English councils pay millions to move homeless families out of big cities

Guardian analysis reveals families often given little notice to relocate to already deprived communities far away with no extra supportCouncils in England are paying millions to relocation companies to help them permanently move homeless families out of big cities and the south-east in a practice that has been called a “national scandal”.A Guardian analysis of local government spending data shows that councils in the UK’s two biggest cities, London and Birmingham, and more than a dozen local authorities across the south-east of England have given more than £5.2m to firms that facilitate moves to cheaper parts of the country since 2020.The companies find cheap homes in areas where rents and local housing allowance (LHA), the amount those claiming housing benefit can claim towards rent, align. Rents in much of the country have not kept pace with LHA, meaning these properties are often located in smaller, deprived towns in the Midlands and north of England

‘Take this house or you’re homeless’: families sent to a Durham town from London

Charity says Horden is ill-equipped to deal with influx of homeless people and community spirit is being exploitedFor much of the 20th century, the numbered streets of Horden housed a thriving community of mining families who took pride in their small but well-kept homes. Matriarchs would scrub their porches and the streets were clear of any rubbish. Fortunes changed when the local colliery, which was one of the largest in the country, closed in 1987.Today, many houses in this deprived pocket of east Durham are abandoned. Smashed windows and rubbish-strewn streets are a common sight

Welsh ambulance chief urges New Year’s Eve revellers to drink less

The chief executive of the Welsh ambulance service has urged New Year’s Eve revellers to drink in moderation and eat before they begin partying to help it cope with an ongoing “critical incident”.Jason Killens admitted people may already have come to harm because of delays in paramedics reaching them and said the crisis was likely to continue for the rest of Tuesday and into Wednesday.Killens said: “I expect the pressure will continue through the rest of today. Of course it’s New Year’s Eve and we expect to see a busy evening and the early hours of the morning. People out partying tonight can help us

NHS ombudsman criticises CQC for failing to fully investigate boy’s death

The NHS ombudsman has criticised the service’s care regulator for failing to properly investigate the death of a five-year-old boy in a specialist unit.The boy’s foster mother – an NHS doctor – has accused the care provider that looked after him of instigating “a cover-up” of how he died and frustrating her efforts to get to the truth.The ombudsman has criticised the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for failing to act on evidence that emerged at the inquest into the boy’s death that cast doubt on the trust’s version of events.The ruling by Rebecca Hilsenrath, the ombudsman, is another blow to the credibility of the CQC, which the health secretary, Wes Streeting, in July declared to be “not fit for purpose”.The case shows that the various regulators that monitor the health sector need to ensure that when mistakes are made the care provider displays transparency and accountability, Hilsenrath said

Big rise in people going to A&E in England for minor ailments, data shows

The number of people turning to A&E departments in England for minor ailments including hiccups, sore throats and coughs is soaring, as senior health leaders warn that NHS primary and community services are “massively overstretched”.NHS data shows a large increase in people arriving at emergency departments for non-emergency ailments including backache, insomnia and earache.The rise is piling enormous pressure on already busy hospitals, creating a “vicious cycle” in which there is less capacity to treat those in need of urgent care.A data analysis by the PA Media news agency found there were 257,915 A&E attendances in 2023-24 for earache – a 10% rise on the previous year.There was a 13% increase in the number of attendances for people seeking help for backache, up from 324,443 in 2022-23 to 365,327 in 2023-24

Psychedelic experiences in clinical settings | Letters

Although it is refreshing to read a more balanced article on psychedelics (Experts warn of mental health risks after rise in magic mushroom use, 25 December), we must be cautious about accepting the paternalistic notion that the clinical setting is always the most appropriate.“Set and setting” – one’s mindset and the physical and social environment – are hugely influential on the psychedelic experience, and for some marginalised communities and patient groups, the medical establishment may be associated with difficult or traumatic experiences, and therefore not the ideal setting for taking psychedelics. This is perhaps reflected in the lack of diversity of psychedelic clinical trial participants. Although this is a problem across clinical research as a whole, it is more of a concern for psychedelic trials as the psychedelic experience is very culturally specific.Furthermore, concerns have been raised about the difficulties of obtaining informed consent for psychedelic experiences in the clinical setting