AUDIO: Southern Cross care 'will continue'

Landlords owning all 752 care homes in the Southern Cross Group have said they want to leave the group.

Former NHS Trust chairman Roy Lilley, an independent health policy analyst, explains the background of the story Christopher Fisher, chairman of Southern Cross, discuses what will happen to the 31,000 elderly residents currently looked after by the healthcare group.

Mr Fisher said: "Throughout this period the continuity of care in the homes has been our first priority and we will achieve that outcome."

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Vegetables For Lean Muscle Growth?

Is there anything green leafy vegetables can't do for you?

We already knew that eating plenty of vegetables reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes. Vegetables can also help you to maintain a healthy weight and they protect against inflammation.

But research now shows that vegetables are also fantastic for building strong, lean muscle mass.

According to a study published last February in Cell Metabolism -- and summarized in Science Daily -green leafy vegetables can help the mitochondria in body cells, including muscle cells, work more efficiently. What are mitochondria? Sometimes mitochondria are called the "power plants" of the cells. They are the organelles that produce energy so that cells can operate properly. They also convert molecules of food nutrients into energy that the entire body can use.

When you eat plenty of spinach, parsley, kale, or other green leafy vegetables, you provide your body with nitrates that make your mitochondria work better and cause you to need less oxygen during your workouts. In other words, you can work out more comfortably, without feeling as though you are gasping for breath.

You'll also have more energy as you go about the rest of your day, but I suspect you'll notice that energy the most during your workout!

You can't reproduce the effect of eating a big green salad by taking a supplement (in case you were thinking of it!). Nitrates in food need to be processed by bacteria in your mouth in order for the body to make efficient use of them. In fact, the bacteria in your mouth play such an important role in processing nutrients that scientists are now speculating that powerful antibacterial mouthwashes could block the effects of green leafy vegetables.

Green leafy vegetables are also high in glutamine, an amino acid that is often taken by body builders as a supplement. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, and protein helps the body to build muscle mass. Believe it or not, green leafy vegetables are fairly good sources of protein, though you'll want other protein sources in your diet as well. While glutamine can be supplemented, you will get other benefits, such as the effect of the nitrates on your mitochondria, not to mention the fiber in your vegetables, if you get your glutamine from dietary sources, such as parsley, spinach, and asparagus.

However, if you really don't care for salad, there are alternatives. One is to juice your greens in a smoothie.

Try this simple recipe:

Fill a blender halfway with spinach, and then add three bananas and two cups of water (and as much ice as you'd like). Puree and you'll have a sweet green smoothie, that won't taste like spinach no matter how green it looks. You could also add some red beets, which are also high in nitrates.

Vegetables are helpful for muscle-building at any age, but they are especially important for older adults. A 2008 study showed that an increase in the blood plasma content of carotenoids (the substances that produce vibrant colors in vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale, collard greens, and tomatoes) is connected with higher hip, knee, and grip strength in older adults.

The same year, a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition noted that older adults who had increased levels of potassium in their urine also had higher percentages of lean muscle mass. Potassium, a mineral which is important in muscle contraction and relaxation, can be found in chard, spinach, kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, squash, eggplant, and tomatoes. In general, the greener and leafier the vegetable, the better or, in the case of a nongreen vegetable, the more vibrant the vegetable's color is, the better.

Certain vegetables will also protect your muscles from damage incurred as the result of exercising to the point of exhaustion. Overdoing exercise can cause a decrease in the antioxidant capacity of muscle tissue. But according to a 2009 study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, eating cruciferous vegetables was associated with an increase in the antioxidant capacity of muscle tissue after acute exhaustive exercise. In other words, eating your vegetables regularly will mean that your muscle tissue will recover faster after an intense workout.

To think that these are not the only benefits of eating vegetables! As you must know (unless you've been living with your head under a rock), vegetables (and fruits for that matter) are also powerhouses of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. This is a subject for another day, but green leafy vegetables are actually better, more bioavailable sources of calcium than milk and, therefore, can play a critical role in protecting your bones, as well as your muscles. Again, I have to ask -- is there anything green leafy vegetables can't do?

Written by Brett Warren, a biochemical research scientist based in Boston, Massachusetts. He puts his expertise to work on a daily basis by developing sports supplements for Force Factor. Brett loves weightlifting and working out at the gym almost as much as he loves his job. In addition to his work with Force Factor, Brett spends lots of time with his family hiking, biking, and enjoying the outdoors.

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British Gas puts energy bills up

8 July 2011 Last updated at 12:31 British Gas director Ian Peters said the rises were fair and justified

British Gas, owned by Centrica, is putting up its domestic gas and electricity prices from 18 August.

Gas bills will rise by an average of 18% and electricity bills by an average of 16%.

The change will affect nine million households with the average dual fuel customer paying an extra £190 a year.

The company blamed the rising wholesale cost of gas, which has gone up by 30% since last winter.

British Gas managing director Phil Bentley said its bills were being driven higher by the fact that the company buys 50% of its gas on the international wholesale market.

"We are buying in a global energy market and have to pay the market rate," he said.

"Rising wholesale costs is an issue facing all energy suppliers," he added.

