Alcohol 'should have calorie labels'

31 October 2014 Last updated at 00:10 By James Gallagher Health editor, BBC News website

Alcohol should have a calorie content label in order to reduce obesity, according to public health doctors.

The doctors warn a large glass of wine can contain around 200 calories - the same as a doughnut.

Yet the Royal Society for Public Health says the vast majority of people are blissfully unaware.

Public Health Minister Jane Ellison said "great strides" had been made with labelling food, and that the government will look at the issue.

The drinks industry said it was open to the idea of calorie labels, but that labelling drinks with units of alcohol was more important.

The UK is one of the most obese nations in the world with about a quarter of adults classed as obese.

'Startling'

Food already comes with calorie information, but alcohol is exempt from EU food labelling laws.

And the European Commission is considering whether drinks should also carry such information.

Research by the Royal Society for Public Health suggested the measure would be popular with British drinkers.

The RSPH's chief executive, Shirley Cramer, told the BBC: "Quite startling really - 80% of adults have no idea what the calorie count is in anything they're drinking and if they do think they have an idea they totally underestimate it anyway.

"It could help the nation's waistlines as well as probably reduce alcohol consumption."

In a small pub experiment conducted by the society, people who were told the calories content of their drink consumed 400 fewer calories in a session.

How many calories

• A large 250ml glass of 8% wine is 170 calories
• The same amount of 14% wine is 230 calories
• A 275ml alcopop can be 170 calories
• A pint of 4% beer is more than 180 calories
• Four pints on a night out equates of two-and-a-half burgers or 73 minutes of running
• In comparison a sugary doughnut comes in around 200 calories

Source: Royal Society for Public Health, Drinkaware

Estimates suggest 10% of an adult's calorie intake comes from alcohol.

Gram for gram it is the second most calorie-dense source of energy, just behind fat.

'Open to discussion'

The Portman Group, which represents drinks manufacturers, said it took the health consequences of drinking "very seriously" and provided calorie information on the Drinkaware website.

In a statement it said: "Drinks producers can play a key role in informing and educating consumers and are open to further discussions about calorie information.

"However, it is essential that alcohol content, not calorie content, should primarily inform consumer decision-making."

Tam Fry, from the National Obesity Forum, said the government had been dragging its feet on the issue.

"A calorie-count on wine and beer bottles can't come soon enough.

"Just one premium lager contains by itself contains enough calories for a small meal and, added to the meal itself, eats up a chunk of anyone's maximum allowance."

Ms Ellison said: "It is very positive to see that people want more information to help them lead a healthier life.

"We have made great strides in food labelling and customers can see at a glance the calories they are consuming on many products.

"While it is already possible for alcohol producers and retailers to display calorie content on their labels, we will continue to look at what else can be done to help people make healthier lifestyle choices."

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ChildLine seeing more suicidal children

31 October 2014 Last updated at 06:10 By Sima Kotecha Today programme

The counselling service ChildLine had more than 34,000 consultations with children who talked about killing themselves in 2013/14, it has revealed.

The number of such consultations has increased by 116% since 2010/2011.

The NSPCC - which runs ChildLine - said that most of the children were aged between 12 and 15.

Statistics from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that suicide rates for 15 to 19-year-olds remained broadly consistent between 2000-2012.

ONS figures show that 125 young people within that age range killed themselves in 2012.

'Alone and isolated'

The figures come from a new report entitled On the Edge - ChildLine spotlight: Suicide.

The report also states that the highest number of consultations on suicide - either conducted on the telephone or online - were on Sundays and Mondays.

ChildLine said it received calls from young people for various reasons but suicide was the only topic in which it had seen a significant rise in the number of people coming forward.

A 17-year-old girl who did not want to be named told BBC Radio 4's Today programme she had attempted to kill herself after being bullied at school.

"I felt alone and isolated - I wasn't happy because the bullying followed me everywhere and I didn't really have an escape," she said.

"I thought 'What's the point in being alive if nobody likes me'. I thought 'Why am I still here - we're all going to die anyway so does it really matter if I go now'."

She is now getting help from counsellors.

Attempted suicide

From April 2013 to April 2014, ChildLine held 34,517 counselling sessions with children who talked about suicide.

Six thousand of these children had told a counsellor they had previously attempted suicide.

ChildLine said six in every 10 counselling sessions for suicide involved 12 to 15-year-olds.

This year, more 15-year-olds were counselled than any other age group. Previously, the most prominent age was 17-year-olds.

There has also been an increase in counselling sessions for children aged 11 or younger - although they account for just 2% of all sessions.

One in three young people counselled about suicide also mentioned self-harm in 2013/14, an increase of 29% compared with 2012/2013.

Year	Sessions where children talked about suicide
2010-2011	15994
2011-2012	22006
2012-2013	29163
2013-2014	34517

ChildLine said it was not clear why there was an increase in sessions, but it said the problem may be in part down to bullying on social media.

Esther Rantzen, journalist and founder of ChildLine, said: "We must learn from what they are telling us, and persuade them not to feel fearful or ashamed to tell others of their feelings.

"The first step is to make sure that young people have sufficient support around them. And so our report offers a wealth of guidance to parents, carers and professionals on where to seek help and how to open up these critical conversations with young people."

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Key Jerusalem holy site reopens

31 October 2014 Last updated at 08:56

Israeli police have reopened a key Jerusalem holy site after its closure amid tensions following the shooting of a prominent right-wing Jewish activist.

The Temple Mount/al-Haram al-Sharif was reopened ahead of Muslim Friday prayers, but with restrictions on worshippers as a security measure.

Meanwhile the Palestinian suspected of wounding Rabbi Yehuda Glick has been buried in East Jerusalem.

There has been an escalation of tension in the city in recent weeks.

On Thursday, a spokesman for Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas described Israel's temporary closure of the holy site as a "declaration of war".

The compound - known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif - is the holiest site in Judaism, and contains the al-Aqsa Mosque - the third holiest site in Islam.

The site was reopened to Muslim worshippers on Friday morning, with entry to men restricted to those over 50 amid fears of unrest after Friday prayers

'Historic status-quo'

On Thursday night hundreds of people gathered for the funeral of Moataz Hejazi amid a heavy police presence. The burial passed off without incident, police said.

Mr Hejazi, 32, was shot after opening fire when police surrounded his home, officials said.

He was suspected of having attacked Rabbi Glick as he left a conference on Jewish claims to the Jerusalem holy site.

Rabbi Glick is a well-known campaigner for the right of Jews to pray at the site, which is currently prohibited.

He was seriously wounded and is on a life-support machine in a Jerusalem hospital.

On Wednesday night there were clashes in the neighbourhood of Abu Tor between police and Palestinians protesting against the killing of Mr Hejazi.

Police used tear gas and rubber bullets against stone-throwing youths.

Mr Hejazi's cousin alleges that he was shot by police after being detained within his house. Israeli police say Mr Hejazi was killed after he began shooting at police who then opened fire in response.

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"They took him upstairs and then they shot him", Moataz Hejazi's cousin said

US Secretary of State John Kerry said he was "extremely concerned" by the escalation in tensions and had urged Israel to reopen the holy site.

"It is absolutely critical that all sides exercise restraint, refrain from provocative actions and rhetoric, and preserve the historic status quo on the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount in word and in practice", he said.

