Newspaper review: Papers appalled about health failings

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23311146

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The papers are appalled that a report to be published on Tuesday will set out failings at 14 hospital trusts in England, where it is estimated 13,000 patients died needlessly over recent years.

The Sun describes the finding as a damning indictment of standards in the NHS.

The NHS is meant to be our pride and joy - it shouldn't be killing us, it says.

The Daily Mirror says it cannot imagine the agony of families who fear their loved ones were among those judged to have died unnecessarily.

For the Daily Telegraph it is impossible to imagine any other walk of life where thousands could die needlessly without a political backlash of monumental proportions.

Equality plea

According to the Daily Mail, supermarkets and newsagents are to be told to abolish checkout "guilt lanes" that tempt shoppers with sweets and treats.

Public Health Minister Anna Soubry tells the paper that cynical store layouts are creating problems for the parents of young children.

She says retailers should make it easier for shoppers to make the right choices, not harder.

The host of this year's Open championship, Muirfield, comes under strong criticism in the Times for its policy of denying membership to women.

The paper urges officials to reconsider their policy and allow anyone who wants to play the course to do so.

If not, it adds, golf's governing body should warn Muirfield, along with Royal St George's and Royal Troon, that it cannot be expected to be awarded The Open in future.

Sad decline

The Daily Telegraph reports that there has been a sharp rise in the number of charity shops on the High Streets of the most prosperous towns, fuelled by independent shops going bust.

It focuses on one High Street, in Orpington, south-east London, which has 12 charity shops.

The Daily Mail says the street has become a magnet for bargain hunters from far and wide.

But in other ways, the paper adds, it stands as a symbol of the sad decline of Britain's local shopping districts.

Several front pages have pictures of England's cricketers jumping for joy after their narrow win on the dramatic final day of the opening Ashes Test.

The Sun says no other Ashes match has ended with an off-the-field umpire relying on new technology to make a decision.

The Daily Mirror describes the Test as a stunning start to the Ashes summer.

Who would dare call Test cricket boring now, the Guardian asks?

Advert criticised

Finally, the Plain English Campaign has dismissed a job advert placed by a bus company in newspapers and on the internet as gobbledegook.

It is for a "passenger assistant" who must be a "good face-to-face communicator" with "customer-facing experience".

Applicants have to be fit enough to stand for long periods and are asked if they have "the kind of personality that made the Olympic gamesmakers so successful".

A spokesman for the campaign group tells the Daily Mail that the advert would be a lot clearer if it said "Wanted: Helpful bus conductor".