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Freedom honour
for University
EDGE Hill University has
been awarded the Freedom of the City of Liverpool. The
University was awarded the City’s highest honour, on Wednesday,
14 December, in recognition of 126 years of learning.
Liverpool’s Lord Mayor, Councillor Frank Prendergast, said:-
“I am delighted to be adding Edge Hill University to the Freedom
Roll of Association & Institutions of the City of Liverpool.
It is a great opportunity to recognise the contribution the
University has made to training and education over the past 126
years. Every year around 220 graduates go on to live and work in the
city, either as teachers or in the health industry making a huge
contribution to life in Liverpool.
Edge Hill University has been a great asset to the city and I hope
it continues to provide first class learning for many years to
come.”
Edge Hill University’s Vice-chancellor, Dr John Cater added:-
"This is an historic day for the University, and one of which we are
very proud.
From our founding in the city more than six generations ago to the
education of over 3,000 Liverpool students today, Edge Hill
University strongly values its heritage and is absolutely delighted
to see these lasting ties acknowledged in the highest accolade the
City can award.
We look forward to continuing to work in partnership with the city
of our birth for many decades to come."
Founded in 1885 at a ceremony in St Georges Hall when 41 female
teacher trainees began their studies, the University has come a long
way and now attracts over 3,000 students from Liverpool.
The University operated in Liverpool for nearly 50 years before
moving to its current location near Liverpool in the Market Town of Ormskirk. It has retained its name
largely because of the value patrons place on heritage and the
university’s continuing association with the city of Liverpool. Invest in
integrated diabetes footcare services to reduce amputations
MORE integrated diabetes
footcare services need to be in place across the NHS to put a stop
to the amputation postcode lottery highlighted in the NHS Atlas of
Variation.
That’s the message from NHS Diabetes Director Anna Morton, who is
making the call to action after it was revealed some people with
diabetes are 6 times more likely to have a major lower limb
amputation (defined as above the ankle) because of where they live.
NHS Diabetes Director Anna Morton said:- "The amputation rate
is high, and often avoidable, but what is even more unacceptable is
that the chances of having this life-changing surgery can come down
to your postcode.
To stop this, we are calling for integrated footcare services across
primary and secondary care, including footcare protection teams in
the community and specialist multi-disciplinary teams in hospitals.
Examples from Ipswich and Middlesbrough hospitals have shown such
teams can reduce amputations by up to 75%, which saves costs and,
more importantly, people’s limbs."
NHS Diabetes has a national footcare network of clinicians and
commissioners to promote improvements in diabetic footcare through
communication and shared learning. As an organisation, we are
continuing to develop tools and guidance to improve footcare
services.
NICE has recently published guidance on footcare in hospitals which
should be followed and NHS Diabetes has also issued guidance called
Putting Feet First which can be found here.
The NHS Atlas of Variation, published by the Department of Health
and supported by the National Diabetes Information Service (NDIS),
found that over 4,600 people with diabetes, included in the National
Diabetes Audit, had had a major amputation in the previous five
years. This represents 0.24% of the people included in the audit and
has remained static since 2008/09.
The report, which covered Primary Care Trusts in England, found that
the percentage of people with diabetes having major lower limb
amputations ranged from 0.1% to 0.5% (a 6 fold variation).
Click on
here
to the full Atlas. also you can follow on Twitter @nhsdiabetes |
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Motorists to
have greater choice and flexibility
MOTORISTS in the North West
of England are set to benefit from greater choice and flexibility in
how they deal with the DVLA under national proposals published for
consultation by Roads Minister, Mike Penning.
The proposals will make it easier for motorists to interact with the
DVLA. This will be achieved by centralising its services and
providing much more choice and flexibility, including online
services, than is currently available around how and when motorists
deal with the DVLA. The proposals could deliver significant
efficiencies with an estimated £28million year on year saving. Sadly
the loss of local centres could have other problems when it comes
sorting out errors and other problems local centres currently deal
with. That also combined with the loss of many jobs, will be a
blow for some local areas, like in Preston.
Roads Minister, Mike Penning said:- "This is a major step
change which will make dealing with the DVLA easier and quicker for
motorists and businesses up and down the country. Centralising the
DVLA’s services is the first crucial step towards making more of its
transactions available online, allowing people to deal with the DVLA
at their chosen time and place. This will mean quicker turnarounds
and meet our customers’ growing needs."
Under the proposals, customers should have far more ways to access
the DVLA’s services than the 39 regional offices the DVLA currently
operates in Great Britain. This announcement means that the 39
regional offices, 10 of which include its regional enforcement
centres, are expected to close by the end of 2013, with work
currently processed at those offices centralised at the DVLA’s HQ in
Swansea. As this proposed centralisation is expected to have an
impact on resources, a separate consultation with the staff
potentially affected has also now started.
DVLA’s Chief Executive, Simon Tse said:- "The DVLA has been
serving motorists for over 40 years in one form or another. But
times change and customers’ needs change. That is why it’s essential
that we move with the times and make the best use of our services
and experience to make sure we give the motor industry and the
general public a service that is fit for the 21st century and allows
them to carry out their business in a way that suits them and offers
the best value for money for the taxpayer."
The consultation starts has now started and closes on 6 March 2012.
The consultation document can also be found by clicking on
here. If you are
affected or you have any views on this, please email us to:-
news24@southportreporter.com and let us know today!
Neil Scales to leave Merseytravel
NEIL Scales is to leave his
job as Chief Executive and Director General of Merseytravel after
almost fifteen years with the organisation. He is to become Chief
Executive of TransLink, the public transport authority in Brisbane,
Australia, and takes up his new post in March. Mr Scales said:-
"It was a hard decision to make and one I spent some considerable
time agonising over but I have received an offer which was too
difficult to refuse. For me this is a challenge to make a real
difference on the other side of the world and an opportunity of a
once-in-a lifetime experience ‘down under’." In a
message to Merseytravel staff he said:- "I know I leave
Merseytravel in good shape to face the future and I am proud of what
we have achieved together. There is much I will miss, in particular
the tremendous support I have received from you all during my time
here. I truly thank you for your loyalty and hard work and wish you
all every success in the future."
Councillor Mark Dowd, chair of Merseytravel, said:- "I have
worked with Neil Scales for 15 years, and he has been a massive
asset to Merseytravel and Merseyside. His expertise is not only
known and appreciated here, but obviously overseas too, and this is
a wonderful opportunity for him to further his career. He will be
missed professionally, but it is also a great personal loss to me as
both a friend and chairman, and to the organisation as a whole."
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