Analysis: BBC's Kevin Connolly in Jerusalem

On Fridays, the holy day of Islam, prayers are often a time of heightened sensitivity - especially since this latest escalation of tension surrounds the familiar dispute about the rights to worship at a site around the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem's Old City sacred in both Islam and Judaism.

A delicate status quo governs rights of access to al-Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount. Israel captured the Old City in 1967 but swiftly handed control of the compound back to the Islamic religious authorities, fearful of triggering a Holy War.

Israel's security forces do impose restrictions - banning men under the age of 50 from worshipping on occasion - but argue that is about maintaining order.

Jews are allowed to visit the site but not to pray there. Now some right-wing religious groups say Jews should be allowed to pray - a demand which causes anger and unease in the Muslim world.

If it all sounds familiar - well, that is because it is. When Britain governed the Holy Land in 1929 a very similar dispute provoked rioting that led to widespread loss of life - a proper resolution of it all still feels hopelessly distant.

Jerusalem's holiest site

• Known as the Temple Mount to Jews and al-Haram al-Sharif to Muslims, it comprises the al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, and is next to the Western Wall
• The Western Wall, from the time of the second Jewish Biblical temple, is the holiest site where Jews can pray; the Dome of the Rock, where according to Jewish tradition the Ark of the Covenant rested in the first temple, is the holiest site in Judaism
• The al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam; the Dome of the Rock is revered by Muslims because of its connections to the Prophet Muhammad
• Christians also venerate the site because of its Biblical links to Jesus
• A Muslim committee has managed the compound since the time of the Crusades, while Israel, which has occupied East Jerusalem since 1967, controls access
• Israel maintains a ban on prayer by non-Muslims at the compound as a security measure
• Rabbi Yehuda Glick campaigns for allowing Jews to pray at the site

Some districts of East Jerusalem have seen nightly clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces since the Gaza conflict last summer.

A Jewish baby and Ecuadorian woman were killed when a Palestinian attacker drove his car into a group of pedestrians in Jerusalem last week.

Are you in the area? Have you been affected by recent events? You can share your experience by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

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Victims to meet abuse inquiry staff

31 October 2014 Last updated at 09:10

Victims' groups are due to meet officials from a child sex abuse inquiry and are expected to reiterate calls for the inquiry's head to resign.

Some victims have already said Fiona Woolf should step down because of her social links to ex-Home Secretary Lord Brittan, whose handling of abuse claims in the 1980s has been questioned.

A victims' representative said he had "zero confidence" in the inquiry.

The government said it still had confidence in Mrs Woolf.

The inquiry will look at whether public bodies and other institutions did enough to protect children from sexual abuse, from 1970 to the present day.

The first person appointed to lead it - Baroness Butler-Sloss - stepped down in July after concerns were raised about her family links.

'Whitewash'

The NSPCC, which is expected to attend the meeting with inquiry officials, has declined to give explicit backing to Mrs Woolf, a corporate lawyer who is not expected to be at Friday's meeting.

It said the government inquiry should be judged on its work rather than who leads it, but that it should get under way.

But Peter Saunders, of the National Association for People Abused in Childhood, said Mrs Woolf was an "entirely inappropriate" choice of chair for the inquiry.

"What in God's name are they doing appointing a corporate lawyer who knows, and has already demonstrated she knows, nothing about this deeply entrenched social evil?" he said.

He called the inquiry a "whitewash", adding: "Survivors just want the truth. We have zero confidence that this will follow."

A victim of historical child sexual abuse has launched a legal challenge to Mrs Woolf's appointment, claiming she is not impartial, has no relevant expertise and may not have time to discharge her duties.

Earlier this month Mrs Woolf, who is Lord Mayor of London, disclosed that she lived in the same street as Lord Brittan and had dinner with him five times between 2008 and 2012 - but said he was not a "close associate".

Lord Brittan may be called to give evidence to the inquiry. He denies any wrongdoing in the way the "dossier" on alleged high-profile paedophiles was handled in the 1980s.

'Totally failed'

On Thursday, MP Keith Vaz said letters from Mrs Woolf showed her appointment was "chaotic". He said a letter from Mrs Woolf about her links with Lord Brittan was re-written seven times and the final version gave a "sense of greater detachment".

The Home Office said Mrs Woolf had demonstrated "openness and transparency".

"We remain confident Fiona Woolf and the panel members can carry out their duties to the highest standards of impartiality and integrity," it said.

Labour's shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, said Home Secretary Theresa May had "totally failed" to get the inquiry going.

Baroness Butler-Sloss stepped down earlier this year after concerns were raised about her family links.

Her late brother, Sir Michael Havers, was attorney general in the 1980s.

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Person missing after fireworks blaze

31 October 2014 Last updated at 09:11

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Footage of the fireworks going off as the blaze took hold

One person is missing after a large blaze at a fireworks warehouse that saw two people taken to hospital.

Dramatic bursts of fireworks and thick smoke could be seen as the fire burned in Stafford on Thursday night.

Although the blaze at the unit of SP Fireworks was brought under control, firefighters remained at the scene through the night.

The emergency services said they were working with the family of the person who remained unaccounted for.

In total four people were hurt in the fire, which started at about 17:00 GMT and tore through the building on the Baswich Industrial Estate.

'Man on fire'

At its peak, the blaze was being tackled by about 50 firefighters.

Staffordshire Police said the site would be searched once the fire was completely out, as the operation moved into an investigation into the cause of the fire.

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Tim Hyde from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue: ''It's too unsafe to enter the premises''

Supt Jane Hewett said: "On Friday we will continue to investigate this incident and work to ensure everyone is accounted for.

"Sadly, at this stage, we believe there is a person unaccounted for and our focus remains tracing those at the factory shortly before the explosion.

"A joint investigation into the incident is already under way, which will work to establish the cause and circumstances immediately before the fire."

West Midlands Ambulance Service said four people were treated at the scene and two needed to be taken to hospital - a man in his 40s with serious burns and a man in his 60s who had inhaled smoke.

A number of roads in the area were closed and businesses and homes were evacuated.

Stephanie Horton works in a neighbouring business on the industrial estate and was treated for the effects of smoke inhalation at the scene.

She described hearing "three massive explosions" and seeing the owner of a neighbouring business thrown to the floor by the blast.

Ms Horton said she saw two vehicles parked outside SP Fireworks, and one man running out of the blazing building.

"It became evident after that there were potentially other missing people," she said.

According to its website, SP Fireworks is part of Stafford Plastics Group, which supplies roofing and other building materials.

'Mayhem'

Darren Humphreys works at an accident repair business opposite the premises, and said the area was quickly engulfed by smoke.

"There was a chap who got out who was on fire and a couple of our lads ran over to help him," he said.

Eyewitness Robert Hine said he first heard an "enormous bang" at about 17:20.

"It was like November the 5th 10 times," he said.

"There were fireworks going off in all directions, bangs, great plumes of black smoke.

"I assumed someone must have set fire to a great load of fireworks.

"It was mayhem."

Police said they planned to reduce the size of the cordon around the scene in the early hours so Baswich Lane could reopen to traffic.

