“People who look after young relatives or friends’ children are being treated unfairly by some councils, a local government watchdog says.”
BBC News, 29th November 2013
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Workers who expose wrongdoing should be protected by a statutory whistleblowing code, according to a report by a retired senior judge.’
Law Society’s Gazette, 27th November 2013
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘Reports of “disturbing, poor and unsafe care” in the NHS have become too common, the chairman of the inquiry into Mid-Staffs has said, as he called on hospitals to learn from the mistakes of previous scandals. Robert Francis QC, newly appointed as president of the Patients Association, spoke as the charity exposed a catalogue of hospital and care home failings.’
Daily Telegraph, 28th November 2013
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
‘There is no topic more appropriate to write about on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women than that of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). FGM involves the partial or total removal of a girl’s genitalia for non-medical reasons. The potential health risks resulting from the FGM procedure are numerous and severe: in extreme cases it can lead to sterility, infection, haemorrhaging and death. The risks associated with FGM are exacerbated by the fact that it is usually performed by people with no formal medical training in unsanitary conditions. Many statements from girls who were mutilated describe being physically held down on tables in make-shift theatres, and having their genitalia cut with sharp implements. Anaesthetic is rarely used.’
Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 25th November 2013
Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk
‘ “Shocking” sexual violence is being carried out by children against other children as young as 11, according to an official report. The Office of the Children’s Commissioner for England said the perpetrators could be 12 or 13, and rape is seen as “normal and inevitable” in some areas, especially among gangs.’
BBC News, 26th November 2013
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Royal Bank of Scotland has appointed the law firm Clifford Chance to examine damaging allegations that the bailed-out bank is deliberately wrecking viable small businesses to make a profit. The move came as Sir Andrew Large said in a report commissioned by the bank that RBS had left itself open to accusations of conflict of interest by small firms placed in its restructuring division because of its opaque management structure.’
The Guardian, 25th November 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘Hospitals have made no improvement in patient safety or treating the ill with dignity and respect despite the concerns triggered by the Mid Staffordshire scandal, according to the independent healthcare regulator. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) also found no improvement in hospitals monitoring and assessment of the quality of care they are providing.’
The Guardian, 21st November 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“In July 2012, the government published its response to the EHRC recommendations from its inquiry into disability related harassment. Our response set out our commitment to tackle disability related harassment and how we planned to take forward work to address the issues identified, including through ‘Challenge it, Report it, Stop it’, the government’s plan to tackle hate crime. This update provides an overview of the government’s specific achievements to address hate crime and disability-related harassment to date. Over the last year we have made significant progress in a number of areas to identify gaps and improve our response to disability equality, change negative attitudes and provide support for disabled people and disabled people’s organisations.”
Home Office, 14th November 2013
Source: www.gov.uk/home-office
“A report into a GP who filmed intimate sexual examinations with a camera hidden in a watch has found a senior GP had concerns about his behaviour.”
BBC News, 12th November 2013
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“This independent review by Neil Kinghan contains a series of recommendations to reform the Riot Damages Act following the riots in August 2011.”
Home Office, 8th November 2013
Source: www.gov.uk/home-office
“The Home Office investigates just six per cent of tip-offs from the public about suspected illegal immigrants, a new report has disclosed.
Nearly 49,000 reports were received over nine months about foreigners alleged to be living or working illegally in Britain, but officials looked into only 2,695 of them.”
Daily Telegraph, 8th November 2013
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“Europe’s power over British affairs could actually be increased by the Government’s decision to opt back in to a number of criminal justice measures, MPs have warned. The House of Commons’ all-party European Scrutiny committee warned the influence of Parliament and the British courts could suffer if ministers proceed with current plans.”
Daily Telegraph, 7th November 2013
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“Thousands of girls in danger of genital mutilation are being failed by the health and justice systems, a coalition of health professionals has warned in a report that recommends aggressive steps to eradicate the practice in the UK.”
The Guardian, 4th November 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“There is general support among charities for ‘payment by results’ but its implementation has often been ‘crude’ and ‘seriously flawed’, a report for the National Council for Voluntary Organisations has argued.”
Local Government Lawyer, 30th October 2013
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
“Police have ‘fallen well short’ on standards of behaviour and ethics, warns report commissioned by Police Federation in wake of Plebgate affair.”
Daily Telegraph, 30th October 2013
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“A revolution in the handling of NHS complaints has been proposed in a report co-authored by the MP Ann Clwyd, who has told how her own husband was treated with ‘coldness, resentment, indifference and contempt’ on his hospital deathbed.”
The Guardian, 28th October 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“A government-backed review into how the NHS in England handles complaints is set to publish its conclusions later.”
BBC News, 28th October 2013
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“The latest Alan Milburn report on social mobility has produced a little backslapping in legal circles, primarily because of this judgment: “Professions are undertaking more activity in order to improve but results are mixed: law leads medicine, media, politics and finance.”
Legal Week, 24th October 2013
Source: www.legalweek.com
Britain’s mobile phone operators could be forced by Government to invest more in next generation services after ‘shocking’ figures showed thousands of miles of roads have no 3G coverage at all.
Daily Telegraph, 24th October 2013
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
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