Disabled people will be hit with more than £9bn in welfare cuts over the next five years, a think tank has warned. Demos suggests the government's plans will see 3.6m disabled people and carers lose about £9.2bn by 2015. It said moving those on incapacity benefit who were reassessed as fit to work to jobseeker's allowance would account for half of the losses.
Some people with a mental health problem are having to wait up to three years to talk to a counsellor, depending on where they live. Mental health charity Mind says three quarters of sufferers first start to get problems when they're under 25.
Elderly people who get about by walking are less likely to suffer mental decline or even dementia, a study says. Brain scans revealed that older people walking between six and nine miles a week appeared to have more brain tissue in key areas.
New research from the Dyspraxia Foundation reveals that children and young people with dyspraxia are being denied access to sport and leisure activities because of poor awareness of the condition.
A motion of no confidence in the leadership of a multiple sclerosis (MS) charity over the closure of respite care centres has failed. The residential centres in York, Surrey (Brambles in Horley), Warwickshire and East Lothian (Leuchars) face closure if they are not taken over by other organisations. The MS Society says its reviews aims to give patients and carers "more choice and control".
Parents of children in Scotland who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) could soon be offered special parenting classes. The NHS in Scotland has issued recent guidelines for treating the condition which includes a recommendation that parents receive "behavioural training". Doctors have said the guidance should not be viewed as an attempt to blame parents for their child's behaviour. An estimated 5% of school age children in the UK are thought to have ADHD.
