Lloyds TSB profits, Soldiers suffer and NHS hospitals are dirty ... just another day really

NCD News: Lloyds TSB profits, Soldiers suffer and NHS hospitals are dirty ... just another day really - 28.09.09

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Lloyds TSB profits, Soldiers suffer and NHS hospitals are dirty ... just another day really: >>>> Research this week from Saga has shown that more over 50's are choosing private health insurance due to concerns about standards of cleanliness in NHS hospitals. 68% felt that NHS hospitals lacked good hygiene practices and just 10% said they were happy with how clean their NHS hospital was. One third of respondents would not want to receive visitors in an NHS hospital, yet 90% would in a private hospital. The reasons given for choosing private healthcare included being able to choose a consultant, peace and quiet and having a private room.

>>>> An enterprising community support officer has taken a step too far by threatening motorists that the police will contact their insurer if they leave valuables in their cars. The officer took the action to draft the letter without the proper consent from his superiors and it was not in line with usual policy. The Yorkshire police force have said they will not send the letters but will issue a friendly letter of advice to the car owners to not leave valuables in sight.

>>>> Lloyds TSB Insurance have reported a 40% increase in profits for the first half of 2009. The reported figure is £1.32bn. They have also reported £2bn in assets and an investment return of £708m. This is despite the challenging economic environment, them being largely owned by the government and the fact that the EC is trying to undo their merger with HBOS!

>>>> 3 men who were injured in an RAF helicopter crash are seeking compensation from the MoD. They are seeking £300,000 each as they say they were forced to leave the Army due to their injuries. The crash circumstances have been investigated and it was deemed by the CPS that is was not necessary to pursue a case. The MoD say they will pay the compensation if they have a legal liability to do so. 9 other people were injured in the crash and 3 people died.

>>>> A new electronic claims system for road accident compensation has been introduced. The system will be used for compensation claims between £1000 and £10,000. The victim can log details online and the insurer has 15 days to either accept or reject the claim. A further 20 days is available for counter offers and negotiations. It is expected that 80% of the claims made per year will be resolved in this way. It should speed up what is a very slow process currently. 400,000 people are injured on our roads each year.

>>>> The Justice Secretary Jack Straw, has released a paper today titled "Controlling Costs in Defamation Proceedings". The Government worked closely with the Civil Proceedings Rules Committee and representatives from the media, the legal profession and insurers. It is hoped that it will prevent the current problem with defamation cases being settled out of court due to huge costs to the defendant. It allows the defendant to have notice of any After the Event insurance being taken out and a 42 days cooling off period before the premiums on these policies would start. This means that the defendant will not be liable for these costs should they lose the case.

In addition, the judge in the case is expected to keep track of the costs of the case, they should be proportionate and to an agreed budget. This is just the first step in a longer process of making defamation cases fair to both sides and to encourage freedom of speech for journalists. †