Children's Heart Unit Could Reopen Next Week

Children's heart surgery could resume at Leeds General Infirmary as early as next week.

Operations were suspended last week because of claims the children's cardiac unit had a death rate double the average.

But medical bodies and doctors have questioned the accuracy of the data, which they say was unverified and not fit to base the decision on.

Sir Bruce Keogh said the priority must be the safety of children

This weekend five health agencies will work together with a view to restarting surgery as soon as possible - on condition concerns about patient safety can be alleviated.

In a statement, Leeds NHS Trust said: "Following a meeting to review the decision to suspend surgery at Leeds, agreement was reached to work together to restart surgery on the site early next week subject to independent assurance of concerns raised.

"The meeting involved NHS England, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, the NHS Trust Development Authority, and the Care Quality Commission.

"Over the course of the weekend all agencies will work together to provide sufficient assurance to all interested parties that this service is safe and can therefore re-open next week.

After the closure a week ago, Sir Bruce Keogh, the medical director of NHS England, said: "The trust has taken a highly responsible precautionary step.

"It is absolutely right not to take any risks while these matters are being looked into. The priority must be the safety of children."

Following the decision to work towards early opening next week, Maggie Boyle, chief executive of the Trust, said: "I am extremely confident that this service is safe and effective and should recommence at the earliest opportunity.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he supported the decision to restart children's heart surgery at the infirmary, though he added it should be "safe and sustainable".

A Department of Health spokesperson said in a statement: "The key consideration must always be patient safety. We support NHS England and the Trust in their decision to suspend surgery last week on the basis that there were serious concerns that needed to be investigated.

"If the Trust and the regulators are content that these concerns can now be explained or addressed then we would support a joint decision to resume surgery."

Parents had criticised the timing of the unit's suspension, which came 24 hours after a High Court judge ruled that a decision to close it as part of a reorganisation of services was "legally flawed".

But they also expressed relief that the unit was to reopen.

Jon Arnold's daughter Zoe had life-saving surgery at the unit when she was three weeks old.

He said: "There's been massive support from the parents and families for the unit, and this decision confirms what we thought about the quality of care all along.

"My daughter had fantastic care at the unit.

"It was difficult to understand as a parent how they could have shut the ward so swiftly on the basis of unverified data. It left parents feeling very confused about what to believe and what was best for their child."

But Anne Keatley-Clarke, chief executive of the Children's Heart Federation, said it was right to suspend surgery until doubts about safety could be addressed.

"There are a lot of families that are very worried there about what is going to happen with their children," she said.

She added that people were frightened about raising concerns about hospitals in the area while their children were still receiving care as they feared repercussions from the Trust and on social media.

"Once the unit is reopened then a lot of the families will have a lot of questions that need to be answered about the manner in which it closed," she said.

"The main thing is that babies and families that need urgent treatment can now get it on the unit without having to be shipped across the country to any available bed space."

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Raft Of Tax Reforms Come Into Effect In UK

Two million people could be removed from paying income tax altogether from today as a raft of reforms come into effect.

Among the changes are a rise in the personal allowance which will mean no one pays any tax until they earn more than £9,440.

The threshold for the higher rate of tax - above which people pay tax at 40% - will also drop from £34,370 to £32,010, excluding the personal allowance.

At the same time the top rate of income tax falls in 2013/14 from 50% to 45% for those whose taxable income exceeds £150,000.

And the start of the new financial year also signals a rise in basic state pension to £110.15 per week, an increase of 2.5%.

But there will be a freeze on the level of income pensioners can receive before they have to pay tax - the so-called "granny tax".

The tax allowance for people aged 65 and older is set at £10,500.

Last week, housing benefit was cut for council house tenants with more bedrooms than they need - dubbed the "bedroom tax".

Council tenants have money cut if they have more bedrooms than they need

The annual increase in tax credits and other working-age benefits will also be cut to just 1%, well below the rate of inflation.

But Labour claims UK households will be worse off.

Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls said: "The independent Institute for Fiscal Studies shows very clearly that, since 2010, the average family is £890 worse off, a one-earner family where the mum or dad stays at home with children is £3,900 worse off.

"The reason is that the increase in the personal allowance over the last couple of years was completely outweighed by higher VAT, the freeze on child benefit and the cuts to tax credits.

"Is this the day to cut taxes for millionaires, for the richest people in our society when everyone else is worse off and struggling? It's completely the wrong priorities. It suggests that David Cameron and George Osborne are completely out of touch with the realities of the lives of families in our country."

Unite union's General Secretary Len McCluskey was equally scathing about the changes. He said: "Millionaires will be raising a glass of champagne to George Osborne this weekend as he slashes the incomes of people struggling to get by to give handouts to the rich.

