Most hospitals unsafe for children, report finds

· Medical training and child abuse safeguards lacking · Clinics may have to shut, says healthcare watchdog

Hewitt approves seven PFI hospitals at cost of £1.5bn

Patricia Hewitt, the health secretary, gave the green light yesterday to plans for seven new hospitals to be built under the private finance initiative at a cost of £1.5bn.

Patients of Job

The law fails to protect NHS staff from assault, says Shelley Jofre.

Part of Ashworth special hospital will become jail to ease crisis

A disused wing of Ashworth special psychiatric hospital on Merseyside is to undergo a £19m conversion in an attempt to cope with a renewed surge in jail numbers.

Blair and Hewitt defend hospital closures

The prime minister and the health secretary visited a London heart hospital facing closure today to justify controversial NHS reforms.

Patients win right to keep records off NHS computer

The government concedes patients should be allowed a veto on information about their medical history being passed from their GP to a national database.

How new rules caught one hospital in debt trap

· Model PFI hospital faces one of the biggest deficits · Treasury's accountancy rules prove a nightmare