AYB Law joins gocompensate.com

AYB Law, the specialist firm of solicitors providing personal injury services in the North West has today joined the Lancashire and Cumbria panels of gocompensate.com


AYB Law has recovered millions of pounds in compensation for many satisfied clients and provides compensation services in claims arising from car accidents, motorcyclists, children's accidents, accidents at work, slips and trips at work, holiday accidents and accidents abroad.


The profile page on gocompensate.com also links potential claimants to a compensation calculator enabling potential claimants to see how much their injury may be valued at.

BREAKING NEWS: Doctors going on strike on 21 June

A majority of doctors have voted in favour of taking industrial action over changes to their pensions.

The British Medical Association balloted more than 104,000 medics across the UK on the government's plans which it claims are unfair.

Half responded, with 79% of GPs, 84% of hospital consultants and 92% of junior doctors voting in favour.

A 24-hour day of action will take place on 21 June when non-urgent care will be targeted.

It means elective operations such as knee and hip replacements will be cancelled.

GP practices will remain open, but routine appointments will not take place.

However, emergency care will not be affected, the BMA said.

Patients will still get tests for conditions such as cancer, while A&E units and maternity services will run as normal.

It will be the first time since 1975 that doctors have taken industrial action.

Unions representing a host of health professionals, including paramedics, admin staff and porters, have already taken part in strikes over pension changes.

But the Royal College of Nursing, one of the most influential voices inside the NHS alongside the BMA, has yet to decide what it will do.

It has held a ballot where the majority rejected the government's pension changes, but the turnout was low.

Under the plans, which apply to England and Wales but could be introduced elsewhere in the UK, the age at which doctors retire would rise from 65 to 68 by 2015.

The contributions doctors have to make are also due to rise.

The union has also pointed out that the current scheme - which was only agreed as recently as 2008 - brings in a £2bn a year surplus.

The Department of Health has said the changes are "proportionate and reasonable".

It said a new doctor joining the new scheme could still expect a pension of more than £53,000.

Dean Royles, director of NHS Employers, said: "We know that doctors are anxious about changes to their pensions. But no one wants to see patients dragged into the argument.

"Industrial action could potentially mean delays to treatment. It would be particularly distressing for patients and extremely worrying for staff who are dedicated to putting patients first."

The BMA has produced a website that calculates how doctors are affected by the changes.

source: bbc.co.uk

IF YOUR HEALTH SUFFERS AS A RESULT OF THIS 

INDUSTRIAL ACTION CONTACT GOCOMPENSATE.COM 

Call to halt referral fee ‘auctions’

A personal injury solicitor has accused insurance companies of ‘auctioning cases to the highest bidder’.

John Spencer (pictured), director of Spencers Solicitors, said some insurers had conducted referral fee auctions amongst solicitors for bundles of cases. The price tag of these bundles was likely to be influenced by the degree of injuries sustained by specific cases.

Spencer, a Law Society panel member and co-director of the RTA Portal, is highlighting the practice as part of a campaign to clean up the personal injury system.

He said: ‘Although such auctions may be a perfectly legal and, on the face of it, a commercially astute way to conduct business in this industry, we believe it is ethically questionable as well as morally repugnant.

‘Sadly, such practices are symptomatic of our times, whereby financial gain and profiteering by all players within the current PI system - insurers, claims management companies and solicitors among them - have been put far above the rights and needs of injured persons.’

Spencer accepted that the current claims system was a ‘key reason’ for the escalation of motor insurance premiums. He urged the insurance industry to stop the practice of auctioning off claims before the ban on referral fees comes into force in April 2013.

Spencer’s firm has launched a microsite with more information and an interactive game to shine light on how the claims system works.

Simon Oates of gocompensate.com is quoted on the Law Society website saying "Mr Spencer is to be applauded for raising the issue of referral fees once again and how they impact on us all in terms of inflated insurance premiums.

As a fee earner I used to meet regularly with the shady looking characters entering our firm in their cheap suits, cheap aftershave and sporting a bag that contained details of potential claimants pursued through the High Streets of Britain.

Have any of these files resulted from any 'cold calling'? always anticipating that they would say no despite the fact that they hadn't a clue where the claim came from (nor cared really).

Now some considerable years later I am running gocompensate.com and promote regional panels of specialist solicitors in personal injury and medical negligence claims through their online profile pages enabling claimants to select their chosen solicitor and instruct directly with no referral fees!

