'Giving up memories' to pay for care

In England assets of £23,500 or more rule people out of state funding

As ministers prepare to lay out proposed reforms to the funding of social care, one elderly woman spoke to BBC Radio 4's Today programme about her concerns for funding her care in a nursing home in the future.

Katherine Dyton is a new resident at a nursing home for the elderly in Surrey.

Mrs Dyton is happy at the home - at 93 she is unable to live alone and needs help with every aspect of daily life - but finding the money to pay for it is a constant worry.

But she also says she has no choice, she simply could not live without 24-hour care.

She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "If I need to go to the loo, somebody has to take me and to help me into a chair and help me out again. So I'm quite reliant on other people for everything.

I was sad because you give up all your home and your memories and your possessions Katherine Dyton 'Care insurance' planned for old

"I can't get into bed and out without somebody lifting my legs out and so-on."

Under the present system in England anyone with a home or savings of £23,500 or more is not given state funding for a care home.

Mrs Dyton says the only way to pay for the home and nursing care was to sell her flat, a decision she found very painful.

"I was sad because you give up all your home and your memories and your possessions. When you've had somewhere all your life it's a great wrench to leave it all.

"I couldn't cope and that was it, you just have to face up to it when the time comes."

But her daughter, Carol, is less stoical.

She bristles at the system that prevented her mother from getting any financial help with the care home's fees, all because she owned a flat. They had no choice but to sell it quickly.

Carol told BBC Radio 4: "This was a time when the market was depressed and we weren't going to get a very good price for it.

"I still thought I would have some time in hand and get some help at first, but no way, we had to pay the bills right from the start.

High cost of care

"For the first month's bill we had to use her savings and things were very tough, it took some months to actually sell the flat."

But even with the proceeds from her mother's flat, she is still worried she will not be able to continue paying the care home bills. They come to £1,100-a-week.

"This is the problem, she is in a very good Bupa home and we are very happy with it.

"But it is expensive because she does need nursing care and nursing care is significantly more than residential.

"The money will run out in less than four years and we will be faced with what to do then.

"That is what I think is very unfair because I do believe there should be much more choice.

"Intrinsically I'm not saying that you don't make any contribution towards your care - I think that if you have some assets then they should have to be looked at.

"But to be totally responsible, 100%, for the whole amount, knowing that it will run out, is just unfair on people."

And if it is difficult to make ends meet now, what does she see ahead for her own future?

"I think it will be absolutely impossible, because we are talking now at £1,100-a-week, this will go up.

"I don't think there will be the number of homes; I don't think it will be a viable proposition for people to run these sorts of homes.

"So frankly you can't afford to get ill, you can't afford to be immobile, you're going to have to keep going, otherwise it's going to be the good old bus trip to Switzerland."

Adult social care warning for eight areas of England

Campaigner Pamela Wells: "The care staff actually didn't care"

Eight local authorities in England have been told they must urgently improve their social care services for adults.

The Care Quality Commission found overall improvement, with 95% of councils in the top two categories.

But its annual report rated one in four care homes for the elderly as being adequate at best and found large variations in areas and providers.

Poole, Cornwall, Solihull, Surrey, South Tyneside, Southwark, Peterborough and Bromley are to get extra support.

But Annie Shepperd, a chief executive of one of those councils, Southwark, said the Care Quality Commission (CQC) had made a mistake in rating her authority.

