In the news
News Archive
March 2008
NHS Trust lifted out of Special Measures
March 2008
A Cornwall Health Trust at the centre of abuse allegations has been praised for progress made during nearly two years in special measures. The Heathcare Commission said that Cornwall Partnership NHS Trust had made substantial progress in addressing failings in services for people with learning disabilities.
Press Association, Friday March 28th 2008
http://www.learningdisabilities.org.uk/information/news?EntryId17=29977
Doctor who sparked MMR debate defends his claim at GMC hearing
March 2008
The doctor who sparked a national controversy with his claims of a link between the MMR vaccine and autism defended his work at a General Medical Council hearing today. Andrew Wakefield is charged with serious professional misconduct in relation to his research on MMR, bowel disease and autism.
Claire , The Guardian, Thursday March 27th 2008
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/mar/27/health.healthandwellbeing
Injustice in residential care: a joint report
March 2008
Ombudsmen find council and Health Trust failed to provide acceptable standard of care for man with severe learning disabilities. In a report published today (March 27th 2008) two ombudsmen find that the level of care provided by Buckinghamshire County Council and Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Mental Health Partnership Trust for a man with severe learning disabilities was unacceptable.
Press Association, Thursday March 27th 2008
http://www.learningdisabilities.org.uk/information/news?EntryId17=29955
My dislike for this woman goes beyond her disability
March 2008
I’ve just completed an extremely uncomfortable learning curve. It began a few months back when Dave announced at the club that he and Sue were getting married. This is a social club that meets once a week at the community centre on the estate. It is an informal occasion for adults with learning disabilities to mull over their week…
Stewart Dakers, The Guardian, Wednesday March 26th 2008
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/mar/26/disability
Drinking while pregnant risks autism in babies
March 2008
Women who drink alcohol during pregnancy may be putting their babies at risk of developing autism, according to new research. The consultant psychiatrist who alerted the medical profession to the finding that drinking while pregnant can give babies a condition called foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) has now found that the consumption of alcohol by expecting mothers can also cause autism.
Sarah-Kate Templeton, Health Editor, Sunday Times, Sunday March 23rd 2008
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article3602704.ece
Negotiating a parthway to work
March 2008
I think most people would agree that more needs to be done to help people into work, but the current debate only looks at the symptoms. One of the root causes could be solved by a simple amendment to the benefits system. We come across many people with learning disabilities or mental health needs who would like to have a job, but who need to build up their hours slowly in order to gain confidence.
The Guardian, Tuesday March 18th 2008
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2008/mar/18/workandcareers.health
How our son taught us the secret songs of autism
March 2008
David is 11 and profoundly autistic, one of half a million Britons with a condition for which there is no cure. Christopher Stevens tells of his family's struggle to understand their son's inner world.
Christopher Stevens, The Observer, Sunday March 16th 2008
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/mar/16/mentalhealth
Calls to keep day care open
March 2008
People with learning disbilities and their carers have asked Cornwall County Council not to close their day care centre.
BBC Online, Friday March 14th 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/?bw=nb&mp=wm&news=1&nol_storyid=7297669&bbcws=1
Disability rhetoric must be made reality
March 2008
Abandoned on a park bench as a baby, profoundly deaf and with a learning disability, 'Miss D' deserved better - a lot better - from the local authority that became responsible for her welfare.
David Brindle, Public Services Editor, The Guardian, Wednesday March 12th 2008
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/mar/12/learningdisability.socialcare
Carers accused of faking log of home visits to woman, 83
March 2008
Carers faked a log claiming they had continued to check an elderly woman in her home for a week after she had been admitted to hospital, it was alleged today...
Steven Morris and David Brindle, The Guardian, Wednesday March 12th 2008
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/mar/12/longtermcare.socialcare
Ernie Els speaks out over son's autism
March 2008
The Masters is a little over a month away and Ernie Els is back in the equation. His recent win in the Honda, which followed 47 barren outings on the PGA tour, has obviously had a lot to do with it, but there are also those who see his decision to speak out about his five year old autistic son, Ben, as no less of a stepping stone.
Lewine Mair, The Telegraph, March 11th 2008
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2008/03/11/sgels111.xml
Job losses are 'betrayal' of disabled
March 2008
Unions protest after the government refuse to rescue factories that keep thousands in work.
Caroline Davies, The Observer, Sunday March 9th 2008
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/mar/09/disability
Claire Morrall: The author explores Asperger's Syndrome in her latest novel
March 2008
"I am always drawn to the strange and the odd and the unusual - people on the outside looking in. I will never write a book about somebody having an affair with the next door neighbour" declares Claire Morrall. As soon as the words are out she looks embarrassed, as if she has been too forthright, too rude about rivals. "I don't want to sound snooty about other people's writing..."
Danuta Kean, The Independent, Sunday March 9th 2008
Funds for public to buy own care and teaching
March 2008
The government's new programme of personalised public services could see NHS patients being given a budget to buy their own care and parents the money to hire their own teachers.
Sara Gaines, Society Guardian, Tuesday March 6th 2008
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/mar/06/health.publicservices
From Social Care to Stardom
March 2008
A documentary about a UK punk band, some of whose members have learning disabilities, has its premiere next week at the South by South West (SxSW) music and film festival in Austin, Texas. The film follows Heavy Load, who have been together for 12 years, as they make the transition from playing disabled nights to performing mainstream rock venues.
Mark Drinkwater, The Guardian, Wednesday March 5th 2008
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/mar/05/learningdisability.musicnews
Ditch the Stereotypes
March 2008
Anne McGuire, the Minister for Disabled People, is determined to engender in the population a deep understanding of the range of disabilities.
Emily Ford, The Times, Tuesday March 4th 2008
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/career_and_jobs/public_sector/article3474595.ece
Making workplaces fit for all willing workers
March 2008
For a firm to employ disabled people does not require extensive and expensive alterations. A little thought and consideration goes a long way.
Alex Hardy, The Times, Tuesday March 4th 2008
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/career_and_jobs/public_sector/article3474569.ece
Intermediaries to help young sex abuse victims in court
March 2008
Sex offenders who prey on adults with learning disabilities and young children are to be brought to justice under a groundbreaking scheme to be launched throughout England and Wales next month.
Clare Dyer, Legal Editor, The Guardian, Monday March 3rd 2008
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/mar/03/sexoffences.crime
