Five things you need to know in Yorkshire today

1. Social care system leaving elderly a risk and care providers on the brink

A study from the King’s Fund and Nufield Trust has found that the elderly are suffering the effects of financial cuts as private care providers are struggling to stay afloat. The study found that elderly care is dependent on where they live and their wealth as opposed to their level of need. Staff shortages have left many homes “under unprecedented pressure” and are at risk of collapse. Local authority spending on care for older and disabled people has fallen by 11 per cent in the past five years.

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2. A trip to the optician saves 13-year-old’s life

Thirteen-year-old Becky Crossthwaite went to what she anticipated to be a regular check up at the optician’s office, but what the doctor found that day saved her life. Kiran Lally, owner of Hunslet Carr Vision Centre examined Becky’s eyes and found swelling of the optic nerve at the back of her eye. Ms Lally said the swelling was caused by a condition called papilledema that also cause a buildup of fluid around the brain. Becky and her mum had it confirmed by doctors and were shocked to find the papilledema was the cause of a brain tumour the size of a golf ball at the back of her brain. The 13-year-old underwent a three hour operation to drain the fluid from her brain. Doctor’s are waiting for test results to determine whether the tumour was cancerous.

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3. Lineker, Norton and Vine ‘to head up BBC rich list’

The BBC will publish the salaries of its stars earning more than £150,000 a year to make licence fee spending more transparent. The corporation is set to disclose more than 100 of its best known faces by next summer, but have said it already paid its stars less than other broadcasters. Gary Lineker, Graham Norton, and Jeremy Vine are expected to make it onto the list. Details are expected to be published next summer in the 2016-2017 annual report. A government source has spoken out to say the licence fee payers have right to know how their money is spent.

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4. Yorkshire trio help GB surpass London’s golden figures

Yorkshire star athletes Kadeena Cox, Hannah Cockcroft, and Karen Darke won gold yesterday at the Rio Paralympics helping Team GB surpass the London 2012 haul of gold medals. Paralympics GB ended the sixth day of competition with 34 gold medals, a haul that was achieved on the 11th day in London 2012. Kadeena Cox won her second gold medal and Halifax’s Karen Darke took a gold as well as Steve Bate and Adam Duggleby.

5. Family determined to raise asthma awareness after loss of 16-year-old.

After the death of Sherburn-in-Elmet teen Jack Bairstow, his family is now raising awareness of the dangers of asthma in his memory. The sixteen-year-old boy collapsed while shopping for clothes in Selby on September 2. Jack’s family is now working with a charity to raise awareness that asthma is often a silent killer. Ashley Flay, Jack’s older brother, has set a goal to raise £2,500 for the charity through his Justgiving.com page.

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