-olds because people who worked with them in sports clubs and faith groups would not be vetted under the new rules.

An NSPCC spokesman said: "This is a disturbing gap in the planned legislation which could put children at serious risk of harm.

"It must be addressed as soon as possible to deny offenders a golden opportunity of targeting innocent victims."

For Labour, shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: "I am very worried about these serious loopholes that the NSPCC has identified in the government's new child protection arrangements.

"Most parents would be deeply troubled by the idea that a teacher who has been barred for sexual grooming of a child could then work as a teaching assistant with no-one aware of their past."

Home Secretary Theresa May suspended Labour's Vetting and Barring scheme in June 2010 and ordered a review be carried out.

The scheme was set up in 2009 after an inquiry into the murders of the Soham schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman by school caretaker Ian Huntley.

Children's minister Tim Loughton has said the revised system will be "less bureaucratic and less intimidating" and "encourage everyone to be vigilant".

Children's charity Barnardo's said the move was "a victory for common sense".

This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/uk-politics-12604182

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Shops urged 'keep drink separate'

The research found alcohol was sold near checkouts, as well as on its own aisles

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Alcohol should be kept away from food and soft drinks in supermarkets, according to a campaign group.

Alcohol Concern wants shops in England and Wales to keep beer and wine in a separate section.

It has found that big retailers place beer and wine near the doors and the tills, as well as on food aisles.

Industry groups say encouraging people to drink with food is responsible, as most people enjoy their alcohol that way.

But Alcohol Concern says drink should not be displayed so widely, and should not be alongside bread and cheese.

Its chief executive, Don Shenker, said: "It's now common practice to sell wine next to ready-meals, pushing the idea that a relaxing meal should be accompanied by an alcoholic drink.

"Such practices help fuel a drinking culture where one in four people in England are already drinking at levels that are harming their health."

Mr Shenker says supermarkets are "saturating" their aisles with alcohol.

Some of the samples identified by the group's research were:

Asda had bottles of wine at the fish, meat and deli counters and cans of cider next to the hot chicken counterMorrisons had beer next to fruit and vegetables, and champagne next to the milkSainsbury's had wine next to soft drinks, bottles of spirits next to fruit and boxes of beer next to cheeseTesco had bottles of spirits next to bread and tea, and cans of cider were found next to crisps

The research involved a single visit to a branch of each supermarket in Cardiff on a single day in December 2010.

The British Retail Consortium said it was a very small-scale survey, which would be skewed by the fact it was carried out close to Christmas.

“We have to start de-normalising alcohol - it is not like other types of food and drink”

Dr Vivienne Nathanson British Medical Association

The BRC's food director, Andrew Opie, said: "Supermarkets are the most responsible sellers of alcohol. There's no evidence to link the way alcohol is sold currently to irresponsible drinking."

"Limiting supermarket displays would create inconvenience for the vast majority of customers who enjoy alcohol sensibly", he said.

Alcohol Concern wants England to follow the example set in Scotland where laws restrict the places where alcohol can be seen.

Gavin Partington from the Wine and Spirit Trade Association said there was no evidence from Scotland that the change had any impact on tackling alcohol misuse.

"Far from demonising alcohol, surely we should encourage people to drink with food," he said.

"Most people enjoy drinks in this way and that's why they are happy to buy them as part of their weekly shop."

The Welsh Assembly Government has expressed support for the move, but has not yet introduced any measures.

Doctors' leaders have backed the calls for supermarkets to change the way they display alcohol.

Dr Vivienne Nathanson, head of science and ethics for the British Medical Association, said: "We have to start de-normalising alcohol - it is not like other types of food and drink."

"Alcohol in moderation can be good for you but as many as 30% of people in the UK are drinking far too much and putting their health at risk."

Dr Nathanson said: "Having separate alcohol areas in supermarkets is only one aspect of a comprehensive strategy that the government needs to introduce to tackle alcohol misuse."

The BMA and Alcohol Concern both support the introduction of a minimum price-per-unit for alcohol of 50p.

This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/uk-12599471

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Life screening

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One cycle of IVF, one egg, one embryo and one baby.

It sounds simple, and yet for the 35,000 women who undergo IVF in the UK each year it's unlikely.

Only one in three IVF cycles is successful, each one costing potentially thousands of pounds.

But a new chromosome counting technique pioneered at Oxford University could put paid to all that.