The company said it had been selling energy at a loss for the past three or four months.

"After we put these prices up we will be making a fair return," Ian Peters, a British Gas director told BBC News.

"We are investing in the future energy supply of the UK... and energy efficiency in our customers' homes," he added.

'Healthy profits'

Centrica had already warned that it was likely to raise prices this year.

In May, the company said its customers were not paying enough to reflect the increased cost of gas on the wholesale markets, and that this would depress its profits for the first half of the year.

But this argument was rejected by Mike O'Connor, the chief executive of Consumer Focus.

"Wholesale costs have gone up but they are still around a third lower than their 2008 peak," he said.

"Yet in this time British Gas' prices alone have risen by around 44% on gas and 21% on electricity and suppliers have made healthy profits."

Last year, British Gas' residential business made £740m.

Spending squeeze

In June, Scottish Power became the first of the big-six energy suppliers to announce another set of price increases.

It said it would raise the cost of gas by 19% and the cost of electricity by 10% at the start of August.

The latest increase in energy bills, which is likely to be followed by other big energy suppliers, comes after a round of increases last winter which saw British Gas put its charges up by 7% in December.

"Average household bill for a dual fuel British Gas customer will now go up from £1,096 to £1,288," said the price comparison service Uswitch.

"In total, British Gas customers will have seen their bills shoot up by £258 or 25% within a year, taking them from £1,030 a year to £1,288," Uswitch added.

Richard Lloyd, of the consumers' association Which?, said the energy firm's announcement was an unwelcome move.

"Many people are already having to cut back on essentials because of the rising cost of living, and with energy bills rising further, this could be a cold winter for many," he said.

The Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Chris Huhne, said the increasing burden of energy bills highlighted the need to move away from generating electricity by burning gas and coal.

"The UK electricity market has to change, so that we escape the cycle of fossil fuel addiction," Mr Huhne said.

"Alternatives like renewables and nuclear power must be allowed to become the dominant component of our energy mix. "

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Cheque use will not be scrapped

12 July 2011 Last updated at 18:28 Cheque use has dropped sharply since its peak in 1990 The banking industry will not scrap the use of cheques after all, it has been announced.

The Payments Council, a banking industry body, had been planning to replace them by 2018.

However, after widespread criticism from MPs and charities, it has now decided they will be kept "as long as customers need them".

The Payments Council admitted it had been forced to change its mind by the weight of public opinion.

Richard North, the chairman of the Payments Council, said: "It's in the DNA of the Payments Council to consult and listen to all those people who actually make payments and use cheques."

"Listening to over 600 stakeholder groups, working with the banks and following our appearance before the Treasury Select Committee, we have concluded we should reassure customers that the cheque is staying."

Strong defence

The decision was described by the Nationwide building society as a victory for the consumer and a common sense approach.

"Scrapping cheques would have had serious ramifications, not only for the elderly and most vulnerable in society, but also for small businesses and charities that rely on this payment method," the society said.

Continue reading the main story 1.1 billion cheques issued in 2010Use of cheques has fallen by 70% since 1990Further 40% fall expected in the next five yearsThe industry's search for a "paper-based" alternative to cheques, announced only last year as a way of accommodating critics, has also been cancelled.

"All work to prepare for closing cheque clearing in 2018 has stopped," the Payments Council said.

"Because the cheque is continuing, there is no need for a new type of paper-initiated payment," it added.

Continue reading the main story

We are delighted that the Payments Council has listened to the many people who said how difficult the loss of cheques would be for them”

End Quote Michelle Mitchell Age UK Criticism of the industry plan reached a peak this year, with a hostile reception for the idea given by the Parliamentary Treasury Committee of MPs in April, and severe criticism from Mark Hoban, Financial Secretary to the Treasury, in June.

He said there was no "credible and coherent case" for the abolition of cheques before an alternative had been fully tested.

Last year 1.1bn cheques were used, but this represented a 40% decline over the past five years and a 70% fall over the past 20 years.

Andrew Tyrie, chairman of the Treasury Committee, welcomed the Payments Council's decision.

"At last the Payments Council is concentrating on the right thing: making the existing cheque system faster and cheaper to operate. This will benefit both banks and customers," he said.

Michelle Mitchell, charity director at Age UK, said: "We are delighted that the Payments Council has listened to the many people who said how difficult the loss of cheques would be for them."

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Delivering tragedy?

Scam mail has been arriving in Britain's letterboxes in a steady stream for years, targeting the most vulnerable and robbing many of their savings. But what role does Royal Mail play in getting it to your front door? Panorama's Tom Heap reports.

Last year alone, Royal Mail delivered 1.7bn pieces of junk mail to British homes.

And while local authorities grapple with the cost of disposing of the masses of paper involved amid squeezed budgets, others worry about a darker side of the Royal Mail's letters business - the delivery of scam mail.

Scam mail letters are sent by fraudsters from overseas countries who try to persuade people to part with money on false promises of winning cash prizes.

If a victim replies to one of these "tempter letters" their name can end up on a so-called "suckers list" of vulnerable people that can then be sold on to criminals all over the world.

