AINTREE HOSPITALS SHORTLISTED FOR NATIONAL LEADERSHIP AWARD

A Merseyside Hospital is celebrating after reaching the shortlist for prestigious NHS awards.  Aintree University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, have been shortlisted by the NHS Leadership Awards and is competing to be recognised as the ‘NHS Board of the Year’ against two other NHS Trusts; Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust and Sandwell & West Birmingham NHS Trust.

The NHS Leadership Awards are designed to recognise and reward examples of outstanding leadership at all levels of the NHS. Proving a high quality of leadership is critical to taking the NHS forward. Each award celebrates and recognises excellence in the NHS hospitals.

Nomination for ‘NHS Board of the Year’ recognizes that Aintree University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has:-

► Implemented a strategic plan reflecting external and internal changes.

► Adopted a holistic approach to execution of a strategic plan with clear demonstrable outcomes

.► Embedded a culture throughout the organisation of quality and patient safety linked to efficient and effective use of public funds.

► Developed and maintained transparent relationships and mechanisms for public and stakeholder accountability.

► Built and maintained a healthy organisation with strong levels of staff engagement (clinical and non-clinical).

Chairman of Aintree Hospital Chris Baker MBE said:- "The nomination for this award recognises all of the positive developments at Aintree, with the completion of several major capital developments on site allowing us to provide our services from a single site and enhance patient care. We’ve made significant improvements in the way in which we deal with infections; we’ve improved our survival rates and introduced new ways of working to enhance patient safety and care. This is a great achievement for everyone at Aintree."

The hospital will find out if they have won the ‘NHS Board of the Year award’ on the 8 December 2010, at The NHS leadership awards ceremony.

NORTH WEST SEA CADETS CELEBRATE NATIONAL TRAFALGAR DAY, LONDON SUNDAY 24 OCTOBER 2010

66 Sea Cadets from across the North West will parade in London on Sunday, 24 October 2010. They join forces with 500 young people from across all three cadet forces to honour the 205th anniversary of Nelson’s historic victory and celebrate 150 years of the cadet movement, the most successful voluntary youth movement ever.  Sea Cadets will lead the traditional blue jacket parade from the Mall to Trafalgar Square, with marching band, this year joined for the first time by the Army and Air cadets. They will parade in front of senior representatives from the Royal Navy and the Government.

As the highlight of the Sea Cadet calendar cadets aged 12 to 18 will take part in a spectacular show of formal parading, including marching band, a traditional club and cutlass display plus a window ladder display 35 feet in the air. National Trafalgar Day is an opportunity for them to showcase their skills and talent to dignitaries from the Royal Navy and to London’s spectators and tourists.

As they gather to prepare from all over the country, these young cadets will have only had three days to coordinate and practice beforehand. It is a reflection of the hard work, dedication and passion these young people have invested throughout the year in their respective cadet activities.

Sea Cadets is one of Britain’s largest maritime youth charities open to young people aged between 10 and 18. Supporting 14,000 young people, across 400 UK Units, it offers a range of nautical adventure activities all with a naval theme and aims to challenge young people to help them grow in confidence.

Historic school re-born in Liverpool

STUDENTS and staff at Liverpool’s biggest secondary school are looking forward to a bright future, as the doors officially open on their new 21st century building.

The stunning, £18 million Alsop Technology College is unveiled on Thursday, 21 October 2010. Council chiefs and partners will join pupils and teachers for the celebrations, which will usher in a new era of learning for young people in Walton.

The 84 year old school has undergone a complete transformation, with a new, three-storey teaching and activities block and 36 classrooms with retractable walls, to allow for flexible lessons which adapt to the needs of young people.

It means hundreds of pupils who were previously being taught in mobile classrooms, because the school had outgrown the original building, can officially move into hi-tech classrooms and start using the latest in learning technology.

Constructed by Liverpool-based Morgan Sindall and designed by 2020 Liverpool, the school also features a new dance studio, new areas for dining and socialising and bright, open atrium areas.

And specialist business studies classrooms and cutting-edge ICT equipment will further boost the school curriculum.

The new building has been named the "Jamieson" building, in recognition of almost 40 years of service from current headteacher Phil Jamieson. Phil began working at Alsop in September 1972 and has been head since 1997. He has helped drive up standards at the school and played a major part in the planning and organisation of the rebuilding programme.

With work now completed on the main school building, the finishing touches are now being put on refurbishing an existing building to improve teaching facilities for maths and science, along with extensive external landscaping works. This final phase of work is due to be completed by Spring 2011.

Headteacher Phil Jamieson said:- “This is a momentous day for Alsop School and we are absolutely delighted to be formally opening the doors of our new facility. It’s vital that our young people have the very best learning tools and are taught in a modern, attractive environment. Our new building will transform life at the school and drive up education standards across the board. Staff and students have been fully involved in these ambitious plans right from the start and it’s wonderful to see our dream become a reality. It really is a new era for Alsop. These massive improvements will bring huge benefits to young people for generations to come.”

Cabinet Member for Education and Children’s Services, Councillor Jane Corbett, said:- “This fantastic new facility for Alsop will boost education for thousands of young people, giving them the skills they need and increasing their life chances. The project reflects our vision for education in Liverpool – creating modern, inclusive school environments, which accommodate new ways of learning and make sure no child is left behind. I’m delighted for everyone at Alsop, and I’m looking forward to seeing the school go from strength to strength in the future.”

Barry Roberts, Morgan Sindall area director, said:- “We’re thrilled to help launch this striking new learning environment for the local community. We are passionate about creating inspiring spaces for both students and teaching staff and we are confident the new Alsop Technology College will offer young people the very best platform for their future careers or studies.”

2020 Liverpool's Divisional Manager for Architecture, Mike Kivlehan said:- "We are delighted to have been involved with such a prestigious project which sets the standard for the BSF Programme in Liverpool."

Alsop High, in Queens Drive, opened in 1926 and was extended in the 1950s and 1960s. But it was only when Fazakerley's Queen Mary school closed in 2002 that it took on more pupils than its premises could cope with, and mobile classrooms were erected in the playground.

Home to more than1,700 pupils, Alsop was the first Liverpool school to benefit from the national Building Schools For The Future programme.

Unfortunately, the government has now dropped BSF as part of its spending review - meaning 24 Liverpool schools under Wave 6 of the scheme have missed out on funding, while the six schools under Wave 2 will be completed as planned.

However, the city council is working closely with the government to try to secure alternative investment and is exploring how improvements can be carried out at Liverpool schools in most urgent need of repair. A top level task force has been made up of leaders in the fields of education, business and investment with a view to created and to deliver a ‘Plan B’ for Liverpool, that will help secure millions in funding for the city's many aging secondary schools.