Gloucestershire trust has resolved midwife shortage, boss says
In June, Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced a national investigation into maternity care in England, listing Gloucestershire as one of "the trusts of greatest concern".Women can give birth in Stroud but there is no postnatal care available there, while the entire Aveta Birth Unit in Cheltenham is shut.Mr McNamara joined the trust shortly before its maternity service failures, including maternal deaths being twice the national average, were highlighted on the BBC's investigative documentary show Panorama."Last year, we were in a very precarious position when it came to the number of midwives," Mr McNamara said."We've resolved that issue, we now have more midwives than we ever have done in the service but there's more work to do with some other staff groups."
Mr McNamara said midwives were "being spread too thinly" so had been "consolidated" at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital in Gloucester, which has the county's only fully open maternity unit."I recognise that's disappointing for the community but what I have been clear on is I don't want to compromise safety at the expense of choice," he said.He said the health needs assessment, when it is finished in the autumn, would help to find out what is required from the trust's maternity services over the next five to 10 years.
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Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
The Salt Path author dropped by charity amid embezzlement row
The author of The Salt Path has been dropped by a leading charity after she was accused of embezzling £64,000. Raynor Winn's best-selling memoir tells the story of the author and her husband Moth, who decided to walk the 630-mile South West Coast Path after their home was repossessed and Moth was diagnosed with a degenerative disease. But concerns have been raised about the veracity of Winn's account, following the book's film adaption, starring Jason Isaacs and Gillian Anderson. The loss of their home has been allegedly linked to legal troubles following the embezzlement of money, and doubt has been cast over Moth's 2013 diagnosis of corticobasal degeneration (CBD). Now, PSPA, a charity dedicated to helping sufferers of CBD, has cut ties with the Winns. The couple had previously raised funds for the charity, including a 2024 walk of the London Marathon route. A spokesman for the PSPA said: 'We were shocked and disappointed to learn of the allegations made about Raynor and Moth Winn. 'Raynor and Moth worked with many individuals and organisations since their first book was published, including PSPA. 'We received the family's need for support, and desire to raise awareness of PSP and CBD in good faith.' They added: 'Whilst we are thankful for the awareness opportunities their story has provided; too many questions currently remain unanswered. 'Therefore, we have made the decision to terminate our relationship with the family.' The charity said that sufferers of CBD in particular would 'feel angry, let down and eager for clarity'. CBD causes difficulties with movement, speech, memory and swallowing, symptoms that worsen as the disease progresses. Those with the disease have a typical life expectancy of six to eight years following the first onset of symptoms. Neurologists have shared doubts about Moth's CBD diagnosis with the Observer, which first published the allegations, questioning both how long he has lived with the disease and his ability to engage in long-distance walks. Sources also claimed the loss of the farmhouse followed financial difficulty caused by Winn embezzling funds of her employer. Ros Hemmings accused Winn of taking money while she worked part-time as a bookkeeper for an estate agency and property surveyor in Pwllheli, North Wales, in the 2000s. Ms Hemmings told the Observer that £64,000 was taken. It has been claimed that, to avoid criminal prosecution, Winn allegedly borrowed £100,000, secured against their house, and repaid the money to Ms Hemmings and her husband. This loan was later called in and their house was repossessed, it has been claimed. The Observer investigation also claimed that the Winns are actually called Sally and Tim Walker. Winn has branded the claims as 'highly misleading' and is considering legal action. 'We are taking legal advice and won't be making any further comment at this time,' she said. 'The Salt Path lays bare the physical and spiritual journey Moth and I shared, an experience that transformed us completely and altered the course of our lives. 'This is the true story of our journey.' The author has been forced to cancel a planned tour of a show called Saltlines, a music and prose collaboration between Winn and The Gigspanner Big Band. Winn's team said: 'She is deeply sorry to let down those who were planning to attend the Saltlines tour, but while this process is ongoing, she will be unable to take part. We appreciate your understanding and support during this time.'
