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Charity launches
appeal for foster families in Merseyside
ACTION for Children has
launched a new fostering service aimed at children from the North
West who have encountered severe disruption, abuse or trauma in
their young lives. The leading charity is now encouraging people in
Merseyside to consider becoming carers .
Transform is a therapeutic foster placement programme that gives
children stability in their lives, helping them to grow and develop
in a family home environment. And with an estimated shortage of
1,200 carers in the North West, the leading charity is urgently
calling for Merseyside locals to consider joining the programme.
Sue Atkinson-Millmoor, children's placements manager at Action for
Children, said:- "Transform uses a range of therapeutic
techniques to help children who have experienced severe disruption
in their young lives to heal. The aim of this type of foster care is
to give children who often display significant and challenging
behaviour the support they need to fulfil their potential."
Each child in a Transform placement will have a weekly therapy
session with a trauma and attachment specialist.
Foster carers will
play a key role in this therapy, and will receive ongoing training
and coaching to help them support the child.
Sue continued:- "Your experience of working with children is
not as important as your attitude and interest in making Transform
work. We are looking for foster carers from Merseyside who are
focussed on a child's needs; interested in understanding what is
behind their behaviour; and can make a long-term commitment to the
Transform process to offer children and young people a stable home.
I would encourage Merseyside residents who are interested in finding
out more about fostering to get in touch – you could transform a
young person's life."
Figures released earlier this year suggest there is a shortage of
nearly 9,000 foster families across the UK. This shortfall means too
many children are at risk of not getting the right foster home first
time round, which heightens the chances of a fostering breakdown and
their return to residential care.
To find out more about becoming a foster carer please contact Action
for Children on:- 0845 200 5162 or visit their
website.
ARRESTES FOLLOW DISCOVERY OF LARGE
AMOUNT OF CANNABIS AND CLOTHES IN BOOTLE
FOLLOWING the execution of
a warrant at a house on St Ambrose Croft, Bootle, large quantity of
cannabis and clothing was discovered on Sunday, 11 November 2012. It
is reported that around 250kg of cannabis resin as well as a large
quantity of clothes, footwear and jewellery was recovered.
The 2 arrested have been named as Lisa Dolan, aged 38, of Ambrose
Close in Bootle. She has been charged with possession of cannabis
with intent to supply and will be appeared at Liverpool Magistrates'
Court on Tuesday, 13 November 2012. The other was a 34 year old man
from Bootle was been bailed pending further enquiries.
Superintendent Kevin Johnson said:- "This was an excellent
result and we have been able to take a significant amount of drugs
off our streets. We take all reports of illegal drugs activities in
our communities extremely seriously and will act on all information
received to put an end to the criminal behaviour of those involved
in the drugs trade. Cannabis and its associated crime is a blight on
our communities and we are determined to put those involved in all
elements of the drugs trade before the courts. To do this we need
the help of residents who may have vital information about those
involved in the drugs trade to call us, anonymously if preferred, so
we can take action and get these people and their drugs off our
streets."
Anyone with any information is asked to call Merseyside Police on:-
101, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on:- 0800 555 111. |
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Patients
protected from developing harmful bedsores at the Royal
STAFF at the Royal
Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust have
achieved a huge reduction in the number of patients developing
bedsores whilst in hospital, with the most harmful types of bedsore
completely eradicated in the last 12 months.
Bedsores or pressure ulcers are when damage occurs on the skin and
underlying tissue. They are commonly caused by the weight of the
body pressing down on the skin when people are unable to move for
long periods or unable to shift their weight or get up. Pressure
ulcers can range in severity from patches of discoloured skin, to
the most serious with open wounds that expose the underlying bone or
muscle.
Patients, particularly older patients, are often at risk of
developing pressure ulcers and they can develop very quickly as a
result of unrelieved pressure cutting the blood supply off to the
skin. They can be very harmful to patients, and staff at our
hospitals are taking a zero tolerance approach to serious pressure
ulcers.
Mary Harrison, tissue viability nurse said:- "Preventing
patients from developing serious bedsores is something that we are
all extremely passionate about. It is a fundamental part of our role
to provide good quality patient care that protects patients from
harm. Tissue viability nurses work closely with staff on the wards
to advise and support them in caring for patients who are at risk of
developing pressure ulcers."
Over the last few years a number of initiatives have been introduced
at our hospitals to prevent patients at risk of developing pressure
ulcers including:-
► A thorough risk assessment is performed on all patients within 6
hours of their admission to hospital, or when they are moved from
one clinical area to another, to see if they have any skin damage
and if they are at risk of developing a pressure ulcer
► Those identified as being at risk of developing a pressure ulcer
are informed of their risk and an individual care plan is produced
for them. Wherever feasible the patient is provided with verbal and
written advice on how they can help prevent the development of a
pressure ulcer
► A registered nurse checks patients for pressure ulcers at least
every 8 hours
► A weekly report on the incidence of any pressure ulcers is
produced lessons learnt are shared with clinicians and senior nurses
► A specialist team of 'tissue viability nurses' work closely
with staff on the wards to advise and support them in caring for
patients who have been admitted with a pressure ulcer to help them
heal and prevent patients developing any pressure ulcers whilst in
hospital
► Each ward has a designated nurse who has received specialist
training in managing bedsores. All clinical staff are trained in
pressure ulcer prevention at least once a year
► The Trust has invested in specialist beds and equipment which are
available at all times of the day and night. Measures to reduce
pressure ulcers have been fully supported by the Board.
One patient benefitting from these measures is Josie Doran from
Huyton who has spent 5 weeks recovering in hospital following an
operation. Josie said:- "I was unable to move after my
operation and the staff had to do everything for me including
helping me to change my position and check my skin for redness. I
was also given a special mattress to stop me getting sore. The staff
helped me whenever I called and would see me throughout the day to
check how I was and make sure I wasn't in any pain. They are a great
team, doing a great job!"
Diane Wake, interim chief executive said:- "Our staff cared
for over 85,000 patients last year and going a whole 12 months
without a single patient developing a serious bedsore is something
we are extremely proud of. Preventing pressure ulcers is a key
marker of high quality care and this is supported throughout our
hospitals from the Board to the ward. Our staff work very hard to
identify at risk patients and closely monitor that patient to ensure
they do not develop serious ulcers. This achievement is a credit to
all their hard work and we would like to thank them on behalf of all
the patient's they have helped." |