Tilcon Ave will remain closed and cordoned off while the investigation continues, and all the businesses accessed via Tilcon Ave will remain closed and sealed off for the time being.

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Double contest for Scottish Labour

31 October 2014 Last updated at 09:27

Scottish Labour is seeking both a new leader and a new deputy leader following the resignation of Anas Sarwar.

The Glasgow Central MP announced on Thursday evening he was standing down from his role as deputy.

He is currently interim leader of the party following Johann Lamont's departure and will remain in that role until her replacement is announced.

Contests for the leadership and deputy leadership will run concurrently.

Ms Lamont quit last Friday, and accused Labour's UK leadership of treating Scotland like a branch office.

Mr Sarwar's resignation came after fellow MP Jim Murphy announced he was entering the leadership race against Lothian MSPs Neil Findlay and Sarah Boyack.

ANALYSIS Glenn Campbell, BBC Scotland political correspondent

As Johann Lamont's deputy, Anas Sarwar became Labour's interim leader in Scotland when she quit.

He had indicated that he'd like to stay on as deputy after the contest to replace her. But he recognised the difficulty.

If Labour MP Jim Murphy were to win the leadership, the party at that moment would be led by two Westminster MPs.

After what he's described as much soul-searching, Mr Sarwar's decided to go.

He announced his intentions at a Labour fundraising dinner attended by Ed Miliband in Glasgow last night.

A deputy leadership election will now be held at the same time as the leadership vote.

Mr Sarwar, the MP for Glasgow Central, said: "I have come to a decision I believe is in the best interest of the Scottish Labour Party.

"It's my intention to hand over the leadership to a new team on 13 December.

"I think it's also right that we have a concurrent leadership and deputy leadership election.

"This will allow a Scottish Labour party, its members and affiliates the opportunity to not only elect a leader, but a new leadership team focussed on winning in 2016."

Lothians MSP Kezia Dugdale and North East Scotland MSP Jenny Marra had been tipped as possible candidates to succeed Mr Sarwar as deputy leader.

However, speaking on BBC Radio Scotland's Morning Call programme Ms Marra said she would "absolutely not" be standing for the position.

Date	Event
Friday, 31 October	Nominations officially open
Tuesday, 4 November	Nominations officially close
Monday, 17 November	Voting gets under way
Saturday, 13 December	New leader elected

Labour leader Ed Miliband was in Scotland on Thursday evening to attend a party function in Glasgow.

In an interview with the BBC he admitted Labour faced a "big challenge" in Scotland and he said he would work closely with whoever was elected as the new Scottish leader.

His visit coincided with two opinion polls which indicated a dramatic fall in Labour's Scottish support.

The polls, by Ipsos/Mori for STV and by YouGov for The Times, suggested the SNP could have many more MPs in Scotland than Labour after the general election.

Mr Miliband said: "I'm going to work with whoever is elected as the new leader in Scotland and I will look forward to working with them.

"We face big challenges to show how we can change Scotland, how we can change it economically, how we can change it so there are stronger powers for the Scottish Parliament."

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RBS reserves £400m for currency probe

31 October 2014 Last updated at 09:40

Royal Bank of Scotland has set aside £400m to cover potential costs from an investigation into alleged manipulation of the foreign exchange market.

The provision, revealed in its third quarter results, follows Barclays' decision to set aside £500m.

Pre-tax profit at RBS came in at £1.27bn - up £260m on the previous quarter and far better than the £634m loss in the same period last year.

RBS also said that it planned to retain Ulster Bank.

The bank's chief executive, Ross McEwan, said that Ulster remained a core part of the bank following a strategic review into its future.

He said early progress had been made towards his goal of making RBS simpler, clearer and fairer, adding: "But we know we still have a long list of conduct and litigation issues to deal with and much, much more to do to restore our customers' trust in us."

Continue reading the main story

More branch closures were "inevitable", Mr McEwan said, but would not a figure on the number that could shut their doors.

RBS said in June that 100 of its 1,900 branches had been earmarked for closure.

Lloyds, which like RBS is controlled by the taxpayer, said earlier this week that it would close as many as 200 branches of its network of 2,250 and cut 9,000 jobs.

Shares up

The £400m provision for the currency investigation sent the corporate and institutional banking division to an operating loss of £557m.

RBS is among several banks being investigated by regulators over allegations that currency markets were rigged.

Continue reading the main story

The journey back to full recovery is likely to remain arduous."

End Quote Richard Hunter Hargreaves Lansdown stockbrokers

The bank also set aside a further £100m to cover the cost of compensation for mis-sold payment protection insurance (PPI).

Investors welcomed the improving performance for the bank, sending shares up 2.9% in morning trading in London to 376p, valuing RBS at £41.8bn.

However, it warned: "Ongoing conduct and regulatory investigations and litigation continue to present challenges and are expected to be a material drag on both earnings and capital generation over the coming quarters.

"The timing and amounts of any further settlements or redress however remain uncertain and could be significant."

Richard Hunter, head of equities at Hargreaves Lansdown stockbrokers, said RBS has continued its positive momentum, but that a number of issues remained unresolved.

"In particular, the further provisions for PPI and Forex [foreign exchange] are symptomatic of the 'long list of conduct and litigation issues' which will continue to be costly, time-consuming and distracting.

"Along with a dividend payment, which is clearly some way off and the government share stake (and therefore influence), the journey back to full recovery is likely to remain arduous."

RBS's overall position improved slightly in the three months to September 30, with its core tier 1 ratio - a key measure of financial health - up 0.7 percentage points to 10.8% in the quarter. It aims to raise the figure to 12% by the end of 2016.

Mr McEwan said there was "no way" the bank would consider paying a dividend to shareholders once more until it was well ahead of the 12% figure.

The bank also said that it had released £801m of money set aside for bad debts - known as impairment provisions - in the quarter compared with a figure of £93m in the second quarter of 2014. That was considerably better than the £590m analysts had expected and reflected an improving economic picture in both the UK and Ireland.

Total income fell 11% to almost £4.36bn, while operating expenses rose 5% to £3.88bn. Restructuring costs were down £205m to £180m compared with the previous quarter.

Loans and advances to customers were up 2%, or £7.4bn, to £393bn, and customer deposits increased by £4.1bn, or 1%, to £405.4bn.

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Sickness benefit cuts 'considered'

30 October 2014 Last updated at 00:06 By Michael Buchanan Social Affairs Correspondent, BBC News

Ministers are considering drastically cutting the main Employment and Support Allowance sickness benefit, internal documents seen by the BBC suggest.

New claimants, judged to be capable of work with appropriate support, could be given just 50p more per week than people on job seekers allowance.

Current recipients get almost £30 per week more.

The Department for Work and Pensions said the ESA proposals were not government policy.

The papers reveal that the government has also been forced to hire extra staff to clear the backlog on the benefit.

Some 100 healthcare professionals are being hired to carry out fitness-for-work tests. The staff, who will be employed through the Pertemps agency, will help to reduce a backlog of more than 600,000 cases.

'Fiscal risks'

They will be in addition to any extra staff brought in when a new contractor is announced shortly to replace ATOS. The BBC understands that the American firm, Maximus, has been selected.

Leaked documents this summer showed that ministers considered ESA - formerly known as incapacity benefit - to be "one of the largest fiscal risks currently facing the government".

