Tag: News Story

STORY

The King’s Fund has called for urgent action from NHS England after an investigation identified patient safety risks in the use of Advice and Guidance services across the NHS. Advice and Guidance allows GPs to seek advice from hospital specialists before, or instead of, making a formal referral. An interim report from the Health Services Safety Investigations Body found that while the system can improve care when used effectively, poorly designed or inadequately monitored pathways had contributed to delayed or missed diagnoses, delays to treatment and incidents of physical and psychological harm.

The investigation found significant differences between national expectations and the way some local services were operating, including pathways where GPs were required to use Advice and Guidance rather than being able to make a direct referral. HSSIB also identified problems with the NHS electronic referral system which made it more difficult to track patients and share clinical information. The King’s Fund said confusion had been increased by expectations that Advice and Guidance would reduce referrals by 25%, warning that this risked creating the impression that reducing referrals was more important than getting patients to appropriate care quickly.

HSSIB has recommended that NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care carry out a rapid evaluation of Advice and Guidance services, covering workforce, capacity, training, digital risks and patient safety reporting. It has also called for standardised templates to be developed for requests and responses where they do not already exist. Beccy Baird, Senior Fellow for Primary Care at The King’s Fund, said NHS England should establish how the system was being implemented in different areas and issue clearer guidance to primary and secondary care staff.

STORY

Transport Focus has welcomed the Government’s decision to remove time restrictions on disabled bus passes across England, saying the change will give passengers greater freedom and flexibility. From 1 April 2027, eligible disabled bus pass holders will be able to travel free on local buses at any time of day, replacing the current national arrangement under which passes are generally valid between 9.30am and 11pm on weekdays.

Louise Collins, Director at the independent transport watchdog, said removing the restrictions was a positive step which would allow people to travel when they needed to while also helping with the cost of living. Transport Focus said attention must now be given to ensuring bus services are reliable, accessible and available at the times disabled passengers need them.

The change is being backed by £60 million of Government funding and will apply across England, including areas where local authorities do not currently fund additional concessionary travel outside the national hours. The Government said the measure is intended to improve access to employment, education, training and healthcare and end differences in the availability of all day concessionary travel between different areas.

STORY

The Institute for Fiscal Studies has said Reform UK’s welfare proposals would represent a substantially different approach to the benefits system as the party seeks savings of around £50 billion a year. The IFS said the reductions would come almost entirely from working age benefits, which are currently forecast to cost a little over £200 billion in 2030 to 2031.

One of the largest changes would largely remove eligibility for working age benefits from non UK citizens. The IFS said around 1.3 million non UK citizens currently claim Universal Credit, including about 650,000 who are not in employment. It said the eventual savings would depend partly on how many affected people became British citizens, while warning that withdrawing benefits could produce large immediate reductions in household incomes and significantly increase hardship for some claimants.

Reform UK is also proposing major changes to disability benefits, including a tougher assessment system, greater use of support such as equipment rather than cash and means testing for some assistance. The IFS said relatively little detail had been provided about how the new assessment would operate and noted that previous attempts to tighten disability benefit eligibility had generated considerably smaller savings than governments initially expected. It also highlighted Reform’s proposal to change the inflation measure used to increase benefits each year, which the IFS estimates would save £4.8 billion in 2033 to 2034 and progressively reduce benefit spending compared with the existing system in subsequent years.

STORY

UK inflation rose to 2.9% in July, up from 2.6% in June, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics. The increase marked the first rise in the annual Consumer Prices Index rate since March and was driven in large part by higher household energy costs following the July increase in Ofgem’s energy price cap.

The Resolution Foundation said the rise was larger than the 2.8% increase expected by the Bank of England and estimated that higher energy bills added around 0.4 percentage points to the headline inflation rate. Petrol prices fell by 3.1 pence per litre during July, partially offsetting the increase in household energy costs, while food prices were unchanged over the month. Services inflation also eased from 3.6% in June to 3.4% in July.

The think tank said inflation could rise further during the autumn and peak at around 3.2% towards the end of the year if current energy market conditions persist. It argued that the Government should be prepared to introduce targeted support for households if energy bills rise further, while warning that the renewed increase in inflation could also affect mortgage borrowers hoping for lower interest rates and add to pressure on the public finances ahead of the autumn Budget.

STORY

A Serco employee has been charged with misconduct in a public office in connection with the release of information relating to addresses in Thetford which were subsequently targeted during several nights of violent disorder. James Jobson, 62, of Highlow Road in Costessey, appeared at Ipswich Magistrates’ Court on Monday 17 August.

The addresses were linked to accommodation for asylum seekers in the Norfolk town. Properties were vandalised during three nights of unrest earlier this month, while police officers responding to the disorder were subjected to violence. Norfolk Police said officers were hit with a rock, bitten and spat at during incidents on 5 August, and the force subsequently confirmed that 21 arrests had been made in connection with the disorder.

Jobson works for Serco, which provides asylum accommodation under contracts with the Government. Serco said it was cooperating fully with the police and would not comment further while legal proceedings were continuing. Jobson was remanded in custody following his appearance at Ipswich Magistrates’ Court and is due to appear at Norwich Crown Court on 14 September.

