Monday

Nine out of ten NHS hospitals in England are not complying with the hygiene standards that were introduced two years ago. The Healthcare Commission carried out a series of spot checks and found that some hospitals still don’t keep wards consistently clean or isolate patients with MRSA or clostridium difficile infections.

Tuesday

The Metropolitan Police Authority said that it had no intention of deploying Taser stun guns more widely. The Met said that to do so would spread fear and damage public confidence in the police. The statement followed the Home Secretary’s announcement that 10,000 new Tasers would be supplied to forces in England and Wales. Dentists will have to refund £120 million to the NHS after falling short of agreed NHS treatment targets. About half of dental practices in England failed to treat enough patients on the NHS last year and will have to pay back money given to them. The British Dental Association said that some practices could go out of business and many more dentists were likely to eschew NHS practice.

Wednesday

Sick notes could be replaced by “fit notes” in an attempt to cut the number of people claiming long-term sick benefits. A “fit note” would set out what work a person could peform and how work duties could be temporarily altered. It is hoped that the move would encourage people back to work quicker than the current system. GPs asked for the scheme to be piloted before introduction.

Thursday

The dumbing down of science exams is failing a generation of school children, leaving them “unequipped to address key issues facing society”, said the Royal Society of Chemistry. In a report sent to MPs the society said: “Science examination standards at UK schools have eroded so severely that the testing of problem-solving, critical thinking and the application of mathematics has almost disappeared.” An online petition calling for changes to science teaching, set up by the society, was signed by 1,700 people within the first 24 hours.

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