They also revealed concerns about claimants moving off jobseekers allowance onto ESA.

Giving consideration to cutting the differential paid to ESA recipients in the Work Related Activity Group (WRAG) - individuals who have to prepare for employment - is a reflection of that concern.

They currently get £28.75 more per week but the documents show plans are being discussed to cut that to just 50p more than jobseekers allowance. People receiving JSA, who are aged 25 or over, currently get £72.40 per week.

Employment and Support Allowance is paid to approximately two million people. Claimants have to undergo a work capability assessment to determine whether they are eligible and at what level.

Labour MP Dame Anne Begg, who chairs the Commons Work and Pensions Select Committee, said she would support overhauling the delivery of ESA but "did not envisage" any reduction in the value of the benefit.

"That's not reform, that is just saving money. I hope that is not something the government is going to come forward with."

'Best service'

Problems with the current provider, the French firm ATOS, which was appointed by the last Labour government, led to the firm reaching an agreement with the government earlier this year to leave its contract early.

Ministers raised concerns about the quality of assessments being carried out by ATOS which has led to a backlog of cases. The backlog is currently running at more than 600,000.

As ministers focus assessments on new claimants, recipients who should have been re-assessed under the terms of the benefit are not being seen, creating much of the backlog. Most of those receiving Incapacity Benefit, who should also have been assessed, are also not being tested.

The Office for Budget Responsibility said in a report earlier this month that "the backlog of applications encourages claimants previously not found eligible for ESA simply to reapply".

A spokesman for the DWP said "We are committed to supporting those people who are able to work to make the positive move into employment.

"The current work capability assessment contract was inherited from the previous government - and we have taken numerous steps to improve it. We will shortly announce a new provider. No one should doubt our commitment to ensuring that people who need an assessment get the best possible service and are seen in the quickest possible time."

Would you be affected by potential sickness benefit cuts? Send us your comments by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

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Care plan 'to ease hospital pressure'

30 October 2014 Last updated at 00:46 By Nick Triggle Health correspondent, BBC News

Vulnerable patients in England will get better support in the community as part of plans to ease pressure on hospitals, ministers say.

Joint teams of social care workers and NHS staff such as nurses and physios will become available seven days a week under the changes being unveiled.

The move is part of the government's Better Care Fund to join up the NHS and council-run social care systems.

It comes as a new analysis showed hospitals were under growing pressure.

The King's Fund think tank's quarterly monitoring report, covering the period from June to September, found that 5% of patients were spending four or more hours in A&E - the highest level at this time of year for a decade.

The review also highlighted that waiting times for routine operations, such as hip and knee replacements, had reached their highest levels since 2008 with 12.1% of patients waiting more than 18 weeks.

Meanwhile, the latest figures for the 62-day target for cancer treatment also show that it is being missed, although those figures only cover the period to June.

Where has the money come from?

The government is trumpeting the £5.3bn that has been set aside for the Better Care Fund.

None of this is new money as such, just existing funding streams that are being ring-fenced for this purpose.

The pot was originally set at £3.8bn. That included £3.3bn from the core NHS budget with the rest from money set aside for carers and capital expenditure.

This has been topped up by extra funds that have been put in by local areas that wanted to create bigger pooled budgets.

The £5.3bn represents less than 5% of the combined NHS and social care budgets.

King's Fund director of policy Richard Murray said the performance was a "significant cause for concern" and pointed to a difficult winter ahead.

But ministers are predicting pressures will ease from April when the Better Care Fund comes into place.

The pot, mainly sourced from NHS money, has been created to close the divide between the health and care systems, which elderly patients are particularly affected by.

It has been up to local areas to draw up their own plans, but they all involve some kind of collaboration between health and care staff and creating a single assessment system.

Ministers believe the plans will help prevent more than 160,000 hospital admissions, 2,000 care home admissions and result in more than 100,000 fewer days of unnecessary hospital care caused by delays in discharging patients.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "For years, successive governments and NHS leaders have talked about joining up our health and care services so people get better care at the right time and in the right place.

"The time for talk is over - our plans will make this vision a reality for patients and help deliver a sustainable future for the NHS.

"Too many families experience being passed from pillar to post between the NHS and their council endlessly repeating stories along the way."

Case study: A sign of things to come?

London's Queen Mary's Hospital runs a community rehabilitation service to help people recuperate after an accident or illness.

It is staffed by physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers and an elderly-care doctor, who all work together to help patients regain their mobility and independence.

Evidence suggests it has helped reduce readmissions to hospital and the numbers of people being placed in care homes.

But Local Government Association chairman David Sparks said the changes would fail unless the social care system was better funded - research by the group has suggested local authorities are being under-funded by a third.

He said without more money the whole system would "collapse".

"While we recognise these reforms have the ability to change health and social care for the better, the government must fund councils properly to ensure this happens."

Shadow care minister Liz Kendall said the scale of the plans were "depressingly unambitious".

"The government should have focused on integrating frontline services from day one, but instead they forced through a backroom reorganisation," she added.

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Schools 'progressing too slowly'

30 October 2014 Last updated at 01:17 By Sean Coughlan BBC News education correspondent

There are 1.6 million pupils in England who are still not getting a good education but there is a failure to deal with under-performing schools, a spending watchdog has said.

A report from the National Audit Office said there was a lack of consistency in tackling under-performance.

Margaret Hodge, chair of the Public Accounts Committee, said she was "appalled" at the lack of progress.

The Department for Education said schools "have been transformed".

A DFE spokeswoman said the report's conclusions were "not supported by the facts" as the proportion of schools rated by Ofsted as good or outstanding had risen from 68% to 81% since August 2010.

Head teachers also argued that the watchdog's report was painting an excessively "bleak picture" of school standards.

Inspecting trusts

The National Audit Office has warned that despite £382m being spent each year on monitoring schools and interventions, there are weaknesses in efforts to raise standards.

In particular it raised questions about how much the Department for Education knows about problems at school level, in a system with increasing autonomy for individual schools and academy chains.

"Some academy sponsors are very successful, but the department does not yet know why others are not," said the National Audit Office.

It drew attention to concerns, voiced by Ofsted chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw, that the watchdog cannot inspect academy trusts.

"Ofsted is unable to inspect sponsors and multi-academy trusts so there is no independent source of information about the quality of their work," said the spending watchdog.

Concerns over the oversight of academies emerged in the wake of the Trojan Horse scandal in Birmingham - and the report warned of a lack of checks on governors to "prevent risks such as entryism" - where a group of like-minded individuals infiltrate an organisation aiming to take it over.

"Greater school autonomy needs to be coupled with effective oversight and assurance. The department has made some improvements but has further to go," said Amyas Morse, head of the National Audit Office.

"There are significant gaps in the department's understanding of what works," he said.

'Red tape'

The report highlighted the 1.6 million pupils in schools which have inspection grades of either "inadequate" or "requires improvement".

Mrs Hodge said the figures from the spending watchdog showed it is "hard to see how formal interventions make any difference", with 52% of schools not improving Ofsted grades after intervention and 59% improving without any intervention.

She said it was a "sorry state of affairs when the department has to rely on whistleblowers to spot declines in school performance".

But head teachers rejected the findings.