COUNCIL CARE SERVICES 2009 To find out more Care Quality Commission information on social care services for adults in England, select a council here: --Please select-- All Barking and Dagenham Barnet Barnsley Bath & North East Somerset Bedford Borough Council Bedfordshire Bexley Birmingham Blackburn with Darwen Blackpool Bolton Bournemouth Bracknell Forest Bradford Brent Brighton and Hove Bristol City Bromley Buckinghamshire Bury Calderdale Cambridgeshire Camden Central Bedfordshire Council Cheshire Cheshire East Cheshire West and Chester City of London Cornwall Coventry Croydon Cumbria Darlington Derby City Derbyshire Devon Doncaster Dorset Dudley Durham Ealing East Riding of Yorkshire East Sussex Enfield Essex Gateshead Gloucestershire Greenwich Hackney Halton Hammersmith & Fulham Hampshire Haringey Harrow Hartlepool Havering Herefordshire Hertfordshire Hillingdon Hounslow Isle of Wight Isles of Scilly Islington Kensington and Chelsea Kent Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Thames Kirklees Knowsley Lambeth Lancashire Leeds Leicester City Leicestershire Lewisham Lincolnshire Liverpool Luton Manchester Medway Merton Middlesbrough Milton Keynes Newcastle upon Tyne Newham Norfolk North East Lincolnshire North Lincolnshire North Somerset North Tyneside North Yorkshire Northamptonshire Northumberland Nottingham City Nottinghamshire Oldham Oxfordshire Peterborough Plymouth Poole Portsmouth Reading Redbridge Redcar & Cleveland Richmond upon Thames Rochdale Rotherham Rutland Salford Sandwell Sefton Sheffield Shropshire Slough Solihull Somerset South Gloucestershire South Tyneside Southampton Southend on Sea Southwark St. Helens Staffordshire Stockport Stockton on Tees Stoke-on-Trent Suffolk Sunderland Surrey Sutton Swindon Tameside Tameside MBC Telford & Wrekin Thurrock Torbay Tower Hamlets Trafford Wakefield Walsall Waltham Forest Wandsworth Warrington Warwickshire West Berkshire West Sussex Westminster Wigan Wiltshire Windsor and Maidenhead Wirral Wokingham Wolverhampton Worcestershire York This search goes to an external site

She said the CQC had judged them to be a low spending authority but the other regulator, the Audit Commission, had said they were a top quartile spending authority, "they can't both be right".

"Why have they refused to come and talk to me about this and why have they not given me the evidence when I've got mountains of contrary evidence that their findings are wrong."

The report covers independent providers of care services as well as an assessment of England's 148 local authorities.

It rated 95% of councils in the top two categories, which means they are performing well or excellently - and none was given the bottom "poor" rating.

'Raise the bar'

While the picture is of improvement, the commission said there are still too many vulnerable adults being failed by the system.

CARE QUALITY COMMISSION The Care Quality Commission is the official regulator for health, social care and mental health It only came into being in April 2009, bringing together the functions of three regulators - the Healthcare Commission, Commission for Social Care Inspection and Mental Health Act Commission It is in charge of inspecting, rating and assessing NHS trusts, councils, private companies and charities involved in health and social care provision Under new powers being phased in, it has the power to fine and close services that are failing and is demanding providers meet certain standards before they can even register with the regulator

And experts have suggested the top grades were achieved only because councils were providing care to fewer people.

More than 340,000 people in England receive care in their own home - a figure which has fallen by a fifth in the past eight years.

To cope with the demands they face, councils have been restricting who is eligible for free or subsidised care - social services is means-tested so that people with significant savings are excluded anyway.

The figures from the regulator showed seven in 10 councils only provide care to those with substantial needs - basically those who cannot do everyday tasks, such as washing, dressing and eating, without help.

It means there are thousands of people with so-called low or moderate needs who have been excluded from state support they would normally have been entitled to.

Despite the high ratings given to councils, the regulator recognised the problem.

It said it would be looking to "raise the bar" in the future and would pay particular attention to eligibility.

RATINGS ON THE RISE 95% of councils got an excellent or performing well grade - up from 87% last year None got a poor rating - the fourth year in a row this has happened Eight councils given an adequate grading were earmarked as a priority for improvement More than three-quarters of private and voluntary sector providers also got an excellent or performing well grade But one in six of the 24,000 providers were told they must improve Care homes for the elderly were highlighted for their poor record of providing social contact and activities for residents Social care - the next big issue? Your comments on social care

The CQC also urged councils to do more to drive up standards in the voluntary and private sector.

From next year, changes to the ratings system will give more weight to the views of those using care services and fines will be able to be levied against providers the regulator considers are not providing a good enough service.

Most care homes and an increasingly significant amount of home care is delivered by 24,000 alternative providers.

Ratings for those showed one in six were ranked as poor or adequate - and the CQC warned they were risking fines or deregistration next year when the new system comes in place.

Care homes for older people were highlighted in particular for their poor record on providing social contact and activities for residents.

Councils purchase about half of the services provided by these groups and the CQC said they should look to focus their spending on only the best providers where possible.