Microarray CGH (comparative genomic hybridisation) is used to check for any significant abnormalities present in the chromosomes of the embryo before implantation in IVF treatment.

A small number of cells are removed from the growing embryo five days after fertilisation and the DNA in them is scanned for any clear problems.

The results are available within 24 hours, which allows the maximum information to be obtained from the embryo before it is used.

Armed with this knowledge, doctors can then ensure that only embryos with the correct number of chromosomes are transferred in IVF, thereby improving the chances of a successful pregnancy and reducing the likelihood of miscarriage or Down's syndrome.

Dr Dagan Wells developed the technique of applying microarray CGH to embryos at the Nuffield Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in Oxford.

He says: "Five days after the egg is fertilised it has more than 100 cells so we can safely take some cells for testing. The tests have worked really well, giving an accuracy rating of 98% - and there is no impact on the embryo of taking these cells either."

The chromosome screening technique is not intended to look for any specific genetic disorders relevant to the couple being treated or anything more subtle than viability.

“We think it will help slightly older women who have an increased risk of a Down's syndrome baby and also young women who have a repeated failure of implantation”

Stuart Lavery, Fertility specialist

"We are only testing for ability to be alive," says Dr Wells.

This gets around the two problems of IVF - the number of faulty embryos produced in a typical IVF cycle and the problem of distinguishing between the faulty and healthy embryos using traditional checks.

Embryos can seem to be growing well under a microscope but may still have chromosome abnormalities, and it's these abnormalities which lead to miscarriage or a Down's syndrome baby at full term.

The CGH technique can also be used at an earlier stage on patients' eggs, rather than on the embryos - created when the sperm has fertilised the egg.

This is particularly advantageous for women who have fewer, good embryos to start with because they will not have to wait until the blastocyst stage - five days after fertilisation - for the embryos to be analysed and transferred.

In some IVF patients - particularly those above the age of 42 - it can become more and more difficult to find 'normal' embryos, because fewer eggs and fewer embryos are produced as women age.

Studies analysing the benefits of CGH to date are promising, but experts agree that more scientific evidence is require before the technique is applied routinely in IVF clinics.

A study of American women in Colorado found that pregnancy rates increased by more than 50% following chromosome screening, but since it is normal to transfer around three embryos during IVF in the US rather than just one in the UK, this enhances the results.

For Dr Wells, it is the implantation rate that is important - the chance that one embryo can make a pregnancy.

Stewart Lavery, consultant gynaecologist and director of the IVF at Hammersmith Hospital in London, has been carrying out CGH for a year.

"It's a really exciting technique which does have potential, but we have to be cautious. We need some good evidence first," he says.

The safety of the technique is certainly not in question. What IVF experts need is evidence of which patients will benefit from CGH and by how much.

Mr Lavery says: "We think it will help slightly older women who have an increased risk of a Down's syndrome baby and also young women who have a repeated failure of implantation."

So it may yet be a long time before it's available on the NHS. But it could make financial sense if it saved on costly IVF cycles, avoided terminations and cut the numbers of miscarriages dealt with in hospital.

What is certain is that in the search for a 'normal' egg and a 'normal' embryo IVF doctors have to use their judgement. Is there such a thing as a 'normal' embryo?

Even for women not going through IVF, becoming pregnant is a very tricky and complicated business. Failure to conceive is common, occurring regularly even before the woman is aware of it.

"We have already beaten the odds just by being alive," says Dr Wells.

For women going through IVF, anything that increases the odds of a baby is all that matters.

This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/health-12494767

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Ennis pulls out of Euro Indoors

World and European heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis withdraws from the European Indoors because of an ankle injury.

This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/sport1/hi/athletics/9409786.stm

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'Phobia' inmate's legal bid fails

A prisoner who suffers severe social phobia fails in his legal fight to complete his jail term at home.

This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/uk-england-sussex-12600426

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Delay to higher education plans

David Willetts wants to see a market in university fees

Hospitals must adapt in shake-up

The government is changing the structure of the NHS

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Private sector take-overs, mergers and more community-based care may be needed to ensure all hospitals survive the shake-up of the NHS, the head of the health service says.

Sir David Nicholson told the BBC the combination of reforms and squeeze on spending meant some hospitals would find the future "difficult".

He said he did not expect any hospitals in England to close completely.

But said some would needed to adapt and change to remain competitive.

