MP backs work of disability charity

* Susan Elan Jones MP in Parliament with Welsh Can Do Coordinator Lisa Gilchrist (right) and Welsh Can Do volunteer Lucy Williams (centre).

Clwyd South MP Susan Elan Jones has met with staff and volunteers of disability charity Leonard Cheshire in Parliament.

And she has given her support to the expansion of Can Do, a volunteering programme for young disabled people.

More than 6,000 young disabled people have volunteered through the programme since Leonard Cheshire established it in 2008.

It operates UK-wide, including in four locations across Wales - Wrexham,  Cardiff, Newport and Swansea.

Ms Jones, who co-chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group for Charities and Volunteering, said: "We are hugely fortunate in the Clwyd South constituency to have the excellent Dyffryn Ceiriog Cheshire Home in Dolywern.

"I am always keen to do everything I can locally and in Parliament to support the excellent work of disability charity Leonard Cheshire. I am delighted that the charity is expanding its volunteering programme and I wish it well in this new venture."

Greater electronic access to patients' records in Wales

More hospital doctors and pharmacists now have electronic access to Welsh patients’ GP records, improving patient safety by sharing information.

North Wales South East Wales South West Wales The change means that from this month the NHS Wales Informatics Service will make a summary of key information from a patient’s GP record available electronically for planned patient care, including during outpatient appointments.

Previously it was only available to pharmacists and doctors in emergency care settings such as A&E.

Health Secretary Vaughan Gething said: “This change means that vital information is now available regardless of how a patient comes into our hospitals 24 hours a day, every day of the year improving the ability of health care professionals to provide safer care particularly in patient’s medicines management.”

Dr Charlotte Jones, Chair, General Practitioners Committee, BMA Wales said: “The establishment of the National Intelligent Integrated Audit Solution (NIIAS) and the Health Boards and Trusts’ formal commitment to monitor access to the patient record using this system has provided GPC Wales with full assurance that the extension of access will be safe, secure and will advance the ability to provide safer clinical care to the patient.”

Mr Rhidian Hurle, Consultant Surgeon, Medical Director at NHS Wales Informatics services and Chief Clinical Information Officer for Wales, said: “I am delighted that in partnership with GPC Wales we at NWIS have been able to deliver this new functionality to national clinical software in our hospitals. 

"The extended access to the GP Record makes it easier for health professionals to provide safer care, saving them time in getting the correct information about the patients they are caring for and therefore allowing them more time to focus on the patients needs. It is a win win for patients and professionals alike.”

Strict controls are in place to ensure that patient information is safe and secure. Every time a patient’s record is accessed via the secure database, an auditable log will be made.  

Patients will be asked by the health professional providing their care for permission to look at their record at each and every consultation. In addition, patients can if they wish opt out of the system entirely by speaking to their GP.  

Guide aims to keep children safe online

As part of helping parents know how to keep their children safe online, the NSPCC and O2 have developed a guide, primarily aimed at parents of 8-12 year olds, about the social networks, apps or games with an interactive element that children use most frequently.

The purpose of the guide is to provide parents with the information they need to understand their child's online world and help them keep their children safe on line.

North Wales Police are in full support of the guide. 

Det Inspector Eryl Roberts of the force’ Protecting Vulnerable People Unit said: “With the ever increasing number of Apps, games and other links on line it’s very difficult for parents to keep track on what their children are viewing and whether or not it is suitable and appropriate for their child.

"We're encouraging parents to use the site and explore what other parents and children are saying which will help empower them to make their own decision and ultimately help keep their children safe”

* Net Aware can be found at https://www.net-aware.org.uk/networks/?order=title

Councils' parking "profits" highlighted

* The Market Street council car park.

Local authorities in Wales made a combined surplus – or ‘profit’ - of £13.8 million on their parking activities in the last financial year. 

The figure for 2015-16 was a 14% increase on the £12.1 million surplus made in 2014-15.

Between them, the 22 councils in Wales had parking income of £35.8 million in 2015-16, a rise of 5.6% on the previous financial year. Income includes on- and off-street parking charges and penalty charges.

However, Denbighshire’s surplus for 2015-16 of £458,000 was down 5% on the previous financial year’s £484,000.

Total expenditure on running parking activities was £22 million, a 0.9% increase on the previous financial year.

The total surplus is the difference between the income and expenditure figures.

The rise in surplus is the third annual increase in a row and a 60% increase on the figure for 2012-13 (£8.6 million).

The data analysed by the RAC Foundation comes from the official returns made in a standardised format to the Welsh Government on an annual basis. 

Looked at individually, 19 of the 22 councils showed surpluses.

The biggest ‘profit’ was made by Cardiff (£3.5 million), followed by Swansea (£2.4 million) and then Gwynedd (£1.4 million).

Three councils reported losses on their parking activities: Flintshire (£423,000), Blaenau Gwent (£310,000) and Torfaen (£81,000).

The most ‘efficient’ council was Monmouthshire where the ratio of income (£1.42 million) to expenditure (£490,000) was 2.9.

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “Overall council parking profits in Wales are up sharply again this year, possibly reflecting a recovering economy with people using their cars more.

“It is important that the surplus is ploughed back into transport projects – there are plenty on Welsh motorists’ wish-lists, not least the ongoing campaign to tackle potholes. 

“Some cash could also go towards providing and maintaining off-street car parks, so that they are seen by drivers as a safe and convenient alternative to finding space at the kerbside. 

“While we don’t want our towns and cities dominated by the car, we must remember how dependent many people still are on them. In several areas of Wales – including Blaenau Gwent, Neath Port Talbot and Torfaen – more than 80% of those in employment rely on the car to get to work, some of the highest proportions in Britain.”

