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Hundreds of
Southport homes using unsafe gas appliances
HUNDREDS of households in
Southport are using unsafe gas appliances every day; and don't even
know it.
Now National Grid, which runs the gas distribution network across
the UK, is hoping to raise awareness of the potentially
life-threatening problems this can cause by directing people to the
Gas Safe Register website where postcode area analysis shows just
how many unsafe appliances have been found.
The figures have been collated with the help of information supplied
by National Grid engineers following their attendance at emergency
incidents. "It is extremely worrying that literally hundreds of cookers,
fires and boilers are found to be faulty and dangerous in a single
postcode area. We would urge everyone who has gas appliances
in the home to make sure they have them checked on a 12 month basis
by a Gas Safe Registered engineer." said Ian Palfreyman, Head of Operations for
National Grid.
Unsafe appliances could lead to leaks, incidents of carbon monoxide
poisoning or even fires and explosions. National Grid is seeking to
draw attention to the risks as Carbon Monoxide Awareness week gets
underway on Monday, 17 November 2014.
In the PR9 postcode alone, no fewer than 173 cookers, fires and
boilers were found to be unsafe. "We are committed to the safe delivery of gas supplies to
homes in Southport, and are keen to ensure that householders stay
safe when using it."
Across the North West as a whole, some 1 in 6 households were found
to have an unsafe appliance when inspected.
Follow these simple checks to stay gas
safe:-
Always use a Gas Safe registered engineer when having gas work
carried out in your home. You can find a registered engineer in your
area by calling Gas Safe Register on:- 0800 408 5500 or visit:-
GasSafeRegister.co.uk
Get your gas appliances safety checked at least once a year and
serviced in line with the manufacturer's instructions. This includes
your gas boiler, gas cooker and gas fire. Sign up at:-
staygassafe.co.uk for a free reminder service.
Check the front and back of your engineer's Gas Safe Register ID
card, making sure they are qualified to do the specific type of gas
work you require.
Install an audible carbon monoxide alarm which will alert you if
dangerous levels are present in your home.
Check for warning signs your appliances aren't working correctly,
such as lazy yellow or orange flames instead of crisp blue ones,
black marks on or around the appliance and too much condensation in
the room.
If you have a gas-related emergency, please call:- 0800 111 999 to
report it.
For more information or to find Gas Safe registered engineer visit:-
GasSafeRegister.co.uk or call:- 0800 408 5500.
Man jailed for
stealing poppy tin as country remembers war dead - Liverpool
A man has been jailed for
attempting to steal a Royal British Legion poppy collection tin on
Remembrance Sunday, 9 November 2014.
Richard Graham Conway, aged 33, of
no fixed abode, was arrested after a member of the public saw him
attempt to take the box from the Upper Crust shop, at Liverpool Lime
Street Station, shortly after the City's Remembrance Day
commemorations. Conway appeared at Liverpool Magistrates Court on
Tuesday, 11 November 2014, and was sentenced to 8 weeks in prison.
Investigating officer Shaun Lee
said:- "As the rest of the country was remembering its war
dead and reflecting on the sacrifice they made, Conway was
attempting to steal a poppy tin full of donations for the Royal
British Legion. That someone could stoop so low as to even
contemplate doing this, particularly on the 100th anniversary of the
First World War, is quire frankly, despicable. It is somewhat ironic
that he was sentenced to a jail term on 11 November 2014." |
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Local
authorities must look beyond the next election to safeguard our
health in old age
COUNCILS must ensure that
spending cuts and short term targets do not undermine long term
investment in the prevention of ill health in old age.
'Public health responses to an ageing society', published by
the International Longevity Centre – UK (ILC-UK), with the support
of Sanofi Pasteur MSD, explores the extent to which England's public
health structures are able to respond to our ageing population after
the radical reforms introduced by the Health and Social Care Act in
2012.
The think piece argues that some localities are embracing the
opportunities provided by their new public health responsibilities,
by taking a life course approach to health and by commissioning
services that both encourage healthy ageing and improve the health
of the current old. But ILC-UK argue that some local authorities
still need support to deliver effective policies in an area as
complex and fast changing as public health. The think tank contends
that transferring responsibility to local authorities risks
politicising the sector.
ILC-UK expresses fears that localism might deliver a 'postcode
lottery', where the health services available depend on the
agenda of the local government. The think piece also argues that the
introduction of a system that pays on results may encourage a
culture of short termism and target hitting at the expense of our
society's future health.
'Public health responses to an ageing society' finds that
local authorities may face barriers which prevent them from taking
advantage of any benefits created by the Act. The new system
encourages greater collaboration between departments; however, some
Councils report that they are unable to exchange data due to data
protection and organisational 'security'.
Jonathan Scrutton, Senior Policy and Research Officer at ILC-UK,
said:- "There is a huge invest-to-save argument. Early
investment in preventing ill health in old age can reduce long term
care costs. Localism has the potential to transform public health
and deliver better and more targeted services. But if local
authorities are to maximise the long term benefit of investing in
preventative health, they must not get drawn into simply achieving
short term targets."
The think piece argues that local authorities know their residents
best. They are also well placed to develop innovative health
strategies as they can utilise resources from a wide range of
different actors, both within local government and beyond it.
ILC-UK argues that to reduce costs and improve the public health of
older people today and in the future, they should prioritise 8 areas
as part of their local health and wellbeing strategies: smoking
cessation, physical activity, nutrition, road safety, housing,
loneliness, falls and immunisation.
In the report, ILC-UK recommends that:-
Local health strategies should prioritise long term health
initiatives over short term target hitting. For example, Ageing Well
strategies could usefully focus on increasing physical activity
earlier in life to ensure people have an active, healthy old age.
Health and Wellbeing Boards should
make use of local authority's links into communities to maximise the
potential of public health impact and to ensure that the voices of
older residents are heard, and incorporated into health strategies.
The NHS Commissioning Board should
monitor healthcare commissioning to support consistency of quality
across the country and help reduce differences in healthy life
expectancies.
Government should ensure that local authorities' public health
budgets continue to meet the needs of local citizens after the 2
year ring fenced period. Government should ensure that data
protection and organisational security do not discourage information
sharing between departments and stunt integrated working.
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