Times
an hour ago
- Times
Charity won't give parents of dying girl, 2, £100k in donations
A couple whose nine-year-old son died of cancer and whose daughter is terminally ill claim that a charity refused to hand over £100,000 of donations. Kyle Morrison was diagnosed in 2019 with an incurable brain cancer. Before his death, supporters donated thousands to pay for potential treatment in the US and 'memory making' experiences for the family. However, the Covid pandemic meant that the family could not travel before the boy died a year later. His parents, Craig Evison and Victoria Morrison, went on to have a daughter, Ruby-Rose, now two, but she too is seriously ill with a genetic metabolic disease and is said to be unlikely to live beyond this summer. The couple launched a GoFundMe page — under the name 'Ruby-Rose's Making Memories Fund' — in an attempt to take her to Disney World. But when they tried to claim almost £100,000 left from the money donated for their deceased son, the parents were told it would not be paid because Ruby-Rose was not suffering from cancer. The parents have now launched a High Court claim against Gold Geese, the charity that holds the money, claiming it should fund their daughter's trip to see her beloved Minnie Mouse. However, officials at the charity have told the court that the money cannot be paid out because the donations were made for Kyle when he was a cancer patient. They argue that the funds can be spent only on medical trials or another child in a 'similar' situation to the couple's son. The judge, Marc Glover, was told that Kyle was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, a rare form of cancer, when he was eight. A significant amount was raised through Golden Geese, which is based in Essex, and Kyle was scheduled to travel to the US for treatment in late 2020. By the time that pandemic restrictions were eased, the boy was too ill and he died in October of that year. The parents, who also have another son, went on to have their daughter, Ruby-Rose, in 2022, but she was diagnosed with Megdel syndrome, a genetic metabolic condition characterised by high levels of acid in the body, which is usually fatal in early infanthood. Representing themselves in court, the couple have told the judge that their daughter was unlikely to live beyond this summer. They said that the money raised for Kyle should now go to their daughter. Morrison told the court: 'We just want the money to make as many memories as we can.' But William Moffett, a barrister representing the charity, responded that the fund raised for their son could be used only for children with cancer, not other diseases. The lawyer referred to a contract agreed by the parents stating that if the money were not spent on their son's treatment before he died, it would go to a trial or the cause of a child in a 'similar' position. Moffett said that it would have been impossible for donors to the son's cause to have meant for the money to benefit Ruby-Rose, as she had not been born at the time that it was pledged. The barrister reminded the court that 'Gold Geese is a cancer charity, it's on its logo', before adding: 'There are other charities whose objects would include assisting someone with Ruby-Rose's condition, but it wouldn't be proper for Gold Geese to stray outside the illness of child cancer.' The charity's position is that it was behaving as it was 'legally obliged to do within the ambit of their purpose'. However, the couple insisted that the contract allows money to be spent for Ruby-Rose's benefit, as they maintained that their daughter fell into the definition of a 'similar' case, as stated in the agreement. The judge will rule at a later date.
