Over a third of the children were still waiting for treatment, with more than 60,000 waiting over two years for help – an increase from over 44,000 children the previous year.

Fewer than one in five with suspected autism or neurodevelopmental conditions went on to receive treatment in 2024-25. Those who did waited, on average, a year for support.

Dame Rachel called the figures “stark”, saying that while there had been some improvements, with more children receiving support last year, it was hard to ignore the “colossal challenge” facing mental health services, as demand outpaces system capacity and funding.

She said there needed to be a shift in approach, with greater focus on joined-up services “across health, education and social care to ensure children are getting the help they need in schools and the community”.

The charity YoungMinds said it was extremely concerned about the additional barriers and waiting times some were experiencing, particularly by black and racially minoritised children and young people, as well as those referred to services with suspected autism or neurodevelopmental conditions.

The figures show that black and Asian children are underrepresented in referrals and that when they are referred, they are much more likely to be in severe distress or crisis.

One in four black children directed to children and young people’s mental health services were referred for being in crisis, compared with 16% of Asian children and 7.4% of white children – raising questions over why some children from ethnic minority backgrounds are not receiving help earlier.

Children from the poorest 10% of areas in England made up 15% of referrals, compared to 7.6% from the least deprived areas.

If you are suffering distress or despair, details of help and support in the UK are available at BBC Action Line

WHEN people think about improving their health, they often focus on exercise, diets or supplements.

While those things can all help, there is one simple habit that often gets overlooked – drinking enough water.

READ MORE: The simple rule I use to stay active when I have no motivation

It might not sound exciting, but water is one of the most important things for your health. It supports almost every function in the body and can have a big impact on how you feel each day.

One of the first things hydration affects is energy.

Many people feel tired during the day and immediately think they need more caffeine. In reality, they may simply need more water. Even mild dehydration can leave you feeling sluggish, less focused and lacking motivation.

Hydration also plays a big role in digestion.

Water helps move food through the digestive system and can help reduce issues such as constipation. If you often feel bloated or uncomfortable after meals, improving your water intake is a good place to start.

Another area where water is important is exercise recovery.

When we exercise, especially during warmer weather, we lose fluids through sweat. If these fluids are not replaced, recovery can be slower and you may feel more tired or achy the following day.

Water also plays an important role in joint and muscle health. Our joints need fluid to help them move smoothly and comfortably. When you are not drinking enough, you may notice more stiffness, especially first thing in the morning or after sitting for a while.

Muscles also rely on proper hydration to work well. Being dehydrated can increase the risk of cramps, tightness and fatigue. Simply drinking enough water can help your body move more freely and comfortably throughout the day.

Sleep is another area that can be affected.

If you are dehydrated, you may wake up feeling thirsty, uncomfortable or with a dry mouth. Drinking enough throughout the day helps support better sleep and can leave you feeling more refreshed in the morning.

One thing I often tell people is not to wait until they feel thirsty.

Thirst is one sign that your body already needs fluid. A better approach is to sip water regularly throughout the day.

During the summer months, hydration becomes even more important. Warmer weather means we lose more fluid, even when we are not exercising.

You can also include foods with a high water content such as cucumber, watermelon, strawberries and tomatoes.

Sometimes the most effective health habits are also the simplest. Water is a perfect example of that.

Officers from the Bolton North Neighbourhood Team were on patrol in Halliwell on Slater Street when they stopped a vehicle on Saturday evening (June 27).

Following checks, police discovered that the driver was disqualified from driving.

Further enquiries also revealed that the man was in breach of his bail conditions, which prohibited him from entering the Halliwell and Smithills areas.

The driver was arrested on suspicion of disqualified driving and breach of bail. His vehicle was seized at the scene.

He has since been charged and remanded in custody and is due to appear before Wigan and Leigh Magistrates’ Court tomorrow (June 29 June).

Vietnam is increasingly using broadly written laws to arrest activists, dissidents and others that authorities consider a threat to the Communist party’s rule, according to a new analysis released Monday by a human rights group.

The 88 Project, which focuses on rights issues in Vietnam, documented 56 such arrests in 2025, the third consecutive year of increases and double the number in 2022. The report includes only arrests where the defendant could be identified by name and the case tracked, and the actual numbers are believed to be much higher, said Ben Swanton, co-director of the group.

The report says the country under leader To Lam “routinely weaponizes criminal law” to quash dissent. To Lam, the country’s former top security official who has served as general secretary of the Communist Party since 2024, was also elected president earlier this year.

The arrests are largely driven by fears of an uprising against the leadership in a so-called “color revolution,” like the 2004 Orange Revolution in Ukraine, or the 1986 Yellow Revolution in the Philippines, according to the report.

