Government
- Health secretary Alan Johnson has put NHS restructuring on hold "for the foreseeable future" to create stability and focus on improving care. In a statement to the Commons, he set out the government's new approach to the health service which will put a break on continuous structural reform. Johnson said that substantial improvements to the health service had taken place in the last 10 years due to increased funding, but he acknowledged that there were still problems and challenges.
- The Government's commitment to children's safety is being backed with a grant of £30 million to the NSPCC to make sure every child has someone to call on for help and advice, the newly formed Department for Children, Schools and Families announced today. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) will get £30M over the next four years to strengthen its ChildLine Service - the free helpline for children and young people in the UK. As part of the partnership with the Government the NSPCC will also be putting more money into its helplines. The money will also help expand the NSPCC's other helpline services, including those provided online, and the NSPCC Child Protection Helpline which allows adults to report concerns. In future children will also be able to access services via text message.