"This is not the way to recover our failing economy. Creating real jobs and paying decent wages, including a one pound increase on the minimum wage, will bring down the benefits bill and get people spending again."

The Prime Minister took to Twitter to highlight the increase in the personal tax allowance. He wrote: "From today 24 million people will be paying £600 less income tax than in 2010."

Mr Cameron also included a link to a new Conservative poster outlining the change with the headline "Help for Hardworking People".

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Food Prices Set To Soar After Big Freeze

By Emma Birchley, East of England Correspondent

Months of heavy rain followed by extreme cold are set to hit harvests and push the price of the weekly shop up ever higher.

More than a quarter of winter wheat could not be planted last autumn because of waterlogged fields and attempts to catch up this spring have been hampered by frost.

But poor grain yields do not just affect the price of bread and biscuits.

Animal feed is 50% more expensive than 15 months ago, in turn increasing the cost of producing meat, milk and eggs.

Snow covers a field in North Yorkshire, with many crops affected

Mother-of-three Sarah Tait is concerned. She has already seen her weekly bill rise from £80 to around £100 in the past 18 months or so.

She said: "It is a worry. It just means there will be other things we don't buy because we have to buy food and retailers have got you really because you have got to pay what the prices say."

Other crops including potatoes, tomatoes and sugar beet have also been delayed.

In the 12 months to February fruit has risen in price by almost 12%, vegetables are up 7%, meat costs 4% more and bread and cereals are 3% more expensive - all above general inflation, which stands at 2.8%.

On the Euston Estate in Suffolk crops like winter barley have struggled from the start after being sown in November rather than the end of September due to the weather.

Estate manager Andrew Blenkiron expects the late planting to have a 20% impact on yield.

He said: "There are areas of the field that we couldn't plant because it was so wet and usually we would try to work through the winter and try to patch it up, but there's still water lying in it in early April."

UK growers should also have planted 50% of their spring cereals by now but have in fact only managed to sow 15% due to the weather.

Shoppers are being advised by Richard Dodd from the British Retail Consortium not to be too worried.

He said: "Customers shouldn't panic about the impact on food prices of this weather, of course it's adding an extra pressure, but at the same time the cost of lots of key world commodities, things like wheat are actually coming  down, and that's certainly balancing out any upward influences from weather.

"And of course retailing remains incredibly competitive so as the retailers battle it out for every bit of spending that is to be had from customers, they are doing all they can to protect customers from any effects."

But at the beginning of the year, Waitrose's managing director Mark Price warned the price increases in some commodities will be "massive".

And it will be some months before the full impact of the bad weather on crops becomes clear.

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Elderly Care: Families' Fears Over Standards

Many people believe the quality of elderly care in Britain is below par, according to new research.

But analysis by a feedback website found the overall standard of childcare in Britain is rated highly despite being expensive.

Nearly three quarters (71%) of nagative reviews left on the Good Care Guide site were directed towards elderly care provided by home care agencies and care homes.

According to feedback on the site, the biggest concern for more than 84% of people choosing a care home was cost and quality of care or specialist care.

Almost a quarter (23%) of reviews for home care agencies rated them as having sub-standard care, while care homes were close behind at 15%.

In contrast, childcare received mostly positive feedback with 90% of those who wrote on the site about childcare leaving positive reviews.

But childcare providers were rated low for value for money - 8% of childcare reviews were negative specifically about the value of money, with comments including "horrendously expensive", "costs most of my salary", and "can't afford full time childcare".

The Good Care Guide, launched a year ago, works like the travel website TripAdvisor, allowing people the chance to find, rate and review care providers.

The site analysed more than 2,000 reviews, describing those with 0-3 stars as negative, and those with 4-5 as positive, and found there was one negative for every eight positive.

Good Care Guide director Denise Burke said: "Whilst childcare has consistently been better rated than elderly care, comparing childcare and elderly care is of course a bit like apples and pears - 24/7 care for older people, many with severe dementia, is quite different from nursery care whether it's for 15 hours or 40 hours a week.

"Worst rated by families on Good Care Guide has been home care. These services have perhaps been squeezed most by local authority spending cuts.

"Many complain about 15-minute appointments, about different carers turning up or carers who are poorly trained and paid."

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Man Dies Making Documentary About Homeless

Police are investigating the death of a young documentary maker who was sleeping rough in freezing temperatures to highlight the plight of the homeless.

Lee Halpin, 26, had planned to spend a week living on the streets in his home city of Newcastle.

He began the project on Sunday but was found dead three days later in a derelict building in the West End of the city.

How he died has not yet been confirmed but it is believed he may have died from hypothermia.