No sign of shady characters darkening your office doors, cheap suits or a bag of files going to the highest bidder in sight".

source: lawgazette.co.uk

Specialist personal injury and medical negligence solicitors for Derbyshire and Staffordshire

Smith Partnership are one of the largest firms of solicitors based in the East Midlands. We have a network of offices throughout the region, including Derby, Leicester, Burton, Stoke and Swadlincote.


As one of the firms of solicitors featured in The Lawyer's Chasing 50, we draw clients from people and companies in the East Midlands and beyond.


Whether you are interested in ensuring your assets are efficiently passed on to loved ones, you are buying your first house, arranging the sale of a multi million pound property portfolio or you are acquiring a company, we can help.

Guard from Beverley killed on North Yorkshire Moors railway

A MAN has been killed after he was trapped between two trains on the famous North Yorkshire Moors railway.

The volunteer railway guard from Beverley was pronounced dead at Grosmont station, despite desperate attempts to save his life.

British Transport Police and the Rail Accident Investigation Branch are investigating the cause of the tragedy.

The 65-year-old man, who has worked as a volunteer member of staff on the railway for 14 years, is expected to be named today.

Danielle Bradley, marketing manager of the Pickering-based steam railway, said everybody had been devastated his death.

She said: "We are very much a family community and there is a very sombre mood around the railway at this time.

"Our deep sympathies and condolences go to the family, relatives and friends of the victim, who was a keen railway enthusiast.

"We are also supporting members of staff and volunteers who were at Grosmont railway station when the accident happened.

"The railway is co-operating fully the authorities who are investigating the cause of the accident."

The Mail understands the man worked as a railway guard and was crushed when he became trapped between two engine units during a shunting movement at the station.

Services on the route from Pickering to Whitby across the North Yorkshire Moors were suspended for a while following the accident at about 12.30pm on Monday.

A British Transport Police spokesman said there appeared to be nothing suspicious about the man's death and it appeared to be a tragic accident.

He said: "Our officers were called to Grosmont railway station on Monday following a report of an accident involving a member of staff working on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. North Yorkshire Police officers and paramedics also attended but, sadly, the man had suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

"An investigation is ongoing to establish the full circumstances surrounding the man's death.

"The Rail Accident Investigation branch has also been informed."

The spokesman said a report would eventually be prepared for the coroner.

The village of Grosmont is six miles from Whitby and is the northern terminus of the railway, which carries more than 350,000 passengers a year and claims to be the world's most popular heritage route.

The line has featured in films and television programmes, including Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone and the TV series Heartbeat.

There is an intersection at Grosmont between the heritage line and regular train services operating from Middlesbrough to Whitby.

The line was planned by famous railway engineer George Stephenson as a means of opening up trade routes inland from Whitby.

source: thisishullandeastriding.co.uk

Changes to treatment of trauma patients in Greater Manchester

VIDEO ONLINE

Major changes to the treatment of trauma patients have been launched in Greater Manchester.

Instead of being treated at the Accident & Emergency departments at the nearest hospital, patients will instead be taken directly to specialist major trauma centres.

The NHS estimates up to 20 lives could be saved every year by the new network of centres of excellence.

But some health campaigners have raised concerns that the new system could put lives at risk.

Dr Chris Brookes, a consultant at Salford Royal Hospital, said: "The quality of care will not be diluted in any way by these proposals."

source: bbc.co.uk

British teenagers died in Thai gap year bus crash 'after driver errors'

Bruno Melling-Firth, Conrad Quashie and Max Boomgaarden-Cook, all 19, had saved for months for the “trip of a lifetime” through south-east Asia.

But the school friends, all from south London, died instantly after their coach collided with an oncoming bus in Khlong Khlung, in the Kamphaeng Phet Province in June last year.

The trio were travelling from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, in the country’s north, when the coach crashed, just five days into a nine-week trip that also included Laos, Vietnam and Indonesia.

A fourth friend, Jack Beagley, 20, survived the crash and escaped the accident with only minor injuries.

On Wednesday night, the coroner, Dr Andrew Harris, and the boys’ families urged the Foreign Office to issue more warnings about the dangers of Thai bus travel after it was disclosed that the bus seats were not fixed down and there were no seat belts.

Southwark Coroners Court had earlier heard that the parents of all three boys had collected information about the huge number of road traffic accidents in Thailand.