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Whisper it, but ‘special educational needs' is becoming an unaffordable racket
The British taxpayer is being taken for an ever-more-expensive ride. It is seemingly not enough that we must support six million public sector workers, spaff £400 million on legions of DEI staff or pay £200 billion a year for a health service on life support: Whitehall's big spenders are endlessly looking for new ways to empty our bank accounts. Arguably their most troubling new spending frontier is 'neurodiversity'. It's one of those new age, suitably fuzzy terms which we don't quite understand but have to pretend has always been a part of our lexicon – similar to 'equity', 'intersectionality' or 'microaggression'. Officially, though, it's a spectrum of illnesses, from ADHD to dyspraxia, which must always be validated, never gainsaid, however generic the 'symptoms' may appear. As with all elements of the progressive orthodoxy, the Blob regards any hint of scepticism as akin to supporting the Slaughter of the First Born. And it is now turning out to be as vexing for Bridget Phillipson as it is for anyone who has secretly wondered whether young Tommy is more dim than dyslexic. In October, the Government is set to overhaul the special needs and disabilities (Send) provision in schools, through which councils provide support to pupils. Given that, of the total spend on 'education, health and care plans' (EHCPs), which legally mandate expensive support and have risen exponentially in recent years, just 4 per cent are going to those with severe learning disabilities associated with physical incapacity, I'd say for once the Education Secretary is right. But antsy backbenchers, fresh from their Pyrrhic PIP triumph last week, panic that there will be an attempt to save money by scaling back support. As one Labour MP warned, foretelling future rebellions: 'If they thought taking money away from disabled adults was bad, watch what happens when they try the same with disabled kids.' Just as with the welfare row, the backdrop is an explosion in claimants. Close to two million people under 25 now require Send support. The Department for Education is, according to the National Audit Office (NAO), now spending £10.7 billion providing support to these youngsters. Funding for ADHD claims has risen from £700,000 a year in 2013 to £292 million today: a mind-boggling increase of more than 41,000 per cent in just over a decade. It goes on: autism diagnoses in England have risen by 787 per cent between 1998 and 2018, while ADHD and autism referrals have increased five‑fold since the pandemic. We have been so sucked into this (who hasn't had a recently diagnosed friend query whether perhaps they might, too, be a 'sufferer'? It's starting to feel like a Ponzi scheme) that at no point have we stopped to ask: who are we helping? Or: where does this end? As Prof Ginny Russell, a researcher in developmental disorders, has courageously suggested: 'I do think it's going to continue until maybe everyone is categorised as neurodiverse'. Do we dare ask whether providing transportation, including taxis, for these children, is necessary or sustainable? The County Councils Network (CCN) projects that the cost of 'free' transport will reach £3.6 billion a year by 2030. What's truly staggering is that children don't even require a diagnosis to receive this benefit: one eight year old with 'behavioural difficulties' in Gainsborough was given daily private cars to and from school despite never having been assessed. Then there was the mother in Derby, who bemoaned her child feeling 'distressed' going to school on public transport, adding: 'I could take her in the car but I also have other children who I need to get to school and nursery'. So, like every other parent? It's easy to complain when someone else is paying. Is this a good use of taxpayer funds, when CCN is also warning 26 of England's largest councils could have to declare bankruptcy by 2027 if the SEND deficits they are grappling with are placed onto their budget books? What's more, the evidence that SEND support works is limited. In 2019 the NAO found there was 'no consistent improvement' in outcomes for children and young people receiving this support. We have created a system which is patently too easy to game. Almost every student who was screened for ADHD at Oxford University recently was assessed as having it after a 90-minute test. Students were asked such probing questions as, 'Would you describe yourself as a well-organised person?' and, 'Do you tend to be on time to appointments?'As though any 18 year old student could respond 'yes' to either without a smirk. Records show a frankly ludicrous 42 per cent of pupils in private schools were granted extra time in their exams last year, against an already implausible 27 per cent in non-selective state schools. The incentives for teachers, and parents, to push children towards these diagnoses is self-evident. But here's the rub. Not only has the DWP forecast that the number of children entitled to disability benefits will rise by a third by 2030 – one of the fastest growing benefits categories. But those children will be trapped in a cycle of dependency: cast as unable to function independently at school, then deemed too mentally unwell to hold down a job. They'll come to see 'neurodiversity' as a part of their identity, something which must be catered for in adult life as it was in childhood, however unfeasible that might be in the Real World. Not all that long ago, when most readers were young, children were allowed to be eccentric, dreamy or difficult. They could be high energy, imaginative, introverted. Perhaps even – sorry, I'll wash my mouth out – occasionally naughty. But now childhood foibles and growing pains are being pathologised and monetised. Private assessment clinics are booming, with charges reportedly reaching £1,500. Along the way, any sense of resilience is being lost. And such is the diagnostic inflation, that parents of the 4 per cent who really need it get lost in the crowd and may not get appropriate support. It's almost enough to make you long for the country to get the shocking dose of reality that Ukrainians or Israelis are experiencing. Our state has become a soft touch paying out for every sad story, pandering to every claim of exceptionalism. It's fuelling a culture of entitlement and welfare dependency, and even formerly profligate Labour front benchers are slowly coming to realise it's not sustainable.