Speaking on a YouTube video the night before his week of sleeping rough began, Mr Halpin said the project was part of an application for a Channel 4 investigative journalism scheme, to give an example of fearless reporting.

He said he had spoken to a homeless charity about the rise in the number of people on the streets and the effect of changes to Britain's welfare system this month.

"I'm about to go and spend a week being homeless in the West End of Newcastle. I will sleep rough for a week, scrounge for my food, access the services that other homeless individuals use," he said.

"I will interact with as many homeless people as possible and immerse myself in that lifestyle as deeply as I can."

He concluded the video by saying he hoped it showed his willingness to get to the heart of a story.

A Channel 4 spokesperson said: "We are saddened to learn of the tragic death of this aspiring young journalist. Our thoughts are with his family."

Mr Halpin's friend of 10 years, Daniel Lake, said: "I was just talking to Lee on Saturday, having some banter talking about football and how excited he was about going out filming.

"Lee was a great guy, a character and was well known. His big things were creative writing and poetry ... He made the ultimate sacrifice trying to raise awareness about what was happening to other people."

Friends and supporters have left tributes on the Save Newcastle Libraries website, to which he was a contributor.

One said: "He was a credit to the North East and all he did was give."

Northumbria Police have arrested two men in connection with the death.

The men, aged 26 and 30, were arrested on suspicion of supplying a controlled drug and have since been bailed pending further inquiries.

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Measles Outbreak: Queues For Vaccinations

Parents have been queueing with their children at special vaccination clinics in Wales after a big jump in cases of measles.

Up to 20 new cases a day are being reported by GPs.

Health experts have issued an urgent appeal for parents to ensure their children have the vital MMR jab, repeating a warning that the contagious virus is a potential killer.

A total of 588 cases have now been confirmed. Some 109 new cases were reported over one week in the Easter period while there have been 40 new cases of the disease since Wednesday.

The latest measles epidemic is centred on Swansea, South Wales, and officials say it has underlined the need for children to have vital protection.

Health officials have estimated around 3,800 children in the Swansea area have still not had the MMR vaccine and parents are being asked to act.

Many concerned parents have visited vaccination clinics arranged for this weekend, as fears grow about the virus spreading to neighbouring areas.

Families queue outside a vaccination clinic in South Wales.

One mother of a 10-month-old boy told Sky News: "We've been told that babies between six months and a year are most at risk so that's why we've come to get him done early. We're quite concerned."

Public Health Wales warned before Easter that measles was spreading "at an alarming rate".

Dr Marion Lyons, the body's director of health protection, has repeatedly warned that measles can leave unprotected children brain-damaged or dead.

She said: "Measles cannot be taken lightly because you can never tell who will go on to develop the more serious complications of pneumonia or encephalitis (inflammation of the brain). MMR vaccination offers the only protection against these complications.

"We are starting to see parents bringing unprotected children to get vaccinated, showing that they're taking the outbreak seriously and have confidence in the jab as the best way of protecting their children."

But she added: "Unfortunately some parents are continuing to put their children at unnecessary risk of catching this potentially serious disease. They need to get their children vaccinated without delay."

The majority of the cases in Wales so far are in Swansea's Abertawe Bro Morgannwg and neighbouring Powys and Hywel Dda Health Board areas.

PHW is warning that the likelihood of unvaccinated children coming into contact with those already infected is increasing every day.

It says that those not vaccinated are highly likely to catch the disease and it is just a matter of time before a child is left with serious and permanent complications such as eye disorders, deafness or brain damage, or dies.

PHW is urging parents of children aged between one and 18 who have not been vaccinated to use the current school holidays to arrange vaccinations with their GP or go to a drop-in MMR vaccination clinic.

There are fears that the latest outbreak could be linked to low take-up of the MMR jab in the late 1990s when there was a scare over the safety of the vaccination. The claims were later discredited and the doctor at the centre of them banned from practising in Britain.

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London Shooting: Two Men Charged With Murder

Two men have appeared in court accused of shooting a teenager dead.

Natnael Tesfay, 20, and Christopher Aluma, 18, appeared at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court in London charged with the murder of Mohammed Hussein, 19.

They are accused of shooting Mr Hussein in Edmonton, north London around 9.45pm on Easter Monday.

Paramedics fought to save him but he was pronounced dead at the scene in Bounces Road.

A post-mortem examination found that Mr Hussein died from a single gunshot wound to the chest.

Tesfay and Aluma, both of no fixed abode, spoke only to confirm their personal details during the short court appearance.

They were both remanded in custody before a bail hearing at the Old Bailey on April 9.

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Devon House Fire: Teens Die, Boy In Hospital

Two teenagers have died and a young boy is in a serious condition in hospital following a house fire in Devon.