Sir David, who will become the chief executive of the NHS commissioning board when GP consortia are set up, admitted the health service was facing one of its toughest and most demanding periods ever.

The NHS budget is only getting annual rises of 0.1% above inflation for the next four years - the first time in its history that it has had such a period of small rises.

"It is a difficult settlement for the NHS, no doubt about it," he said.

But he added it was partly off-set by the large rises the NHS has got over the past decade and should be seen in the context of the cuts elsewhere across government.

“It is going to get harder especially when you consider the private sector is going to get more involved. There is a real risk”

Paul Flynn British Medical Association

Sir David said the funding situation, coupled with the NHS changes, was creating a "new world" for the health service.

"Most hospitals will be able to survive and thrive in the new world. But undoubtedly there will be those that will find it difficult," he said.

"The thing about the hospital service is that it has grown enormously over the last 10 years in particular and we are going into a period where growth in the NHS is what they describe as 'flat real'.

"Those hospitals whose business model is based on increasing capacity have got to seriously look at the way they operate.

"That is why some hospitals are looking towards taking over community services."

The NHS chief executive also conceded some hospital trusts may have to merge with their neighbours, which in turn would lead to a scaling back of some services.

Meanwhile, he said, others may end up with private companies running them - as is happening in Cambridgeshire with Hinchingbrooke Hospital where Circle has been chosen to manage the trust.

Sir David believes the hospitals will have to adapt

Sir David said it was "too early" to tell on what sort of scale these approaches would be needed although he said in all likelihood they would only happen in a minority of cases.

And he added the "expectation" was that there would not be complete closures.

This contrasts with the warning from the NHS Confederation last month that some hospitals may have to shut.

The report said the threat from private health firms under the "any willing provider" policy meant they could lose business.

Paul Flynn, of the consultants committee of the British Medical Association, agreed hospitals were facing a challenge.

"It is going to get harder especially when you consider the private sector is going to get more involved. There is a real risk."

This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/health-12566716

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Hospitals must adapt in shake-up

The government is changing the structure of the NHS

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Private sector take-overs, mergers and more community-based care may be needed to ensure all hospitals survive the shake-up of the NHS, the head of the health service says.

Sir David Nicholson told the BBC the combination of reforms and squeeze on spending meant some hospitals would find the future "difficult".

He said he did not expect any hospitals in England to close completely.

But said some would needed to adapt and change to remain competitive.

Sir David, who will become the chief executive of the NHS commissioning board when GP consortia are set up, admitted the health service was facing one of its toughest and most demanding periods ever.

The NHS budget is only getting annual rises of 0.1% above inflation for the next four years - the first time in its history that it has had such a period of small rises.

"It is a difficult settlement for the NHS, no doubt about it," he said.

But he added it was partly off-set by the large rises the NHS has got over the past decade and should be seen in the context of the cuts elsewhere across government.

“It is going to get harder especially when you consider the private sector is going to get more involved. There is a real risk”

Paul Flynn British Medical Association

Sir David said the funding situation, coupled with the NHS changes, was creating a "new world" for the health service.

"Most hospitals will be able to survive and thrive in the new world. But undoubtedly there will be those that will find it difficult," he said.

"The thing about the hospital service is that it has grown enormously over the last 10 years in particular and we are going into a period where growth in the NHS is what they describe as 'flat real'.

"Those hospitals whose business model is based on increasing capacity have got to seriously look at the way they operate.

"That is why some hospitals are looking towards taking over community services."

The NHS chief executive also conceded some hospital trusts may have to merge with their neighbours, which in turn would lead to a scaling back of some services.

Meanwhile, he said, others may end up with private companies running them - as is happening in Cambridgeshire with Hinchingbrooke Hospital where Circle has been chosen to manage the trust.

Sir David believes the hospitals will have to adapt

Sir David said it was "too early" to tell on what sort of scale these approaches would be needed although he said in all likelihood they would only happen in a minority of cases.

And he added the "expectation" was that there would not be complete closures.

This contrasts with the warning from the NHS Confederation last month that some hospitals may have to shut.

The report said the threat from private health firms under the "any willing provider" policy meant they could lose business.

Paul Flynn, of the consultants committee of the British Medical Association, agreed hospitals were facing a challenge.

"It is going to get harder especially when you consider the private sector is going to get more involved. There is a real risk."

This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/health-12566716

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