Tories plan benefit numbers cut
The Conservatives have promised to cut the number of incapacity benefit claimants in Britain by 200,000.
7 Jan 2008
News
Disability scooter driven on A11
An elderly woman with poor eyesight who drove a disability scooter along a dual carriageway had probably got lost, police have said.
7 Jan 2008
Learning disability drug warning
Doctors are being warned not to routinely give people with learning disabilities anti-psychotic drugs to curb aggressive behaviour. An Imperial College London study of 86 patients found the drugs were no more effective than being given none at all. Researchers said it was more important to address the underlying causes.
4 Jan 2008
Smoking link to hearing problems
Teenagers who smoke, or whose mother smoked in pregnancy, are at higher risk of hearing problems and understanding what is being said, a US study says. In tests on 67 teenagers, Yale University found those exposed to smoke had trouble focusing and interpreting sounds when there was a distraction.
3 Jan 2008
'Standardised' social care urged
The "postcode lottery" in social care for the elderly must be addressed to stop some people using up their life savings to pay for it, a charity says. Everyone over 65 who needs assistance is being funded £25,000 by means of informal and private care to plug a shortfall, Counsel and Care calculates.
3 Jan 2008
Low-energy bulbs 'cause migraine'
Energy-saving light bulbs could trigger migraines, say campaigners. The Migraine Action Association says members have told them how fluorescent bulbs have led to attacks. The government is set to prevent the sale of conventional light bulbs within the next four years in a bid to cut carbon dioxide emissions.
3 Jan 2008