WIREDGOV NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
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Ebola & Terrorism are not the only ‘threats’ out there |
New FREE online training course launched to help members of the legal & accountancy professions develop the skills they need to protect themselves & their clients from cyber-attacks. It will also enable them to advise their clients on how they can protect themselves from information breaches and other threats that could potentially cost them £ms. |
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Forget the ‘Mansion Tax’; tax the big corporations where they sell goods |
The EC has opened an in-depth investigation to examine whether the decision by Luxembourg's tax authorities with regard to the corporate income tax to be paid by Amazon in Luxembourg comply with the EU rules on state aid. |
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Sound in Body AND Mind |
The Deputy PM has announced that treatment for mental health conditions will ‘be brought into line with other NHS services with the introduction of the first ever waiting time standards’. From April 2015, most patients needing talking therapies – for conditions like depression – will be guaranteed the treatment they need in as little as 6 weeks, with a maximum wait of 18 weeks. Treating psychosis rapidly can improve patients’ chances of recovery & potentially save £44m each year in hospital admissions. |
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Like ‘flipping a coin’ at a general hospital |
All people admitted to hospital with suspected acute heart failure should receive treatment from a dedicated specialist heart failure team, according to NICE. An audit has found that 50% of patients admitted with heart failure in England & Wales ended up in non-specialist wards, and had a 54% greater chance of dying as a result. To improve care & reduce variation in treatment, NICE has produced new guidance on the diagnosis and management of acute heart failure. The guidance recommends that all hospitals admitting people with suspected heart failure should provide a specialist heart failure team that is based on a cardiology ward & provides outreach services. In addition, they should ensure that all people being admitted to hospital with suspected heart failure have early & continuing input from a dedicated specialist heart failure team. |
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Something ‘constructive’ to do in at the weekend or in retirement? |
The government is strengthening the public’s ability to scrutinise local councils by ensuring they get the data they deserve through the local government transparency code so they can play a bigger role in the local democratic decision making process. It will become a legal requirement for councils to help taxpayers scrutinise their work. |
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Reducing the Deficit and boosting the Third Sector |
The Government Estate Strategy sets out plans to reduce the number of government buildings in central London by more than 80% and move more workspaces to the London suburbs. Moving half of London-based civil servants away from Whitehall could save taxpayers £bns by 2030. For instance, it costs £35,000 per year to base someone in Ministry of Defence Whitehall headquarters, compared to £3,000 at the UK Visas and Immigration offices in Croydon. If you’re an SME, charity or social enterprise, you may be able to use government workspaces free of charge. Visit Space for Growth for more. |
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Hear & Say on the same level as everyone else |
People with hearing or speech impairments can now hold faster, more fluent telephone conversations thanks to a 'next generation' text relay service, which is now available. Text relay enables people with hearing or speech impairments to communicate with others over the telephone. A relay assistant acts as an intermediary to convert speech to text (& vice versa) for the two people in conversation. All landline & mobile telephone providers are making it available to their customers. Ofcom has published a new consumer guide to text relay to help users make the most of the additional service benefits offered. |
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See clearer in the Cloud |
Crown Commercial Services are holding a series of webinars to help both new & existing G-Cloud customers gain a clear understanding of the G-Cloud procurement process and how to efficiently & effectively use the new Digital Marketplace, which has replaced CloudStore. Each webinar will start at 2pm and typically last an hour. |
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Clarity about regulations is always welcome |
This joint NHS Clinical Commissioners (NHSCC) and Monitor webinar will highlight how commissioners can use the regulations in place to help enable commissioning strategies & transformation plans locally. The scenarios & case studies discussed will encourage commissioners to think of the situations they face, and should help them to make quicker & bigger changes for the benefit of patients. You will have the opportunity to submit questions & comments during the webinar. The webinar takes place on 21 October at 12.30pm. |
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Cometh the Hour, cometh the (wo)man |
In the run up to WWF’s Earth Hour - taking place on Saturday 28th March 2015 - WWF and People’s Postcode Lottery have launched a nationwide search to find inspirational people who are making a real difference for our planet. The Earth Hour ‘Hidden Heroes’ competition people within their local community to nominate themselves or others who have gone the extra mile to help create a greener, more sustainable future. Competition closes on Monday 1 December 2014. |
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More contributions to the UK constitutional debate |
More news, opinions, documents, claims & counter-claims; |
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