Displaying items by tag: British Isles

Nurse Lucy Letby killed seven babies by force-feeding them with milk or injecting them with air or insulin, and seriously damaged six others who she tried to murder. Dr Stephen Brearey, the lead consultant on the unit where Letby worked, first raised the alarm in October 2015. The first five murders happened between June and October 2015, and - despite months of warnings - the final two were in June 2016. Dr Brearey said senior managerial hospital staff were worried about reputational damage to the organisation. Instead of acting on his warnings, he and his colleagues’ lives were made very difficult. There is ‘no apparent accountability’ for what NHS managers do in trusts. There will now be an inquiry into the magnitude of the event and the questions raised: should NHS managers be regulated in the same way as doctors, and should they be held to account?

The number of students choosing Religious Studies in A-level has fallen, following warnings of a lack of teachers. More than a quarter of pupils have been given either an A or A* - down by 9% compared with 2022. The fall follows a campaign to recruit a new generation of RE teachers, with the Religious Education Council warning that due to shortages in specialist teachers some schools in the Midlands and northeast are struggling to offer the A-level subject. For two decades, A-level RS has had growing numbers of entries and impressive results, opening a world of opportunity, particularly for people from disadvantaged backgrounds, providing access to top universities and careers in law, journalism and teaching. That legacy is now threatened. A teacher training bursary scheme and a fair allocation of resources to the subject would help to reverse this trend.

Less than half of the population across England and Wales call themselves Christian. In a largely secular society, where more than one-third claim no religion at all, Franklin Graham is sharing the hope of Jesus Christ in the God Loves You tour on 26 August in London. This is the culmination of months of prayer, planning, and training to equip the local churches. The event is free to attend and will be held at the ExCel London. With over 900 churches partnering in this outreach, more than 125 buses will bring thousands to London, some coming from several hours away. The Lord has placed a burden on Franklin’s heart to proclaim Jesus Christ across the UK, and that sense of purpose and evangelistic passion has continued to grow over the years.

NHS staff shortages include nurses, midwives, GPs, hospital doctors and mental health workers. Staff leave because of low pay, stress and reduced job satisfaction. Recruitment and retention is a growing problem in this major staffing crisis. In July the government published a long-term workforce plan. Many are sceptical about whether it will lead to a sufficient increase in staff numbers. If it is successful, there will be 300,000 extra doctors, nurses and health professionals by 2037 by training, retention and reform. Criticisms of the plan include shortening medical degree courses from 5-6 years to four years and the general vagueness around who will train the expansion in medical students. There is also uncertainty over funding after the first five years of the 14-year plan. The total absence of any mention of pay and its importance in retention is the elephant in the room.

Senior doctors accused NHS Grampian of ignoring safety concerns about emergency departments. They spoke out because they felt they could not deliver safe levels of care. Grampian’s two A&E departments have no senior registrars on shift to make key decisions about patients for the majority of weekend night shifts. A number of senior doctors spoke anonymously to the BBC about conditions in these departments. Documents show that medics have been raising concerns since 2021 with NHS Grampian and the Scottish government. They have submitted a formal whistleblowing complaint about the situation as they are witnessing avoidable deaths, ongoing harm with unacceptable delays to the assessment and treatment of patients who may be suffering from serious conditions like stroke or sepsis. NHS Grampian said they recognise emergency departments are under tremendous pressure both there and across Scotland. They worked hard to expand the workforce, but consultant numbers are not yet at full capacity.

The first asylum-seekers have been transferred to the controversial Bibby Stockholm accommodation barge. Dozens of others had their transfers cancelled after issues were raised, including mental and physical health. The Care4Calais charity said none of the people they supported - disabled, torture survivors and modern slavery victims - had been moved. In a report, a long-serving firefighter called the Bibby Stockholm a ‘major life risk’ and warned that most fire engines in the nearby area are ‘on call’ only, slowing down response times. The fire brigades’ union has written to the home secretary, raising concerns over an emergency response and demanding an urgent meeting but have not received a reply. Also, authorities and firefighters have issued formal warnings about inadequate fire evacuation protocols for the vessel, which contains 222 cabins lining narrow corridors over three decks. Asylum-seekers who arrived before March will transfer from hotels, not directly from Dover. Their notification documents do not state clearly that the Bibby Stockholm is a barge.

Migrant communities from West Africa and India are renewing and revitalising Manchester churches. As many of them work at hospitals, Fr Paul Hutchins has added a mid-week service to make attendance easier for people working at weekends. He also encourages members to shape the worship, bringing hymns and prayers from their churches of origin, helping them feel as at home as possible. He says, ‘Five years ago we had sparks of promise as a multicultural congregation, but in a short space of time we have seen huge increases in new worshippers from Ghana, Nigeria, and South India.’ Three churches in the diocese have seen huge boosts to their congregations, mostly thanks to the families which have migrated to the area.

Last week you prayed for the police to have adequate support and protection after their names, rank, grade, location and unit were made available online to the public accidently. This week the chairman of the PSNI Catholic Guild has called for an urgent meeting with Chief Constable Byrne over fears that the breach will put Catholics off joining the force. A number of groups are claiming they have access to the leaked information, prompting greater safety concerns. Many Catholic members of the force have genuine concerns over safety for themselves and in many cases their family members. Mr Murray said, ‘Our guild was formed to provide a support service for Catholic police, and it is hard to think of a more pressing issue for Catholic officers and staff than this data breach’. Pray for ongoing protection for Catholic police and their families. Pray for those in receipt of the leaked data to be prevented from using it.

GMB Scotland have announced that school staff in catering, cleaning, pupil support, administration and janitorial services will strike on 13 and 14 September, and teachers in the Unite Union have also voted to strike over pay after the summer break - dates not yet confirmed. GMB members rejected a 5.5% pay offer in April, saying it is not close to matching the cost of living, and warned of disruption in schools. They are giving plenty of warning of strike dates, insisting that there is still time to resolve the dispute, and knowing that even the possibility of strikes closing schools is a powerful weapon. Last year’s council pay dispute led to rubbish building up in city streets. A settlement was made possible after the government gave councils more money to help them increase their pay offer. So far, council body Cosla has not asked the government for more money for pay.

A comedy show in Edinburgh featuring the Father Ted writer and comedian Graham Linehan has been cancelled. The venue pulled the gig because it did not support the comedian’s views, which did not align with their overall values. Linehan has been an outspoken critic of transgender self-identification. He urged the venue to reconsider its decision and suggested the cancellation might be unlawful. He has responded on X, formerly Twitter, by challenging the venue to explain which of his views it found offensive. He posted, ‘It sounds like discrimination on the grounds of my legally protected beliefs.’ The organisers of his gig are looking for an alternative venue. Earlier this year another Edinburgh venue cancelled a scheduled festival appearance by SNP MP Joanna Cherry because staff were not comfortable with her views on transgender issues. However, they later apologised, admitting the cancellation was unlawful discrimination against Ms Cherry.