DWP needs overhaul to restore trust after carer’s allowance scandal, adviser says

The Department of Work and Pensions needs a management and cultural overhaul if it is to restore public trust after the benefits scandal which left hundreds of thousands of unpaid carers in debt, a key government adviser has warned.Prof Liz Sayce led a scathing review of the carer’s allowance scandal, which found the DWP system and leadership failures were responsible for carers unknowingly running up huge debts, some of which resulted in serious mental illness and, possibly, criminal convictions for fraud.Sayce told the Guardian she had been surprised by the DWP’s “lack of organisational curiosity” about the impact of the problems with carer’s allowance, as well as its reluctance to tackle the issue strategically, despite being aware of the issues for years.Her comments came days after the Guardian revealed a top DWP civil servant, Neil Couling, had insisted carers were to blame for the department’s failures in an internal message to staff, issued a few days after Sayce’s report was published.Sayce said it had been “distressing” to read Couling’s comments which she said were “clearly not right”

Police forces in England and Wales to get units that tackle violence against women

All police forces in England and Wales will have dedicated rape and sexual offences teams by 2029, the government has said.The plans are being unveiled as the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, prepares to outline a delayed strategy on violence against women and girls (VAWG) next week.Mahmood is also expected to announce the introduction of domestic abuse protection orders in England and Wales after a regional pilot scheme.The orders will be granted by judges in both civil and criminal proceedings, enabling them to impose sanctions on offenders, such as electronic tagging and exclusion zones. Those who breach the orders could be jailed for up to five years, the government said

Psychedelic treatments show promise for OCD while cannabis doesn’t, review finds

A recent review of alternative treatments for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) indicates that psychedelic treatments show promise for the disorder while cannabis does not.Dr Michael Van Ameringen, a psychiatry professor at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada and lead author of the review published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, said that 40-60 % of OCD patients get either partial or no relief with available treatments, including SSRIs and exposure and response prevention therapy.While psychedelics and cannabinoids have become part of the conversation surrounding OCD – a disorder characterized by intrusive, obsessive thoughts and/or compulsive behaviors – there is a much larger body of published evidence on the efficacy of these substances for more common conditions, like depression and anxiety.“We wanted to hone down and really understand, is there evidence for these things that have been talked about to be used as the next step treatments?” Van Ameringen explained.Given the paucity of existing literature, Van Ameringen said he didn’t know what to expect

‘People will listen’: turning anger into community pride in North Shields

Dashing through the snow with Father Chris … It does not get any more seasonal, even if it feels like there might be a final syllable missing. To be honest we are not really dashing, it’s more a leisurely walk-and-talk, around North Shields. And the snow, the remnants of an early Tyneside flurry, is patchy and dirty rather than deep and crisp and even.Father Chris is real though – Father Chris Hughes, Catholic priest; the diocese is a strategic partner for the local chapter of Citizens UK, one of five charities supported by this year’s Guardian charity appeal, under the theme of “hope”. The appeal supports grassroots voluntary groups that nurture community pride and positive change, providing an antidote to division and hate

‘Beyond belief’ that resident doctors could strike amid flu crisis, says Starmer

Keir Starmer has said it is “frankly beyond belief” that resident doctors would strike during the NHS’s worst moment since the pandemic, in remarks that risk inflaming tensions with medical staff.Writing for the Guardian, the prime minister made an outspoken attack on the strikes planned for 17-22 December for placing “the NHS and patients who need it in grave danger”.Starmer’s intervention comes a day after Wes Streeting argued the strikes could overwhelm the NHS, increasing pressure on resident doctors to accept his offer of more training places, but no extra money.The British Medical Association said the government “should not be scaremongering” and making the public think “that the NHS will not be able to look after them and their loved ones”.Dr Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA resident doctors committee, said ministers were “laying the blame for the failings of the NHS to cope with an outbreak of flu at the feet of resident doctors”

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