They felt that while there were warnings about motorcycles on the Foreign Office website there was not enough about the dangers of buses and coaches.

The inquest had earlier heard that the students had not undertaken a great deal of research into bus travel in the country while their parents said they were oblivious to the dangers of coaches.

The trio, who were planning to go to University after finishing their A-levels at the Charter School, in Dulwich, south London, had set off by overnight bus for the north, planning to go trekking in the hills to visit tribal villages.

The inquest heard that the Hino tourist bus, which cost about 400-500 baht (about £5-£10) to travel on, had stopped for a break at a petrol station five hours into their journey in the early hours of June 28.

A short time later the driver pulled out across the carriageway to continue the journey but he pulled out in the wrong direction and attempted a U-turn on the six-lane highway.

The back end of the "very old" coach was left sitting precariously in the fast lane when another coach crashed into it.

Mr Boomgaarden-Cook, of Brixton, died of a severe head injury, Mr Melling-Firth, of Southwark, died of multiple injuries, and Mr Quashie, also of Southwark, died of a head injury.

In a statement, Mr Beagley told the inquest that even if they had known the dangers they would still have taken the trip.

"I remember thinking the vehicle with lights on coming toward us was coming very fast, we all commented to each other,” he said.

"All of a sudden that coach crashed into our coach, it happened so quick we to move out of our seats or brace ourselves.

"I don't know how but somehow I must have managed to hold on. It was just the adrenalin kicking in, nothing seemed real, I just wanted get out.”

He added: "I went to turn to my friends and realised they weren't moving. I understood immediately they had been killed in the crash."

They had to clamber over the seats and kick the door open to get out. The accident killed a Korean passenger and the driver of the other bus and injured 40 others.

The driver of the bus Chan Noisri has been convicted of five serious offences including negligent driving causing death and jailed for two years by a Thai court. The inquest only heard there had been a "successful prosecution".

Gillian Melling, Bruno's mother, said she had left the boys to their preparations and said she had "presumed wrongly" that coaches would be regulated.

She said figures suggested there were around 12,000 people killed in accidents each year in Thailand, compared to 3,000 in Britain. She said she wanted the Foreign Office to "take responsibility for their British citizens".

Recording narrative verdicts, Dr Harris said he would write to the Foreign Office to suggest it publishes the same extensive warnings about bus travel as it does about motorcycle travel in Thailand.

He will also consider whether he has the power to write to the Thai authorities.

Dr Harris said: "This has been a harrowing and tragic inquest. It's never easy to hear an inquest into the deaths of young people.

"It does seem to me to be a reasonable and sensible solution to make that I could ask the Foreign and Commonwealth Office that if they have any evidence of unregulated bus travel that they should give the same warning for bus travel as they do for motorcycles."

After the hearing, Max's mother Polly Cook said: "We want them (the Foreign Office) to update their website to include the fact that the roads are hugely dangerous.

"We would like the FCO (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) to update its website to the level that the US does, indicating that it's extremely dangerous travelling by road.

“I hope that this will make the Foreign Office put warnings out to travellers similar to that of the USA and Canada, about travelling on the roads in Thailand.”

"This was a tragic loss of three young lives, and our thoughts remain with the family and friends of those who died. Our Travel Advice is kept under constant review, and the safety of British nationals is of paramount importance to the FCO."

source: telegraph.co.uk

Man injured in M3 crash

A man was taken to hospital last night after an accident on a Hampshire motorway.

Firefighters were called to take the roof off a car that had crashed on the M3 southbound between junctions nine and ten, near Winchester.

Police say that there were two cars involved in the accident, one of which collided with the crash barrier.

One lane of the motorway was shut while emergency services dealt with the crash.

Two people sustained minor injuries, with one taken to hospital by ambulance.

Anyone that witnessed the crash, which happened shortly before midnight, should call the Roads Policing Unit on 101.

source: dailyecho.co.uk

Stranded Tube passengers awarded £40 each in compensation

Hundreds of passengers stranded because of a faulty Tube train are to be given £40 each in compensation amid claims that London could become an Olympic "laughing stock" because of transport problems.

More than 770 passengers had to be walked through tunnels last night because of problems on the Jubilee Line.

Among those delayed by the train failure were some of the Queen's guests for her Diamond Jubilee celebration at the Royal Academy of Arts attended by celebrities from the arts and fashion worlds.

There were fresh problems this morning when a signal failure at Embankment led to severe disruption on the Circle and District lines.

