1 A £330 million housing plan for the South East was revealed by John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister. The project will create a series of new towns along the Thames Gateway in Essex and Kent with the aim of relieving overcrowding in London and providing more affordable homes.
2 Patients may have to show proof of identity to get hospital treatment. John Hutton, the Health Minister, said ID cards would make it “much easier” to establish eligibility for NHS treatment. In the meantime patients could be asked to produce passports or utility bills as proof of residence.
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3 Care homes for the elderly continue to close at a rapid rate, according to healthcare analyst Laing and Buisson. Its annual survey of care homes found that there were 745 closures and 15,100 places lost in the independent sector over a 15-month period to April 2003.
4 Inefficient public services are wasting £70 billion a year, according to the European Central Bank. Its report shows that the UK is rated above France or Germany in terms of value for money from public services, but below the US, Ireland, Japan and Australia.
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5 Lambeth council was accused of racism after an eight-month inquiry into a key department. A panel concluded that the community alarms service, which monitors the elderly and vulnerable, was infected by a culture of discrimination, bullying, victimisation, sexual harassment and unprofessional conduct.
6 Healthcare workers inspire confidence and trust among the public, a survey by the Commission for Health Improvement found. The independent health watchdog surveyed 273,000 patients for their views about the standard of care they had received and found that 85 per cent of A&E patients and 94 per cent of outpatients rated their standard of care as excellent, very good or good.
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7 Imperial College London is being investigated by the Equal Opportunities Commission after claims of discrimination. The commission called a meeting with Sir Richard Sykes, rector of Imperial, after receiving a number of complaints against the college from current and former staff.
8 A record number of doctors were banned for serious misconduct last year. Figures from the General Medical Council, the doctors’ disciplinary body, show that 72 doctors were struck off or suspended from the medical register in 2002. This compares with 53 in 2001.
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9 A campaign to encourage 200 British police officers to serve in Iraq is being launched by the Foreign Office. The officers are expected to be drawn from 43 constabularies in England and Wales. This is the first time that UK mainland officers will be used for overseas duties.
10 The number of foundation hospitals could double. Twenty-five NHS hospitals are eligible for foundation status by April 2004, but under proposals announced by Tony Blair a further 38 could join them a year later.
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11 Social workers and doctors can be sued by children wrongly diagnosed as suffering from child abuse, the Court of Appeal ruled. The judges ruled, however, that the parents have no right to sue. The judgment came after three families claimed serious psychological distress when falsely accused of abuse.
12 The NHS is struggling to recruit key staff, official figures revealed. Statistics from the Department of Health show that hospitals and GP clinics are unable to fill posts in psychiatry, learning disabilities and paediatrics.