- See more at: http://www.racfoundation.org/media-centre/welsh-council-parking-profits-up-for-third-year#sthash.qB9kF43H.dpuf

Ambulance service gears up for winter months

THE Welsh Ambulance Service has revealed its action plan to protect patients and improve staff experience during the winter.

The Trust has been busy preparing for the expected seasonal increase in pressures, which impacts services across NHS Wales.

Last year’s winter demand has been analysed and a National Winter Plan has been created, along with seven localised plans for each health board area.

In total 20 new Emergency Medical Technicians, 12 new paramedics and 15 new members of Urgent Care Service crew will start work with the Trust.

An additional five ‘Hear and Treat’ clinicians will also be in place within Clinical Contact Centres from December to provide advice to callers who do not have serious or life threatening conditions.

Other initiatives include the training and deployment of Community First Responders to help non-injured fallers, and the placement of clinicians within police control rooms to triage calls and make sure appropriate resources are sent to the scene of incidents.

Richard Lee, Director of Operations, said: “During the winter we want to make sure that our patients receive the best clinical care possible and that our staff are working in a safe environment, during a period when services right across the NHS come under increased pressure.

“This year we will be entering the New Year with as full an establishment as the service has ever seen in terms of staffing.

“Managers are being freed up to spend more time with staff and patients on ambulances and plans are in place to increase support from St John Ambulance for low acuity calls and some private ambulance services at key points in the winter.”

One of the risks to the plan’s success is handover delays at hospitals, which have been taken into account and preparations put in place to mitigate them.

Richard Lee added: “We are working with the seven local health boards to provide Hospital Ambulance Liaison Officers to help with this and manage ambulances left waiting outside Emergency Departments.

“As part of improved escalation arrangements, local plans are being strengthened by agreeing the use of additional capacity vehicles, which will be used to safely hold patients outside Emergency Departments at times of extreme pressure and allow our ambulance crews to get back on the road.

“We also have in place a new demand management plan which lays out clear actions for control staff when demand exceeds supply.”

During the winter, while the number of 999 calls the Trust receives increases, the amount which are coded as life-threatening generally remains static.

Richard Lee called on members of the public to support the NHS Wales Choose Well campaign and consider other services unless they are facing a genuine emergency.

He said: “We need your help to make sure that we can attend to those in the community who need us most, such as patients experiencing a cardiac arrest or choking.

“Unless you are in need of urgent care, there are a whole host of alternative services available to you such as your GP, Out of Hours, pharmacies, minor injury units or you can call NHS Direct Wales on 0845 46 47 for health advice 24 hours a day.”

MP has her say on bank closure protocol

* Susan Elan Jones MP presents the Corwen banking petition in the House of Commons.

Susan Elan Jones MP has welcomed the inclusion of some key suggestions she made into a nation-wide protocol about bank closures.

Last month she me with Sir Russel Griggs, the man commissioned to produce an independent review and made her detailed recommendations then.

Sir Russell's review 'Access to Banking Protocol - One Year On Review' has just been published and includes the following points suggested by the Clwyd South Labour MP:

-  Regular cash collections from business customers: "Banks consider coming together and offer a generic cash pick up services for businesses across the UK"

- "All banks ensure that their customers are aware of what they can do at the Post Office in terms of their banking transactions"

- Specially trained staff are designated, in particular to work with older customers

Ms Jones MP, who yesterday (Thursday) presented a petition in Parliament on behalf of Corwen residents concerned at the local effect of bank closures, said: "I have been meeting many local businesses and residents and decided to put together some detailed proposals for Sir Russell in my meeting with him.

"I am pleased to see a number of my suggestions are now in the new national protocol. The importance of Sir Russell's review is that it is backed by the British Bankers Association and all the major banks have signed up to it.

"I will now be in contact with all banks which have closed in our area to see how they will be helping our local residents and implementing it. Having closed the banks in the first place, it is only right now that they do more to help local businesses and individuals."

Councillor given reason for balloon festival move

* A balloon over Llangollen in September.

County councillor Stuart Davies says he has heard back from the organisers of the Welsh International Balloon Festival which is moving out of Llangollen and into neighbouring Shropshire. 

Earlier this week the British Ironwork Centre near Oswestry dropped the bombshell news that it would be hosting the popular event, run by Nightingale House Hospice in aid of its funds, next August bank holiday.

Cllr Davies described the move as a “big loss” to Llangollen as the festival had attracted 7,000 people – both to the Pavilion field where it was held and the town centre – in September.  

And he promised to find out the reason for the decision.

On social media yesterday he said: “The lady from Nightingale House has called me to explain. They have been made an offer.

“The Ironwork Centre is going to run the event for them. A win win situation for a very worthy cause.

“I explained that I wished they had talked to me first to see if we could have helped so that the event could have taken place in Llangollen.

“She apologised for the news going out prematurely but it had been beyond their control.

“She said that the event is not going to be called the Welsh International Balloon Festival, that it would not be fair to take the name away from Llangollen.

“I reiterated that if they were thinking of doing another event in the future then please to talk to us first. Part of the conversation was about other things we could do.

“I wish a very worthy cause well and urge us all to continue to support them.” 

He told llanblogger: “I have to look at the bigger picture which means looking at the impact of losing an event which can bring 7,000 people into our town with all the benefits that that brings to local businesses - although there is the downside of the parking situation.

“I am having top level talks with our people to ensure that in the future we are more proactive, corporately, in engaging with big players that can bring business to our town.”