These cons are estimated to cost their victims £2.4bn a year and have prompted one MP to call for a change in the law so that scam mail can be intercepted as it enters the UK.

Once scam mail has entered the UK postal system Royal Mail have a legal obligation to deliver it.

'Local look'

But a BBC Panorama investigation has highlighted that Royal Mail owns 33% of the Netherlands-based company that is enabling large amounts of the scam mail to get into Britain.

Spring Global Mail handles vast amounts of mail for legitimate international business, but it is also being used by scam mail fraudsters. The balance of the company is owned by the Dutch postal service, Post NL.

Worrying for some critics is the "local look" service offered by Spring Global and Royal Mail whereby letters from abroad bear the Royal Mail postmark and have no trace of their overseas origins.

Fraud investigator Detective Chief Superintendent Steve Head of City of London Police said the Royal Mail logo is seen by some victims as a stamp of legitimacy.

Most scam mail comes from abroad but carries a 'local look'

"I think the downside is that when people get that and they see that Royal Mail brand, that brand counts for something," he said. "That whole idea that in actual fact there is this local look, somehow gives that mail that kind of credibility."

Mike Haley, director of the National Fraud Authority, which is working with Royal Mail to tackle the issue, said more needs to be done.

"We're trying to make Spring Global and Royal Mail more aware of the human tragedy that this type of fraudulent mail impacts on victims. I think they need to understand the terrible consequences of delivery of this mail to some people."

Marilyn Baldwin, whose late mother Jessica Looke was scammed out of £50,000 after becoming addicted to scam mail, said in her mother's case, the Royal Mail stamp of approval was a factor in her belief that the scams were real.

"My mother used to say, it isn't a scam, it's genuine. This is the Queen's mail."

She said Royal Mail has a responsibility to society's most vulnerable.

"The Royal Mail are delivering, in effect, coach loads of criminals to the houses of elderly and vulnerable people. They are the link between the victim and the scammer."

Big business

In a statement, Royal Mail said it was working closely with police to stop scam mail from entering the system: "We very much understand the upset and disquiet that scam mail can cause households across the country, including vulnerable people.

"We do not want our postmen or women handling or delivering mail that causes harm. We have made significant progress in our efforts to root out scam mail as we intensify our drive against it."

Royal Mail said it has acted on complaints to halt distribution of some scam mail and is following up other leads to put a stop to even more.

Tom Heap turned his family's junk mail into a briquette for the fireplace

"If this turns out to be scam mail harmful to the recipients, we will stop it, irrespective of the cost and loss of revenue to Royal Mail," the statement said.

Spring Global said it too is working closely with police and other agencies to prevent scam mail slipping through. Of the "local look" postmarks, it said in a statement: "Local look is a recognised international marketing activity to prepare mail with a foreign postal indicia. This happens across the world and not just in the UK. The vast majority of companies using such a service are legitimate businesses that are looking to reduce costs and improve response rates."

Since January, Spring Global said it has worked with the Metropolitan Police and Royal Mail to get an estimated 6m items of scam mail out of the system.

Legitimate junk mail - or advertising mail - is, according to Richard Hooper, who authored a report for the government on Royal Mail's future, central to the financial viability of Royal Mail.

Mr Hooper found that income from legitimate advertising mail accounts for nearly a quarter of Royal Mail's letters business - £1.3bn out of a total of £5.4bn.

"The supreme irony is that without advertising mail, you would not have a universal postal service," he said.

Rubbish issue

Local councils are facing the cost of getting rid of the 1.7bn pieces of advertising mail which come through our letterboxes each year.

In Cornwall alone, the local council estimates that 4,000 tonnes of junk mail from various sources are ending up in landfill every year - enough to fill about 500 dustcarts that amount to about 3% of the overall waste Cornwall dumps into landfill.

Esther O'Bearagh, from Cornwall council, said it costs around £700,000 to landfill junk mail each year.

"It's quite incredible when you start doing the maths," she said.

Even if all that junk mail were successfully diverted to the recycling box, the cost to the county would sill be close to £500,000 a year at around £119 a tonne.

And it is a scenario that is believed to be replicated across the UK.

The Direct Marketing Association defended the junk mail onslaught, pointing out that sales due to junk mail amount to £16bn a year.

Executive Director Chris Combemale said more than half of the UK population made a purchase as a result of a piece of direct mail last year.

"I don't really like the phrase junk. Junk is untargeted, unuseful, unvaluable."

Royal Mail said junk mail accounts for 0.4% of average household waste in the UK.

Panorama: Why Hate Junk Mail? BBC One, Monday, 4 July at 2030 BST and then available in the UK on the BBC iPlayer.

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VIDEO: Is inflation good or bad?

11 July 2011 Last updated at 20:48 Help

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VIDEO: 'Crash for cash' caught on tape

With an average rise in car insurance premiums of nearly 40% in the past year, Panorama infiltrated a "crash for cash" ring to investigate how criminals are a factor in steep premium hikes and the compensation claims industry is adding even more to the cost of being on the road.

Declan Lawn reports.

Panorama: The Great Car Insurance Scandal, BBC One, Monday, 11 July at 2030 BST and then available in the UK on the BBC iPlayer.

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