Recently added articles from Consumer Policy Review:
Consumers and risk
Nov 01, 2008; ... Rebecca Owen-Evans of Which? introduces this edition of Consumer Policy Review, asking how risk to consumers can best be managed by policymakers This issue of Consumer Policy Review focuses on consumers and risk, with authors examining a range of topics from public health to personal ...
Consumers should be heard
Nov 01, 2008; ... As the government announced the formation of UK Financial Investments Limited, to look after taxpayers' interest in government-backed banks, Louise Hanson, Head of Campaigns, Which?, said: 'Consumers have been knocked left, right and centre by higher mortgage costs, more expensive ...
Consumer victory
Nov 01, 2008; ... As the Competition Commission announced its 'provisional decision on remedies into the PPI market' Peter Vicary-Smith, Chief Executive, Which? commented: 'This is a huge victory for consumers who have often felt pressured into buying expensive and inadequate PPI products. The ...
Costly credit file errors
Nov 01, 2008; ... The best mortgage and credit card deals have become more difficult to get, but by spending just £6 checking their credit files consumers could improve their chances and potentially make big savings, said a new Which? report. A survey found that 16 per cent of Which? members who had checked ...
Beauty must face up to nano
Nov 01, 2008; ... Nano materials are being used in a wide range of cosmetic products despite unresolved issues surrounding their safety, a new Which? report has found. Leading brands are developing materials in nano form as they offer new properties which can bring benefits to consumers, but some nano ...
Hospital canteens in poor health
Nov 01, 2008; ... Hospitals have often been criticised for the quality of patients' meals, but Which? has found that hospital canteen food fares little better. Which? sent dieticians to test catering facilities at 21 hospitals across the UK. Against Food Standards Agency (FSA) guidelines, 18 of the 21 ...
Storing up problems
Nov 01, 2008; ... Professor Peter Kopelman, Principal, St George's, University of London, argues that the risk posed by obesity necessitates action now The obesity 'epidemic' presents a great risk to public health, with projections in the Government Office for Science's Foresight report suggesting that ...
Digital marketing to youth: an emerging threat
Nov 01, 2008; ... Jeff Chester, Executive Director of the Center for Digital Democracy, and Dr Kathryn Montgomery argue for decisive action on digital marketing Much of the debate on the roles that media and advertising have in the youth obesity crisis has focused on television. In this article the ...
Time for an extra jumper?
Nov 01, 2008; ... Fiona Cochrane of Which? argues that consumers need more and better information if they are to positively impact their energy usage While the recent increases in energy prices have brought about an increased awareness of its cost, consumers currently have little, if any, understanding or ...
Long-term care insurance: reducing consumer risk
Nov 01, 2008; ... Dominic Lindley of Which? looks at how best to reduce the risks for consumers in purchasing insurance that will assist them with ongoing care In the previous issue of Consumer Policy Review, a range of authors examined the subject of long-term care, looking at ways in which society could ...
Fixing the care and support system: issues to address
Nov 01, 2008; ... Jane Vass of Age Concern puts forward essential considerations for reform of the long-term care and support model, arguing for systemic change In the second of two short articles on the risks and future funding of long-term care, Jane Vass of Age Concern argues that the current care and ...
Recent developments
Nov 01, 2008; ... To 13 October 2008 Health and safety 18 September Cases of the hospital superbug MRSA halved between 2004 and 2008, Health Protection Agency figures show. Recent Scottish figures on the Clostridium difficile (C.diff) superbug show the number of deaths in which it was ...
Long-term care: issues for the consumer
Sep 01, 2008; ... Rebecca Owen-Evans of Which? introduces this edition of Consumer Policy Review, focusing on issues relating to long-term care and their implications for consumers This issue of Consumer Policy Review focuses on long-term care, examining a range of different consumer aspects. As the UK ...
Seeing the light on laser regulation
Sep 01, 2008; ... In JuIy 2008 over thirty patient groups, medical bodies, cosmetic clinics and industry representatives joined forces with Which? to oppose Government plans to deregulate laser cosmetic treatments. The groups signed a joint letter to Health Minister Ben Bradshaw MP, calling on him to halt plans ...
The best medicine?
Sep 01, 2008; ... Unsuitable and potentially dangerous advice is being given by counter staff in some pharmacies, according to an undercover investigation by Which?. The consumer organisation got unsatisfactory advice, according to an expert panel, on a third of their test visits. However, some aspects, such as ...
Information vs. advertising
Sep 01, 2008; ... Which? is spearheading an alliance of nine groups urging the European Commission to ditch plans that could significantly increase the NHS drugs bill. This autumn the Commission will considerplans to relax the current ban on marketing prescription drugs to the public by allowing ...
Putting consumers on the agenda
Sep 01, 2008; ... During party conference season Which? launched its own manifesto - 'Consumers vote: priorities for the next government', highlighting the issues it believes the political parties should tackle. New research shows that consumers are feeling neglected. A third of the population think that ...
Consumers get little satisfaction
Sep 01, 2008; ... As the spotlight grows on energy suppliers, Which? revealed that they are the lowest-performing of all industries covered by the consumer group's satisfaction surveys over the past 1 2 months. In the first ever energy supplier satisfaction survey from Which?, five of the big six companies ...
Consumer-focused regulation
Sep 01, 2008; ... This arride looks at what people want from social care services and how the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) has put people who use services at the heart of all the organisation's work. It discusses why involving people matters, and what impact it makes on the quality of care ...
Who is the consumer? The case for family members
Sep 01, 2008; ... Increasingly consumers of long-term care are expected to contribute to part or all of the costs of their care and plan ahead to meet those costs. They must make a choice between different providers of care, judging price and quality against their means. This is often in an environment where ...