NHS pays out £180m for overcharging

The NHS has paid 2,000 compensation claims averaging £90,000 a time after people were overcharged for nursing care (David Rose writes).

Patients charged for long-term nursing and social care from 1996 to 2004 have been able to have their cases reviewed over the way that rules were interpreted differently across England. Stories emerged of patients having to sell their homes to fund care. The Health Ombudsman ruled in 2003 that many had been incorrectly charged and this prompted the Government to allow patients to claim refunds and compensation. This has led to more than 13,000 claims, with 12,000 reviewed and 2,000 payouts totalling £180 million so far.

Butcher stays silent

William Tudor, a butcher of Bridgend, South Wales, who was jailed after an outbreak of E.coli that led to the death of Mason Jones, aged five, has refused to give evidence to a public inquiry in Cardiff. The outbreak, in September 2005, was Britain’s second worst – 157 children fell ill after eating school meals.

Tube refund swindle

A magistrate who claimed more than £5,000 compensation for nonexistent Tube delays has been given a suspended sentence by Southwark Crown Court. Terrance Jolley, 33, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, claimed under Transport for London’s refund policy. He was ordered to repay the money.

Sick list displayed

A public display showing how many sick days have been taken by nurses has led to a reduction in absence at two hospitals in Manchester. The notices, at Central Manchester and Manchester Children’s Hospital NHS Trust, do not name individuals, but they list days of sick leave by nurse categories.

Police cars hearing

Five police officers are facing a disciplinary hearing over claims that they misused official cars. The officers from Gwent police, known as “the Seaside Five”, will face a hearing this month. The force referred the matter to the Independent Police Complaints Commission after claims that cars were used to visit the coast.

How climate change is good for you

Global warming is saving thousands of lives every year in Britain (Lewis Smith writes).

Deaths caused by higher temperatures as climate change intensifies are more than cancelled out by the reduction in cold-weather deaths since 1971, and Britons are better able to survive intense heat than they were during the hot summer of 1976, a report by the Health Protection Agency and the Department of Health says.

The warmer climate will, however, bring health risks. The chances of a heatwave in the South East by 2012 that would kill 3,000 people are as low as 1 in 40, the report says.

Prison officer bullied

A woman prison officer has won her claim that she was victimised after helping to expose wrongdoing at Full Sutton top-security jail, near York. Emma Howie, 35, was called a grass by other officers after giving evidence of bullying to an employment tribunal. Her own tribunal in Leeds ruled that the subsequent investigation had been entirely inadequate. It will decide later on compensation.

Fortnum store thief

A Fortnum & Mason cashier faces jail after being convicted of stealing more than £90,000. Sheila Chivers, 55, a mother of two from Mitcham, South London, took up to £1,000 a time from the store to buy jewellery, clothes, double glazing, a new bathroom and curtains. At Southwark Crown Court, Judge Gregory Stone told her: “These are very serious offences.” She will be sentenced on March 14.

Girl found hanged

An 16-year-old aspiring model was found hanged at her home in Stratton, near Swindon. The body of Chelsea Smith was discovered in her bedroom by her mother, Trudy Young, 44, when she returned home from a shopping trip. A spokesman for Wiltshire police said: “There are no suspicious circumstances. We are treating this as a suspected suicide.” The coroner has been informed.

Car plunges over cliff

Dazzling sun may have caused a driver to plunge 75ft (23m) down a cliff at a Cornish beauty spot. Police are trying to establish why a Renault Clio left the road at Pendennis Point, near Falmouth. The couple in the car, believed to be from Aylesbury, were taken to hospital in Truro. John Gibb, 57, who was selling ice-cream near by, said: “It’s possible the bright winter sun reflecting off the sea dazzled the driver.”

Sunshine on the line

Passengers whose journeys were delayed because of full trains on the line between Ebbw Vale and Cardiff were given a baffling new explanation by the rail company: there is too much sunshine. Arriva said that the good winter weather had increased the demand over half-term, filling the carriages. Dennis Llewelyn, 60, was one of 30 people who had to wait for the next train. “It’s just ridiculous,” he said.

Lead thieves cost churches £8.5m

Thieves stole lead from church roofs an average of 44 times every week last year (Jack Malvern writes).

Churches submitted insurance claims worth £8.5 million in 2007, up from £1 million in 2006, because of the rising price of lead, said Chris Pitt, of Ecclesiastical Insurance. Thieves can get about £1,000 per tonne.

Anglican churches, which are older, were the hardest hit, with one claiming for eight separate thefts. Stainless steel was now being used to replace lead taken from roofs where possible, Mr Pitt said. The worst-hit areas were Sheffield, Manchester, Nottingham, London and Bristol.

Torch man faces jail

A City banker is facing jail for flashing a high-powered torch that risked causing a helicopter to crash as it came in to land in East London. Aldous Voice, 31, who admitted endangering an aircraft, shone the five-million-candle lamp from his kitchen window. The judge at Snaresbrook Crown Court told Voice he faced “immediate custody” when he returned for sentencing on March 17.

Faulty scales threat

Hospital patients, particularly children, could be at risk because staff are using faulty weighing equipment to calculate dosages. In one case hospital staff used defective bathroom scales to weigh a four-year-old cancer patient in order to calculate her radiation dosage. Now local authority trading standards officers are to check hospital scales across Britain after many were found to be inaccurate.

Two on terror charge

A couple accused of publishing a pamphlet encouraging terrorism were given bail at the City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court. Amjad Mahmood, 29, and Shella Roma, 27, were accused of circulating a document telling others to go abroad and fight a holy war. The couple were arrested at their home in Oldham, Greater Manchester, last month. They were instructed to return to court in April.

No-jury trial rejected

A judge has rejected the first attempt in England and Wales to hold a big criminal trial without a jury. Prosecution lawyers applied for the case to be tried by a judge alone because of fears that jurors could intimidated or bribed. The judge ruled that steps could be put in place to ensure the jury was protected, and that he could still discharge the jury and hear the case if evidence of tampering emerged.

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