CQC chief executive Cynthia Bower said the improvements in council services should be recognised, although they could still do much better on issues such as dignity and offering people more choice.

'Dignified lives'

But she also warned she was "deeply concerned" the expected squeeze on public sector spending could lead to greater restrictions on access.

"We all know there are choppy waters ahead so the issue is how well the system responds to the situation.

"We plan to be particularly vigilant about this on behalf of people who use services."

Andrew Harrop, head of public policy for the newly-merged Age Concern and Help the Aged charity, said some care homes were clearly still "not up to scratch".

And on tightening eligibility criteria, he added: "Local councils continue to deny many older people the care they need to live dignified and independent lives."

But Councillor David Rogers, of the Local Government Association, said: "Councils deserve great credit for their continued good work."

Bromley cited pressures "in managing significant increases in demand for social care services".

Solihull Council said it was "utterly committed" to working to improve services, while a spokesperson for South Tyneside Council said: "We welcome this support to help us move forward with our modernisation of adult social care."

Doctors 'rely on chemo too much'

Some 80,000 patients undergo chemotherapy each year

Doctors are being urged to re-think their approach to giving chemotherapy during care at the end of life.

A review of 600 cancer patients who died within 30 days of treatment found that in more than a quarter of cases it actually hastened or caused death.

The report by the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death said doctors should consider reducing doses or not using chemotherapy at all.

England's cancer tsar Professor Mike Richards said he was "very concerned".

The group of patients the independent group was looking at represents 2% of the 80,000 people who receive chemotherapy each year.

This report provides very disturbing information about the safety of treatment for incurable cancer Professor Jane Maher, of Macmillan Cancer Support

They were all severely-ill patients for which the chemotherapy was mostly being used to manage their condition rather than in an attempt to cure the cancer.

After examining case notes, the group said that 35% of patients received good care.

But it found that in 27% of cases it hastened or caused death - the toxic nature of the treatment can lead to a range of problems, the most serious of which is an infection called neutropenic sepsis.

Report co-author Dr Diana Mort said doctors should be more "cautious in prescribing chemotherapy for very sick patients".

And she added: "The process of consent may require more than one discussion.

"Patients must be made aware of the risks and side-effect of chemotherapy as well as the potential benefits."

Transfer arrangements

The report also criticised the facilities made available to patients with nearly half being admitted to general medicine wards during the last 30 days of life rather than a specialist cancer unit.

The authors recommended where hospitals did not have specialist units they should put in place transfer arrangements to centres that did.

Professor Jane Maher, chief medical officer at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: "This report provides very disturbing information about the safety of treatment for incurable cancer.

"It shows that doctors and nurses need to be much better at helping patients understand the pros and cons of such powerful treatments in the last year of life."

Professor Richards said he was "very concerned".

"I am asking all chemotherapy service providers to consider these reports urgently and to reassess their own services immediately against the measures we have set nationally."

But Dr Peter Clark, of the Royal College of Physicians, said while lessons could be learnt it was important to remember that chemotherapy carried "substantial short and long-term benefit" for the majority who undergo the treatment.

News... Plymouth seeks small woman

News

small woman sought, in plymouth
Saturday, November 28, 2009

She has been seen in Staple Hill at the blue Sky cafe, she is being sought in relation to her activity with various men in the westcountry,

Mr. Colin Pugh said, "I would love to see this

woman get what she deserves.

Motorists stranded, homes flooded, roads closed as rains hit Plymouth

News

Motorists stranded, homes flooded, roads closed as rains hit Plymouth

Saturday, November 28, 2009

PLYMOUTH is bracing itself for further downpours as it counts the cost of a weekend during which it was the wettest city in the UK.

More than 20mm of rain fell in a six-hour period on Saturday leaving shops and homes flooded and people stranded in their cars.

In...

(42)

Woman, 60, dies after falling into river

Sunday, November 29, 2009

A WOMAN has died after falling into a river swollen by heavy rain that caused floods across the Westcountry over the weekend. Paula Deacon, 58, fell...

(9)

A38 closed after pedestrian is killed

Saturday, November 28, 2009

A MAN was killed in an accident on the A38 at South Brent at the weekend. The incident happened at about 3.25am on Saturday by the South Brent...