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An unauthorised crypto investment company has been wound up after an Insolvency Service investigation found no evidence that genuine trading took place. Key Coin Assets Ltd promoted returns of between 40% and 100%, including online claims of no fees and no risk. Nine investors who complained to Action Fraud paid more than £300,000 to the company between them.

Investigators said money received from new investors appeared to have been used to make payments to earlier investors, while funds were also transferred rapidly into the personal account of the company’s director. The company posted customer testimonials without permission and told investors not to use words such as crypto or investment in bank payment references. Its Companies House filings also claimed assets of up to £42 million, a figure the Insolvency Service said was far above the level suggested by its banking activity.

Key Coin Assets Ltd was wound up by the High Court in London on 11 August and the Official Receiver has been appointed as liquidator. The Insolvency Service and Financial Conduct Authority are warning people considering crypto investments to check a firm’s regulatory status and to be cautious about promises of guaranteed high returns or no risk. Most cryptoasset activities are not currently regulated in the UK, although wider regulation is due to take effect from October 2027.

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Average UK house prices increased by 2% in the year to June 2026, taking the average property value to £272,000, according to the latest UK House Price Index. Prices rose by 0.1% between May and June on a non seasonally adjusted basis. The annual rate of growth was lower than the revised 3% increase recorded in the 12 months to May.

In England, the average house price reached £293,000 after an annual increase of 1.8%. The North West recorded the strongest annual growth among English regions at 4.7%, followed by the North East at 4.3%. London was the only English region to record an annual fall, with average prices down 2.5% to £554,000, although prices in the capital rose by 1% between May and June.

The average price paid by a first time buyer in England was £245,000, up 1.8% over the year, while the average for former owner occupiers was £357,000. Official property transaction figures show an estimated 99,000 UK residential transactions worth at least £40,000 took place in June on a seasonally adjusted basis. That was 2.5% higher than in June 2025 but 0.2% lower than in May 2026.

STORY

The Competition and Markets Authority has opened consumer protection investigations into Trainline, Virgin Atlantic and RED Driving School over concerns about whether customers were shown the total price upfront. The regulator is examining the presentation of mandatory charges when people buy train and coach tickets, package holidays and driving lessons. It has stressed that the investigations are at an early stage and no conclusion has been reached that any of the companies has broken consumer law.

The CMA said it observed Trainline fees ranging from 59p to £2.79 on advance train bookings and a £1.50 fee on coach bookings. Its Virgin Atlantic investigation will consider whether resort fees and local taxes, which can add hundreds of pounds to some package holidays, were included in the price first shown to customers. RED Driving School is being investigated over mandatory booking and digital fees of more than £7 per booking and how those charges were displayed during the booking process.

All three businesses had previously received advisory letters from the CMA about their obligations under consumer law. The regulator now has stronger direct enforcement powers and can impose fines of up to 10% of a company’s global turnover where it finds an infringement, as well as requiring compensation for affected customers. The CMA said the next steps will depend on the evidence gathered during each investigation.

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Calls for a public inquiry into the treatment of former Cambridge professor Jason Arday have intensified following his death, with more than 98,000 people signing a petition seeking an investigation into the role of the media. Downing Street has not ruled out an inquiry but has said that decisions should not be made while the usual processes following an unexpected death, including any inquest, are still to take place. Arday, 41, was found dead at an address in Battersea on Friday, with police saying his death was unexpected but was not being treated as suspicious.

The growing calls followed a large vigil in Trafalgar Square on Monday evening, which organisers estimated was attended by more than 30,000 people. MPs, friends, academics and campaigners paid tribute to Arday and raised concerns about the intensity of the scrutiny he faced before his death. His family said he had experienced public cruelty and asked that he be remembered for his life and achievements. Cambridge Chancellor Chris Smith has separately defended the importance of investigating allegations concerning academic integrity while criticising what he described as a racially charged media reaction to Arday.

Arday resigned earlier this month as Professor of Sociology of Education at the University of Cambridge following allegations concerning plagiarism in his PhD thesis and questions about statements relating to other achievements. He rejected allegations of deliberate dishonesty while acknowledging mistakes in his academic work. Cambridge had announced an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding his appointment and tenure, although it is understood that the university has not yet decided whether that work should continue while his family is grieving. The controversy following his death has widened into a debate about press standards, academic accountability, race and the duty of care owed by institutions to people subjected to intense public scrutiny.

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Concerns about charitable status being abused for private benefit rose by 29% in 2025 to 2026, according to the Charity Commission. The regulator recorded 374 such cases, following a 38% increase in the previous year. Its latest sector risk assessment says charities are facing increasingly complex activity by people seeking to exploit organisations and regulatory gaps.

The Commission said it formally passed information to other agencies including HM Revenue and Customs, police forces and local authorities 500 times during the last year, an increase of 8%. It also highlighted concerns about charities providing sensitive services in areas without specialist service regulation, including some out of school settings and certain housing services, where users may have limited routes for redress over service quality.

The assessment also points to continued financial pressure across parts of the sector and new risks associated with technology. Two in five charities spent more than their income and one in four charities with income below £10,000 reported only breaking even in 2024. The regulator said artificial intelligence can also facilitate fraudulent applications to register charities or obtain grants. Forty five per cent of charity registration applications are now approved, compared with 72% in 2016 to 2017.