| Child tax credit: The benefits available for British families Child Tax credit is just one of the benefits aimed at families with children, below is a list of some of the others telegraph.co.uk |
Royal Navy launches warship into Clyde The last of a fleet of six Royal Navy warships built in Scotland has been launched into the River Clyde, in Glasgow. bbc.co.uk |
Police probe into vandalism leads to a gang of ... squirrels When police discovered that wire cables were being systematically damaged in cars and a string of houses, they launched an urgent high-profile appeal for information. telegraph.co.uk |
Hospital bed crisis 'could leave neediest patients untreated' Health service chief warns cutbacks in local government care may increase pressure on emergency services and hospitalsHospitals may be unable to admit patients "who badly need care" because of pressure on beds caused by an increase in demand due to cutbacks to local government care in the spending review, a health service chief warned yesterday.Local authorities were among the big losers in George Osborne's review on Wednesday, with councils in England facing a 27% cut in central government funding over the next four years.Nigel Edwards, acting chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said this would cause the elderly and vulnerable to fill up beds, but some patients who needed care would still be left untreated."Less support from council services will quickly lead to increased pressure on emergency services and hospitals," he said."Hospital beds will be blocked for those who badly need care because the support services the elderly require after discharge will not be available."Edwards, whose body represents NHS trusts in charge of hospitals and ambulance services, said it was crucial that council care services and the NHS worked together. "When it comes to the care of the most vulnerable in our society, it really is essential that the NHS and local authorities are in it together," he said.The Department of Health said last night: "We have allocated an additional £2bn by 2014/15 – this extra boost alongside an ambitious programme of efficiency will ensure that there is enough funding available both to protect people's access to services and deliver new approaches to improve quality and outcomes."We expect local health and social care professionals will work together to ensure that the funding is spent on joint health and social care priorities and improve outcomes for everyone."Kieran Mullan, head of engagement and strategy at the Patients Association, said that social care and NHS "do not exist in silos"."One impacts directly on the other," he said. "Poor services in the community lead to admissions to hospital, and lack of services prevent discharge when it might be best for the patient."Last year councils spent £14bn on adult social care services. Care funding is susceptible to cuts as it is the biggest part of council budgets not legally ring-fenced. To lessen the impact of any care cuts, the Treasury this week set aside £2bn over the next four years for councils to spend on adult care services.Edwards's dire warning, in a letter to the Daily Telegraph, came as Danny Alexander, the chief secretary to the Treasury, conceded that many people would suffer as a result of the cuts."For a lot of people it's going to be very difficult indeed," he said.The Local Government Association, representing local authorities in England and Wales, said that even with extra cash councils would still face a £4bn shortfall in budgets for adult social care by 2014. The spending review would have a great impact on care services, a spokesman said.Thousands of jobs in the NHS are already earmarked for cuts as primary care trusts and strategic health authorities are to be abolished as part of the government's reforms. There are some concerns hospitals may seek to slash frontline jobs too.Earlier this week Edwards warned that the NHS faced a "potent cocktail of pressures".NHSHealthLocal governmentPublic sector cutsPublic services policyAmy Fallonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
London teenager was shot in chest A 16-year-old boy shot dead by "two masked gunmen" in east London died from a wound to the chest, tests reveal. bbc.co.uk |