London Assembly Member and Labour's transport spokesman Val Shawcross said: "The Olympic Games opening ceremony is now less than nine weeks away and still ordinary commuters are being hit by delays caused by faulty track, faulty trains and faulty signals.

"Passengers on the Jubilee Line have endured months of shutdowns for maintenance and upgrade works that were supposed to stop this happening. So why are there still issues with the line? What will happen if the chaos happens during the Olympic Games? Quite simply the Mayor needs to get a grip, otherwise London could end up as an international laughing stock."

Nigel Holness, London Underground operations director, said: "The Hammersmith and City line is operating with minor delays following an earlier signal failure at Barking, and the Circle and District line has severe delays due to a signal failure at Embankment.

"TfL engineers are on site working to resolve these issues as quickly as possible, and I wish to apologise to all passengers for the inconvenience that they have experienced on our network during the last few days."

He also apologised for last night's disruption, saying: "This was caused by a faulty train between Baker Street and St Johns Wood which led to the suspension of the line between London Bridge and Finchley Road.

"Our staff tried to move the train, which stalled at around 1735hrs, using a train to push it from behind. This was not successful and we subsequently took the decision to walk passengers off the train "This is clearly not the level of service our customers have a right to expect, and we will be refunding those affected."

LU drafted in additional staff from its special requirements team to help passengers off, saying they could not be disembarked sooner as it was thought the train could be pushed forward using the other train.

However this was not possible, partly due to the gradient of the tunnel LU said it will pay £40 to everyone stuck on trains last night who had to be walked through tunnels.

A passenger caught up in today's Tube delays said she took three hours to travel from Liverpool Street to Victoria, adding: "There was little or no information - the only thing we were told was that we were going nowhere. I had to catch a bus instead - and they were all packed."

Mike Brown, LU's managing director, said: "The Tube is staffed and maintained to the highest standards and to a level that has made it the safest significant sized railway in Europe. The fact is that we have just recorded the most reliable year on record, carrying more passengers than ever before and operating more services. But we will never be complacent and accept that in the last few days our customers have not had the level of service they are right to expect.

"That is why we and the Mayor are committed to working to improve reliability even further as we go into this exciting summer for London."

Bob Crow, general secretary of the RMT transport union, said: "This is shaping up to be a pre-Olympic London transport week of hell with London mayor Boris Johnson and his officials claiming a brilliant service while millions of Londoners know better.

"We are paying a heavy price for a programme of cuts to staffing and maintenance that has reduced the transport system to total chaos just weeks away from the Olympics and the blame lies firmly with the mayor and his senior officials."

There were also delays today on mainline services run by the CrossCountry and East Midlands Trains companies.

This was due to a signalling problem in the Ambergate area of Derbyshire.

Buses had to replace trains between Matlock and Derby, extending journey times by up to 45 minutes.

Trains between Chesterfield and Derby were also diverted.

source: independent.co.uk

Many NHS trusts 'rationing cataract surgery'

A growing number of areas are placing restrictions on access to eye surgery, figures obtained by campaigners show.

The Royal National Institute of Blind People data showed over half of the 152 NHS trusts in England had imposed their own criteria - tougher than national standards - for cataract operations.

The charity said it meant patients were left to wait until their sight problems deteriorated before getting help.

Health Minister Simon Burns said the restrictions were "unacceptable".

The charity said delays to treatments had a debilitating impact on the everyday lives of people.

Cataracts are cloudy patches on the lens which cause loss of sight and can stop people being able to drive or read.

They affect a third of people aged over 65 and can be treated by cataract surgery, which involves replacing the damaged lens with an artificial implant.

These operations are one of the most common carried out by the NHS, with 350,000 done each year.

Restrictive

But the research by the RNIB suggests that primary care trusts (PCTs) - the management bodies in the NHS - are rationing access to them.

The findings come after doctors at the British Medical Association's GPs conference warned on Tuesday that restrictions on access to all kinds of care was becoming more common.

The RNIB asked all 152 PCTs whether they had introduced their own criteria in eye tests beyond the national policy, which states that if cataracts are hampering quality of life, an individual should be offered treatment.

A total of 151 trusts replied to the freedom of information request.

Some 57% of them confirmed they had set their own criteria - much of which the RNIB said was "very restrictive".

This figure was higher than that revealed by data the charity obtained a year ago.

