5 Live Investigates

Adrian Goldberg hears from patients struggling to see an NHS neurology specialist as separate reports warn of issues across the UK. We reveal figures showing the number of consultant neurologists able to deal with conditions ranging from migraine to Parkinson's lags far behind the rest of the EU and hear from an MP who says services are not fit for purpose and getting worse.

Adrian Goldberg reveals a new report which describes the commissioning of palliative care for children with life-shortening conditions as 'patchy and inconsistent'. The report highlights the lack of specialist services at weekends and overnight when many parents need it most. We hear the moving stories of parents struggling to get the right support for the weeks, months or in many cases years that they are caring for their children - and the desperate financial situation they can be thrown into when their child dies.

Adrian Goldberg meets the child footballers trapped by eye watering transfer deadlocks and whose careers are held to ransom by some of the game's biggest clubs.

Download the podcast: bbc.co.uk/podcasts/5live.

Experts have told 5 live Investigates that tens of thousands of drivers are breaking the law by driving diesel cars without crucial particulate filters. They're known as DPFs - or diesel particulate filters - and they stop harmful particles of soot from entering the atmosphere. But they get clogged up and can affect car performance. What's more, they can cost thousands of pounds to replace - so drivers have them removed. The programme also reveals how the MOT test which is designed to detect the removal of DPFs isn't fit for purpose.

UK taxpayers are funding billions of pounds worth of research into life-changing drugs - only to be told they can't have them when they need them. 5 live Investigates has seen new research which shows that the NHS spent more than a billion pounds last year alone on medicines which were developed using our money - and those were just the drugs that were deemed affordable. Many more which have been researched and developed with taxpayer's cash aren't made available to patients because they're regarded as too expensive. The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry says drug companies invest billions in the research and development of medicines over long periods.

Download the podcast: bbc.co.uk/podcasts/5live.

Figures obtained by 5 live Investigates show reported hate crimes against disabled children are rising. Police forces across the UK recorded 450 incidents reported last year, up from 181 in 2014-15, 5 live Investigates found. The Home Office says the rise was due to better reporting and more victims willing to come forward.

Adrian Goldberg uncovers a rise in the number of patient attacks on mental health workers over the last five years. Figures obtained by 5 live Investigates show a 25% rise in assaults on staff.

Incidents over that time include a healthcare assistant who was stabbed to death; a member of staff whose finger was bitten off and a nurse who had boiling water thrown in their face.

Last year there were over 40,000 cases, and the number in England alone has increased by more than a third. Adrian speaks to those at centre of the story and finds out what is being done to reduce the numbers.

Download the podcast: bbc.co.uk/podcasts/5live.

The Victims' Commissioner Baroness Newlove has told 5 live Investigates she is launching an investigation into the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority over concerns it is failing the most vulnerable victims in society. Two of the UK's biggest charities tell the programme that hundreds of victims of child sexual abuse could suffer further psychological damage because of delays in reviewing compensation claims. Ten weeks ago the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) promised an 'urgent' review of cases in which payments were refused because victims were deemed to have consented to their abuse. Barnardo's and Victim Support have accused CICA of 'victim blaming' and say delays in reviewing the cases could cause further distress. The programme hears from those who've been affected and those who are trying to changes the way CICA works. The Ministry of Justice says victims who have been groomed should never be treated as if they consented and it's is vital that victims get access to the compensation they deserve.

More and more lorry drivers are manipulating the on board computers which measure their driving time - putting their lives and the lives of other road users at risk. The DVSA has told 5 live Investigates there has been a 21 per cent increase in the number of drivers caught using cheat devices. But the so-called 'interrupters' don't just allow drivers to drive tired - they stop speedometers and anti-lock braking systems from working which could have catastrophic consequences on the roads.

The number of UK fire and rescue staff taking long-term sick leave due to mental illness has risen by nearly a third over the last six years a according to figures obtained by 5 live Invesigates. In London, fire staff taking leave for conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder has doubled since 2011-12. 103 London fire staff have taken mental health leave this year, some after working at the Grenfell Tower tragedy. London Fire Brigade Borough Commander Richard Welch talks about how firefighters coped when confronted with the horrific scenes inside. And former firefighter Andy Graham tells the programme how his life has been haunted by some of the incidents he's attended during a 30 year career.