Cases of osteoarthritis in Britain look set to double to over 17 million by 2030, according to experts. A report by the charity Arthritis Care says the predicted rise is down to the UK's ageing population and growing obesity problem. Experts estimate that by 2030 over half of the UK population will be aged 50 or older and nearly the same proportion will be obese.
A draft bill on overhauling care and support for elderly and disabled people in England has been announced in the Queen's Speech. The bill will put "people in control of their care and give them greater choice," ministers say.
Greg Mulholland, MP for Leeds North West, has met with 14 year old constituent and disabled rights champion Nathan Popple to discuss the future of wheelchair accessibility in Leeds.
A teenager is seeking a judicial review in an attempt to stop a planned 71% funding cut to youth services. The boy, who has not been named, claims North Somerset Council breached the Equality Act by failing to take into account the special needs of those who use the youth groups. His claim alleges the council failed to consider matters including disability, sexual orientation and race.
The majority of NHS spending on diabetes is avoidable, says a report in the journal Diabetic Medicine. It suggests that 80% of the NHS's £9.8bn annual UK diabetes bill goes on the cost of treating complications. Experts say much of this is preventable with health checks and better education - something the Department of Health says it is tackling. The report also predicts that by 2035, diabetes will cost the NHS £16.8bn, 17% of its entire budget.
The prospect of a drug to treat autism has been raised after symptoms of the condition were reduced in experiments on mice that were performed by the US National Institutes of Health. There is no cure for the condition. The results published in Science Translational Medicine showed increased social skills and less repetitive behaviour in animals taking a drug.
