We need smaller councils, not larger ones | Letters

For blinkered politicians in the Westminster bubble, perhaps the country can be easily divided into neat new portions (Voters like councillors more than MPs – so why is Labour wasting time destroying local democracy?, 3 March). Urban centres will benefit because their local representatives can carry on supporting a reasonably homogenous area. But for the Isle of Wight, the prospect of integration with Hampshire is a disaster.It’s bad enough that successive governments have been indifferent to our unique circumstances, happy to persistently underfund our schools and medical facilities, and overlook the catastrophic effect of excessively expensive ferry travel, while pouring billions into other cities’ transport. We have paid our taxes, yet it seems everyone else benefits from subsidies that we contribute to

I am an anti-domestic abuse advocate – but I failed to recognise it happening to me and my family

When I met Steven*, I’d recently left an unhealthy relationship. He was an acquaintance initially, and our connection developed slowly and organically. There was no pressure, only support and patience from a man I felt completely at ease with.At the time, awareness of non-physical domestic violence – such as coercive control, financial abuse, stalking and other forms of psychological abuse – had been increasing. Extensive media coverage and the sharing of deeply personal stories are what helped me recognise what was wrong in my previous relationship and leave it

Under-eights should not drink slushies containing glycerol, say doctors

Children under eight should not drink slushies containing glycerol, paediatricians have warned.Public health advice on their safety may need revising after a review of the medical notes of 21 children who became acutely unwell shortly after drinking one of the iced drinks, doctors concluded.Their findings were published in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood. They showed that in each case the child became acutely unwell with a cluster of symptoms soon after drinking a slushie.The children fell ill as a result of what the study referred to as glycerol intoxication syndrome, which caused symptoms such as decreased consciousness and low blood sugar

Mental ill-health is behind soaring disability benefits bill in England and Wales, report says

More than half of the increase in disability benefits is due to more mental health claims, according to research.Since the pandemic, the number of working-age adults in England and Wales paid disability benefits has increased by nearly 1 million people to 2.9 million in 2024, with 7.5% of 16- to 64-year-olds claiming.A report by an influential economic thinktank, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), has calculated that about 500,000 of this rise is due to more claims for mental ill-health

MS patients in England to benefit from major roll out of take-at-home pill

Thousands of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) in England are to become the first in Europe to benefit from a major roll out of an immunotherapy pill.Current treatments involve regular trips to hospital, drug infusions, frequent injections and extensive monitoring, which add to the burden on patients and healthcare systems.The new tablet, cladribine, can be swallowed at home, and needs to be taken only 20 times in the first two years of a four-year cycle. The regime consists of a maximum of 10 days of treatment in the first year and 10 days in the second; no additional treatment is needed in the next two years.Patients thinking about having children can also safely conceive in the third and fourth years of the treatment cycle

Mental health charities struggling to cope with GP-referral influx

Mental health charities in England are struggling to cope with the number of sick patients referred to them by GPs, with under-qualified professionals increasingly tasked with treating the seriously ill.Experts told the Guardian that some desperate GPs were “signposting” patients to services not always equipped to deal with them.These are provided by unregulated charities, which employ practitioners who are not always transparent about their qualifications or level of competence.Some charities reported struggling to cope with demand, with their staff, who do not need the specific qualifications required by the NHS, finding themselves tasked with helping the sickest patients.“The issue is that people are desperate,” said Jaime Craig, who will be appointed chair of the Association of Clinical Psychologists in May