Daily roundup: Hospital profits, welfare reforms and parents on play

High-profile NHS hospitals in England are being encouraged to set up profit-making branches abroad to help fund services at home, the BBC reports. The Department of Health wants hospitals such as Great Ormond Street to work in partnership with foreign governments that want access to British-run health services. Great Ormond Street, which already runs some services in Dubai, said the investment generated from overseas work would help improve children’s health in England.

A charity in South Derbyshire is investing £100,000 to help young people who will be affected by changes to the benefits system next year, says the Burton Mail. Reach: The People Charity believes changes to the welfare system coming into force next October could have an adverse impact on vulnerable young people, leaving many out of pocket. The charity’s “rent relief fund” has been established to give financial support to under-25s will no longer be eligible for certain benefits or those who will see a reduction in total benefit payments under the universal credit.

A survey of more than 2,000 parents conducted by Ribena has found that nearly 80 per cent of mums and dads believe that children should play for fun, rather than to achieve any particular goal. Despite 97 per cent of parents saying outdoor play was important, only 36 per cent said that they play with their child outside. A further 17 per cent of respondents admitted to buying toys and video games to entertain their children and take the pressure off themselves.

A 20-year-old mother has been jailed for 15 months for leaving her baby home alone every day for a week while she went out drinking, according to the BBC. The woman from Powys in Wales admitted neglect of the 15-month old while she went out at Christmas. The court heard how she left the girl in her cot and would go home every day to give the baby breakfast cereal and a microwave meal before going back to a friend's flat to continue partying. Judge John Curran said: "You may have gone back to the house on occasions but the fact is you neglected her for a very long time."

The Wiltshire Independent Visitor Scheme is looking for volunteers to visit, listen to and support young people living in care, This is Wiltshire reports. Wiltshire Council, who help run and fund the scheme, is looking for volunteers aged over 21 who communicate well with young people and understand their issues and interests. Independent Visitors support young people living in care who have little or no contact from their parents or family. The scheme is particularly looking for volunteers in the Devizes, Salisbury and Warminster areas, and male volunteers are currently under-represented.

The Royal College of Midwives is preparing to update its guidance to recommend that midwives delay cutting the umbilical cord at birth, according to the Daily Mail. Current guidance from the college and the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence suggests that the cord is cut and clamped within 30 seconds of the birth to protect babies from excess exposure to the synthetic hormones given to mothers to speed up labour. But recent studies have found that delaying the procedure by a few minutes has significant health benefits.