Carbon offset schemes not working

Carbon offset schemes not working, says holiday firm

Schemes allow people to offset emissions from flying or driving

Consumer carbon offset schemes do not lead people to change their behaviour, the first holiday firm to run such a scheme has argued.

Responsible Travel said they were a "distraction" from climate change's real urgency and is ending its scheme.

Such schemes involve individuals paying a premium for the emissions generated by certain choices, such as flying.

The International Carbon Reduction and Offset Alliance says offsetting has an impact, but governments must do more.

Carbon offset schemes also cover things like choosing to drive a car or choices around the way homes are heated.

'Assuage your guilt'

Money raised under the schemes is used to pay for carbon reduction projects in developing countries, such as installing solar power or capturing methane gas released by farm animals.

Some environmentalists argue that while these schemes bring some benefit, offsetting has not changed people's behaviour enough and emissions covered by such schemes should be avoided in the first place.

Justin Francis, founder of Responsible Travel, said: "It's perceived as this magic pill, this get out of jail free card if you like, that means you don't need to change your behaviour.

"You can go on flying just as much as you were before, you can run your hotel the way you were before, but through this magic pill somehow you can assuage your guilt.

People are using offsetting to take responsibility for their unavoidable emissions Jonathan Shopley, International Carbon Reduction and Offset Alliance Send us your comments

"We need to be reducing the amount we pollute and I think carbon offsetting is a distraction from that."

Andy Atkins, director of Friends of the Earth, agreed that introducing offsetting alone allowed individuals and companies to continue with business as usual.

He said: "We understand why people wanted to offset in the belief that it was reducing their emissions, but it isn't working and we have to recognise now that the science says we have to cut our emissions really, at home.

"That means governments and individuals doing everything they can to reduce their genuine carbon impact and offsetting doesn't do that."

'Making a difference'

The body representing those who run the schemes insist they do bring real benefits to the developing world.

Jonathan Shopley, of the International Carbon Reduction and Offset Alliance, said: "It's not going to solve the climate change issue on its own, that's for sure. That needs government action, taxes.

"We need to stop doing certain things, but by the same account people are using offsetting to take responsibility for their unavoidable emissions and they need to understand that is a good thing and is making a difference."

Joan Ruddock, minister for the Department of Energy and Climate Change, said: "Of course [offsetting is] not a solution to climate change - it's a tiny contribution - but it does help people to think about what they are doing.

"But we do need emissions reductions on quite a different scale and that is why we have a Climate Change Act and absolute limits on our emissions in this country."

calls for a 'greener' Hajj

Expert calls for a 'greener' Hajj

Dr Mawil Izzi Dien describes a number of ways muslims can make celebrating Hajj greener

An Islamic expert is calling on Muslims to reduce the environmental impact of Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.

Dr Mawil Izzidien of the University of Wales, Lampeter, says the event is beset by wasted and misused resources.

He has called on Muslims to avoid air travel to Saudi Arabia where possible and stay in less luxury while there.

The Muslim Council of Wales said avoiding air travel and good hotels was unrealistic but agreed "a practical look" at the event's future was needed.

Between 25-30 November around two million Muslims will converge on Mecca - the holiest place in Islam - to take part in an event which combines piety and passion.

One of the pillars of the Islamic faith, every adult Muslim must undertake Hajj at least once in their life if they can afford it and are physically able.

There is a lot of wastage and there is a lot of misuse of the resources that are available to people while performing Hajj Dr Mawil Izzidien

Many Muslims save for years in order to perform the pilgrimage, often having to travel thousands of miles to do so.

Dr Izzidien, a reader in Islamic Studies who has written about the environmental dimensions of the pilgrimage, said the main green issue surrounding Hajj was "to encourage Muslims to reduce the number of trips towards Mecca if they can."

He said: "Rather than travelling twice, or performing Hajj twice, if they have done the first one then there is no need to do the second one."

Funds to be used for a second Hajj would be better used helping other Muslims make the journey, or to tackle poverty in the world, he suggested.

Dr Izzidien also focused on the luxurious way in which he said many Muslims travel to, and stay in, Saudi Arabia.

"They travel by first class airplanes and when they arrive in Mecca they live like they are living in a five star hotel, and they pay lots of money to do that," he said.

