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Patients asked
for help as 20,000 appointments missed
SOUTHPORT and Ormskirk
Hospital NHS Trust is urging patients to let staff know if they are
unable to attend an outpatient appointment.
In the past year, the Trust has missed out on over £2 million worth
of income because patients failed to attend appointments and did not
let inform the hospital beforehand. That's over 20,000 appointment
slots across all specialities that could have been given to other
patients.
To raise awareness of the impact of missed appointments, leaflets
are being sent out with appointment letters highlighting the average
cost of an outpatient appointment (£123) even if the patient does
not attend.
Sir Ron Watson, Chairman at Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS
Trust, said:- "We know there are many reasons why people
cannot attend appointments. All we ask is that patients let us know
if they unable to attend their appointment and I hope these leaflets
will act as reminder. Another appointment can then be scheduled for
a more appropriate date and time. We have a service for our patients
that allows them to receive a text message reminder for their
appointments. I hope this service will help go some way towards
cutting down on the number of missed appointments at the Trust."
If you are unable to attend your appointment please let us know by
phoning:- 01695 656 680 or by sending them an email via:-
soh-tr.appointments@nhs.net
Foster carers to
get salary for skills
FOSTER carers in Liverpool
looking after children in the Council's care are to be paid a skills
allowance of up to £20,000 per year.
Payment for Skills will see the City Council's team of 300 foster
carers paid a professional fee of up to £370 per week in recognition
of the knowledge and expertise they bring to the care of looked
after children.
It is part of changes designed to increase the recruitment and
retention of foster carers, and recognise the high degree of
professionalism needed to do the job.
The scheme is being launched on Monday, 20 May 2013, at an event at Croxteth Hall attended by foster carers and the Chief Executive of
the Fostering Network, Robert Tapsfield.
Councillor Jane Corbett, Cabinet member for children's services,
said:- "Our team of foster carers do an amazing job providing
a loving home for our children.
They deserve the very best support that we can offer, and that is
why we are making changes to the system to better reflect the skills
that they possess. It will also allow us to better match the
abilities of foster carers to the needs of our children."
There will be 5 fee levels linked to skills, knowledge,
experience and professional development. Prior experience and
relevant training will also be taken into account.
A steering group of foster carers and social work managers have
drawn up and consulted on the new policy.
People interested in fostering can visit:-
fosteringforliverpool.co.uk
to find out more, or call the recruitment line on:- 0151 515 0000.
Foster carers need to be aged over 21, but there is no upper age
limit. They can be single, married or co-habiting, straight or gay.
Come dine with
me at hospital
SOUTHPORT and Ormskirk
Hospital NHS Trust is recruiting volunteers to take part in a new
project called Come Dine with Me. These volunteers will be known as
dining companions.
The role of a dining companion will be to sit with a patient on a
one-to-one basis and provide assistance to help them eat. The
volunteers will help to enhance patients' eating and drinking
experience and will have more time to spend with patients than the
nursing staff, without interruptions. The volunteers are not meant
to undertake the duties of a trained member of staff, but simply
donate their time to sit and provide companionship for those
patients who need it.
Angela Kelly, Deputy Director of Nursing and Quality, said:-
"As well as helping patients with eating, the dining companion can
chat, encourage them to eat and help alleviate the boredom and
loneliness that can be experienced while staying in hospital.
This is vital to some patients who do not receive any visitors and
could be lonely or anxious or may be suffering from a form of
dementia or Alzheimer's."
If you are interested in finding out more please contact Chris
Pilkington on:- 01704 704955 or by sending an
email.
Davies puts the squeeze on olive
oil madness
NORTH West England, Lib-Dem
MEP Chris Davies is calling for a rethink on EU plans to ban
refillable olive oil containers in hotels and restaurants.
The European Commission plan is
intended to protect consumers from inferior olive oil and boost
Europe's olive growers. It would require oil to be served in
labelled bottles. Chris said:- "This is nanny state stuff that
the EU would do well to avoid. With MEPs from other countries I've
written to the Commission president calling for it to be dropped.