Clara Eaglen, RNIB's health campaigns manager, said: "People should not have to live with a reduced quality of life simply because trusts are using arbitrary criteria to determine whether they get to keep their sight.

"When a cataract begins to affect a person's everyday life, their sight will only continue to deteriorate.

"They will require surgery at some point in the future and not treating now will only increase waiting lists in the future."

Professor Harminder Dua, the president of The Royal College of Ophthalmologists, said the restrictions were "regrettable".

He added: "They are arbitrary and are a response to financial pressures, not clinical needs."

Health Minister Simon Burns said no right-thinking person could understand how a patient's treatment could be unnecessarily delayed.

"If patients need treatment, they should get it when they want it and where they want it," he said.

"If local health bodies stop patients from having cataract treatments on the basis of cost alone, we will take action against them."

source: bbc.co.uk

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A2 Law comment on personal injury changes

Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke has announced that the Government plan to tackle questionable medical evidence and make it ''quicker, cheaper and easier for valid injury claims to be dealt with through the small claims court''. Proposals, to be outlined in a consultation document this summer, will include consulting on the feasibility of introducing independent medical panels. The independent medical experts, who would have no direct links to either claimants or defendants, would replace the current assessment of whiplash injuries by either GPs or doctors employed by medical reporting organisations. 

Doctors can currently receive a fee of up to £195 to process these claims and some have a regular client base of solicitors. 


But Karl Tonks, president of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (Apil), said: ''Whiplash injuries are real, they can be long term, and must not be trivialised...before it announces a raft of propositions which risk barring genuinely injured people from bringing legitimate claims, the Government must have a wider debate about the real issues, and it must also hold the insurance industry to account...I'm really concerned that in all the latest populist rhetoric about whiplash claims, everyone is being tarred with the same brush.'' He also warned that, in a bid by insurers to save costs, there was a ''growing trend of insurers offering cash to claimants even before a report has been received from a doctor''. 

Alert over allergy injector fault

People using a certain type of adrenaline injector for severe allergic reactions are being told to consult their doctors after a fault was found with the product.

Anapens - used by 35,000 people - have been recalled as the adrenaline was being released too slowly, drug regulator the MHRA said.

But patients are being advised to keep using them until they see their doctor.

No problems have yet been reported by individual patients.

Instead, the fault was identified in testing by the manufacturer Owen Mumford.

Gerald Heddell, of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, said: "This is a precautionary recall.

"People should continue to use their existing injectors until they can obtain an alternative product."

source: bbc.co.uk

GOCOMPENSATE.COM PANEL SOLICITORS ARE TAKING CLAIM ENQUIRIES IN CONNECTION WITH THIS ADRENALINE INJECTOR

CONTACT 0845 3 299 585 OR SELECT YOUR NEAREST LAWYER

Stafford twins' death: Failings in care, says coroner

There were "failings" in the care of premature twins who died after being given an overdose of morphine, a coroner has ruled.

Alfie and Harry McQuillin, who were born at Stafford Hospital, died on 1 November 2010, at two days old.

Staffordshire coroner Andrew Haigh said the morphine overdose "played a part in their deaths" but the hospital was not guilty of gross neglect.

The NHS Trust said it was "very sorry" the care given was "not good enough".

In recording a narrative verdict, the coroner said he could not say the babies died of natural causes and they had received "sub-optimal treatment".

He said the cause of their deaths was "complications in extreme prematurity".

The twins were born 13 weeks early on 30 October 2010.

'Totally avoidable'

The coroner's court heard they were put onto a ventilator and given a dose of morphine, which was standard practice, but there was confusion over the exact amount that should be administered.

Their condition began to deteriorate so the twins were transferred to University Hospital of North Staffordshire but later died.

The twins' mother Ami Dean, 25, said their deaths were "totally avoidable".

"I could have coped with them dying from prematurity, as that would have been nobody's fault," she said.

"[Their deaths] were down to human error, which is something I cannot cope with."

Miss Dean, who is expecting a daughter in August, and her partner Philip McQuillin are pursuing a personal injury claim against Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust.

The family's solicitor Richard Follis claimed it was "series of errors" that led to the twins' deaths.

He said: "I think Stafford Hospital are trying to say this was simply down to individual error and they're trying to walk away from all responsibility.

"That isn't how the totality of the evidence came out, the hospital must bear some responsibility here."

The Trust has expressed its "deepest sympathy".

Chief operating officer Maggie Oldham said: "We are very sorry that the care provided was not good enough.