"Hajj is really all about travelling with difficulty. It is encouraged within Islam that the best Hajj is that which is performed with difficulty. The more difficulty a person has, the more reward he will have.

"Of course we are not saying that to travel from Africa or from Europe to Mecca on foot, but to reduce the amount of cost and carbon footprint is in many ways important.

People need to be there for 10 days and if they spend two or three of these days travelling then that is a big problem Saleem Qidwai, Muslim Council of Wales

"Maybe groups of pilgrims can perform Hajj by travelling by sea rather than by travelling by air. If they use a ship in order to travel from their location to Mecca, or to Jeddah and then to Mecca, that would reduce the environmental cost of Hajj."

The amount of food wasted during Hajj, and the wastage of meat from sacrificed sheep are other issues which need addressing, Dr Izzidien said, though he added that the local organisers were to be commended for their efforts so far to make the event more environmentally friendly.

'Realistic'

Saleem Qidwai, general secretary of the Muslim Council of Wales, said he agreed with many of Dr Izzidien's views but a practical view had to be taken on how Muslim pilgrims could lessen their carbon footprint.

"We have to be realistic," he said. "Time is short for everybody.

"People need to be there for 10 days and if they spend two or three of these days travelling then that is a big problem. Also, avoiding good hotels in Saudi Arabia is not always practical."

However Mr Qidwai said he agreed with other environmental concerns raised by Dr Izzidien.

"There is a lot of wastage at Hajj, particularly with regard to leftover plastic bags and bottles," he said.

"But let's look from a practical point of view at what we can do now to change things in the future."

CQC chair Baroness Young says that they inherited a rating system that is not fit for purpose and needs to be scrapped

Barbara Young

Barbara Young is the Chair of the Care Quality Commission.

Barbara's early career was spent in public relations and health services management. She was Chairman then President of the Institute of Health Services Management from 1986-88, and a King's Fund International Fellow in 1985-86 and 1990-1991.

Prior to joining CQC Barbara was Chief Executive of the Environment Agency. She has also been Chairman of English Nature, Vice Chairman of the BBC, and Chief Executive of the RSPB.

She has roles in a number voluntary sector environment organisations, and is on the Policy Committee of the Institute of Public Policy Research.

Barbara Young is a non-affiliated Life Peer as Baroness Young of Old Scone

Can we trust the data on hospitals?

By Emma Wilkinson Health reporter, BBC News

Inspections focus heavily on cleaning

The details of what was uncovered during an inspection in October at Basildon NHS Trust in Essex are shocking.

Floors, curtains and equipment stained with blood; soiled and stained mattresses; and re-use of tubes and other items designed to be thrown away after each patient.

It is the second time in less than a year that standards at a foundation trust - a status awarded to strongly performing NHS institutions - have been found wanting.

"Appalling" standards at Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust were exposed in March when it was estimated that 400 patients had died needlessly over a three-year period.

The pattern is remarkably similar - an investigation initially prompted by data showing higher than expected death rates - and will further shake public confidence in how hospitals are monitored.

Especially as league tables published by the Care Quality Commission just last month gave Basildon an overall "Good" rating for quality of services.

It immediately poses the question, can the ratings be trusted and what does that mean for patient choice?

Regulation

The Care Quality Commission is a fairly new body having taking over the responsibility for the monitoring of hospitals from its predecessor the Healthcare Commission eight months ago.

"We need a much more sophisticated system that doesn't just rely on data but takes information from real inspections on the ground Baroness Young Care Quality Commission

CQC chair Baroness Young says that they inherited a rating system that is not fit for purpose and needs to be scrapped.

"We did make it very clear that this is not the way we want to regulate for the future.

"We need a much more sophisticated system that doesn't just rely on data but takes information from real inspections on the ground."

The "Good" rating given to Basildon hospital relates to an earlier time period - the year up until April 2009 - and there will be variation within each hospital, which makes the "single-word summary" misleading, she adds.

The CQC, she says, will have greater power and resources to carry out spot checks and inspections, rather than just relying on tick-box exercises which some argue enable trusts to fudge the data.

"By this time next year there will be a completely different system which will be much more able to spot issues, nip them in the bud, and take prompt action, rather than reporting months and months later."

