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.
More than 90% of children with learning disabilities are bullied, according to a report from Enable Scotland. The charity said most of these children faced a lonely summer holiday in their homes, afraid to venture out to the park or even go out in the street. The UK-wide research, based on 564 children, 12% of whom were in Scotland, found that more than a third said telling an adult made no difference. The study came as the charity launched a campaign to tackle the issue.
There is financial help available if you can not work People who can not work due to ill-health or disability can be in line for help with living costs. The most commonly claimed benefits are Incapacity Benefit and Statutory Sick Pay. There are also a range of less claimed benefits available to smaller groups, such as those who can not work because of industrial injury.
Diabetes patients may soon be able to take a pill to control their condition instead of repeated injections. UK company Diabetology, with experts at Cardiff University, says it has solved a crucial problem with oral insulin. The capsule's special coating protects the drug from acids in the stomach, allowing it to pass into the small intestine where it is absorbed.
A decision by the government's health watchdog to deny Alzheimer's drugs to patients with mild-stage disease is being challenged at the High Court. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) ruled the medicines - donepezil, rivastigmine and galantamine - were not cost effective. But critics argue the decision process was flawed and did not take into account the benefits to carers. It is the first time a judicial review has been sought on a NICE decision.
War veterans will be able to go to the front of the queue for digital hearing aids on the NHS, say ministers. Half a million people are currently waiting for a hearing aid, with some having waited more than two years.