"The reality is nowhere like the bleak picture painted somewhat dramatically today," said Malcolm Trobe of the Association of School and College Leaders.

"The evidence from Ofsted is that schools are improving year on year," he said.

'Huge progress'

David Simmonds, chairman of the Local Government Association's children and young people board, said councils needed to be freed from the "red tape" that delayed their intervention.

"Councils want to intervene more quickly, but decades of giving schools "greater freedom" and "protecting" them from council interference means that local authorities now have very indirect and bureaucratic ways to tackle poor performance and improve schools."

Christine Blower, head of the National Union of Teachers, said the findings were a "damning verdict on a government obsessed with change for change's sake and poor on accountability".

Labour's shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt said the report was an "utterly damning account" of the government's failure in education.

"It makes clear that the government has no plan for tackling poor standards and simply does not know who is responsible for overseeing schools and the safeguarding of children."

But a Department for Education spokeswoman said "huge progress" had been achieved in improving schools.

"England's schools have been transformed over the past few years with 800,000 more children now being taught in good or outstanding schools since 2010.

"This is a great achievement but we would be the first to admit that the job is not yet done.

"Any child being taught in a failing school is an opportunity lost, which is why we have intervened in more than 1,000 failing schools over the past four years - pairing them up with excellent sponsors to give pupils the best chance of receiving an excellent education."

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Child sex exploitation 'social norm'

30 October 2014 Last updated at 08:34

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Ann Coffey MP: ''We should be judging the people who prey on these children, not the children themselves''

Child sexual exploitation has become a "social norm" within some areas of Greater Manchester, according to the author of a report ordered after the Rochdale grooming case.

It said girls in uniform were regularly stopped by men outside schools.

Inquiry chairwoman Ann Coffey MP said the "prevailing public attitude" blamed children, leading to 1,000 convictions from 13,000 cases over six years.

Home Secretary Theresa May has described the report as "alarming".

Ms Coffey has called for exploitation to be "declared a public health priority".

In her report - Real Voices - Ms Coffey said explicit music videos, sexting and selfies could be "fuelling the increased sexualisation of children".

'Children are children'

The "normalisation of quasi-pornographic images... has given rise to new social norms and changed expectations of sexual entitlement," she said.

"We need to get across the key message that whatever young people wear and however sexualised they appear, they are still children and need our protection."

During the inquiry, Stockport MP Ms Coffey spoke to young people who had been approached by men.

One told her: "I said: 'Can you not see I am a little girl? I am in my uniform'."

Ms Coffey said: "It is an everyday occurrence for [some young girls], something they find deeply upsetting, that older men are approaching them on the street inviting them into cars and in some instances touching them."

The girls told her: "Well it happens so often, so many men, what can the police do?"

"That indicates they are living in an environment where it is felt to be ok to go and touch, and harass, and pester girls in uniforms," added Ms Coffey. "That is what I mean by it being a new social norm.

"It completely horrified me, so unexpected."

Report's main recommendations:

• Investigate why, out of 12,879 recorded sexual offences, only 2,341 were taken to court and why, of those, just 1,078 led to convictions
• A review into questioning and tone of cross examinations by defence barristers in child abuse cases
• Appoint a child sexual exploitation "champion" to work with police, councils and young people
• Develop a strategic approach to tackle the issue, like those in place for smoking, obesity, alcohol and drug abuse
• All police officers to receive child sexual exploitation training - currently 21% have been trained
• Train members of the community, including pharmacists, park attendants, bus drivers and hoteliers, to spot signs of abuse
• Spot checks at children's homes

The report raises concerns about the number of children reported missing, with 14,712 recorded from January until 17 September and highlights worries child exploitation is being under-reported.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

For too long their voices were ignored or, worse, dismissed by the system"

End Quote Tony Lloyd Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner

It was commissioned by Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Tony Lloyd to assess the improvements in protecting youngsters after nine men were jailed in 2012 for running a child sex ring in Heywood and Rochdale.

It found changes had been made, including a specialist team being set up by Greater Manchester Police (GMP).

"Progress has been made and changes are taking place... but the biggest changes needed are in culture and attitudes of us all," Ms Coffey said.

She was "alarmed" the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) highlighted one girl who wore cropped tops and another being described as a "slag" by her father in cases that were declared No Further Action.

Police, social workers, prosecutors and juries all carry attitudes around with them, Ms Coffey said in the report.

Multiple investigations

The report has recommended a review of all such cases in the past year to examine the reasons no action was taken and find "areas for learning and training".

"This may reflect the difficulties of prosecuting these cases in court when prevailing public attitudes often still blame children and young people for their own sexual exploitation."

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

Hundreds if not thousands of children have not been listened to for years or haven't been believed"

End Quote Nazir Afzal CPS North West chief prosecutor

GMP is investigating 260 cases of suspected child sexual exploitation. Of those, 174 have been recorded as crimes and 18 involve multiple suspects.

The report says young people are key to helping to tackle exploitation because police, the justice system and children's services "alone cannot succeed in protecting children".

It suggests there should be a show on a youth radio station to discuss issues surrounding exploitation.

PCC Mr Lloyd said: "For too long their voices were ignored or, worse, dismissed by the system. This report starts to redress that balance."

Chief constable of GMP Sir Peter Fahy said tackling the sexual exploitation of children and young people was "an absolute priority".

He said specialist training was being rolled out across the force but protecting youngsters was "the responsibility of us all".

"It is crucial that we work together to identify individuals who prey on vulnerable children and empower young people to speak up."

'Focussing on stereotypes'

Nazir Afzal, chief prosecutor for the CPS in the north west said the "conviction rates for child sex exploitation are the highest ever" but there was still more work to do.

"Hundreds if not thousands of children have not been listened to for years or haven't been believed.

"Therefore, our duty is to build strong cases and bring these people to justice," he said.

A lawyer who represented some of the victims of Rochdale grooming case said many youngsters who are assaulted never report it.

Molly Whittal said there was a problem with the way some vulnerable youngsters are perceived.

She said even though there are lessons to be learnt from the Rochdale case, prosecutors still seem to be "focussing on stereotypes" when deciding not to take further action in some cases - a situation she described as "unacceptable".

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Barclays sets aside £500m in probe

30 October 2014 Last updated at 08:59

Barclays has set aside £500m to cover potential costs from investigations into currency trading.

Barclays is among several banks being probed relating to alleged rigging of currency markets.

It also set aside an extra £170m to compensate customers wrongly sold PPI.

The bank reported a rise in pre-tax profits for the first nine months of the year to £3.72bn from £2.85bn a year earlier as costs and bad loans fell.

The Serious Fraud Office and Financial Conduct Authority are among more than dozen regulators across the world probing alleged fixing of currency markets.

Hedging products

It is alleged that traders used online chatrooms to plan the fixing of benchmark prices.

Several investment banks, including Barclays and HSBC have already suspended currency traders due to the investigation by the FCA.

Financial Conduct Authority chief Martin Wheatley has said that currency manipulation was "every bit as bad" as the Libor scandal, where banks including Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland and UBS paid fines totalling about $6bn relating to Libor fixing.

Barclays shares rose 2% in London to 224.90 pence.

Barclays reduced its provision for customers mis-sold interest rate hedging products by £160m, with the bank saying its review of customers sold the products was nearly completed.