Accurate data

The jury seems to be out on whether figures such as death rates are reliable indicators of poor performance - although in these two cases they started the alarm bells ringing.

Data from Basildon NHS trust showed a death rate 36% above the national average for the past three years.

When initially questioned, the trust had said the data was misleading - the same response given by Mid-Staffordshire when asked to account for higher than expected deaths.

Professor Sir Brian Jarman, who has developed systems for monitoring death rates - known as hospital standardised mortality ratios - and other data on a monthly basis, says the whole idea is to adjust for factors, which may affect the figures such as an unusually high elderly population.

He believes the data can be relied upon and that Basildon, along with some other hospitals, had higher than average rates since they started collecting the figures a decade ago but initially people had not taken any notice of the information.

"We now have a very good relationship with the CQC and they do listen closely."

"What we have found in virtually every hospital we have drawn attention to is there are usually dramatic reductions in the figures.

"Even in Basildon - from April this year they are down to normal."

Complaints

But Kieran Mullan, director of policy and public affairs at the Patients Association says death rates are a very "blunt tool" which only highlights problems once they get severe.

He is also critical of CQC plans to change the rating system.

"The bulk of it will still be data driven self-assessment, that's not going to change.

"It will just be a form where the trust can tick, yes we do this and then it's up to chance whether the CQC will choose your hospital to look at more closely.

"They say they will do more going into wards and talking to patients but the framework is basically the same."

A far simpler way to monitor whether hospitals are up to scratch is to pay closer attention to and follow up patient complaints, he says.

Almost every complaint they receive has already been logged with the trust and therefore accessible to the regulator.

"If you treat a complaint seriously we wouldn't need anything else because patients tell you when something has gone wrong."

who has a form of autism,

Hacker Gary McKinnon to appeal after extradition blow

Supporters make the point that Gary McKinnon has Asperger's syndrome

The "devastated" lawyers for computer hacker Gary McKinnon are to challenge the home secretary's decision not to block his extradition to the US.

They said they would make a last-ditch attempt after Alan Johnson said medical grounds could not prevent it.
Glasgow-born Mr McKinnon, 43, who has Asperger's syndrome, is accused of breaking into US military computers. He says he was seeking UFO evidence.
Now of Wood Green, London, he faces up to 60 years in prison if convicted.
'American poodle'
His lawyer, Karen Todner, said: "It's a devastating blow but we are not going to give up. We are certainly coming to the end of the road.
"We're just hoping at some point someone sees sense and steps in. All the legal team do know is we cannot give up because in some ways it's like dealing with a death row case, and we genuinely believe that Gary's life is at stake here."

She said she would issue judicial review proceedings next week - a process she said she was given just seven days to complete, rather than the more normal three months.

If that failed, they would take the case to the European Court of Human Rights, she added.
Mr Johnson said he had carefully considered the representations but concluded that sending Mr McKinnon to the US would not breach his human rights.
"Due to legitimate concerns over Mr McKinnon's health, we have sought and received assurances from the United States authorities that his needs will be met," he said.
But Ms Todner said he had gone against independent legal advice which said he could have used his discretion.
Mr McKinnon admits hacking into 97 US government computers, including Nasa's and the Pentagon's, during 2001 and 2002.

The shoddy treatment of this vulnerable man should demonstrate that our rotten extradition laws need urgent reform Shami Chakrabarti Liberty

He has told the BBC he was on a "moral crusade" to prove US intelligence had found an alien craft run on clean fuel.
His mother, Janis Sharp, told the BBC she was "devastated" by the news and that her son, who has a form of autism, had reacted "very badly".
"It's a disgusting decision. Gary has been in a heightened state of terror for almost eight years.
"To force a peaceful, vulnerable, misguided UFO fanatic like Gary thousands of miles away from his much-needed support network is barbaric," she said.
She said she was not comforted by the home secretary's advice that her son would not be held in a "supermax" jail, which hold the highest-security prisoners.
Extradition treaty
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said it was appalling the government placed a higher value on a "deeply unfair" extradition agreement than on the welfare of a British citizen.
"The home secretary should stop being an American poodle and start being a British bulldog," he said.
And Shami Chakrabarti, director of Liberty, said: "The shoddy treatment of this vulnerable man should demonstrate that our rotten extradition laws need urgent reform."
Mr Johnson had last month agreed to study new medical evidence before deciding on the extradition. The High Court had previously refused permission to appeal to the Supreme Court.
Mr McKinnon has been the focus of a campaign to prevent his removal to the US.
Earlier this month, the Commons' Home Affairs Committee said the move should be halted owing to his "precarious state of mental health".
They concluded there was a "serious lack of equality" in the way the extradition treaty deals with UK citizens compared with US citizens.

