Welsh NHS staff to get 3% pay rise

Health Minister Eluned Morgan, pictured left, has agreed a 3% pay rise for all NHS staff in Wales, as she accepted the recommendations of the pay review bodies in full.

The recommendations from the NHS Pay Review Body and the Doctors and Dentist Review Body apply to staff on Agenda for Change terms and conditions, which includes employed nurses, cleaners, porters and health support workers. It also applies to consultants, doctors in training, pre-2021 speciality and associate specialist (SAS) doctor contracts, salaried GPs and dentists.

The pay rise will apply retrospectively from April 2021.

Eluned Morgan said: “Once again, I want to thank our Welsh NHS staff for their extraordinary efforts over the course of this pandemic. Many staff have worked extremely long hours under enormous pressure.

“This pay rise recognises the dedication and commitment of hardworking NHS staff and the enormous contribution they have made. It is also a recognition of how valued they are by Welsh communities.

“For our lowest paid staff, this means we have gone above the Living Wage recommendation of £9.50 an hour, demonstrating our commitment to NHS Wales being a Living Wage employer.”

The Welsh Government says the UK Treasury has not yet provided any information about whether any additional funding will be provided to cover the cost of the recommended uplift above the 1% cap previously announced but the Health Minister said current budgets will be prioritised to enable this the deal to be implemented.

The pay increase will be made in addition to the NHS and social care bonus payment which was announced by the previous Minister for Health and Social Services in March 2021. 

The one off payment of £735 acknowledged the compassionate care provided by our NHS workforce to the people of Wales when we have been at our most vulnerable.

Government plan to help food and drink firms

A new plan to help food and drink companies across Wales get their products on the shelves of major retailers is being launched by the Welsh Government.

The Food and Drink Wales Retail Plan has been developed alongside an industry expert group and aims to see the turnover value for the food and drink industry in Wales grow proportionally more than the UK as a whole.

It has eight key objectives including creating a stream of new entrepreneurial food and drink businesses and accelerate the growth of companies with a turnover of more than £10m in the retail sector.

Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd, Lesley Griffiths launched the Retail Plan during a visit to Samosaco in Pontyclun.

Samosaco are currently listed in Morrisons stores in Wales and Costco across the whole of the UK. The company recently relaunched both their brand and packaging as well as a range of retail focussed products.

The plan will support Welsh companies to aspire to a UK level of distribution and help build closer working relationships across supply-chains and retailers.

It will also be key in nurturing the next generation of companies to access new market routes and help them respond to new demands from consumers.

Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd, Lesley Griffiths said: “We have fantastic food and drink producers here in Wales and I am committed to helping them see their products enjoyed by more people, not only here in Wales, but across the UK.

“The new retail plan will be key to this by helping develop greater strength and resilience within the industry and put in place the building blocks to support companies in their next phase of growth and development.

“I would like to thank the Retail Expert Group for their work in helping create this plan. The group has been specifically established to assess Wales’ position within the UK retail sector and respond to the demands of evolving food markets.

“We have a real opportunity, through this new plan, to help Welsh food and drink businesses reach new and potentially game changing markets.”

Co-founder of Samosaco, Tee Sandhu said: “We are delighted to welcome the Minister here today to launch such an important initiative for Welsh Food and Drink.

“We have recently refreshed our brand and have developed a number of new Vegan and Vegetarian ready meal and snack lines and have had excellent support from the Government’s Trade Development Programme and the Fine Food Cluster.

“Our products including our famous ‘Onion Bhaji Scotch Egg’ are already widely distributed across Wales and will soon be available across most of GB through a significant online retailer. We look forward to building closer ties with the major retailers and expanding our position in the market.”

Chair of Food and Drink Wales Industry Board (FDWIB), Andy Richardson said: “Welsh Food & Drink has a tremendous opportunity to develop sales across retailers both in Wales and the UK. I genuinely believe consumers value the quality, sustainability and provenance of Welsh Food & Drink which, when combined with some excellent point of sale branding, should lead to good growth in this sector in the coming years”.

* The Food & Drink Wales Retail Plan can be found at: Retail Plan Summary_0.pdf (gov.wales)

New Honda e is packed with tech but still pricey

Honda e drive by Steve Rogers

So now we know. Come 2035 and production of petrol and diesel cars will end for good.

Joe Public won't be able to buy a new conventional engined car after 2030 and the only exception to electric will be hybrid or plug-in hybrid models which will have a five year grace period until the shutters finally come down.

Honda will have all its models electrified by next year, having decided to chop three years off its original 2025 deadline a move that will have big consequences for its biggest star, the Civic Type R.

Production of the current super quick bad boy is about to end but there will be a hybrid version next year which might not be a bad thing as electric motors boost horse power. You can just imagine the clamour to snap up a Type R the closer we get to E Day.

