Launching the Liberal Democrat local government elections campaign, Liberal Democrat Leader Menzies Campbell highlighted the real and positive change that the party is making in local communities across the country.
From 6 April millions more Britons are to be given the right to request flexible working. People who need to alter their working hours to give them time to care for an adult are the beneficiaries. This includes people who, for example, need to get away from work to look after parents suffering dementia or family members who are disabled or ill. More than two million people at present are struggling to juggle work with caring responsibilities, charities say.
Routinely checking to see if babies can respond to their name at the age of one could help detect autism earlier than other tests, US experts believe. The disorder is usually not diagnosed until a child is three or four, as the symptoms are variable.
There are wide variations in the care provided for people with bowel disease, a national audit has found. The expert bodies who carried out the work said there were significant differences in the resources given to services and the care people receive. Three quarters of UK hospitals took part in the audit, which found 44% did not have a dedicated nurse specialist.
People who are overweight have a 50% higher risk of developing asthma, scientists have said. US researchers reviewed seven studies involving over 330,000 adult patients, the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine reported.
A drug given to help people with diabetes may also slow thickening of the artery walls that can lead to heart disease, research suggests. Pioglitazone helps improve the body's sensitivity to the hormone insulin, often lacking in type 2 diabetes.