Iraq inquiry to focus on Bush-Blair relationship

Many UK politicians criticised Tony Blair's closeness to George Bush

UK-US relations in the run-up to the Iraq war are to come under scrutiny as ex-US Ambassador Sir Christopher Meyer gives evidence to the war inquiry.

His evidence is expected to touch on the personal relationship between Tony Blair and former President Bush and the extent to which this influenced policy.

The inquiry was told on Wednesday of reports days before the war that Iraq had dismantled its chemical weapons.

But Foreign Office officials insisted the war was still justified.

The inquiry is looking into UK involvement in Iraq between 2001 and 2009, with the first few weeks focusing on policy in the build-up to the 2003 US-led invasion.

Intelligence claims

Sir Christopher, UK Ambassador to Washington between 1997 and 2003, will take centre stage on the third day of public hearings.

Critics of the war claim that the US had already decided to topple Saddam Hussein in 2002 and that the UK had agreed to go along with this - claims both countries have denied.

The reasons for going to war in Iraq - including the now discredited claim that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction which could be used within 45 minutes of an order being given - remain a long-standing source of controversy.

INQUIRY TIMELINE November-December: Former top civil servants, spy chiefs, diplomats and military commanders to give evidence January-February 2010: Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and other politicians expected to appear before the panel March 2010: Inquiry expected to adjourn ahead of the general election campaign July-August 2010: Inquiry expected to resume Report set to be published in late 2010 or early 2011 Iraq inquiry: Day-by-day timeline

On Wednesday, senior Foreign Office official Sir William Ehrman told the inquiry that a report shortly before the invasion suggested Iraq's chemical weapons may have been "disassembled".

"We did... get a report that chemical weapons might have remained disassembled and Saddam hadn't yet ordered their assembly."

A separate report suggested Iraq might also "lack" warheads capable of spreading chemical agents, he added.

However, Sir William - the Foreign Office's Director general of defence and Intelligence between 2002 and 2004 - said there was "contradictory intelligence" and these reports did not "invalidate" the fact that Iraq had chemical weapons.

"It was more about their use. Even if they were disassembled the (chemical or biological) agents still existed."

'WMD surprise'

Sir William insisted that the role of intelligence in the decision to go to war was "limited".

He also said it was a "surprise" no weapons of mass destruction were ever found in Iraq, saying "it was not what we had expected".

WITNESSES ON THURSDAY SIR CHRISTOPHER MEYER-UK Ambassador to Washington 1997-2003 Q&A: Iraq war inquiry Analysis: tolerant or critical? How US has investigated Iraq war Iraq inquiry 'suffocated' - Clegg

The Lib Dems said Sir William's comments seemed to contradict Tony Blair's statement in Parliament that Iraq posed a "clear and present danger" to international security.

Asked to explain the absence of WMD and why the UK government had got this wrong, Sir William noted a "great deal" of the intelligence about Iraq's chemical and biological weapons production provided before the war had been withdrawn afterwards as false.

Addressing the overall threat posed by Iraq in 2001, officials said it was "not top of its list" of countries causing concern because of their stated desire to develop weapons of mass destruction.

With sanctions in place against Iraq, the Foreign Office believed Saddam Hussein could not build a nuclear weapon and, even if sanctions were removed, it was estimated it would take him five years to do so.

Officials said most evidence suggested Iraq's chemical and biological programme had largely been "destroyed" in 1991.

Although reports in late 2002 suggested Iraq was rebuilding its capability, they said intelligence about its actual position had been "patchy" since weapons inspectors were expelled in 1998.

But they maintain the threat posed by Iraq was viewed as "unique" because it had shown itself willing to use weapons of mass destruction on its own people and its neighbours.

