Daily roundup 1 December: Mental health, healthy eating, and reading ability

Thousands of mental health patients are being wrongly placed in police custody because of a lack of hospital provision, Rethink Mental Illness has claimed. The charity has raised concerns after a 16-year-old girl from Devon spent two nights in custody because there were no mental health beds in the country. Mark Winstanley, chief executive of the charity, told the Times it was “far from an isolated incident”, caused by services not existing or being overstretched.

Labour will consider introducing a limit on fat, salt and sugar in children’s food, the shadow health secretary has said. The Guardian reports that Andy Burnham wants more "radical action" on childhood obesity because the “status quo simply isn’t working”.


A new report by the National Literacy Trust recommends that children should be encouraged to use e-readers to improve their reading abilities. The Telegraph reports that tablet devices could be particularly beneficial for boys from poorer families, according to the trust.


Students could tip the balance of power at the next general election, a study has suggested. The BBC reports that research by the Higher Education Policy Institute found they could affect the outcome in about 10 constituencies, but reveals that many students are not registered to vote.


The cost of childcare in Scotland is a "route to in-work poverty" for many parents, according to a report. According to the BBC, Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) estimates the average cost of putting a child aged between two and five in nursery for 25 hours a week at £5,307 a year - a rise of 8.2 per cent in the past year.