5 live Investigates

As 5 live Investigates returns for a new series - Adrian Goldberg reports on a crisis in social care. With budgets slashed and demand soaring, charities say hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people are being cast adrift.

A former soldier wins Legal Aid in his fight to identify what caused his Gulf War illness. He's hoping to go to court to force the Ministry of Defence to reveal what it knew of the risks the vaccines given to soldiers being deployed to the first Gulf War might have posed. And Government figures reveal a sharp rise in the number of prison staff assaulted over the past year. What's causing the increase in attacks?

The legal loophole making it difficult to prevent parental child abduction. Cross-cultural relationships are on the increase - but when those partnerships break down, is enough being done to protect the interests of any children involved? And the small businesses identifying poor internet connections as a barrier to growth.

One in five disabled passengers don’t get the help they need to get off trains according to a survey by the Transport watchdog Passenger Focus. 5live Investigates hears stories from rail customers abandoned on empty trains and whisked away to places they don’t want to go to when the Passenger Assist scheme fails. The programme also hears concerns that targets to equip all passengers trains with facilities for the disabled by 2020 might not be met. Transport Minister Baroness Susan Kramer says the government is dealing with the fact that ‘for decades the needs of people with disabilities simply wasn’t recognised.’

5live Investigates joins the fraud squad in one of its biggest crackdowns on insurance fraud – the crimes that drive up everyone’s motor cover. Plus the son of a man killed in the Clutha Vaults helicopter tragedy in Glasgow says he can’t start grieving until he knows what caused the crash. He wants black box flight recorders to become standard in all helicopters.

Some charities could face sanctions if they use ‘aggressive’ telephone fundraising techniques says life peer Lord Hodgson. It follows a report suggesting more people feel harassed on the telephone and on the doorstep. MP Charlie Elphicke says some charities risk alienating their supporters and a former call centre worker reveals he quit his job when his conscience got the better of him. And 5live Investigates reveals how some local authorities are removing their clients from care homes because of neglect but are then failing to pass on this vital information to other residents.

An MP calls for tougher regulations around laser and lens replacement eye surgery and patients tell 5live Investigates about their experiences at the hands of high street providers. Steve Schallhorn, the global medical director for the market leaders Optical Express, tells the programme the company has millions of happy customers. Adrian Goldberg also asks whether local councils and the government be doing more to protect tenants from rogue landlords and tours a house investigated by the homeless and housing charity Shelter in Wolverhampton.

An investigation into the impact on children who witness domestic violence. New research shows more than half suffer physical abuse, emotional abuse or neglect. A quarter of the kids show abusive behaviour themselves towards others - as if copying the behaviour they've grown up with. The programme reveals specialist services which provide advice and support to these children are being closed because of funding cuts. The programme also looks at how a change in the law means thousands of homeowners can no longer afford to take legal action against companies they say are blighting their lives through unwanted smells and noise

Mental health services need to get the same investment, planning and attention that is given to physical health says NHS England. The admission comes after a 5live investigation reveals thousands of mental health beds have been lost and psychiatrists have not been paid for carrying out assessments. Young men are increasingly using dangerous steroids to help them get the 'ripped' look. A 5live investigation reveals thousands are injecting steroids - and putting their health at risk. Some are as young as 15.

A quarter of a million cars written off each year return to the roads. There are no checks on the quality of the repairs and one Police and Crime Commissioner believes they pose a risk to road users. 5 Live Investigates has identified a number of fatal accidents involving vehicles that had been written off following earlier crashes but had been repaired and returned to the road. Also is the solicitors regulator doing enough to weed out bogus law firms.

Fans need a greater voice in football club board rooms. MPs are calling for a change in the law to make it easier for supporters to buy a stake in their club. Also, the police in Greater Manchester are investigating concerns that young girls are being groomed for sexual exploitation in private clubs and Shisha bars.

A significant number of sex offenders leave prison without getting treatment, increasing the risks they will go on and re-offend, says the NSPCC. Also, one in 3 workers who win damages at an Employment Tribunal never receive a penny. Lawyers say it’s undermining the tribunal system.

Councils accused of continuing to fine motorists even when independent adjudicators say the warning signs are confusing. Also, the breast cancer scandal in the West Midlands. Lawyers raise questions about whether everyone who was treated by surgeon Ian Paterson has been called in to have their case reviewed. Mr Paterson was carrying out an unauthorised procedure that increased the risk that the cancer would recur.

Adrian Goldberg speaks to the families of vulnerable older people persuaded to invest tens of thousands of pounds in diamonds they never get to see and which can be marked up by up to 17 times what they’re actually worth. A former diamond ‘broker’ tells the programme about the tricks and high pressure tactics his company would use to get the people they cold-called to part with their cash. Plus, the adoptive parents who claim local authorities kept them in the dark about key information they needed to know about the children being placed with them.

Gene therapy is a pioneering branch of medicine that aims to treat disease using genes. But the treatment also has the potential to be exploited by athletes and their coaches seeking an unfair advantage. Adrian Goldberg hears from the medical experts bombarded with requests to share their secrets with professional sportsmen and women and asks if the authorities know enough to spot abuse. Plus: the leaseholders facing huge bills for repairs from their local authority freeholders.