Police said the 17-year-old girl and 18-year-old man died from injuries sustained in the blaze at a property in Lee Close in Honiton.

The boy, aged three, remains in the specialist Frenchay Hospital.

Devon and Cornwall Police said: "Next of kin have been informed.

"Our thoughts are with family at this time and the investigation to establish the cause of the fire is ongoing. At this time the police are not treating the matter as suspicious."

Emergency services were alerted at around 7.50am on Friday.

A total of eight people were in the house when the fire broke out - seven members of a family and another person.

Five were taken to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, including a six-year-old boy and a man in his 30s, who were treated for smoke inhalation.

Three - the two teenagers and three-year-old - were flown by air ambulance to the hospital for treatment.

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India: British Woman Murdered In Kashmir

A second man is being questioned after a British woman was found murdered on a houseboat in Indian-administered Kashmir, police have confirmed.

The son of the owner of the houseboat where Sarah Groves, 24, had been staying for up to two months is helping police with their inquiries, according to Sky sources.

Miss Groves, from Guernsey, was found in a pool of blood on the vessel at Srinagar's Dal Lake, a popular tourist destination.

A police officer at Dal Lake, a popular tourist destination

Local police said the victim had multiple stab wounds all over her body and a knife was found next to her.

The first arrested man - a Dutch national aged in his 40s - was said to have smashed open the door of her room during the night.

He was picked up as he tried to flee the valley with only his passport, senior police officer Abdul Ghani Mir said.

Miss Groves' body is being sent for medical examination to determine whether she was sexually assaulted before being killed.

Speaking to Sky News India correspondent Alex Rossi, Irfan Shoda confirmed his brother Samir was being questioned and described finding the victim's body in the early hours.

Onlookers gathered near the scene of the murder

Superintendent Tahir Sajjad told AFP: "We walked into a pool of blood in her room. We found a sharp-edged knife close to her body. The young lady had multiple stab wounds."

The Dutchman was held at Qazigund, in south Kashmir's Anantag district, around 100km (62 miles) from the lake where Miss Groves' body was found.

He had allegedly fled in a small boat which capsized as he was trying to reach the shore, forcing him to swim.

Speaking near the murder scene, Deputy Inspector General of Police for central Kashmir Syed Afadul Mujtiba said: "There is one houseboat over here in which there were two tourists living.

"She has been living here, an English tourist, and a Dutch tourist arrived two days ago, and now today in the morning the dead body of the female tourist has been found with incision wounds, sharp-edged weapon wounds."

The woman was killed in Indian-administered Kashmir

The weeping owner of the Kashmir houseboat, named Hafeeza, said she was shocked by Miss Groves' murder.

She said: "She was very dear to me, she was just like my daughter."

The Foreign Office says it is in touch with local authorities and Miss Groves' family has been informed.

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Grand National: Auroras Encore Wins At Aintree

Ryan Mania has won on his first ride in the Grand National as he guided outsider Auroras Encore to a shock victory at Aintree racecourse.

The Scottish jockey gave a perfect ride to the 66/1 chance, beating home Welsh duo Cappa Bleu (12/1) and Teaforthree (10/1).

Auroras Encore showed stamina was his forte when he powered clear at the final fence and stormed up the run in to win by nine lengths.

"He gave me a dream ride, he's brilliant. I had the choice of two horses to ride, I wasn't sure which one to go for," said Mania.

Auroras Encore was ridden by Ryan Mania

"He loved every second of it, just class - he was second in the Scottish National last season. He made a couple of little mistakes then learned from them."

Auroras Encore's trainer Sue Smith was just the third woman to train a National winner.

"It's unbelievable, he gave him such a good ride," she said.

"I knew the ground was right for him and hoped everything else was. He stayed down the middle and had a bit of luck in running.

"I just feel sorry for the previous owners, who were wonderful and sold him because of ill health."

Mrs Smith, 65, trains 1,000ft up in the Yorkshire Moors in partnership with her husband, former British Olympic showjumper Harvey Smith.

After the shock victory, Mr Smith, said: "It's superb, absolutely spot-on."

A sell-out crowd of more than 70,000 gathered at Liverpool's Aintree racecourse to watch the 40 runners and riders compete in the world's most famous steeplechase.

Favourite Seabass, ridden by Katie Walsh and backed by a swell of public money in expectation of a first female jockey to ride a National winner, was never a threat.

Two other well-backed horses, On His Own under Katie Walsh's brother Ruby and Colberts Station with AP McCoy onboard, were among the 23 fallers.

The Grand National is worth £975,000 in prize money, making it one of the richest jump races in Europe.

Changes were made to the famous fences after four horses died in the last two years.

A spokesman for Aintree said: "Forty horses and jockeys returned safe and sound following the John Smith's Grand National."

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