Latest UK news

Health professionals get £6 million boost
The government has announced a £6 million package to support the training and careers of health professionals. The National Health Service plans to increase the number of therapists and other health professionals by 6,500 by 2004. Recruiting and keeping ethnic minorities is seen as crucial.

Ministers cleared over SQA fiasco
The Scottish Parliament’s enterprise and lifelong learning committee has in effect cleared ministers of blame for the Scottish Qualifications Authority’s examinations fiasco, which left thousands of candidates with incomplete, inaccurate or missing results. It condemned the SQA as “fundamentally negligent”.

Scots ignore health risks
Cigarettes, alcohol and lack of exercise still take their toll on Scots, according to the Scottish Health Survey. A three-year study by Sir Michael Marmot of University College London of 13,000 Scots found that 62 per cent of men and 54 per cent of women were overweight and that almost a quarter of adults reported cardiovascular problems.

UK first for masterly communications
The United Kingdom's first masters degree in corporate communication is being run by UMIST’s Manchester School of Management. Its backers include Reuters, Tesco and BAE Systems. Paul Jackson, professor of corporate communications, said advances in information technology often do not improve communication.