The Conservative cabinet at Essex County Council has today (19 February) approved a new highways maintenance policy that will see potholes twice as deep and preventative work including drainage, neglected. And if you get an injury by tripping on a footpath or road, you are less likely to be awarded compensation from the council.
People approaching retirement can expect the cost of residential care in their old age to double in the next 20 years in Britain, research suggests. Saga, a firm which specializes in services for the over-50s, estimates a four-year stay in a care home will soar from £112,312 to £223,476 by 2028.
More must be done to help military service veterans with mental health problems, a Commons Defence Committee report has found. The committee said the identification and treatment of veterans relies too much on luck and good intentions.
Much NHS care for people with the skin condition psoriasis is seriously lacking, a report has said. The Royal College of Physicians and the British Association of Dermatologists surveyed 100 UK dermatology units.
US researchers have found two potential targets for treating multiple sclerosis after an extensive trawl through proteins in the brain. Comparison of 2,538 proteins from MS patients with those from healthy brains showed damage in two proteins not before linked to the disease. In mice blocking the effects of the proteins led to reversal of symptoms, the study in Nature reported.
UK scientists hope to mend shattered bones and damaged cartilage using a patient's own stem cells. They are developing a "bioactive scaffold" to protect the stem cells and encourage them to grow into bone or cartilage when placed in the body.
