The government has lost a House of Lords vote on its controversial plans to overhaul the NHS in England. Peers backed an amendment to the Health and Social Care Bill - demanding mental health is made a higher priority - by a margin of four votes. Several other amendments will be debated on Wednesday.
At least 35,000 people applying for sickness benefit are waiting longer than 13 weeks, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has admitted. DWP officials are privately blaming the backlog of employment and support allowance claims on French firm Atos, which carries out medical assessments. Atos Healthcare said it had recruited additional staff and extended opening hours in response to the situation. One member of DWP staff described the situation as "in meltdown".
The Supreme Court is to hear a case challenging the way councils in England can consider their finances when assessing people for social care. A severely disabled man - known as KM - and four charities will say care should be the same wherever a person lives.
The Supreme Court is to hear a case challenging the way councils in England can consider their finances when assessing people for social care. A severely disabled man - known as KM - and four charities will say care should be the same wherever a person lives.
For several years cochlear implants have offered some deaf people the chance to have a "sensation of sound". So why would some deaf teenagers choose not to have the implant even if they had the option? The issue of cochlear implants and efforts to "cure" deafness is a very sensitive subject among the 19,600 deaf teenagers in the UK. Indeed, many young deaf people are proud of deaf culture.
The risk of birth defects increases four-fold if the pregnant mother has diabetes, researchers say. The Newcastle University study, published in the journal Diabetologia, analysed data from more than 400,000 pregnancies in North East England. The risk of defects such as congenital heart disease and spina bifida were increased.