The deals were mainly sold to businesses and aimed to control interest rates. As rates fell to historic lows in the wake of the financial crisis, business customers were often stuck on much higher interest rates.

The lender booked a £461m gain on assets it acquired when it bought the North American business of Lehman Brothers.

Investment bank pressure

For the three months to the end of September, most of Barclays' businesses saw profits rise except its investment bank and Africa business. Third-quarter pre-tax profit in investment banking shrank to £284m from £465m, a performance chief executive Antony Jenkins described as "disappointing."

"We see [third quarter] results as a clear indication of a deleveraging investment bank under significant pressure," said Chirantan Barua, an analyst at Bernstein Research. The £500m currency trading reserve means it "looks like" the lender is "close to settling", he said in a note to clients.

Operating costs, which includes staff wages, dropped faster than expected, said Mr Barua.

Mr Jenkins is trying to rein in pay and plans to cut 19,000 jobs by 2016, with more than 9,000 to go in the UK.

As part of a new strategy, the investment part of the bank will lose about 7,000 jobs by the end of 2016.

Barclays has faced more scrutiny from regulators in recent months.

The New York attorney general filed a fraud lawsuit against the bank in June. The lawsuit alleges the bank falsified documents and misrepresented benefits it was offering to big institutional clients, including pension funds.

It relates to the bank's "dark pool" trading operations, which allow clients to trade large blocks of shares while keeping prices private. Barclays has begun an internal probe into the allegations.

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Sarah Payne's father 'found dead'

30 October 2014 Last updated at 09:09

The father of murdered schoolgirl Sarah Payne has been found dead at his home in Kent, according to reports.

Michael Payne, 45, was discovered at his home in Brishing Lane, Maidstone, on Monday night.

Kent Police has not officially named the occupant of the property but said the death was not being treated as suspicious.

Mr Payne's eight-year-old daughter was abducted and killed by a convicted paedophile in West Sussex in 2000.

'Decent man'

His daughter Charlotte posted a picture of her father on Facebook alongside a message saying she was "heartbroken".

"No matter what happened and how many mistakes we all made you will always be my daddy," she wrote.

She later added: "I'm sorry I couldn't save you dad. I hope you have finally found your peace and happiness."

Her brother Lee wrote: "Dad, you had your demons and troubles but you had a good heart and was a decent man! I hope now you have found peace at last! RIP, you will be missed. We are all heartbroken."

Mr Payne split from his wife Sara in 2003 after 18 years together, blaming the difficulties of coping with the loss of their daughter.

In December 2011, he was jailed for 16 months after admitting attacking his brother with a glass after they had both drunk a large amount of alcohol.

The trial heard how he had developed a drink problem after the murder of his daughter by Roy Whiting.

The family was living in Surrey at the time.

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Penalties 'do not stop' drug use

30 October 2014 Last updated at 09:47

There is "no obvious" link between tough laws and levels of illegal drug use, a government report has found.

Liberal Democrat Home Office minister Norman Baker said the report, comparing the UK with other countries, should end "mindless rhetoric" on drugs policy.

He accused the Conservatives of "suppressing" the report for months.

Tory MP Michael Ellis said the Lib Dems had "hijacked" the report for political gain. The government says it has "no intention" of decriminalising drugs.

The row comes ahead of a debate on government policy on drugs in the House of Commons later.

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Norman Baker MP: "We shouldn't assume locking people up is the answer"

The Home Office report compared the UK's approach to drug misuse with that of 13 other countries.

After examining a range of approaches, from zero-tolerance to decriminalisation, it concluded drug use was influenced by factors "more complex and nuanced than legislation and enforcement alone".

But it found there had been a "considerable" improvement in the health of drug users in Portugal since the country made drug possession a health issue rather than a criminal one in 2001.

The Home Office said these outcomes could not be attributed to decriminalisation alone.

Mr Baker believes treating drug use as a health matter would be much more effective in minimising harm.

Analysis

Danny Shaw, BBC home affairs correspondent

The divisions within the coalition could not be more sharply exposed.

The official Home Office position is that its drug strategy is working.

Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrat minister with responsibility for drugs, says "radical" change is needed.

Mr Baker's claims have been fuelled by his department's own report, which finds no link between how tough a country is on drugs and how many people use them.

It's an important finding, but the study also makes clear that drug policy is highly complex - approaches which may work abroad can't necessarily be implanted into the UK.

The Home Office barely mentioned the report in its press release, focusing instead on plans to change the law on legal highs.

Mr Baker's intervention has ensured the report takes centre stage.

"Let's look at what works rather than presuming locking people up is the answer," Mr Baker said.

"People are treated as a number, they're given a fine, they're given a caution, they're put in prison and none of that changes their drug habit.

"If we're interested in changing people's behaviour then we need to look at it from a health point of view."

Decriminalisation

Earlier this year Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg pledged to abolish prison sentences for the possession of drugs for personal use.

Mr Clegg challenged David Cameron to look at issues such as decriminalisation, despite the prime minister previously rejecting calls for a Royal Commission to consider the issue.

Danny Kushlick, the founder of the group Transform, which has been campaigning for the legal regulation of drugs in the UK for almost 20 years, said the report was an important step.

"For the first time in over 40 years the Home Office has admitted that enforcing tough drug laws doesn't necessarily reduce levels of drug use," he said.

"Decriminalising the possession of drugs doesn't increase levels of use."

Legal highs

A separate Home Office report calls for a blanket ban on all brain-altering drugs in a bid to tackle legal highs.

Currently, when a legal high is made illegal, manufacturers are avoiding the law by tweaking the chemical compound and creating a new substance.

The government will consider legislation introduced in Ireland four years ago that bans the sale of all "psychoactive" substances but exempts some, such as alcohol and tobacco.

Drug laws in some parts of the world have been relaxed in recent years.

Last year, Uruguay became the first country in the world to make it legal to grow, sell and consume marijuana.

From the start of this year, Colorado became the first US state to allow stores to sell cannabis for recreational purposes.

Have you had a serious drug habit? How was your addiction treated? You can email your experiences to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

If you are willing to be contacted by BBC journalists please include a telephone number.

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Most home carers' travel 'unpaid'

29 October 2014 Last updated at 01:22 By Zoe Conway Reporter, BBC Radio 4 Today

Most councils in England and Wales are failing to ensure home care workers are paid the national minimum wage, figures obtained by the Unison union suggest.

It says freedom of information figures show just 6% of local authorities make it a contractual condition for care providers to pay workers' travel time.

Non-payment of travel time means many are not paid the minimum wage of £6.50 an hour, Unison says.

Councils say stipulating that providers pay for travel time is unnecessary.

It is common practice for carers to be paid for the time they spend in an elderly person's home, but not for the time they spend in their car travelling between clients.

The time taken travelling can take up to 30% of a carer's shift, according to Unison.

So, if the rate they are paid is not much more than the minimum wage of £6.50 an hour, then across the shift they are taking home less than that.

Councils say that ensuring care providers pay for travel time is not necessary because they are legally required to pay the minimum wage.

The UK Home Care Association insists it accounts for travel time in its hourly rates but also says it will become ''increasingly difficult'' for providers to comply with the minimum wage unless councils start to pay them more.

