The government has not ruled out introducing a compulsory payment scheme for social care, sources say. During the election campaign the Conservatives campaigned against the so-called "death tax" to pay for social care.
Young children with autism can be identified by listening to the noises they make, say US scientists. Research suggests the babbling of infants with autism differs from that of children without it. The differences were spotted with 86% accuracy using automated vocal analysis technology. Vocal characteristics are not currently used for diagnosing autism, even though the link has been suggested before. The study is in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Regularly using a mobile phone may increase the risk of tinnitus, which involves constant ringing or buzzing in the ear, a small study suggests. Austrian researchers recruited 100 people with the condition and 100 without, and compared mobile phone use. They found tinnitus was over 70% more likely in those averaging 10 minutes' daily phone use, reported Occupational and Environmental Medicine journal.
A rail operator has apologised to a disabled passenger after staff tried to "bar" him from a train. Tim Mason, 49, from Teignmouth, Devon, was told he could not travel on the First Great Western (FGW) train if his wheelchair could not be folded away.
People with learning disabilities receive worse healthcare than the rest of the population some doctors and nurses believe, according to a charity. Mencap has found almost half of doctors and a third of nurses from a poll of poll of 1,084 think this is the case.
A council has been criticised after it cancelled a travel scheme enabling elderly and disabled people access to cheap or free public transport. Eastleigh council said it believed an alternative scheme would offer a wider choice of travel options.
