“A widower left with brain damage from alcohol abuse linked to the shock of his wife’s sudden death is to receive a £150,000 payout from the NHS.”
BBC News, 15th May 2013
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“Health and social care bodies should be required to publish details of cases where they have processed or shared patients’ personal data without having a legal basis to do so, Dame Fiona Caldicott has recommended.”
OUT-LAW.com, 29th April 2013
Source: www.out-law.com
“The family of a man who died of cancer but whose life insurance payout was refused on the grounds that he failed to disclose pins and needles have won their fight against Friends Life, after the financial ombudsman ruled that the insurer was wrong to cancel his policy.”
The Guardian, 26th April 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Dame Julie Thérèse Mellor, DBE was appointed as Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration and the Health Service Commissioner for England (Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman) in January 2012.
The Ombudsman is mandated to consider complaints that public bodies have not acted fairly. As a watchdog body independent of government and accountable to Parliament, its constitutional role is delicate and complex. Dame Julie will discuss that role, and how best the Ombdusman can maximize its independence and impact as a check on executive power.”
UCL Constitution Unit, 23rd April 2013
Source: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
“The UK’s data protection watchdog has highlighted concerns it has with a new information-sharing initiative that has begun operating in the health sector in England.”
OUT-LAW.com, 3rd April 2013
Source: www.out-law.com
“On 21st March 2013 the House of Commons Justice Committee published a report about the ICO, recommending, among other matters, that the ICO should be given the power to carry out compulsory data protection audits of NHS Trusts and local authorities. With uncanny speed, on 25th March 2013 the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) published a consultation document on the proposed extension of the ICO’s compulsory audit powers to cover NHS bodies. Despite the coincidence of timing, the MOJ’s proposal is not in fact a response to the Justice Committee’s report, but is prompted by a recommendation from the ICO itself.”
Panopticon, 28th March 2013
Source: www.panopticonblog.com
“This consultation paper sets out our proposal to extend the powers of the Information Commissioner to carry out compulsory assessments of NHS bodies’ compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and its data protection principles. It seeks views from NHS data controllers across the United Kingdom. The proposals are informed by the Information Commissioner’s experience working with NHS bodies to improve their compliance with data protection law.”
Ministry of Justice, 25th March 2013
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
“Hundreds of whistleblowers are now free to come forward with damaging
disclosures about the NHS after their gagging orders were retrospectively
lifted, Sir David Nicholson has told MPs.”
Daily Telegraph, 18th March 2013
Soruce: www.telegraph.co.uk
“An MP who claimed her husband died ‘like a battery hen’ in a hospital bed is to lead a review of the NHS complaints system launched today.”
Daily Telegraph, 15th March 2013
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“Gagging clauses that stop departing NHS staff from speaking out about patient safety or care have been banned by the government.”
The Guardian, 14th March 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Anti-smoking campaigners have won a battle against Gallaher, which markets brands including Benson & Hedges, Camel and Silk Cut, after the advertising watchdog banned the tobacco giant’s national advertising campaign attacking proposals for plain cigarette packaging.”
the Guardian, 13th March 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Ministers are to introduce plain packaging for cigarettes along the Australian model with legislation this year, after becoming convinced that the branding is a key factor in why young people start to smoke.”
The Guardian, 5th March 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Sharif (FC) (Respondent) v The London Borough of Camden (Appellant) [2013] UKSC 10 | UKSC 2011/0117 (YouTube)
Supreme Court, 20th February 2013
“There are two questions about residence:
1. Ordinary residence: Which public body is responsible for providing services?
2. Right of residence: Does the person’s residence and status in the UK give them a legal right to access public services?”
Hardwicke Chambers, 24th January 2013
Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk
“England’s most senior doctor has questioned the government’s policy of criminalising all people who take illegal drugs and said they should be treated primarily as if they have a ‘health problem’.”
Daily Telegraph, 23rd January 2013
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“The family of a young woman is suing the country’s biggest out-of-hours GP provider and one of its nurses, whose failures meant her fatal condition was not diagnosed, because neither will accept liability in a test case over legal responsibility in a privatised NHS.”
The Guardian, 17th December 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“A childless couple who have been refused NHS fertility treatment are suing Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary, for age discrimination in a landmark legal case.”
Daily Telegraph, 1st December 2012
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“Two substances which are said to give users dangerous ‘legal highs’ are to be made illegal class B drugs – with users facing up to five years in jail.”
BBC News, 1st November 2012
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“Debate about whether the Human Rights Act (HRA) might be replaced by a new UK Bill of Rights often dwells on the potential loss, or at least weakening, of the legal route to accountability and redress for victims of human rights violations. An event next month in Liverpool reminds us how much more might be lost if the HRA were to be scrapped or watered down. In particular, it highlights the significance of section 6 of the Act, which requires all public authorities to act in a way which is compatible with European Convention rights unless primary legislation requires them to act otherwise.”
UK Human Rights Blog, 24th October 2012
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
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