WIREDGOV NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE

DH:  The more we talk about it, the less there is to fear - A new campaign, which aims to increase early diagnosis rates for dementia across England by tackling the public’s fears of talking about the condition, has been launched recently by the Department of Health with support from the Alzheimer’s Society.

The A Day to Remember campaign is part of the Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia.  It will encourage people to have that first ‘difficult conversation’ with a friend or family member when they spot the signs and symptoms of dementia and encourage them to visit their GP.

New research shows:
* 50% of people say they would find it hard to talk about dementia to someone they thought might have it
* 33% say that personal concerns would discourage them from talking about dementia with a friend or relative
* 63% of people would not be confident telling the difference between the signs of dementia and the normal signs of ageing
Press release & links ~ PM’s Challenge on Dementia & related links ~ NHS Choices: Dementia ~ Alzheimer’s Society: Top Tips ~ Worried about your memory? ~ Report renews calls for early diagnosis of dementia ~ Dementia Commissioning Pack ~ Route Map for Dementia Research ~ Dementia 'not being diagnosed' ~ Dementia champions start work ~ ScotGov's dementia strategy ~ Alzheimer Scotland ~ Standards of Care for Dementia ~ Promoting Excellence ~ Scotland's National Dementia Strategy: One Year On Report ~ National Dementia Vision for Wales ~ Alzheimer’s Society in Wales ~ WAG – Dementia services ~ Acute hospital care could be on the brink of collapse, warns RCP ~ 2.3m fewer overnight hospital stays needed if all areas perform as well as top 25% ~ Bespoke dementia information packs launched to reassure dementia sufferers ~ Transforming health & social care for people with dementia ~ JRF challenges society to think differently about ageing ~ Dementia: The early warning signs ~ Dementia Talking ~ DH: The new ‘normal’ reality of an aging population (2nd item) ~ NAO:  Symptomatic of the general level of efficiency in the NHS? (2nd item)

ICOClouds don't obscure the fact that the law is clear, if it’s YOUR data, it’s Your responsibility - The Information Commissioner’s Office has published guidelines to businesses to underline that companies remain responsible for how personal data is looked after, even if they pass it to cloud network providers.

More & more businesses are looking to use cloud computing, with the economies of scale they offer giving access to a range of computer technologies & expertise that would be difficult to afford in-house.  But data protection regulator ICO is concerned that many businesses do not realise they remain responsible for how the data is looked after, even after passing it to the cloud network provider.
Press release & links ~ ICO's guidance on the use of cloud computing ~ ICO:  Its about time Councils started to make this a disciplinary offence for the officer(s) responsible at Chief Officer level  (2nd item)

CO:  Government is open to business - The Open Data User Group (ODUG) has called on developers and the open data community to ‘submit requests for the release of data they believe will have commercial & social benefits and contribute to economic growth’.  The call comes on the day that the UK takes over as lead co-Chair of the international Open Government Partnership (OGP).

Anyone with an interest in accessing public sector information can submit a request to the ODUG using a new online form at data.gov.uk since last week.

As part of the UK Government’s drive to make public data more widely available and support economic growth, the Met Office is beginning a consultation with application developers on its new DataPoint weather data visualisation app to further refine the service.  NB: Links to Forum (inviting comments) will appear on DataPoint website in next few weeks.

Currently, in its beta release, DataPoint is a way of accessing freely available Met Office data feeds in a format that is suitable for application developers.  It is aimed at professionals, the scientific community and student or amateur developers, in fact anyone looking to re-use Met Office data within their own innovative applications.
 
Press release & links ~ Assembly Open Data Project Aimed at App Developers ~ Digital Agenda: awards for creative reuse of open data ~ OS Open Data ~ Location of pharmacies ~ National Public Transport Access Nodes (NaPTAN) ~ GIS and Location services ~ Proposals for the ground breaking midata programme ~ Committee publishes report on implementing the transparency agenda ~ Ordnance Survey provides expertise internationally ~ Open Data White Paper ~ Open Government Partnership

COAs the rains start up again - The Cabinet Office, in partnership with the Business Continuity Institute and Emergency Planning Society has worked to produce the new ‘Business Continuity for Dummies’, an essential ‘survival’ guide for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).  Reducing the risk from emergencies allows SMEs to go about their business more freely and with confidence that they can manage challenges they may face.

Written with SMEs in mind, the guide acknowledges that smaller businesses just do not have the money, time and resources to prepare for disruptions, yet the cost of dealing with them when they do arise can be significant. 

The guide provides simple, and for the most part inexpensive, ‘how to’ measures to deal with difficulties ranging from being let down by one of your key suppliers all the way through to major disruptions caused by challenges such as flooding, severe weather and a pandemic influenza outbreak.
Press release & links ~ Business Continuity Institute ~ Emergency Planning Society ~ Download a sample chapter ~ Further detail on Contingency & Resilience ~ Business Continuity Management in the Fire and Rescue Service ~ Humanitarian Assistance in the UK: Current Capability and the Development of Best Practice ~ Buncefield website ~ Recommendations on land use planning and the control of societal risk around major hazard sites ~ Preparing your business ~ Business Link: Crisis management & business continuity planning ~ Talking Business Continuity ~ National forum for risk management

BISHelp is a click away when choosing a university course - Students applying to university will have more information at their fingertips than ever before to help them make choices about courses and where to study.  

A new website has been launched that features a standardised set of data called the Key Information Set (KIS).  The completely revised Unistats website provides extensive information for over 31,000 courses in the UK, including student satisfaction ratings, graduate salaries & employment, tuition fees & financial support, and the cost of accommodation.
Press release & links

RoSPA:  Entry is as easy as ‘falling off a ladder’ - The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents has launched its awards scheme for 2013 and organisations of all sizes & types are invited to enter using a new online process.
The RoSPA Occupational Health and Safety Awards scheme, which is the largest & longest-running occupational health & safety awards programme in the UK, has a fully online entry process for the first time.  All entrants must register for the awards by 3 December 2012.
Press release & links

DCMSWho says there is no funding for culture? - Public libraries are being encouraged to apply for Arts Council England grants to support projects with cultural organisations.  ACE wants the fund to inspire ambitious & innovative partnerships that will encourage library users and those living locally to get involved with arts and cultural activities. 

The Grants for the arts Libraries fund, which will invest £6m of National Lottery money, opened for applications last week and will run until March 2015.
Press release & links

Information Security Management - Latest White Paper Urges Cultural Shift to Mitigate Data Loss, Security Breach and Non-Compliance - Based on PWC’s survey of 600 leading European organisations, a recent study highlights an urgent need for a change in employee behaviour and a cultural shift among senior executives if organisations are to mitigate risks including data loss, non-compliance and security breach.
 
The report also highlights areas where mid-sized organisations are exposed to risk and provides recommendations for them to be better prepared. The Information Risk Maturity Index highlights a set of measures that, if put in place and frequently monitored, will help protect the digital and paper information held by an organisation.
 
The full PWC report is now available along with related public sector case studies highlighting improved security and compliance and addressing challenges such as:

*   The sheer complexity of managing hundreds of thousands of files
*   Records stored in many disparate locations and facilities of varying quality
*   Assuring the security and integrity of sensitive documents
*   Meeting government-imposed access targets


Click here
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