SHEFFIELD trams and the city's train station must be made easier for disabled passengers to use, a leading expert has warned. Design adviser John Mitchell, who is blind, says he is more dependent on other people now than he used to be in "the bad old days" of public transport.
Minister for Disability Anne McGuire has called on South Yorkshire firms to follow the lead of the Showroom cinema in Sheffield, and set cash registers ringing. Mrs McGuire was visiting companies around the country that are at the forefront in providing facilities for people with disabilities.
A group representing disabled people has suggested knocking down the 300-year-old Midsteeple in Dumfries to replace it with an advice centre. The Nithsdale Coalition of Disabled People (NCDP) has written to Dumfries and Galloway Council with its plan. Chairman Alastair Moir said there was no justification for spending more than £2m on renovating the building.
A major review has concluded there is little evidence to suggest a key plank of government plans to toughen up mental health laws actually works. The Mental Health Bill would allow people with untreatable personality disorders to be detained, even if they have not committed a crime. But a review found no sound evidence these community treatments orders had been beneficial in other countries. The government rejected accusations the review had been buried.
More people are being diagnosed with diabetes, but the NHS has to do more to meet the challenge of treating them, the government has said. The assessment by the Department of Health reveals how the Health Service has fared with implementing 2003 guidelines on the disease.
The use of drugs to treat hyperactivity in children has soared worldwide, say US researchers. Between 1993 and 2003, prescriptions of ADHD medications, such as Ritalin, almost tripled. Global spending on ADHD drugs increased nine-fold, with 83% occurring in the US, a study in Health Affairs reported.
