WIREDGOV NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
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| For so long the ‘Cinderella’ service of the NHS |
| Theresa May has announced a comprehensive package of measures to transform mental health support in our schools, workplaces and communities. The plans aim to make mental health an everyday concern for every bit of the system, helping ensure that no one affected by mental ill-health goes unattended. |
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DfE: PM unveils plans to transform mental health support NHS Confederation: Mental Health Network welcomes PM’s vision for care DH: Mental health and NHS performance LGA responds to PM's mental health announcement Hope the funding is there to facilitate the implementation Helps them feel they have ‘a purpose in life’ A healthy body is a guest-chamber for the soul; a sick body is a prison (Francis Bacon) |
| The ‘caseload may be bigger than we think’ |
| Everyone with learning disabilities should have their mental health checked annually, NICE says, as fears thousands may be undiagnosed Experts acknowledge that mental health problems may be more difficult to diagnose for people with learning disabilities. |
| Yet another ‘Tipping Point’ to fund! |
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2017 could be a tipping point year for potholes, warn councils – as a new analysis shows the repair bill could reach £14bn within two years. The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents more than 370 councils in England & Wales, says the overall repair figure has been steadily growing. According to statistics from the Asphalt Industry Alliance's (AIA), annual ALARM survey, the total has risen from £9.8bn in 2012 to £11.8bn last year. At this current rate, it is projected to rise to £14bn by around 2019. £14bn is more than 3 times councils' entire annual revenue spending on highways & transport (£4.4bn) – covering issues like highways maintenance and the concessionary fares scheme for buses. In a DfT press release (below); Councils across England found out their share of £1.2bn local roads funding for the 2017 to 2018 financial year. The funding to improve roads, cut congestion and improve journey times includes money from the new National Productivity Investment Fund, announced in the Autumn Statement and the Pothole Action Fund. It also includes £75m which councils can bid for to repair & maintain local infrastructure such as bridges, street lighting and rural roads. In a further effort to reduce the number of potholes the DfT will begin a new innovative trial, in partnership with Thurrock and York Councils which could revolutionise the way potholes are identified & managed. A pothole-spotter system, mounted to refuse collection vehicles, comprising of high-definition cameras, integrated navigation system and intelligent software will be deployed to identify road surface problems before they become potholes. |
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LGA: Potholes: 2017 could be ‘tipping point year' warn councils What about the risk to life & limb for cyclists & motorcyclists? DfT: Government allocates £1.2bn roads funding to councils Unfortunately only enough to ‘fill’ only a small part of the pothole funding problem Bigger & more potholes filled with street rubbish LGA: Councils call for slice of existing fuel duty to combat road repairs backlog |
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| Groundwork for 5G |
| The Government asked the Future Communications Challenge Group (FCCG), comprised of senior academics, industry experts & investors, to provide advice on what the UK should do to be a world leader in 5G. The Government has published the FCCG Interim Report: UK strategy and plan for 5G & Digitisation. |
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techUK welcomes Interim Report: UK Strategy and Plan for 5G & Digitisation |
| We will get more spells of cold weather |
| As temperatures fall to below freezing this week, households are being urged to be alert and ensure vulnerable friends, neighbours & relatives are safe while council teams work around the clock to grit thousands of miles of roads. |
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LGA - Households urged to look out for vulnerable during cold snap Age UK: Warning as freezing conditions to hit the UK CCW: Protect your home’s pipes as temperatures plummet Think ahead, it will get cold at some point BHF: New figures reveal 350 extra deaths each week from heart disease & strokes during winter months AGE UK: Excess winter deaths: a chilling reminder of how the cold affects older people Take care of yourself this winter – Professor Jane Cummings National NHS campaign urges people to stay well this winter LGA: State-of-the-art technology being used by councils to help tackle the big chill ‘Hidden army’ could help tackle cold home deaths and illnesses, says NICE |
| Don’t look the other way – ‘ASC’ them what’s wrong! |
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A powerful film showing how professionals such as GPs, dentists, hairdressers and emergency workers, can help to spot the signs of domestic abuse has been unveiled. Routine or private appointments – like a haircut, dental check-up or a home safety visit – can often provide an opportunity for domestic abuse victims to be given advice on how to get help. The Ask, Support and Care (ASC) programme, set up under the pioneering Medics Against Violence project and the Violence Reduction Unit, has so far trained more than 2,300 professionals. The new film (entitled ‘Harder’) shows how the signs of domestic abuse can sometimes be visible, though not necessarily in bruises or injury, and includes advice about how to broach this sensitive subject with someone who may be the victim of abuse. As well as being used in training sessions, the video is being made publicly available to further raise awareness of how many more people can spot the signs of domestic abuse. |
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ScotGov: Spotting the signs of domestic abuse It’s not a ‘domestic’, it’s a ‘crime’ An ‘army’ of observers will help ensure there is no hiding place for abusers |
| There is a real risk! |
