Since 1991, a total of 29 trusts and health authorities have been found to have broken health and safety laws. Last year, Surrey Heartlands trust, Premier Health trust, Community Health Sheffield trust, Leeds Community and Mental Heath trust, Gloucestershire Ambulance Service trust, Eastbourne Hospital trust and Swindon and Marlborough trust all breached the law. Horton General Hospital trust is the only trust to have breached the laws in 1998 so far. 5 June, col 407

Just over 59,000 of an estimated 60,500 GP practice staff were members of the NHS pension scheme at February 1998, suggesting a high take-up of their recently acquired rights to participate in the scheme. However, the government has no plans to open the scheme to those practice staff who are not directly employed by GPs, including GP co-operative staff. 9 June, col 543 and 17 June, col 258

A social services white paper due in the summer is 'expected' to outline government plans to develop joint training between health and social services staff, junior health minister Paul Boateng said. 11 June, col 686

A draft bill outlining a revised scheme for recovering NHS cash spent on treating victims of road accidents will be introduced 'as soon as parliamentary time permits', said health minister Alan Milburn. He added that there were no plans to extend the recovery of NHS costs to those responsible for accidents in the workplace or elsewhere. 17 June, col 258