"This has been a long and difficult process for the entire family and our thoughts remain with them at this time."

source: bbc.co.uk

Leonard North died after almost 30 years exposure to asbestos

A KEEN gardener from St Albans, who died after an eight-year battle with asbestos-related cancer, has been described as a "caring" and dedicated" man.

Leonard North, of Kingsmead, had a substantial exposure to asbestos during almost 30 years of his working career, an inquest heard today.

Coroner for Hertfordshire Edward Thomas said Mr North was first exposed to the dust particles when he worked as stoker for the printers which printed the Radio Times magazine.

He said over the years father-of-two Mr North, who died at the age of 85, continued to be around the harmful asbestos before being diagnosed with the disease.

Mr Thomas recorded a cause of death as industrial disease caused by a long exposure to asbestos. Mr North aslo suffered from heart disease.

Paying tribute, Mr North's daughter Kim Randall said her dad had received "amazing" care from nurses at Grove House Hospice.

She added: "They were just fanstastic supporting him because he wanted to die at home.

"He was a strong and very fit man. He was just very caring and dedicated. He loved gardening and his other love was his grandchildren."

Mr North, a grandfather-of-three, is survived by his wife Pat.

source: stalbansreview.co.uk

Breast implant scare model Gemma Garrett calls for strict controls

Northern Irish model Gemma Garrett has called for greater regulation of the cosmetic surgery industry after her breast implants ruptured.

The former Miss Great Britain also expressed her shock after children told her how they wanted surgery for enhanced breasts as soon as they could possibly get it.

In 2008, aged 26, Gemma paid £4,500 for Poly Implant Prostheses (PIP) breast implants, which were subsequently banned for containing industrial grade silicone.

After feeling unwell and noticing a change to the shape of her implants, doctors discovered they had ruptured inside the body of the 30-year-old model from Dundonald and silicone had leaked into her breast tissue.

Gemma had them removed in 2011 at a cost of £11,500 and, until recently, endured painful medical procedures every six weeks to drain blood from cavities that formed.

In a BBC3 documentary, Gemma Garrett: Are my fake breasts safe?, Gemma investigated why young women want to go under the knife and what the Government is doing to make women more aware of the risks associated with breast augmentation.

“Surgery is so available to young girls,” Gemma told the Belfast Telegraph.

“It can be advertised as a lunchtime boob job and young girls are sucked in and don’t realise all the risks. There should be better regulation of the cosmetic surgery industry.”

Gemma said she was shocked to hear 15 and 16-year-old girls say they wanted to have breast implants as soon as they can.

“I was horrified,” Gemma said. “When I was 15, I was thinking about shoes and jeans, not altering my body. The girls didn’t realise implants have to be replaced every decade and that so many things can go wrong.”

Background

Around 50,000 women in the UK have Poly Implant Prostheses (PIP) breast implants. They were banned in 2010 for containing industrial grade silicone. Last December the French government recommended that women with PIP implants have them removed as a precaution. In January 2012, a UK expert committee said the NHS will remove and replace PIP implants if women want.

source: belfasttelegraph.co.uk

Chief coroner of England and Wales to be appointed

The first chief coroner of England and Wales - tasked with setting new guidelines for coroners - will be appointed later.

The coalition government had decided to scrap the role - created by Labour in 2009 - but reinstated it in November.

That followed opposition from the Royal British Legion which said the post was needed to improve the handling of inquiries into military deaths.

It is thought that Judge Peter Thornton QC will take up the post.

He has worked as a senior circuit judge at the Old Bailey since 2007.

Some relatives of military personnel killed on duty have complained about long delays - sometimes lasting several years - before inquests take place.

The Legion argued that. without a chief coroner, there would be less impetus to speed the process up.

Announcing the U-turn in November, Justice Secretary Ken Clarke said he had "listened and reflected on the concerns" raised and was "prepared to have one last try to meet those arguments" by appointing a chief coroner.

The government plans to ensure coroners are better trained and equipped to deal with military cases.

But Mr Clarke said existing procedures for challenging an inquest decision would continue, thus avoiding "the need for expensive new appeal rights".

Appeals argument

Prime Minister David Cameron said he did not want a system which would extend the appeal process and could lead to large numbers of cases being referred to the chief coroner for a second verdict.

The Royal British Legion welcomed the new post but said it would continue to campaign for the chief coroner to be given the power to consider appeals.