Pay concerns

One carer, who wished to remain anonymous, said she was being paid less than the minimum wage because her £7 an hour rate was not enough to cover the two hours she spent each day driving between clients.

''I'm really upset about it," she said. "It's scandalous what's going on.

"I stayed in the job for so long because I felt committed to the people I was looking after. But I had to leave because I couldn't afford to stay.''

She is one of 18 home carer workers in Wigan to have taken her case of under-payment to Unison. The union says she is owed thousands of pounds by her former employer.

Unison also asked councils whether they ever asked to see pay records or other documentary evidence about the pay of care workers. Only 21% of councils said they did.

The care sector is coming under increasing scrutiny over concerns about low pay. Earlier this year, the National Audit Office reported that as many as 220,000 carers were not getting the minimum wage.

In April, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs said almost half of the care companies it investigated were not complying with minimum wage regulations.

One provider was ordered to pay £600,000 of arrears to 3,000 care workers.

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US rocket explodes during launch

29 October 2014 Last updated at 01:30

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The rocket explosion in Virginia was caught live on BBC World News

An unmanned supply rocket bound for the International Space Station has exploded during its launch from the US state of Virginia.

Antares, a 14-storey rocket built by Orbital Sciences Corp, combusted seconds after leaving the seaside launch pad at Wallops Flight Facility.

The cause of the cargo ship malfunction has yet to be determined.

The initial planned launch of the spacecraft on Monday was delayed due to a yacht in the surrounding danger zone.

The flight was expected to be the third contracted mission with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

The rocket was due to carry nearly 5,000 pounds (2,200kgs) of supplies to six astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

"We will understand what happened, hopefully soon, and we'll get things back on track," said Frank Culbertson, executive vice-president of Orbital Sciences.

"We've all seen this happen in our business before, and we've all seen the teams recover from this, and we will do the same."

No-one was injured, said Mr Culbertson, and an investigation team was already going through the data to try to establish the cause.

On Wednesday morning, he said, the examination of debris around the site would begin.

The investigation will not jump to conclusions but one line of inquiry will surely focus on the AJ-26 engines used to lift the rocket away from the pad, says BBC science correspondent Jonathan Amos.

"These are actually modified Russian-built power units that were originally developed for the ill-fated Soviet Moon rocket, the N-1.

"They have been refurbished to modern standards, but one blew up in ground testing earlier this year."

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Frank Culbertson, Orbital Sciences, warned against keeping wreckage 'souvenirs'

Analysis: Jonathan Amos, BBC science correspondent

This new rocket was part of Nasa's effort to contract out "routine" cargo resupply to the International Space Station. But if we needed reminding that nothing in space is routine then this explosion has brought that message home in spectacular fashion.

The US space agency "seeded" development of Antares - and the supply ship it launches, Cygnus - by giving incentive payments to manufacturer Orbital Sciences Corporation, to help them develop a low-cost, commercial follow-on to fill the cargo gap left by the retired space shuttles.

The blast is likely to have seriously damaged the launch pad and support infrastructure, meaning that even if the fault is quickly identified and corrected, restarting Antares flights again may take a long time.

However, there should be no immediate threat to supplies for astronauts on the space station. The Cygnus cargo ship that was on top of the Antares is one of a fleet of vehicles that are used in this role. These other robotic vessels, launched atop other rockets, will now have to pick up the slack.

There is no doubting the explosion is a major setback for Orbital Sciences Corporation, and its plans to market Antares as a multi-purpose, commercial launcher. Confidence always takes a hit in the wake of a failure. But Orbital has the expertise to come back - as it has done after previous launch failures.

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Zambian President Sata dies in UK

29 October 2014 Last updated at 08:24

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Zambian President Michael Sata has died while in office, Chakuchanya Harawa reports

Zambian President Michael Sata has died at the age of 77 after receiving treatment for an undisclosed illness, the government says.

President Sata, who was being treated in the UK, died in London's King Edward VII hospital on Tuesday night.

Media said that he died after "a sudden onset [of] heightened heart rate".

It is not immediately clear who will succeed the president. The issue may be decided by the Zambian cabinet which meets on Wednesday morning.

"It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing on of our beloved president," cabinet secretary Roland Msiska said on national TV.

Obituary: Penny Dale, BBC's former Zambia correspondent

Gravelly-voiced as a result of years of chain-smoking, Michael Sata rose to political prominence in the 1980s. He quickly earned a reputation as the hardest-working governor while in charge of Lusaka and as a populist man of action. But he was also known for his authoritarian tendencies, an abrasive manner and a sharp tongue - and his critics say his nickname of "King Cobra" was well-deserved.

A devout Catholic, Mr Sata had worked as a police officer, railway man and trade unionist during colonial rule. After independence, he also spent time in London, working as a railway porter, and, back in Zambia, with a taxidermist company.

On the fourth attempt, Mr Sata won presidential elections in 2011. At first he looked as if he would keep promises to tackle corruption and create jobs and prosperity. But his term in office was marred by a crackdown on political opposition and a decline in the economy.

He said that Mr Sata's wife and son were at his bedside.

"I urge all of you to remain calm, united and peaceful during this very difficult period," Mr Msiska added.

'King Cobra'

The president's death comes just days after Zambia celebrated the 50th anniversary of independence from the UK.

He is the second Zambian leader to die in office after Levy Mwanawasa in 2008.

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Zambia's five leaders in five decades

Earlier this month reports in Zambia said that President Sata had gone abroad for a medical check-up amid persistent speculation that he was seriously ill.

After he left the country, Defence Minister Edgar Lungu was named as acting president.

Vice-President Guy Scott has regularly stood in for the president at official events. But he is of Scottish descent and his parents were not born in Zambia, so he may fall foul of a constitutional clause on parentage which would nullify his candidacy.

Known as "King Cobra" for his venomous tongue, Mr Sata was elected Zambia's president in 2011, defeating the then incumbent Rupiah Banda whose party had been in power for 20 years.

He has rarely been seen in public since returning from the UN General Assembly last month, where he failed to make a scheduled speech.

What is your reaction to the death of President Sata? Are you from Zambia? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your thoughts and memories.

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Disasters group launches Ebola appeal

29 October 2014 Last updated at 08:54

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Saleh Saeed, Disasters Emergency Committee: ''This is a race against time''

An appeal for the Ebola crisis in West Africa is to be launched by the Disasters Emergency Committee.

It is the first time the DEC - a group of 13 UK aid charities - has sought funds over a disease outbreak, which it says is "a sign of how serious the situation has become".

Appeals will be made by all the main UK broadcasters on Thursday.

Ebola has killed almost 5,000 people and infected more than 10,000 in West Africa since the start of the year.

In its 50-year history, the DEC has launched appeals for humanitarian disasters caused by floods, famines, earthquakes, typhoons and conflicts, but not previously for a disease outbreak.

Chief executive Saleh Saeed said the "explosive nature of the disease" had caused a "humanitarian catastrophe".

"That has compelled the DEC to respond and help by ensuring that we are able to support people to stop the spread of Ebola before it becomes a major global catastrophe," he said.

He added that member agencies faced a shortfall of £69m to carry out their work in west Africa.