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Public Health England (PHE) is reminding unvaccinated first year students to get immunised now against meningococcal disease, as it issues updated advice to universities on reducing the spread of this deadly infection. The appeal comes after the latest PHE figures showed that only 29.5% of all young people leaving school last summer had been immunised with the MenACWY vaccine by the end of October 2016. PHE introduced the vaccination programme in 2015 to tackle a sharp increase in a particularly virulent strain of meningococcal W disease (MenW) that poses a high risk for new students. Working with Universities UK and the leading meningitis charities, PHE has now updated its guidance to higher education institutions to help them raise awareness among students of the MenACWY vaccination, and the signs & symptoms of the disease. |
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DH: Returning students urged to get vaccinated against deadly infections Freshers urged to get meningitis and septicaemia jab PHE publishes advice on meningitis and septicaemia vaccinations |
| Should part of the penalty be that they are forced to live on NMW for a year? |
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10 of the most bizarre excuses used by unscrupulous bosses found to have underpaid workers the National Minimum Wage have been revealed by the government. Excuses for not paying staff the minimum wage include only wanting to pay staff when there are customers to serve and believing it was acceptable to underpay workers until they had ‘proved’ themselves. The list was been published to coincide with a new awareness campaign to encourage workers to check their pay to ensure they are receiving at least the statutory minimum ahead of the national minimum & national living wages rising on 1 April 2017. |
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HMRC: Revealed: most bizarre excuses for underpaying staff the National Minimum Wage What will the ‘Living Wage’ deliver? Every worker’s work contributes to the success of an organisation Young workers set for pay increase of up to £450 thanks to increase in NMW CIPD: Productivity boost key to success of national living wage |
| The bereavement itself is enough of a strain |
| The Government has announced that the new Bereavement Support Payment which comes into effect in April 2017 will be extended from 1 year to 18 months. This was a recommendation of the Committee in its Support for the bereaved report in March 2016 on bereavement benefits. |
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PC&PE: Government adopts Committee recommendation on bereavement support State bereavement support "opaque and outdated" report finds |
| We NEED some ‘culture’ in our lives |
| A nationwide competition to find the next UK City of Culture has been launched. It is designed to use culture as a catalyst for economic & social regeneration and raise the profile of arts & creativity locally and across the country. It also helps cities develop a broader high quality arts & culture sector, as well as attract increased business investment and boost tourism. The launch comes in the same month that Hull kicked off its year as the second UK City of Culture, after Derry / Londonderry in 2013. |
| DCMS: Competition launches to find UK City of Culture 2021 |
| Your chance to influence the way things are run |
| Candidates for the March 2017 Crofting Commission elections can now be put forward. The process of nominating candidates has opened, with Scotland’s 16,000 crofters able to put forward candidates or stand themselves for election to the Commission’s board as commissioners. |
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| Lead the ‘Thanks’ |
| The MoD is inviting expressions of interest from communities across the UK to become host for the 10th Annual Armed Forces Day National event. Taking place on 23 June 2018, the Event will be a chance for the British public to say “Thank You” to the Armed Forces for their hard work & sacrifice to keep us safe at home & abroad. The deadline for applications to be considered as host is 15 March 2017. |
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MoD: Bids open to host tenth annual Armed Forces Day National Event |
| A Brexit plan that Parliament can debate without giving away UK ‘negotiating secrets’! |
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A new Civitas study demonstrates how UK exporters could be compensated if Britain leaves the EU without having agreed a free trade deal with its remaining members. An £8.8bn package of support, built around R&D credits, support for disadvantaged regions and reducing electricity costs would be WTO-compliant and offset tariff costs. Such a scheme would form the bedrock of a post-Brexit industrial strategy and be funded entirely from tariffs levied on EU exports into Britain, estimated to be almost £13bn. The analysis should give British negotiators confidence that they can walk away if the right EU trade deal is not forthcoming from the 27 remaining members. Hence, the real question is not “how soft a Brexit can we achieve?” but rather “how hard a negotiation do we wish to drive with the EU?” ‘The balance of negotiating strengths is far more favourable to the UK. If the EU-27 wish to impose a self-inflicted wound by levying tariffs on British exports, Britain has little to fear. |
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Civitas: British business need have little to fear from EU tariff barriers PC&PE: Brexit: fisheries report debated by Lords Telegraph: EU members face paying 'Brexit tax’ to fund shortfall Open Europe: How the UK’s financial services sector can continue thriving after Brexit Civitas: EU economies have more to lose than the UK from curbs on trade Civitas: The £13bn cost to EU exporters of failing to agree free trade terms with post-Brexit UK Like removing a plaster; it hurts less if you do it quickly A ‘counter-balance’ to recent HM Treasury ‘Project Fear rants’ |
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Still a ‘hot topic’, with widely spread views, for those who put fingers to keyboard in order to ‘share their views’: |
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DIT: International Trade Secretary - 2017 must be 'Year of Exporting' PC&PE: Brexit: fisheries report debated by Lords DCMS: Arts industry will play key role in promoting post Brexit Britain', say Ministers WAG: Cabinet Secretary meets young farmers to discuss future of industry post-Brexit ScotGov: Brexit threatens creative industries ScotGov: Call for protection of EU employment laws ScotGov: Trade and investment briefing ScotGov: Impact of Brexit to Glasgow Civitas: British business need have little to fear from EU tariff barriers |
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