The office of the chief coroner of England and Wales was established in 2009 under Labour to head a new national coroner service, reporting to the Lord Chancellor.

The power to hear appeals was originally set out in legislation.

The position was created because of concerns the service provided by coroners was inconsistent - but no-one was appointed to the role.

The government initially decided to scrap it to save money but later rowed back while warning that most of its powers would be transferred elsewhere, including to the Lord Chief Justice.

As well as introducing new national standards, the chief coroner will also be asked to try to improve the way bereaved families are dealt with.

source: bbc.co.uk

Power was due to be cut off at Allerton rail depot where teen was electrocuted, court told

A RAILWAY siding where a teenage boy was electrocuted was due to have its power cut in the months before the accident, a court heard.

Liam Gill, 13, was killed instantly when he was hit by 25,000 volts from overhead cables as he climbed on a disused train at Allerton Depot in August 2009.

Although property owner English, Welsh and Scottish Railways has admitted health and safety breaches, a hearing at Liverpool crown court still has to decide to what extent it is responsible for the St Benedict’s College pupil’s death.

Yesterday Network Rail engineer Robert Thurgeson said plans to cut power to the largely disused depot were discussed from May 2009, but scrapped when it was thought there might be a buyer for the site.

He said he agreed with the decision as it would usually take 44 weeks to cut the power by which time the new owner would want it switched on again, which would take another 44 weeks.

source: liverpoolecho.co.uk

Two motorcyclists suffer serious injuries after collision in Wickham

A TEENAGER is fighting for his life in hospital today after his moped crashed with a motorbike in Hampshire.

The 16-year-old moped rider was in collision with a dark blue Honda 1300cc motorbike just off the A32 in Wickham, at the junction with School Road and Wykeham Field, just before 7.45pm last night.

The young male, who was riding a red Peugeot Speedflight moped, was taken to the Queen Alexandra Hospital where he is currently in a critical condition.

The rider of the motorbike, a 44-year-old man from Winchester, suffered potentially life-threatening injuries and is being treated at Southampton General Hospital. He is described as being in a serious but stable condition.

School Road was closed until 1.20am at its junction with Bridge Street and Fareham Road, to allow accident investigators to examine the scene.

Any witnesses to the collision should contact Sergeant Wayne Voller at Fratton Roads Policing Unit, on 101, quoting Operation Dolman, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

source: dailyecho.co.uk

Runaway Northern Line Tube train: Charges brought

London Underground is to be prosecuted by the rail regulator over a runaway engineering train.

An engineering train ran for four miles and ploughed through six stops on the Northern Line at the start of a morning rush hour in August 2010.

As a result, a passenger train had to be diverted.

Maintenance firm Tube Lines and Scheerbau, the train's owner, are also to be prosecuted by the Office of Rail Regulation.

Transport for London (TfL) said it was "very disappointed" with the decision.

The engineering train became uncoupled as it was towed on the Northern Line near Archway station.

It ran for nearly four miles before it stopped at Warren Street, in central London.

It came to a rest because of a slight incline at the station.

'Horrific'

Passenger trains were diverted to another branch of the Northern Line while the Charing Cross branch was cleared.

Bob Crow, leader of the Rail Maritime and Transport union said: "This was an horrific incident that came perilously close to a grinder colliding with a passenger train and RMT warned at the time that it was a serious mistake on the part of London Underground to downplay the potential consequences."

Mike Strzelecki, London Underground's Director of Safety, said: "This was clearly a serious incident and London Underground and Tube Lines acted quickly to investigate its causes and take action to ensure that the risk of such a rare incident recurring was minimised.

"Following the incident LU immediately put in place procedures to remove the engineering train and tow-bar from use on the railway.

"Since then LU and Tube Lines have put in place even tighter approvals and controls for the design and use of all such equipment.

"LU staff's swift actions meant that this incident was drawn to a safe conclusion."

source: bbc.co.uk

Asbestos found at Crane site in Ipswich

Asbestos found at Crane site in Ipswich

Heart disease risk for asbestos workers

Heart disease risk for asbestos workers (Click to access Gotelee's Article)

Woman dies after tractor accident in Lincolnshire

A woman has died after becoming trapped under a trailer which was being pulled by a tractor in a Lincolnshire field.

It happened at about 06:00 BST off the A52, Main Road, in Leverton, near Boston.