Of the 13 DEC charities, 11 are currently supporting work or planning to respond to the Ebola crisis in West Africa, with the majority of work focused on stopping the spread of the disease and providing support to those affected.

The committee says £25 can provide cleaning kits including bleach, soap and a bucket for three families at risk from Ebola.

Basic protective clothing for three volunteers supporting people under quarantine can be provided for £50 and £100 can buy training for a community on how to keep itself safe from Ebola.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says there could be 5,000-10,000 new cases of the deadly virus every week in the worst affected countries by December. Infection rates continue to grow in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

Cumulative deaths up to 23 October

The virus spreads through close contact and health officials say stopping the spread of the disease in the areas hardest hit by the outbreak will prevent Ebola's spread to other countries.

In August, the United Nations health agency declared an "international public health emergency", saying that a co-ordinated response was essential to halt the spread of the virus.

By September, WHO director general Margaret Chan said that the "number of patients is moving far faster than the capacity to manage them".

Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US, Thomas Frieden, said in October that the Ebola outbreak in West Africa is unlike anything since the emergence of HIV/Aids.

In the United States, two medical workers in Dallas, Texas, who treated a patient - who later died - tested positive for Ebola but have been released from hospital after treatment.

Spanish nurse Teresa Romero was the first person to contract the virus outside West Africa. She was part of a team of about 30 staff at the Carlos II hospital in Madrid looking after two missionaries who returned from Liberia and Sierra Leone after becoming infected.

Germany, Norway and France and the UK have all treated patients who contracted the virus in West Africa.

Ebola virus disease (EVD)

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How Ebola survivors' blood is saving lives

• Symptoms include high fever, bleeding and central nervous system damage
• Spread by body fluids, such as blood and saliva
• Fatality rate can reach 90% - but current outbreak has mortality rate of about 70%
• No proven vaccine or cure
• Fruit bats, a delicacy for some West Africans, are considered to be virus's natural host

Ebola special report

Meanwhile, Sierra Leone has condemned Australia's decision to suspend entry visas for people from Ebola-affected countries in West Africa, describing it as "counterproductive" and "discriminatory".

The move has also been criticised by Amnesty International, while UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said travel restrictions would severely curtail efforts to beat Ebola.

Also, new US federal guidelines say medics returning from treating patients in West Africa should be monitored but not placed in quarantine.

However, some states say they will continue with their quarantine polices.

To make a donation to the DEC Ebola Crisis Appeal visit www.dec.org.uk, call the 24-hour hotline on 0370 60 60 900. You can also donate £5 by texting the word SUPPORT to 70000.

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Care for military veterans 'flawed'

29 October 2014 Last updated at 09:04 By Sima Kotecha Today programme

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Simon Brown, former Army corporal: 'I have had to jump through hoops'

The government is failing to abide by its military covenant, medical experts who treat injured soldiers have said.

Leading professors in psychology and orthopaedics say the healthcare system is not providing veterans with the service they have been promised.

The Armed Forces Covenant, described as a duty of care to the armed forces, states veterans should be "sustained and rewarded" .

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said it was "fully committed" to the covenant.

'Do better'

But Professor Neil Greenberg, from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said he believed ministers were failing to honour the military covenant promise.

Continue reading the main story

My cheek bones were obliterated, my jaw was broken in four places, I'd lost my left eye totally and there was very little hope of any sight returning to my right eye"

End Quote Simon Brown Army veteran

"In my view the government needs to be a bit more honest about what it is delivering and just what it says it's delivering, because the two are definitely not the same," he said.

Freedom of information figures obtained by the military charity Help for Heroes show almost 13,000 service personnel have been medically discharged for musculoskeletal disorders since 2001 - those who have lost limbs or have problems with ligaments and joints - with many requiring constant care throughout their lives.

Prof Tim Briggs, a leading orthopaedic surgeon, recently wrote the Chavasse report which outlined the problems former personnel face on the NHS.

He said he was "moved" by the sacrifice made by veterans who attended his clinics, and he believed "we can do better and we should do better".

He said that "finding access to specialist care was sometimes proving difficult and as a result some veterans were falling through the net and we had to improve things".

Labour's shadow minister for veterans, Gemma Doyle, said the medical experts' comments were a "damning indictment", and proof the government had failed to meet its obligations.

Shot in the face

Simon Brown, a corporal in the Army for more than 10 years, was shot in the face by a sniper in 2006 and was medically discharged four years later.

"The bullet hit my left cheek between the eye and the nose and exited my right cheek between the nose and the ear," he said.

"My cheek bones were obliterated, my jaw was broken in four places, I'd lost my left eye totally and there was very little hope of any sight returning to my right eye."

Almost a decade on, he says he has still not had all the surgery and treatment he requires and insists it is not the fault of staff, rather the system is flawed.

'Good investment'

"It has been long processes - there's been a lot of jumping through hoops you know. I actually had to see a committee to see whether or not I was entitled to free plastic surgery," he said.

If veterans got the treatment they are entitled to they could remain "productive members of society", he said.

"I see it as it's actually a good investment to look after these people and give them the support and help they need."

More than 200,000 men and women have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001.

The military covenant states that soldiers could be called upon to make the "ultimate sacrifice" but in return they and their families will be "sustained and rewarded by commensurate terms and conditions of service".

The moral obligation to treat veterans should not stop when service ends, the covenant states, saying veterans should receive priority healthcare from the NHS when they are being treated for a condition dating from their time in the armed forces.

Once a veteran leaves the forces, their healthcare is the responsibility of the NHS.

The main principles of the military covenant were enshrined in law in the Armed Forces Act 2011.

The government says the defence secretary must report annually on the progress made by ministers in honouring the covenant.

Help For Heroes has estimated that 75,000 service personnel could suffer mentally and physically as a result of operations in Afghanistan.

With some NHS staff unaware of the covenant - and veterans not always keen to tell their doctors about their past - the charity has said a government database would help to make sure they receive the care they are entitled to.

Earlier this year, the Conservative MP James Arbothnot told the Defence Select Committee he was disappointed the government kept detailed records of sheep and cows, but couldn't do the same for veterans.

Labour MP Madeleine Moon, who also sits on the committee, said that the government had promised things but not followed through.

She said a renewed focus needed to be on "the long term", and making sure that veterans did not get "lost in the system".

'Proud and grateful'

But health minister Dan Poulter said the government had invested more than £22m in mental health and prosthetic services, "specifically for those most in need".

The investment included 10 regional veteran mental health teams and nine veteran-focused prosthetic centres providing support and care for ex-servicemen and women.

He told the BBC Radio 4's Today programme that care for veterans had been vastly improved, and as a result "it had raised the game" in terms of dealing with complex cases for the wider population generally.

"Veterans are a priority for the health service and rightly so," he said.

An MoD spokesman said the government had "worked hard to ensure our serving personnel, veterans and families have the support they need and are treated with the dignity they deserve".

"That is why we enshrined the covenant in law in 2011. Since then all local councils have signed up to the Community Covenant, and more than 300 companies have signed up to the Corporate Covenant - including Tesco just this week.

"We are very proud and grateful of the commitment that all those that have signed the Covenants have made and it demonstrates the immense amount of respect and gratitude there is for our armed forces," the spokesman added.

Are you a military veteran? Are you affected by issues covered in this story? You can email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk

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