It is a fear shared by the Communist Party in neighboring China, which has been accused of using similar tactics to stifle critics. Though competing maritime claims have led to confrontations between the two countries and a tense diplomatic relationship at times, China and Vietnam were able to agree earlier this year to together “prioritize political security and enhance efforts to prevent and resist color revolutions,” the Chinese state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.

“With the ascendancy of To Lam, the country has become a literal police state that tolerates no dissent,” Swanton said.

“This represents a serious regression from the period of relative openness in the 2010s when some dissent was tolerated and civil society groups were able to engage in policy activism.”

Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry did not respond to requests for comment on the findings of the report.

The report found that authorities are relying increasingly on Article 331 of Vietnam’s penal code, which makes it a crime punishable by up to seven years in prison to “abuse democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the state.”

Previously little used, “authorities have enlarged the scope and application of Article 331 so that it reaches further into society, beyond human rights and democracy dissidents … to all those who voice any grievance with state or local Communist Party and government officials,” New York-based Human Rights Watch wrote in a report last year.

“The Vietnamese authorities’ increased use of Article 331 is a little known facet of the government’s expanding crackdown on ordinary people who are seeking to use social media and other peaceful means to publicly raise important social issues, including religious freedom, land rights, rights of Indigenous people, and government and Communist Party corruption,” Human Rights Watch wrote.

Among those arrested under Article 331 last year were three men behind the YouTube channel “Nguoi Da Tin’ — The Messenger — on allegations that videos they uploaded were ”distorted content” that violated the statute, The 88 Project reported.

The report provides details of every arrest identified as politically related in 2025.

Those also included an activist for the minority Montagnard group who was arrested in Thailand and extradited to Vietnam, a dissident writer accused of spreading “propaganda against the state,” and a man who helped residents of Ha Tinh province file complaints demanding fair compensation for land expropriated for a new highway.

“The Vietnamese government has dealt alarmingly severe punishments to longstanding targets like journalists and human rights activists, while displaying an increasing willingness to attack groups previously thought safe, such as political exiles and legal petitioners,” the report said.

For many of us, the approaching summer holidays are a time for relaxation, vacation and spending time with loved ones, however, for some it can mean prolonged time with abusers.

I am very grateful to Chief Inspector Grieve for allowing me to take over his column this week to provide an overview of some of the work being undertaken by West Lothian’s Public Protection Unit.

For many of us, the approaching summer holidays are a time for relaxation, vacation and spending time with loved ones, however, for some it can mean prolonged time with abusers.

I want to make it clear that domestic abuse has no place in Scotland and on a daily basis we work with a variety of specialist charities and support agencies to provide assistance to domestic abuse survivors and by acting on evidence they provide we will proactively target those responsible for domestic abuse to bring them to justice.

It’s been over a decade since the introduction of the Disclosure Scheme For Domestic Abuse Scotland (DSDAS) and over the last ten years we have seen DSDAS applications within the Division continue to rise.

These applications are a formal process allowing individuals or concerned third parties to ask Police Scotland if a current or prospective partner has a history of abusive behaviour.

The scheme aims to protect potential victims and help them make informed choices about their relationships

This year the Division has processed 937 applications, an 8% increase from last year.

The upward trajectory of proactive disclosures by police and partners demonstrates the effectiveness of DSDAS as a preventative tool against domestic abuse.

We also continue to work in conjunction with partners to maximise safeguarding of families exposed to domestic abuse.

A new Scottish Governments initiative provides expert, trauma-informed advice, empowering women to regain their financial freedom by identifying unseen financial barriers to fleeing or reporting domestic abuse.

This scheme is called The Economic Abuse Helpline – The Purple Phone and calls can be made to 0343 841 0132.

The Public Protection Unit also works closely with West Lothian Women’s Aid (WLWA), who administer the Scottish Government’s ‘Fund to Leave’ on behalf of West Lothian partners, enabling survivors of domestic abuse safer transitions away from abusive situations, including financial assistance to overcome immediate barriers.

In addition, our Domestic Abuse and Rape Investigation Unit has worked in conjunction with Amazon to help support survivors fleeing domestic abuse.

Backpacks for adults and children were provided that contain practical items including mobile phones, toiletries, non-perishable food and games.

These have been shared with advocacy partners Domestic and Sexual Assault Team and WLWA to maximise distribution.

Additional training is being rolled out across Police Scotland’s Public Protection detectives to increase knowledge of honour-based violence and forced marriage, highlighting the importance of collaborative working to maximise safeguarding for children and adults at risk.

We know that early intervention is key to preventing domestic abuse and violence against women and girls.

As such, proactive educational inputs have been delivered at every secondary school in West Lothian to over 4500 pupils by PC Scott McCulloch.

His commendable efforts at tackling misogynistic behaviour, domestic abuse, consent and sextortion resulted in him being recognised as Police Officer of the Year.

