| ₤200,000 investment blows 
wind of change through intensive care 
 INTENSIVE care patients at Southport 
Hospital are benefitting from a ₤200,000 investment in 10 new ventilators.
 The new devices, worth ₤20,000 each, replace ageing 10 year old machines which 
will now be sent for auction, probably for use abroad.
 
 Ventilators help a patient breathe. This is usually because of a medical problem 
that makes it hard for them to breathe well on their own. While on the 
ventilator, the body is able to rest so it has the potential heal. A ventilator 
can help with breathing or totally breathe for the patient.
 
 As well as being the latest technology, the new ventilators are also portable so 
they can be kept with the patient if they need to be moved.
 
 Julie Webb, Senior Sister on the Intensive Care Unit, said:- "This is a 
wonderful investment by the Trust in our Hospital and we're very excited to 
start using them to help patients."
 
FareShare Merseyside invite athletes to tackle 
food waste 
FareShare Merseyside is delighted to announce a new 
partnership with Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, in which athletes use their spare time 
to tackle food waste. 
English footballer Chris McCready, is volunteering at FareShare Merseyside today 
to give back to the local community and empower others to do the same. He will 
be driving refrigerated vehicle from FareShare Merseyside to 6 frontline 
charities and community groups to help tackle hunger and food waste, by 
redistributing good food that would otherwise go to waste to vulnerable people 
in Merseyside. In total FareShare Merseyside delivers to 151 frontline charities 
on a weekly basis.
 Chris McCready, former professional footballer, said:- "I am delighted to 
offer my help and support to FareShare Merseyside. Part of my aims this year is 
to be more giving of my time in helping others and this is an amazing charity. 
FareShare put the needs of others above their own and their approach resonates 
with me on a personal level and further down the line it is something I would 
like to inspire in my own children as they get older."
 
 Mark Hall, Development Manager for FareShare Merseyside, said:- "A huge 
thank you to Dame Kelly Holmes Trust for supporting FareShare and inspiring 
others to follow in their footsteps. This partnership is fantastic for 
Merseyside as we are adopting an alternative resource to ensure the food we 
receive is being redistributed to our frontline charities. Without volunteers, 
we simply couldn't operate and get the food out to people who need it the most 
in homeless shelters, children's breakfast clubs and domestic violence refuges."
 
 Leigh Hall, Area Manager at Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, added:- "All of our 
world class athletes are passionate about giving back to the local community and 
want to change the lives of local people through the work that they do. We are 
fortunate enough to have a strong, and exceptionally talented team of athletes 
who go above and beyond in their communities. True partnerships are key to the 
work we do, both locally and nationally and the value FareShare adds to 
community groups and charities is inspirational."
 
 Volunteers can register their interest
online, plus you can also 
contact FareShare Merseyside on:- 0151 486 1139 or send Mark Hall an 
email.
 |  | Public views sought on 
proposals for a modern Sefton Bus Network PEOPLE in Sefton have the opportunity 
to comment on proposals to make the Town's Bus Network simpler and clearer from Monday, 16 January 
2017.  The proposals will be available for view and comment
online, from 9am, 
on Monday, 16 January 2017, until 5pm, on Thursday, 26 January 2017.  Also 
there will be 3 drop in events, where members of the public can speak to 
Merseytravel staff about the proposals and give their feedback. 
 The drop in events will take 
place on the following days:-
 ► Friday, 20 January 2017, 10am to 3pm, at Maghull Library.
 ► Monday, 23 January 2017, 10am to 2pm, at Southport Railway 
Station.
 ► Thursday, 26 January, 9am to 4pm, at Bootle Strand.
 
 This follows events across Sefton in September and October which saw over 1200 
people attend and more than 800 offer their feedback on their frequency and 
pattern of bus use, including those services publically funded by Merseytravel, 
and what might make them use buses more.
 
 Sefton is the 3rd area to be reviewed as part of a wider review of the whole 
Liverpool City Region Bus Network which began in May 2017.
 
 Historically bus routes have been considered on a piecemeal basis and the idea 
is to consider the commercial network and the supported network; that which 
relies on public subsidy via Merseytravel; as a whole for the 1st time to 
ensure it best reflects current working and living patterns, new developments 
and how they are served.
 
 This is 1 of the 1st undertakings of the Bus Alliance, a formal partnership 
with operators Arriva and Stagecoach, with the aim of transforming Bus Services 
to encourage more people to take the bus. However, bus reviews involve all bus 
operators.
 
 Part of the review has been looking at the current supported Bus Network and 
considering how increasingly limited public resources can be focussed where 
there is most need.
 
 Impacts of changes have been mitigated by re-routing or extending existing 
commercial services where possible to negate the need for a service supported by 
public funding.
 
 To make the network easier to understand there are also plans to make the 
evening network to reflect the daytime services, both in route and number. The 
proposals endeavour to ensure that everyone is within reasonable distance of a 
bus service.
 
 The proposed changes would come into effect in April 2017.
 
 Cllr Liam Robinson, Chair of Merseytravel said:- "The input we had from 
Sefton residents on their patterns of bus use and what would get them to use it 
more has been extremely helpful and insightful. We now want comments on these 
detailed proposals before we finalise the plans. 
Through these 'Bus Network Reviews,' we've worked hard with bus operators in 
re-scoping the network and believe the proposals will offer a network that is 
clearer, simpler and with some real benefits for the people of Sefton.
We recognise that there may be some proposed changes that don't suit everybody 
with some people having to walk further to catch a bus, but we've been looking 
at how we can best meet people's needs within budget constraints due to 
Government spending cuts.
This is us continuing to work innovatively through the Bus Alliance when other 
areas outside Merseyside and the Liverpool City Region, due to budget pressures, are seeing 
some communities left without any Bus Services."
 
 The Bus Alliance is an agreement between Merseytravel, Arriva and Stagecoach to 
improve bus travel for people across the Liverpool City Region. In time, it is 
hoped that other bus operators will join the Alliance.
 
 The Alliance's ambition is for a thriving, affordable and sustainable bus 
network that offers the customer a value for money and hassle free journey 
experience; leading to an increase in fare paying passengers. It will look at 
creating simpler networks and fare structures to more investment in the buses 
themselves. Encouraging more people to travel by bus drives investment and means 
less reliance on the public purse.
 
 Key work areas include:-
 
 ► A review of the City Region Bus Network.
 ► Investment in new and greener vehicles.
 ► On board Wi-Fi and at seat USB charging points on all new vehicles.
 ► Improved bus links to and from John Lennon Airport.
 ► Streamlined service changes to make Bus Services more stable.
 ► Simpler ticketing and a review of zonal structures and pricing.
 ► Review of all customer information including more Real Time Information.
 ► Better integration of bus and rail services.
 ► Improved Customer Service training for all bus drivers.
 |