The use of restraints on adults with learning disabilities has risen by 50% in hospitals, figures show. Restraints in this setting were used a total of 15,065 times in England in 2016, according to data obtained by BBC Radio 4's File On 4, rising to 22,620 in 2017. The use…

More needs to be done to help the UK's seven million carers and improve the current system that waits for them to ask for help, which is usually when they are already "on the brink of a crisis", a report has warned. Healthwatch said its findings paint a "stark picture"…

The rise in legal orders giving control over finance, property and welfare safeguards for adults without the capacity to make their own decisions is “concerning”, a watchdog has said. Guardianship orders in Scotland rose 12% to 13,501 between 2017/18 and the previous year, a Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland report…

Two people have gone on trial accused of murdering a woman who has allegedly not been seen for more than 18 years. Margaret Fleming (pictured) was reported missing in October 2016 from her home in Inverkip, Inverclyde, but it is claimed she has not been seen since December 1999. Edward…

More than one in 10 Scots report having two or more symptoms of depression, after a “steady and significant rise” in the number struggling with the condition. A total of 11% of those questioned for the 2017 Scottish Health Survey had at least two symptoms, compared to 8% in the…

A London-based nurse who used voodoo threats to traffick vulnerable women from Nigeria to Germany to work as prostitutes faces the possibility of an increase in her 14-year prison sentence. Solicitor General Robert Buckland is going to the Court of Appeal on Thursday to challenge the jail term handed out…

The Government will commit to end the "modern-day injustice" of poor mental health at a global summit in London, after it emerged one in eight mental health staff left the NHS in a year. Politicians, health experts and policy makers over the globe will meet in October to drive action…

A homeless man who was found dead in a graveyard had been sprayed with paint three days earlier in a separate assault, police have said. Flowers and cards have been left by the wall in Normanby, Middlesbrough, where red paint could still be seen at the spot where the man…

People in Scotland’s most deprived neighbourhoods are almost a quarter more likely to die alone at home than others, new research says. The research says those living in the most deprived neighbourhoods are 24% more likely to die alone at home than those in the least deprived areas. Those living…

The mother of a vulnerable man who died after being restrained by police has said she is "devastated" that no charges will be brought over his death. Leon Briggs, 39, died after being restrained by officers in Luton, who held him under the Mental Health Act in November 2013. The…

A cleaner who stole more than £53,000 in relief funds intended for the victims of the Grenfell fire has been jailed for three years and two months. Antonio Gouveia (pictured) claimed for 289 days at a £155 a night hotel, as well as cash handouts and food allowances, by claiming…

Unsuitable accommodation is exacerbating the conditions of social housing tenants with pre-existing mental health problems, according to new research. Mental health charity Mind found that the difficulties those with mental illnesses face navigating the social housing system are hindering their recovery or worsening their conditions. The charity surveyed 2,009 people…