General News
DH: The use of phone numbers that charge the public or patients a premium rate to contact the NHS are to be banned in England. The announcement follows a recent public consultation on the use of 084 numbers in the NHS.
The ban on the use of numbers charging patients a premium rate to call NHS services will allow a marketplace to evolve where 084 numbers compete alongside 01, 02 and 03 numbers, but where patients will pay no more than the cost of a local call. The ban means that GPs and other NHS organisations remain free to use 084 numbers, providing patients are not charged more than a local rate number.
The NHS Direct telephone advice service currently operates on 0845 4647. However, the Department (with OfCom) are currently consulting on options for the introduction of a new three-digit telephone number to help people find the right local service to meet their urgent, unplanned care needs. NHS Direct will retain its current 084 number until DH and they are clear about any future role & function they may have in implementing a national 3-digit number for urgent care.
PCS: A study into civil service pay by Income Data Services (IDS) for PCS has ‘exposed the myth’ that civil servants are paid more than their counterparts in the private sector with pay gaps of more than £5,000 between the civil service and private sector. Nearly 100,000 civil & public service jobs have gone over the last 5 years and more than half of the civil service earn less than the UK national wage.
The IDS findings on the eve of this year’s TUC conference come as employer led organisations attempt to portray civil & public servants as ‘having it easy’ compared to the private sector. PCS claim that the myth is far from the reality with the average pension for civil servants amounting to £6,500 and dropping to £4,200 once high earners are excluded.
Ofgem: Frontline workers have been armed with the know-how to help households, many of them in fuel poverty, save money through Energy Best Deal, a campaign launched last year by the Department for Energy and Climate Change, energy regulator Ofgem and national charity Citizens Advice.
An independent evaluation of the scheme carried out by the Centre for Sustainable Energy found that of the ordinary consumers who attended the sessions:
* Before the session, 15% did not know they could switch their energy supplier
* 45% went on to look into getting a better deal on their energy
Most people can switch energy supplier, those who have never done so before could save on average between £73 - £91 depending on how they pay their bills and where they live. Everyone aged over 60 is entitled to a winter fuel payment (from £125 to £250) and those aged over 80 can get between £200, £275 or £400 depending on their circumstances.
Press release ~ Citizens Advice: Energy Best Deal ~ Survey results ~ Centre for Sustainable Energy ~ Ofgem’s Consumer First Programme
DH: A new ‘Smokefree Generation’ of children say that they will never try a cigarette, think that smoking is really uncool and are increasingly worried about the health of smoking parents according to new research conducted on behalf of NHS Stop Smoking Services.
The research, which polled 1,000 children in England aged 8-13, coincides with the launch of a new Department of Health advertising campaign aimed at getting loved ones to stop smoking. It features real children, not actors, talking about how concerned they are about their parents’ smoking.
Press release ~ Watch the videos ~ Addiction Test ~ NHS Stop Smoking Services ~ Action on Smoking & Health (ASH)
CRC: Last week Dr. Stuart Burgess, the Government’s Rural Advocate and Chairman of the Commission for Rural Communities (CRC), visited County Durham to see projects in place to tackle rural fuel poverty. A quarter of all those in fuel poverty live in rural areas, as many as 42% of rural homes are not connected to mains gas (and therefore have to rely on more expensive fuels) and are also not eligible for ‘dual fuel’ discounts.
In addition, a third of rural homes have solid walls which are much more costly to insulate yet just 10% of Warm Front energy efficiency grants go to households in rural areas.
The CRC has invited Durham County Council, along with Shropshireand the East Riding of Yorkshire, to take part in a year-long pilot scheme to understand the full impact of fuel poverty in rural areas. The pilot, named ‘Hands Up’ will include reducing levels of rural fuel poverty, saving money, saving energy and working with local communities. The findings will be used to advise Government on ways of combating fuel poverty & addressing energy conservation. The Rural Services Network is working with the CRC to deliver the project.
TfL: Launched last week, TfL’s BikeSafe London team’s TV campaign will run throughout the autumn, timed to coincide with the return to work of thousands of Londoners and a rise in the number of casualties among motorbike & scooter riders. Last year there were 4,890 collisions in Greater London involving motorcycles and/or scooters with other road users.
The TV ads highlight an optical effect that psychologists believe could put motorcyclists at risk. It is caused by the way the brain assesses approaching objects. Drivers can underestimate the time that small vehicles take to reach them - causing risk of collision when pulling out in front of approaching motorcycles.
ACE: Arts Council England has announced changes to its Grants for the arts programme that will ‘transform the way it serves artists and save on administration costs, which will be reinvested in the arts’. The changes will come into effect from 1 March 2010 when a ‘central Grants for the arts team’, with artform specialisations, will assess & monitor all applications.
This will hopefully provide an efficient & simplified application process, consistent advice for applicants and considerable administration savings - 23% of the overall administrative savings required by Government in the organisation review. For the first time artists & arts organisations will be able to apply online.
MOD: The Passing of the World War One Generation will be formally marked in a national event at Westminster Abbey on Remembrance Day, Wednesday 11 November 2009 at 10:45 in the presence of Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh. The service will recognise not only the military contribution in World War One, but also that of the civilian population.