We will continue to tackle domestic abuse and all incidents of violence against women and girls. If anyone needs to report an offence of this nature, please contact us via 101, or utilise or third-party reporting mechanism.

Don’t miss the latest news from the West Lothian Courier. Sign up to our free newsletter

Loyalty schemes and rewards programmes for the purposes of the research included those provided by supermarkets, major high street brands and retailers, major food and drink chains, local independent or small businesses, airlines, hotels, credit cards and cashback websites.

It follows strike action by consultants and specialist doctors last week

Resident doctors across Northern Ireland are to take part in a 24-hour walkout over pay.

The strike will start at 7am on Monday and go on until 6.59am on Tuesday.

Resident doctors in hospitals and GP surgeries will stage the action amid a demand for full pay restoration.

It follows strike action by consultants and specialist doctors last week.

The British Medical Association (BMA), a trade union and professional organisation which speaks for doctors, said that all doctors in Northern Ireland are in dispute with the Department of Health.

They said GPs are still in dispute with the department over the imposition of the 2025/26 General Medical Services (GMS) contract.

Dr Steven Montgomery, chairman of BMA’s Northern Ireland resident doctors committee (NIRDC), said they feel they have been left with no choice other than to strike.

“Pay erosion for resident doctors still sits at up to 20% since 2008 and we lag behind our colleagues in the rest of the UK and in the south of Ireland on pay,” he said.

“Add to that, growing patient numbers without the necessary number of doctors needed to meet this demand and pressure, alongside younger doctors looking to leave the health service to work elsewhere for better pay and working conditions.

“It is unfortunately a perfect storm for our health service.”

He added: “What does it say about our health service when all branches of practice in medicine are in dispute with the government?

“The health minister can bury his head in the sand about this problem all he wants but the numbers speak for themselves: there are not enough doctors to treat our growing, ageing population as our waiting list crisis demonstrates.

“We also know that over half of penultimate and final year medical students studying in Northern Ireland are either planning to leave the country or are undecided once they finish their foundation training, with poor pay cited as the main reason.

“These medical students – and us as resident doctors – are the future consultants, GPs and SAS (Specialty, Associate Specialist, and Specialist) doctors that the Department of Health is dependent upon to meet growing patient numbers and implement its plans for a neighbourhood model of care.”

Dr Montgomery has urged Health Minister Mike Nesbitt to “engage in meaningful negotiations towards pay restoration”.

“It is unacceptable that doctors – frontline health care staff – have been once again forced into the position of taking strike action to be heard, while government sits on its hands, counts on our goodwill and delayed pay uplifts to keep the health service going. This cannot continue,” he said.

“We join our consultant and specialist doctor colleagues in calling on government to step in and resolve this dispute with a credible offer to avert strike action and solve these disputes without delay.”

The Department of Health has been contacted for a response.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Warning: Distressing images are included in this article.

A strange online trend of heating ‘squishy’ toys in the microwave is leaving children permanently scarred.

Videos circulating online show the toys, which are soft and easy to squeeze, being heated to make them even softer.

But experts warn this causes pressure to build inside the squishy, increasing the risk it may explode and release the hot gel inside that can stick to the skin and cause severe burns.

The Royal Hospital for Children (RHC) in Glasgow has treated six children with injuries linked to the trend in the past eight months, with some needing skin grafts.

One of those injured was eight-year-old Joseph Erskine, from Clackmannanshire, who needed weeks of treatment and a skin graft after a toy burst across his chest and hand in May.

His mother Stephanie Ewing said: ‘My husband and I were home. We were sitting in the living room next door when Joseph came in holding a towel to his face.

‘He had already wiped off the burning gel which had also taken off his skin. He was saying that his squishy burnt him and we initially thought he meant a chemical burn. Then he told us that he had put it in the microwave.

‘We were shocked as it had never crossed our minds that he would do that with a toy. He has never used the microwave before.

‘One of us had heated something earlier and so the clock was already set at 40 seconds. Joseph just hit start.

‘It was that quick and easy for him.’

She said Joseph had seen the trend online and she urged parents to chat about it with their children and discourage them from doing something similar.

She added: ‘Joseph’s burn wouldn’t heal on its own and required a graft, where skin was taken from his thigh and applied to his chest.

‘He is normally such an active and sporty child with six clubs per week, but all of that is on hold until he heals.’

Her son must now avoid direct sunlight to the graft area for two years, which she said will be ‘tricky over the summer months’.

11-year-old Scarlet Rowe from North Ayrshire, was treated for burns to her face and eyelid after a similar incident in May soon after she received a squishy toy.

Her mother Gina said: ‘We didn’t realise what had happened at first, it just looked like slime on her face. It was only after a few minutes we realised it had been heated and was burning her skin.

‘The swelling was so bad that we weren’t sure what the outcome would be.

