Are Britain’s barristers living on borrowed time? – Daily Telegraph

“It’s a profession that’s been associated with glamour, intrigue and financial gain. But imminent changes to our legal system have criminal lawyers fearing for their livelihoods. Why? And who stands to lose the most? Julia Llewellyn Smith reports.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 20th August 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Berwick report: Danger of understaffed NHS wards can no longer be ignored after Mid Staffs scandal, Jeremy Hunt warned – The Independent

Posted August 7th, 2013 in doctors, hospitals, medical treatment, news, nurses, reports, standards, wilful neglect by sally

“Review says NHS staff responsible for ‘recklessness or wilful neglect’ of patient safety should face jail.”

Full story

The Independent, 6th August 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Related link: Improving the Safety of Patients in England (PDF)

Care workers need better training and regulation, independent review says – The Guardian

Posted July 10th, 2013 in care workers, news, standards by sally

“Healthcare assistants and care support workers – who wash, dress and feed the elderly and the infirm – will have to obtain a ‘certificate of fundamental care’ to work in the health and social care system, an independent review recommends.”

Full story

The Guardian, 10th July 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Regulator’s handling of complaints against barristers ‘prompt, thorough and fair’ – Bar Standards Board

Posted June 21st, 2013 in barristers, complaints, press releases, reports, standards by tracey

“Complaints against barristers are handled promptly and fairly, according to a new independent report published today.”

Full story

Bar Standards Board, 21st June 2013

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

CQC: too big a remit, too little funding? – Daily Telegraph

Posted June 19th, 2013 in hospitals, news, social services, standards by sally

“With a smaller budget than the watchdogs it replaced, the Care Quality Commission has had a struggle on its hands.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 19th June 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Purpose of social networking will determine whether businesses have data protection responsibilities, says ICO – OUT-LAW.com

Posted June 6th, 2013 in data protection, internet, news, standards by sally

“Businesses that encourage staff to use social networks for commercial purposes are subject to UK data protection laws, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has said.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 6th June 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

Out-of-date planning guidance will not be cancelled immediately, says Boles – OUT-LAW.com

Posted May 23rd, 2013 in consultations, news, planning, standards by sally

“The Government has rejected a recommendation in a planning guidance review by Lord Taylor of Goss Moor to immediately cancel all out-of-date guidance before new guidance is published.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 22nd May 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

Stopping poor quality and time-wasting expert evidence in family courts – Ministry of Justice

Posted May 16th, 2013 in consultations, delay, expert witnesses, family courts, fees, news, standards by sally

“New national standards to raise the quality of experts used in family courts and get rid of time-consuming evidence which adds little value in helping judges reach a decision were announced by the Government today.”

Full story

Ministry of Justice, 16th May 2013

Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

Standards for expert witnesses in the family courts in England and Wales – Ministry of Justice

“This is a consultation on minimum standards for expert witnesses providing evidence in the family courts in proceedings relating to children in England and Wales.”

Full story

Ministry of Justice, 16th May 2013

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Serco ordered to improve failing GP service – The Guardian

Posted July 18th, 2012 in medical treatment, news, public private partnerships, standards by tracey

“Serco, a leading private contractor of public services, is failing to meet legal requirements to provide enough staff, train them properly or monitor their performance in the out-of-hours GP service it runs for the NHS in Cornwall.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 18th July 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Solicitor advocates dragging standards down, says BSB research – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted April 19th, 2012 in advocacy, news, solicitor advocates, standards by tracey

“Low rates for criminal legal aid and the growing share of work taken by solicitor advocates are contributing to a decline in advocacy standards that is harming the administration of justice, according to a survey by the Bar Standards Board. The report, Perceptions of Criminal Advocacy, showed that over three-quarters (78%) of the 762 practitioners who completed an online survey felt that standards of advocacy have declined over the past five years. However, Law Society chief executive Desmond Hudson today condemned the study as ‘deeply flawed’ and ‘self serving’.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 19th April 2012

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Perceptions of criminal advocacy report – Bar Standards Board

Posted April 19th, 2012 in advocacy, reports, solicitor advocates, standards by tracey

“We commissioned ORC International to conduct research into the frequency with which underperformance is encountered in the criminal courts.”

Full report

Bar Standards Board, 18th April 2012

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

Art of court stenographer faces the final sentence – The Independent

Posted March 26th, 2012 in courts, news, reports, standards by sally

“Charlie Cooper discovers what we’ll lose when the law enters the digital age.”

Full story

The Independent, 24th March 2012

Source: www.independent.co.uk

BSB to move to a lay majority – Bar Standards Board

Posted September 22nd, 2011 in barristers, press releases, standards by tracey

“The Bar Standards Board has appointed five new lay Board members, ensuring that from January 2012 lay members will outnumber barrister members for the first time since its inception in 2006.”

Full press release

Bar Standards Board, 21st September 2011

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

 

Raising the bar in the UK’s probation service – The Guardian

Posted April 13th, 2011 in London, news, probation, recidivists, standards by sally

“The head of the London probation trust, Heather Munro, tells Rachel Williams how she plans to stop ‘customers’ reoffending.”

Full story

The Guardian, 13th April 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Government relaxes Bribery Act – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 26th, 2011 in bribery, legislation, Ministry of Justice, news, standards by sally

“The Government has bowed to pressure from business and relaxed key elements of the Bribery Act.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 26th February 2011

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Plymouth hospital threatened with safety prosecution – BBC News

Posted February 24th, 2011 in health & safety, hospitals, news, standards by sally

“The Plymouth NHS Hospitals Trust must improve safety – including preventing swabs being left in patients – or risk prosecution, a watchdog has said.”

Full story

BBC News, 23rd February 2011

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Regina (Gaunt) v Ofcom (Liberty intervening) – WLR Daily

Posted July 16th, 2010 in freedom of expression, law reports, media, ombudsmen, standards by sally

Regina (Gaunt) v Ofcom (Liberty intervening) [2010] EWHC 1756 (Admin); [2010] WLR (D) 180

“It was not a disproportionate interference with a broadcaster’s freedom of expression, or an infringement of his rights under art 10 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, for the regulator Ofcom to find that the Broadcasting Code had been breached by a broadcast interview containing offensive insults and abuse without contextual content or justification, notwithstanding that the finding might inhibit the broadcaster’s unrestrained freedom to conduct similar interviews in the future.”

WLR Daily, 14th July 2010

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk

Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.

Food Standards Agency to be abolished by health secretary – The Guardian

Posted July 12th, 2010 in food, food hygiene, government departments, news, quangos, standards by sally

“The Food Standards Agency is to be abolished by Andrew Lansley, the health secretary, it emerged last night, after the watchdog fought a running battle with industry over the introduction of colour-coded ‘traffic light’ warnings for groceries, TV dinners and snacks.”

Full story

The Guardian, 12th July 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Core Quality Standards to become the focus for the CPS – Crown Prosecution Service

Posted March 25th, 2010 in Crown Prosecution Service, news, standards by sally

“Today, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer QC, issued the first set of Core Quality Standards for the Crown Prosecution Service.”

Full story

Crown Prosecution Service, 25th March 2010

Source: www.cps.gov.uk