Restaurants should be able to serve olive oil in the same way they
serve pepper and salt. If it's especially good they should boast
about it. I know that officials are responding to complaints about
poor quality olive oil being served, but it's a bureaucratic
over-reaction to a very small problem. This sort of thing makes the
EU look silly. We should concentrate instead on measures to build a
stronger economy, a fairer society and a better environment." |
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Pregnant women
flying abroad must check airline time limits before take-off, says
Holidaysafe.co.uk
PREGNANT women flying for a
quick break abroad before the big day are unaware of the strict
limits airlines place on travelling in the later stages of
pregnancy, and frequently reserve the right to deny boarding on
grounds of health and safety, says travel insurance specialist
Holidaysafe.co.uk
Most airlines will allow women to fly upto 35 to 36 weeks, but some
will not let pregnant passengers fly over 28 weeks without a
'fit to fly' letter from a registered doctor.
Holidaysafe.co.uk brand manager Amber Howard said:- "Many
women are unaware of the small print in the airline safety
regulations. Airlines reserve the right to deny boarding if they
think a pregnant woman exceeds their limit of weeks and they can
leave you behind at the gate. They can also deny boarding under
health and safety rules if they feel that a pregnant woman may not
be mobile enough to leave the aircraft in an emergency. Another
perfect illustration is Kate Middleton, who was showing only a tiny
bump even when she was 6 months pregnant. Women with smaller bumps
may not get stopped by the airline; despite the fact that they could
be too advanced in their pregnancy to fly safely."
Holidaysafe.co.uk's emergency assistance service team advises this
travel checklist:-
Do…
► Check the airline's limits on pregnancy - provided you and your
baby are healthy, most airlines will allow you to fly up to 35 to 36
weeks into your pregnancy. However, you should always check the
airline's policy (and small print) on pregnancy, as every company
differs.
► Check the airline's regulations on pregnancy; airlines may refuse
boarding if you've had problems with a previous pregnancy, such as
DVT or had a premature birth before.
► Consult your doctor; if you're planning to visit a foreign country
which requires you to have vaccinations, always consult your doctor
first.
► Think twice about your destination; always take into account the
health care in the country you're planning to visit, would you feel
safe if something went wrong and you needed medical treatment there?
► Invest in quality travel insurance; without travel insurance you
could face enormous bills if something goes wrong abroad. Pregnancy
is never considered 'an illness' it is a natural and
wonderful thing, but every company has varying views on pregnancy
and travel. Therefore it is important that you let your travel
insurance provider know that you are pregnant, and check that they
can cover your journey.
► Beware of medication; if you become ill abroad, even if it is
simply diarrhoea or travel sickness, always be wary of taking
medicines, some could be harmful to your baby. Always consult a
doctor before taking any kind of drug.
► Drink plenty of water; It is especially important to stay hydrated
when pregnant because your kidneys have to work harder when you are
expecting a baby.
Don't…
► Overlook multiple pregnancies; twins are
quite common these days, and airlines will usually have different
rules for multiple pregnancies, usually limiting travel to 32 weeks.
► Get stranded; If you travel after the seventh month and experience
problems while abroad, such as hypertension or a minor bleed then
the airline may refuse to bring you on the return trip. Also if you
do give birth prematurely be aware that you are likely to be refused
boarding until 14 days after the birth, even if you and the baby are
healthy. New borns are not permitted until 7 days old, even when
full term.
► Worry about screening at the airport; the machines are not harmful
to pregnant women or unborn babies.
CLA welcomes
action on sweet chestnut import ban
THE
Country Land and Business Association
(CLA) in the North has welcomed Defra's
decision to ban the import of sweet chestnut trees from areas
affected by Sweet Chestnut Blight. The Association also backed the
launch of a 6 week consultation on the total ban on imports of sweet
chestnut trees before the next planting season. CLA North Regional
Director Dorothy Fairburn said:- "The CLA flagged up the
danger posed by Sweet Chestnut Blight and called for Defra to ban
imports of this tree. We welcome Environment Secretary Owen
Paterson's decision to act on tackling this devastating disease. The
CLA will continue to work closely with Defra to ensure Mr Paterson
delivers his commitment to devote more resources to tackling tree
pests and diseases." The Defra announcement coincided with
the publication of the independent taskforce report on tree health,
which was launched after the discovery of Chalara fraxinea. Miss
Fairburn added:- "As at least one new major tree pest or
disease affects the UK every year, it is important we take time to
study the detail in the Task Force's report and work with Defra to
control future outbreaks of tree disease."
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