This year saw the passing of the 3 remaining veterans of World War One living in the UK; 108 year old William Stone in January, and both Henry Allingham (113) and Harry Patch (111) in July. The World War One Generation included those associated with the horrors of the trenches, those engaged in duties at sea and in the air, and those working back home in vital support roles. The war left an enduring impact on those serving and on the nation as a whole. The passing of this generation is a significant milestone in our nation’s history.
Attendance at the service will be by invitation only, but the congregation will consist of a broad cross-section of the population of the United Kingdom, with links to the War. The Lord Lieutenants in each county will nominate people to represent their areas.
DECC: The world’s biggest wind turbine blades will be made in Britain, Energy & Climate Secretary, Ed Miliband claimed, when announcing grants for 3 offshore wind energy companies recently.
Clipper Wind Power is being given £4.4m to develop their first prototype blade for the Britannia project – the largest wind turbines in the world. Once constructed, each blade will be more than 70m long and weigh over 30 tonnes. The blades are part of the turbines that will stand at 175 meters tall.
Press release ~ Clipper Wind Power ~ Artemis Intelligent Power ~ Siemens Wind Power UK ~ Britannia project ~ DECC – Wind Power
Defra: Movements of fish into, out of & within a fishery in Lincolnshire have been restricted, following the confirmation of Koi Herpesvirus disease. Cefas, acting on behalf of Defra, has issued a Confirmed Designation prohibiting the movement of fish to, from & within Wagtail Fishery, Cliff Lane, Marston, Grantham, Lincolnshire. There are no implications for human health.
Press release ~ Koi Herpesvirus (KHV) Disease: Garden Ponds and Aquaria ~ Koi Herpesvirus (KHV) Disease ~ eFish Business ~ Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) ~ Testing Service
ScotGov: Health Secretary, Nicola Sturgeon, has welcomed the Nursing & Midwifery Council's (NMC) announcement that it will write to almost 10,000 nurses & midwives across Scotland whose registration has lapsed within the previous four years. In Scotland this includes, 7,695 nurses, 148 midwives and 1,686 dual qualified nurses/midwives who will be contacted.
This action is being taken to support services to address any potential staffing shortages in the event of an escalation of the swine flu pandemic. To be eligible to work in the UK, a nurse or midwife must be registered with the NMC. Across the UK approximately 90,000 nurses will be contacted.
WAG: Health Minister, Edwina Hart, has met kidney patients who are taking part in a self-care dialysis project at Morriston Hospital, Swansea. The project aims to increase the number of patients who are able to receive dialysis treatment in the comfort of their own homes. The self-care project has been part-funded by the Welsh Assembly Government as part of the additional £9.3m provided over the last 2 years to improve dialysis services across Wales.
On 25 August 2009, Mrs Hart announced that a single body is being set up to manage kidney services in Wales. The All-Wales Renal Network will plan & develop services on a Wales-wide basis, helping to improve access and care for patients. It formally brings together the Renal Advisory Group and the North & South Wales Renal Networks.
STFC: The Planck space observatory, ESA’s mission to study the early Universe, has successfully completed its initial test survey of the sky, confirming that both of the scientific instruments and the sophisticated cooling system (all of which the UK played a key role in building) are working well.
Following the successful survey, Planck has now embarked on its 15 month mission to map the structure of the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation (CMB) – the relic radiation from the Big Bang.
Press release ~ Planck space observatory ~ Planck briefing document ~ ESA - Planck ~ British National Space Centre
MoD: A former Chief of the Defence Staff (Admiral The Lord Boyce GCB, OBE, DL) has been chosen as the Independent Chair of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) Review. As well as chairing the MoD’s review, he will also chair an Independent Scrutiny Group which will support the review. The group will comprise representatives of ex-service organisations, a service families’ representative, a beneficiary of the AFCS and medical and legal experts.
Press release ~ Royal British Legion - Honour the Covenant ~ Armed Forces Compensation Scheme ~ The Confederation of British Service and Ex-Service Organisations (COBSEO)
NA: Last week saw the launch of The National Archives' new education website, which replaces the award-winning Learning Curve, with the same resources for teaching & learning history, but in a new design and a structure that should make resources much easier to find. The site also showcases the huge range of taught sessions that NA staff deliver on site, by videoconference and now online in our virtual classroom.
WAG: It has been likened to the Cannes festival of the food world and once again food lovers were spoilt for choice at the Abergavenny Food Festival (19/20 September). The annual event attracts thousands of visitors who come to taste & buy an array of food & drink as well as watch top chefs in action and take part in discussions about the food industry.
For the first time there was a dedicated Welsh fishing industry presence at the Festival. There is an extremely buoyant aquaculture industry in Wales - 50% of Europe's mussels are supplied from North Wales and shellfish accounts for the majority of landings by Welsh fishing boats, with over 400 boats in the Welsh fleet. However, there has historically been a lack of supply chain infrastructure something the Welsh Assembly Government is working with the industry to address.