‘Thankfully, no graft was required but it is so close to her eye that this could have been a lot worse.

‘These toys are very popular and easy to buy, but we had no idea about the risks. We had only bought them that day.’

Burns specialists said injuries caused by heated squishy toys can be particularly severe because the gel inside can remain extremely hot and get stuck to the skin, prolonging the burn.

Sharon Ramsay, a burns nurse at the RHC, said: ‘Unfortunately, we are seeing a growing number of children with preventable injuries linked to this trend.

‘When these toys are heated, the contents can explode and stick to the skin, causing deep burns.

‘These injuries can be very serious and may require long-term treatment, including surgery and rehabilitation.

‘In some cases, children are left with permanent scarring. We strongly urge parents and carers to speak to their children about the risks.’

Healing and recovery from burns can take weeks or months and children who suffer them often need ongoing care including dressings, physiotherapy and scar management.

An urgent recall is in place Squishy Dumplings being sold by Samsons Cash and Carry after they were found to contain an excess concentration of benzene.

If inhaled, benzene can cause irritation to the eyes, nose and throat.

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Perhaps you might even blink twice as you spot Freddie Mercury having a mooch around Tynemouth Market. Even rock stars have to do something to unwind before a big gig.

Some of you might be shouting at paper, ‘Why man there’s nee way Bono would be at the Fish Quay’…well, let me explain.

Today, you can indeed see a galaxy of stars, including the ones I have mentioned, at Percy Park RFC in North Shields, for…drum roll…. Fake Festival.

READ MORE: Alfie Joey returns to Ushaw Gardens

As the blurb to the gig says, ‘Rock to the magic of the superstars, without the supersonic ticket price’.

Just a quick glance through the North East listings alone, tribute acts have never been more popular. The Bootleg Beatles are heading to Sunderland’s Keel Square on Friday, August 28, with support from Not The Rolling Stones.

Wherever in the region you live, it looks like you’ll not have to wait long before a top notch tribute act trundles into town.

‘What about South Shields?’ Definitely South Shields. You can enjoy Talon – The Best Of Eagles or The Fleetwood Mac Legacy, both at The Customs House Theatre this autumn.

‘Any chance of Whitney or Phil Collins coming to Darlo Alfie?’ Got you covered. Coming soon to The Hippodrome, Seriously Collins – The Tribute to Phil Collins & Genesis, and in September, Queen of the Night; A Tribute To Whitney Houston.

And finally, later this month at Middlesbrough Town Hall you can catch Sabbotage (Black Sabbath Tribute) and Jimmy Nail….oh, that is actually the real Jimmy Nail, (well worth a watch by the way!!)

My own personal favourites, and I think this should be a prerequisite to being allowed on the tribute circuit, are the ones with brilliantly clever, puntastic names, Robbing Williams, Fake That, Lindesfaren’t (thanks to Ray Laidlaw for that one) and all the way from Wales, ABBA-gavenney (I made that one up).

The Three Tonnes Pub, Sherrif Hill in Gateshead, is renowned for the best named array of doppelgangers and musical mimics. I love seeing the chalk board outside, advertising Gateshead Pie Festival with Bon Geordie providing entertainment.

The one I read as I cycled past the other day nearly had me falling off my bike. Inappropriate for a family newspaper but still laugh out loud funny. The less serious they take themselves, the more eccentrically British the genre is.

We know they are not the real thing, they know they are not the real thing, and yet for a couple of hours everyone agrees to suspend disbelief and sing along anyway.

ITV’s Stars in Their Eyes turned singing impersonations into primetime family entertainment and working men’s clubs have long welcomed turns who could shape shift into one of their heroes.

What has changed is the scale (and sometimes the price). As I’ve mentioned, some tribute shows now tour major theatres and dominate the programming in many provincial art centres.

Some play outdoor festivals the size of which the original artists might not have even played to. Of course, we go because they may be the nearest some of us ever get to seeing the original acts perform live.

Tribute acts offer nostalgia without the eye-watering ticket prices, familiar songs without the stadium queues and security checks and a chance to relive a favourite era with our pals.

So if you spot Bono admiring a fresh catch at the Fish Quay or Dave Grohl waiting for the Metro, say ‘break a leg’, from me. Tell them I have been paying tribute to…the tributes!

Facts and Footnotes

• Björn Again, was formed in Melbourne, Australia, in 1988 and have performed together much longer than Abba did.
• Stars in Their Eyes, was originally hosted by Leslie Crowther and later Matthew Kelly.
• The Bootleg Beatles were formed by London cast members of Beatlemania, following the final show of the West End musical in 1980.

“The review will also examine improvements and reforms that can be made to the non-domestic rates system, seeking independent advice and working closely with business to ensure the system works well, and to provide the clarity, the confidence, the incentive and the transparency businesses need.”