For now the Japanese company's only electric offering is the pint sized Honda e, a five door city car with a modest range of 125 miles. A larger electric model will arrive next year and although Honda is keeping schtum it is likely to be a Civic or HR-V sized car. The new hybrid HR-V hits our showrooms in November, ahead of mainland Europe which will have to wait until next year.

As for Honda e it is ahead of its time when it comes to styling. At first sight it is a car that looks unfinished, there are no visible door handles, and then you think 'there is something odd here'. It has no door mirrors and the answer to that conundrum is an even bigger surprise. Get inside and take in a new take on dashboard design. Everything is minimalist with clean surfaces, and then there is this strange full width black box stretching the full width of the dash. Futuristic or what?

All becomes clear with a press of the starter button when two 12 inch screens light up with a wing camera screen at each end taking the place of a door mirror. It is a world first and works perfectly well, in fact it gives a wider field of vision than a conventional door mirror. There is also the option of a remote camera view from the driver's mirror but I found that a bit weird and flicked to a normal view.

The main screens provide information and plenty of connectivity options and, of course, personal devices can be synced so you can plug your whole life into the car. It's all a bit mind boggling at first but pretty straight forward once you get the hang of it.

At 3895mm long Honda e sits between a city car and supermini, or to give a bit of context a Ford Ka and Ford Fiesta, but with rear wheel drive and the wheels plonked in each corner it is surprisingly roomy with space for four although I would not be planning any big holidays given the size of the boot. Shall we just say it is good for a few shopping bags.

Like all electric cars acceleration is brisk, even very brisk, and with 315Nm of torque on tap there are never any worries about quick overtaking. It is not the sharpest tool in the box when it comes to driving dynamics, wallowing slightly through sweeping bends and roundabouts but the car is about convenience and clean motoring, not rally driving!

My test drive was mainly around busy Surrey commuter roads and it was a case of e for easy, relaxing and, in the main, with silent running.

For now the stumbling block with Honda e, and every other electric car, is the price. No matter how much kit you pack into these cars, and the Honda has a more than generous spec, they are just too expensive and that is because volumes are still low and they are costly to build. All we can hope is that the price gap reduces the closer we get to 2030.

Fast facts

Honda e Advance

£31,265

Range 125 miles

Battery: 35.5kWh

Charge time 3h 30mins

0-62mph 9secs; 100mph

VED: Zero

Insurance group 29

 

2020 plan is recommended for approval - with amendments

 

* An artist's impression of the finished 2020 scheme.

Members of Denbighshire County Council's powerful cabinet have been advised to approve the £1.7 million plan to re-shape Llangollen town centre's road system.

The 2020 scheme is due to be considered by the cabinet next Tuesday and agenda papers for the meeting show that officers have recommended it goes ahead with some amendments to the original proposals.   

The scheme is intended to improve the public realm along Castle Street by replacing the existing kerbs and footway paving with high-quality materials.

Also proposed was the removal of on-street parking from Castle Street and from the Abbey Road/Castle Street junction to enable the adjacent pavements to be widened and reduce parking-related congestion on Castle Street. 

Other proposals included introducing a number of pedestrian dropped kerbs along Castle Street and to reduce traffic speeds by raising the road surface at some side road junctions as well as providing two loading bays for businesses on Castle Street, together with two disabled parking spaces near to Castle Street. 

It was also proposed to make Market Street one-way in a westerly direction between Castle Street and East Street and introduce a loading bay on the south side of Market Street where the temporary loading bay is currently located. 

The Castle Street improvement is part of a phased-approach to improve parking and to improve walking and cycling routes in the town. 

In his report to next week's cabinet Councillor Brian Jones, Lead Member for Waste, Transport and the Environment, recommends members approve 2020, including a list of amendments which result from the recent three-week public consultation exercise. 

The report reveals that a total of 507 questionnaire responses were received in response to the recent engagement. 

These were comprised of 322 online questionnaires and 185 paper questionnaires.

Of the 507 responses, 95 were from business owners, 358 were from residents, 32 from visitors, and 16 from people who work in the town but live elsewhere.

The questionnaire asked respondents whether they agreed or disagreed with the main proposals contained within the project.

Of the responses received, the number of people who agreed with the various proposals generally ranged from between 60% and 68%, except for 48% of respondents who agreed that the project would make them more likely to walk or cycle.

The number of people who disagreed with the various proposals generally varied from between 25% and 36%, except for the 22% of respondents who disagreed that the 20 mph speed limit and speed reduction features would make Castle Street safer.

A total of 64% respondents said the project is generally a good idea, with some of those saying the project could be improved further.

A total of 36% of respondents said that the project isn’t generally a good idea.