Terrorist links

The inquiry also learnt that the UK investigated and rejected suggestions of links between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda.

Following the 9/11 attacks, the Foreign Office looked at the matter "very carefully" but concluded the two were not "natural allies".

The inquiry, looking at the whole period from 2001 to 2009, was set up by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who also chose the panel.

Mr Brown and predecessor Tony Blair are expected to be among future witnesses, with the final report due early in 2011.

Previously, the Butler inquiry looked at intelligence failures before the war, while the Hutton inquiry examined the circumstances leading to the death of former government adviser David Kelly.

UK has failed in its attempt to get Tony Blair chosen as the new president of the EU Council after the Belgian prime minister was handed the job.

EU foreign head dismisses critics

Tony Blair has never publicly commented on the EU president role The UK has failed in its attempt to get Tony Blair chosen as the new president of the EU Council after the Belgian prime minister was handed the job. Downing Street abandoned its campaign to put the ex-prime minister in the prestige job on Thursday after it was clear he did not have enough support. But, in a surprise move, Labour peer Baroness Ashton was appointed to the new role of EU foreign affairs chief. Gordon Brown said this "reinforced" the UK's place "at the heart of Europe". 'Effective' "It will ensure Britain's voice is very loud and clear," he said. Baroness Ashton is currently the EU's Trade Commissioner, a job in which Mr Brown said she had been "highly effective". Mr Brown said Baroness Ashton - who will also become vice-president of the European Commission - would represent the EU on the world stage. Little-known outside the UK and not a high-profile figure in British politics, Baroness Ashton was formerly leader of the House of Lords. Gordon Brown spent a great deal of energy and political capital trying to secure the presidency for Tony Blair William Hague, shadow foreign secretary In choosing Baroness Ashton, Mr Brown said he had been determined to protect the UK's national interest in Europe. Mr Blair had never publicly said he was in the running for the job of EU President - given to Belgium's Herman van Rompuy - despite vocal support from Mr Brown. The prime minister said that his predecessor would have made an "excellent candidate" and that he did not "apologise" for backing him. However, he said it had become clear that the job was destined for a centre-right candidate and that the nature of the post had changed - making it less suitable for Mr Blair. 'Defeat for PM' The Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats welcomed the fact that Mr Blair had not got the job, saying he would have been a divisive figure. "We did not agree with the Lisbon Treaty's establishment of these posts but they are now a fact," said shadow foreign secretary William Hague. "We look to the President of the Council and the High Representative to ensure that the EU's business as an association of nation states is conducted efficiently." "Gordon Brown spent a great deal of energy and political capital trying to secure the presidency for Tony Blair. The summit's result is a defeat for him."

world's leading climate research units

Hackers target leading climate research unit

www.richimag.co.uk/biofools/

Experts warn that universities' e-mail systems are vulnerable to attacks

The e-mail system of one of the world's leading climate research units has been breached by hackers.

E-mails reportedly from the University of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit (CRU), including personal exchanges, appeared on the internet on Thursday.

A university spokesman confirmed the email system had been hacked and that information was taken and published without permission.

An investigation was underway and the police had been informed, he added.

"We are aware that information from a server used for research information in one area of the university has been made available on public websites," the spokesman stated.

"Because of the volume of this information we cannot currently confirm that all of this material is genuine.

"This information has been obtained and published without our permission and we took immediate action to remove the server in question from operation.

"We are undertaking a thorough internal investigation and we have involved the police in this enquiry."

Researchers at CRU, one of the world's leading research bodies on natural and human-induced climate change, played a key role in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report, which is considered to be the most authoritative report of its kind.

'Inside information'

Graham Cluley, a computer security expert, suggested that December's key climate summit in Copenhagen, which has made headlines around the world, could have increased the university's profile as a possible target among hackers.

"There are passionate opinions on both sides of the climate debate and there will be people trying to knock down the other side," Mr Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos, told BBC News.

"If they feel that they can gather inside information on what the other side is up to, then they may feel that is ammunition for their counterargument."

Mr Cluley added that universities were vulnerable to attacks by hackers because so many people required access to IT systems.

"You do need proper security in place; you need to be careful regarding communications and make sure your systems are secure.

"I trust that they will now be looking at the systems, and investigating how this happened and ensuring that something like this does not happen again."