Ambulance crews were called to the scene, but the woman, who was working in the field and believed to be in her 40s, died from her injuries.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has been informed and will work with police to conduct an investigation.

Dick Holmes from Lincolnshire Police said: "We are in the process now of tracing and informing her relatives and friends."

source: bbc.co.uk

Pips breast implant scandal: Regulator warned years earlier

Surgeons contacted the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in 2006 to highlight concerns that the PIP implants were splitting more frequently than other brands of implant, the report by health minister Lord Howe said.

However the implants were not removed from the market until March 2010 when the French authorities found silicone gel used as a mattress filler had been fraudulently substituted for the approved material.

Almost 50,000 women in Britain have had PIP implants, mostly through private clinics as part of cosmetic surgery.

There was widespread confusion as the French authorities recommended that the women there have the implants removed as a precaution, yet the UK government gave conflicting advice.

Women here were told they should contact the clinic that fitted their implants but that there was no need to remove them unless there is evidence of rupture. The NHS will remove implants where private clinics refuse to for free or at cost.

The internal review by Lord Howe said that serious lessons must be learned by the MHRA and reporting of problems with any medical device by surgeons and manufacturers needed to be improved.

However it concluded that the MHRA had acted properly and promptly on information available at the time.

The report said the MHRA could not be expected to act on the concerns raised by individual surgeons without corroborating evidence. Yet offers by surgeons, who were not named in the report, to carry out audits of their own records were not taken up by the regulator, the report said.

Instead the MHRA contacted German organisation which assessed the PIP implant and gave it the CE 'kite' mark and was given assurances, the report said.

It said: "While it is possible that the MHRA could have derived further helpful information had they followed up the offers made by individual surgeons, it seems unlikely that any further information would have done other than to reinforce the course of action the MHRA subsequently took in contacting the notified body about their concerns with PIP implants."

The MHRA needed to have evidence of a problem with the implant before making enquiries because of the effect that this can have on the market for a particular device, the report said.

Consultant plastic surgeon and president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, Fazel Fatah, said: "Poor post-marketing surveillance of medical devices lies at the root of the PIP crisis.

"At the BAAPS we feel there needs to be significantly more stringent monitoring of all medical devices including breast implants and all cosmetic injectables, via compulsory, regular reporting of adverse effects and mystery shopping which are all part of our regulation proposals.

"This is an opportunity for the Department of Health to get it right, and put the necessary systems and checks in place to avoid a repeat fiasco. Clearly changes are also needed at European level of the CE marking process.”

Consultant plastic surgeon and BAAPS president-elect Rajiv Grover, said: “We welcome the findings of the Government’s review into the PIP scandal, and agree in particular that there should be a better system of reporting for medical devices, with data gathered from a wider set of sources that should be routinely reviewed.

"For the last few years, the BAAPS has been championing the reinstatement of a compulsory implant register that would monitor not just breast but all types of implant put into the body. The register is part of our regulation proposals put forward earlier this year and would immediately address all the recommendations put forward in this report, as would a mandatory safety audit based on the model that the BAAPS requires annually of all its members.”

Professor Sir Kent Woods, Chief Executive of the MHRA, said: "We sympathise with all the women affected and we welcome Earl Howe’s review and the recommendations.

"We will act quickly to implement the recommendations and use the lessons learned to improve the regulatory system for medical devices in the UK and Europe."

The report recommended that the MHRAreview its communications and should be proactive in addressing the concerns of patients, professionals and the public.

Evidence should be sought from a wider group of sources, including better data from doctors and surgeons and the MHRA must be able to routinely check all information about high-risk medical devices so any problems can be identified early.

The wider review of regulation of cosmetic surgery devices being conducted by NHS medical director Sir Bruce Keogh should consider whether a register of all breast implants should be reinstated, the report said.

Lord Howe said: “It must be emphasised that this case was one of deliberate fraud by the Pip manufacturer which purposefully misled European regulators. Regulation alone cannot prevent fraudulent activity such as this.

“But serious lessons must be learned from this scandal.

“It is clear that problems occurred that weren’t reported to the regulator. A vigilance system is only as good as the information that is reported to it. More needs to be done to ensure that problems with medical devices are reported, so problems can be identified and action taken to address them.

“This report won’t repair the distress caused to women who have Pip implants, but it should give them and the public reassurance that we have identified the lessons; that we will take all steps to act on them; and that, should something like this happen again, our systems for dealing with it will be stronger."

source: telegraph.co.uk