General News

HC:   The Healthcare Commission has said that Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust could resume heart transplant operations following the trust’s agreement to implement additional safeguards to protect patients. 

Heart transplants at the trust were paused while the Commission undertook the review at the request of the Chief Medical Officer (CMO). The trust itself had raised concerns with the CMO, following the death of seven out of 20 heart transplant patients from January to September this year.  An eighth patient died following a heart transplant in October.

The Commission has made 10 recommendations to the trust to ensure that known risks associated with heart transplantation are minimised. The trust has accepted the recommendations and told the Commission that it
will put them in place with immediate effect.
Press release ~ Healthcare Commission ~ Papworth Hospital Report ~ Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust ratings ~ UK Transplant
 
CEL: The Centre for Excellence in Leadership (CEL) presented its strategy for sustainable development at the House of Lords recently. Towards leadership for sustainability sets out CEL's plans to help develop the capacity & capability of leaders at all levels in the further education sector to lead & support the embedding of sustainable development throughout their organisations.

The strategy was informed by two research projects conducted for CEL, one by Forum for the Future, and the other by a team from the Education for Sustainability Programme at London South Bank University.
Press release ~ Towards leadership for sustainability (2.6Mb) ~ Centre for Excellence in Leadership (CEL) ~ Leadership for sustainability: Making sustainable development a reality for leaders ~ Leadership for sustainability: The sustainable development challenge for leaders in further education (2.3Mb) ~ Forum for the Future ~ Education for Sustainability Programme at London South Bank University
 
FDA: Commenting on the decision by the Chairman of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to step down, Jonathan Baume, general secretary of the FDA, the union for senior public servants, said: 
"There has been a serious operational error, which should not have occurred.  Paul Gray was in no way personally responsible, but he has recognised that, as the most senior official in the department, the accountability ultimately lies with him.  His decision to take on this accountability is an example of British public service at its best….
Press release ~ Related BBC News item
 
MoD: A new web-based learning programme for schools has been launched - Defence Dynamics – which is an on-line resource for teachers that will offer an interactive library of material for lessons on many subjects in the core curriculum.
 
From the protection of sustainable fish stocks to the maths involved in navigating a fast jet, children can study core subjects using fresh & exciting examples based on real events and, at the same time, broaden their awareness & understanding of the role of defence in society.
 
By next month, Defence Dynamics will feature 40 complete lesson plans and accompanying stimulus materials for GCSE (and equivalent level) students across three core subjects - Science, Maths, English - plus Geography.  There are also two whole-school assembly plans provided for Personal, & Social Health Education (PSHE) teachers.
Press release ~ Defence Dynamics ~ Army Basic Skills Provision Whole organisation approach: Lessons learnt
 
TfL: As from 18 November 2007 Oyster pay as you go can now be used on London Midland services between Watford Junction & Euston and Southern services between Watford Junction & Clapham Junction and all stations in between.  This follows an offer by the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, to provide the funding to the train operators to install the system, which offers passengers quicker and more convenient journeys.
 
Around 80% of all Underground & bus payments in London are now by Oyster card and in the 3 years since its introduction, the proportion of cash payments on London's Underground and buses has fallen to just 3%.

Auto Top-up can be set up on line to ensure that passengers never run out our pay as you go money. When your balance drops below £5, it will automatically be topped up with either £20 or £40 next time you touch in on any yellow reader on Tube, bus, tram or DLR.
Press release ~ Oyster online
 
DfT: A pioneering new Government motorcycle helmet safety rating scheme which could save the lives of 50 riders a year has been officially launched by Road Safety Minister Jim Fitzpatrick. SHARP - the Safety Helmet Assessment and Rating Programme - will give an independent rating of how much protection a helmet can provide in an impact.  Helmets will be rated from 1 to 5 stars depending how well they perform in laboratory tests.
 
All helmets on sale in the UK must offer the wearer a minimum level of protection, but tests show there are real differences in safety performance.  SHARP's objective advice, based on rigorous testing, will help riders choose a safer helmet by measuring the extent to which a helmet exceeds the minimum standards.
Press release ~ SHARP - the Safety Helmet Assessment and Rating Programme ~ Motorcycle Instructor information ~ Bikesafe - Motorcycle Rider Safety ~ DfT - Motorcycling
 
CEL: The Centre for Excellence in Leadership (CEL) has published a compilation of ‘thinkpieces’ about the strategic significance of technology in the further education system. ‘e-Gazing: further horizons for leaders’ is CEL's second publication about the e-gazing aspect of leadership & elearning, and includes contributions from seven sector representatives.
 
An accompanying DVD features video clips of interviews with five of the thinkpiece contributors and twelve other leaders, experts and visionaries.
Press release ~ ‘e-Gazing: further horizons for leaders’ ~ Click HERE for printed version with enclosed DVD ~ Centre for Excellence in Leadership (CEL) ~ TechDis
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