Thousands of people in England are likely to receive more help towards their care costs, a minister has said. Ivan Lewis, the care services minister, was unveiling a national framework for funding NHS continuing healthcare. The aim is to standardise decisions on who is eligible for continuing care, making the process faster, fairer and more simple to understand.
As part of their major summer campaign on the NHS, the Liberal Democrats have launched a new website - www.nhssos.com
Working with hearing or visually impaired colleagues can mean rethinking the way you communicate. But finding a common language is easier than it seems.
Almost half of the 990 epilepsy-linked deaths in England each year are avoidable, says a parliamentary report. Nearly 70,000 patients do not get drugs they need, while even more are given medication unnecessarily, the All Party Parliamentary Group on Epilepsy said. It described the figures as a "national scandal", arguing that misdiagnosis of patients was costing £134m annually. The Department of Health said it took epilepsy "very seriously" and would study the report carefully.
Oscar Pistorius can compete against the world's best able-bodied athletes while researchers decide if his prosthetic legs give him an unfair advantage. In March, athletics' governing body introduced a rule banning any runner deemed to benefit from artificial help. But it now appears it has changed its stance, to the benefit of Pistorius. The 20-year-old South African runs using carbon fibre curved blades after his legs were amputated from below the knee when he was just 11 months.
A charity which offers disabled people the chance to explore canals in Essex has been given a £13,000 funding boost. The Canal Boat Project, based in Burnt Mill, Harlow, is one of 12 groups in the district to share £94,598 of grants Essex County Council. The grant will help complete the charity's £50,000 project to build a reception cabin and pumping equipment.
