Free testing offered for electrical equipment

FREE safety checks are being offered to gardeners and DIY enthusiasts to help cut down on accidents.  Liverpool Trading Standards has teamed up with Taskers, the home store, to raise awareness of the safe use of outdoor electrical appliances and encourage people to check for hazards before they start working. They will also be promoting the use of RCDs (residual current devices) to reduce the risk of accidents.  Customers can bring electrical appliances to a stall outside the Taskers store in Long Lane, Walton, on Friday, 13 July 2012 and Saturday, 14 July 2012, from 10am to 3pm, for free testing. They will also be given guidance and advice.  The first 50 people to bring along an item each day will receive a free RCD (worth £10) and a packet of seeds and a grow bag donated by Taskers.

Councillor Ann O'Byrne, cabinet member for community safety, said:- "Given how wet this summer has been there has been very few opportunities for gardening and outdoor work so, if we get any good weather, people will be tempted to get out to do the jobs which have been piling up.  And the risk is that they will be using equipment which has been out of use for some time so it is very important that it is checked to make sure it is safe. Even if equipment has been used regularly you should still have it tested so there is no risk. We are also stressing that circuit breakers- RCD's – should be always be used to prevent electric shocks."

A recent survey for the Electrical Safety Council, carried out by Ipsos MORI, found only 36% of people questioned could say what an RCD did, although 59% worked outside weekly.

Penny Walshe, the Electrical Safety Council's Corporate Communications Manager; said:- "Our research has shown that people who regularly use electrical equipment when working in the garden have a greater understanding of the need for RCD protection than those who don't.   However, of the people surveyed who have RCD protection, a quarter do not always use it, with 7% saying they never do. This is an alarming level of complacency. Working in potentially wet conditions and contact with the ground means that there is a greater risk of electric shock when working outdoors, so RCD protection is vital in reducing the risk of a fatal electric shock."

Patients asked for help as 21,000 appointments missed

SOUTHPORT and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust is urging patients to let staff know if they are unable to attend a scheduled outpatient appointment.   In the past year, the Trust has missed out on £2 million worth of income because patients failed to attend scheduled appointments. That's almost 21,000 appointment slots across all specialities that could have been given to other patients.  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 as soon as possible so we can give their slot to someone else. The missed appointment can then be rescheduled for another 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 656680 via email.  This is the first in a campaign to raise awareness amongst patients of the cost of providing medical care, for example:- For each new outpatient appointment in general surgery the Trust is paid £191. For new general medicine outpatient appointments, the Trust is paid £210.