News

The number of recognised young carers in the UK has risen by more than 10,000 in four years, prompting concerns that they are taking up the slack from increasingly pressured adult social care services.

An analysis of the most recent government figures by The Independent shows that in May 2017 there were 41,870 16-to-24-year-olds who qualified to receive the carer’s allowance, compared with 31,080 in 2013 – an increase of 35 per cent.

Those aged 16 and 17 saw an even bigger rise during the same period – up by 54 per cent from 1,400 to 2,150.

Esther McVey has been accused by the government’s spending watchdog of knowingly lying to parliament, in an apparent breach of the ministerial code.

The head of the watchdog has taken the highly unusual step of publicly rebuking the work and pensions secretary about her response to its critical report on the implementation of universal credit.

Property developers Delancey want to transform the Elephant with a whole new “town centre”, including new facilities for the London College of Communication (LCC) and new housing and retail units.

Their plans are being fiercely resisted by local traders, who are joined in opposition by Southwark Notes, Latin Elephant, 35% Campaign, Southwark Defend Council Housing, LCC student representatives and other local groups, who say it would destroy one of the most multicultural working-class communities in London.

The Home Office faces a legal challenge over the fees it charges for registering a child as a British citizen, with critics saying they “destroy the futures of children who’ve grown up British for profit”.

Thousands of children living in the UK, who were born in the country or came at a young age, are obliged by law to pay £1,012 to register as British citizens.

Look beyond the huge technological shifts that are revolutionising how the NHS operates, and there are a multitude of less heralded breakthroughs and gadgets that could ease the workload on staff, and help prevent illnesses.

Some are already being used in the health service, while others are in clinical trials, or are hopeful ideas waiting to break out of research labs.

The speed of advancement in computing, genetics and other fields, coupled with the powerful insights that come from huge medical datasets, mean that progress is happening faster than ever. The challenge for the NHS is to keep up.

Innocent people are at risk of being given unjust prison sentences and suffering physical harm because of a lack of healthcare in courthouses, according to the outgoing head of the independent body charged with monitoring the care and welfare of those brought to court in England and Wales.

With temperatures in some parts of the country expected to hit 30C (86F) on Sunday, charities have called on the public to donate sunscreen and water to people sleeping on the streets.

Tens of thousands of people have marched through London to mark the NHS’s 70th anniversary and demand an end to government cuts and further privatisation of the health service.

In the week of the NHS’s 70th birthday, Sir Amyas Morse said there should be enough common ground across the political spectrum to find extra funding and form a new, united vision for health and social care in the 21st century.

The NHS will require far greater financial support than the latest cash boost announced by Theresa May if it is to meet the needs of a changing population, the head of Whitehall’s spending watchdog has warned

Theresa May’s claim that the extra £20bn-a-year for the NHS will be funded by a “Brexit dividend” is being challenged by parliament’s spending watchdog.

The public accounts committee is warning that any cash boost that might come in the wake of the UK’s exit from the European Union is several years away. The MPs also conclude that the Brexit divorce bill for the UK will be at least £10bn higher than the £35bn-£39bn figure put forward by the prime minister.