Guidance Notes and Best Practice Guides
FSA: 77% of people are not aware that bread & breakfast cereals are among the daily foods that contribute most salt to our diet, a new Food Standards Agency survey reveals. The survey’s publication marks the launch of the latest stage of the Agency’s work to reduce people’s salt intake.
The salt levels of these foods vary across brands, so the campaign encourages people to reduce the amount of salt we eat by checking labels on foods and choosing those that are lower in salt. Too much salt can lead to high blood pressure, which triples the risk of heart disease & stroke and doubles the chance of dying from these diseases. SACN have confirmed that the population as a whole would benefit from reducing their intake to a maximum of 6g per day.
Press release ~ Check the label by phone ~ Salt Omnibus Survey: 2009 ~ SACN’s report, Salt and Health (2003) ~ Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN)
CLG: ‘Drowning’ in the toxic smoke of a house fire is the risk you take if you do not have a working smoke alarm. That is the stark message being delivered in the new 'Fire Kills' advertising campaign launched by the Department of Communities and Local Government.
Two to three breaths of toxic smoke will affect your ability to breathe, a sensation similar to drowning, as shown in a new advert. Just 2 - 3 breaths and you're unconscious. The aim of the campaign is to encourage a long term behavioural change in the public so that weekly testing of their smoke alarms becomes a habit.
Fire & Rescue Services in England offer free home fire risk checks to identify potential fire risks and advise what to do to reduce or prevent them. This may even include the free installation of a smoke alarm.
Press release ~ Directgov: Fire Safety in the home ~ The 'Don't Drown in Toxic Smoke' advertising campaign ~ CLG – Fire and Resilience
HMRC: Many people who are entitled to a cash increase in their income are missing out simply because they assume they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit (WTC), HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has claimed. HMRC has therefore set up an online calculator enabling anyone who thinks they might be eligible for WTC to quickly find out for sure whether they are likely to be entitled - and by how much.
The average amount of WTC unclaimed is £1,600p.a., so some people will qualify for significantly more. WTC is payable to people who are in work & on a low income and you don’t have to have children to qualify.
HO: The UK Border Agency has published revised guidance for employers & education providers who sponsor migrants under the points-based system and has enabled education providers to use the sponsorship management system for the first time.
The sponsor guidance has now been split into separate documents for employers (Tiers 2 & 5 of the points-based system) and for education providers (Tier 4). Both guidance documents, together with a list of changes from the previous guidance, can be downloaded from the page of this website.
DH: Football legends John Barnes, Ian Wright, Gianfranco Zola and teams from the Premier League have teamed up with the NHS to launch Smokefree United, a virtual club of quitters that provides coaching & support to help football fans & players to stop smoking.
In addition to quitting advice, footballers & fans who sign up for Smokefree United will receive motivational emails from football hero Ian Wright encouraging them to stop smoking, as well as the chance to win money-can’t- buy prizes such as the chance to play a game on the pitch of the team they support.
According to new research conducted on behalf of the NHS Stop Smoking Service, 41% of male smokers in England play football and 82% of them are concerned about the effect smoking has on their performance and want to quit.
Newswire – IDeA: After 10 years of celebrating & sharing, the Beacon Scheme is ending. It is being replaced by the Local Innovation Awards Scheme, which rewards partnerships that can demonstrate how their innovative services bring real benefits to citizens. The new scheme is now open for entries and applications close at 5pm on Tuesday 27 October 2009.
The aims of the scheme are to:
* identify, acknowledge and spread innovation & excellence
* raise standards by promoting best practice through peer learning & knowledge transfer
* improve services to make a real difference to quality of life and life chances for individuals & communities
* give national recognition to local, frontline services & partnerships.
Newswire – GC: The Gambling Commission (the Commission) and the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) are backing a new leaflet designed to help landlords keep poker legal in their pubs. The Commission has produced the leaflet titled - Poker in pubs: advice on allowing poker in alcohol licensed premises - as part of a campaign to educate the licensed alcohol trade about the law on equal chance gaming.
Low stakes poker is permitted in pubs as long as stakes are kept below £5 a head and £100 per premises per day. A significant number of poker leagues operate legitimate low stakes poker around the country, but there is some evidence of restrictions being breached.
Press release ~ British Beer and Pub Association ~ Poker in pubs: advice on allowing poker in alcohol licensed premises ~ The Gambling Commission
FSA: The Food Standards Agency has launched a ‘Safer food, better business’ (SFBB) pack especially for childminders. Many childminders are now covered by food safety regulations and the pack has been designed to help them comply with these regulations with as little paperwork as possible.
It is based on the same principles as the other SFBB packs, but it is shorter,and has advice tailored to childminders, including information on feeding babies & children, cooking, cleaning, chilling and looking after a child with a food allergy.
Press release ~ Childminders ~ Safer food, better business ~ Children ~ Weaning your baby ~ Safer food, better business’ (SFBB) pack-To order a copy, Tel. 0845 606 0667, or email: foodstandards@ecgroup.co.uk
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