Original version

BBC Radio 4 FM

BBC Radio 4 is a radio channel that started transmitting on the 30th September 1967. It replaced BBC Home Service.

BBC Radio 4

Radio 4

Radio 4 (FM)

You and Yours

Magazines & Reviews

Factual: Consumer

BBC Radio 4 LW

You and Yours: HIV Testing, Power of Attorney, Energy Credit

HIV Testing, Power of Attorney, Energy Credit

12/10/2016

BBC Radio 4 - You and Yours, HIV Testing, Power of Attorney, Energy Credit

HIV testing, power of attorney and energy credit.

Consumer affairs programme. HIV testing, protecting elderly relatives from scams and getting your money back from energy suppliers.

An investigation by You & Yours has found that hospitals and GP practices in England and Scotland are flouting guidelines and failing to carry out routine tests for HIV. Health charities are warning that it could be causing needless deaths and putting the wider public at risk. Modern treatments allow most people who are HIV positive to live long and healthy lives, with little risk of passing it on to anyone else. Best practice guidelines agreed by a raft of UK health organisations say patients in areas with high rates of HIV should routinely be tested when registering with a GP or being admitted to hospital. But research carried out by You & Yours, suggests that the majority of local authorities are not funding the tests.

If an elderly relative starts to spend money irrationally, or in a way that is out of character, what powers do you have to intervene and stop them? You & Yours has heard from one woman who was worried about her father's spending and when she eventually gained Power of Attorney over his affairs, discovered that more than £10,000 had disappeared from his bank account. We investigate what people can do if they feel their relative is becoming vulnerable to scams.

More and more You & Yours listeners are getting in touch to tell us how energy suppliers are hanging on to large amounts of their money. If people build up a large credit on their gas and electricity account and ask for a refund, then energy firms must pay up. But they aren't required to let you know when your balance becomes excessive. We have heard from people who discovered their energy supplier was sitting on two or three thousand pounds of their money.

Producer: Jonathan Hallewell
Presenter: Louise Minchin.

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

You and Yours

HIV Testing, Power of Attorney, Energy Credit

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC Radio 4 FM

About BBC Radio 4