The report adds that the main issues of concern raised were the proposed width of Castle Street is too narrow; the loss of on-street parking; the proposed loading bays being goods-only; the proposed closure of Short Street; the proposed width of the Bridge Street junction and the proposed Bridge Street loading bay.

It goes on: "The public engagement feedback has been carefully considered and discussed with the Lead Member and local elected members. This has led to some design changes proposed for the project."

The report details the proposed amendments, followed by the council's comments on each one. They are: 

1. Change the two proposed loading bays for Castle Street to general loading bays. This is proposed in response to concerns raised by business owners about them not being able to use their own vehicles to unload goods.  

The council says: "It will also allow customers to move heavier items. Main negative impact of this is that the loading bays will be occupied more frequently which will reduce their availability and result in more interruptions to the flow of traffic. Will also increase need for regular enforcement."

2. Consider placing time limit on Castle Street loading bay from 0930 until 6pm.

The council says: "This would make the bay an unrestricted length of road outside of these hours. This would allow anyone to park prior to 0930 in the morning subject to the availability of a space.

"Negative is that bays could be taken up by overnight resident parking i.e no guarantee that they’d be available."

3. Change the proposed loading bay for Market Street to a general loading bay.

The council says: "This is proposed in response to concerns raised by business owners about them not being able to use their own vehicles to unload goods. It will also allow customers to move heavier items. Main negative impact of this is that the loading bay will be occupied more frequently which will reduce its availability. Will also increase need for regular enforcement."

4. Inset proposed Castle Street loading bays (This means that the existing pavements won’t be widened where they are adjacent to the proposed loading bays).

The council says: "This will mean that the loading bays won’t extend out as far into the road as would have been the case. Only negative impact of this is that the pavements won’t be widened where adjacent to the loading bays."

5. Withdraw proposal to close Short Street.

The council says: "Reconsider options for Short Street as part of Phase 2 including potential for one-way with left turn only restriction In light of opposition to closure of Short Street it is recommended that it is reopened and a traffic camera survey is undertaken to monitor the use of Short Street and any road safety or congestion-related issues."

6. Consider amendments to East Street/Parade Street 90 degree bend Consider scope to improve the existing “pinch-point” issues that have been reported.

7. Consider and, if possible, provide additional short stay parking on Market Street one way section One-way restriction may provide sufficient width to provide 2 no. on-street parking spaces.

The council says: "This needs to be checked to ensure it won’t interfere with the swept-path of large vehicles turning into Market Street off Castle Street." 

8. Undertake traffic assessment and consider options for re-routing of HGV through traffic 

The council says: "Evaluate and quantify HGV through traffic, is it same local hauliers using the route for example."

The cabinet reports can be viewed at: https://moderngov.denbighshire.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=281&MId=6272&LLL=0

Next Tuesdays' meeting, to be held online, can be viewed on the same web link. 

County seeks more Digital Buddies

An initiative that has helped communities stay digitally connected during the pandemic is looking for more volunteers to support Denbighshire residents. 

In the summer of 2020, Denbighshire Voluntary Services Council, Digital Communities Wales and Denbighshire County Council, in collaboration, launched Denbighshire Digital Buddies. 

The scheme helps anyone needing assistance with digital technology and has helped families, friends and loved ones stay connected through the difficult lockdowns of the pandemic. 

Buddies have provided technical support over the phone, helping people become more independent and improving their mental health and wellbeing. 

Gareth Jones of Denbighshire Voluntary Services Council, said: “Communities in Denbighshire have come together during this pandemic, and our Digital Buddies scheme has tapped into that positive energy to provide valuable support.

"My role has been to recruit volunteers, ensure they are trained and to match them with people in the community who need digital assistance. We would like to recruit more volunteer Digital Buddies."

Debbie Hughes, a Digital Buddy volunteer from Prestatyn said: “I have recently helped a lady who had no IT skills at all. She was able to access a tablet through some of the work I do and was then able, with my support, to download WhatsApp. The lady now video calls her daughter in New Zealand. 

“I think it’s opened her eyes a lot to other things that technology can do, and she will hopefully sign up to an IT class at her local library in September. 

Debbie added: “Going through the training was very positive and I learned the wide variety of things technology can help with. Being a Digital Buddy volunteer is very rewarding as it is great to support people and see their IT confidence increase.”

Cllr Bobby Feeley, Denbighshire County Council’s Lead for Wellbeing and Independence, said: “This is a great volunteer scheme which has made a big and positive difference to people’s lives during the pandemic. Being connected to your friends and loved ones has never been so important and I am grateful to see how much the Denbighshire Digital Buddies have helped communities in the county. 

“It is a very rewarding scheme for volunteers to join, as keeping everyone connected to each other is vital for mental health and wellbeing.

"If you know anyone that has a tablet or smartphone and needs help using it, for example, we would like to hear from you, and the person can be paired with a Digital Buddy." 

* Contact Gareth Jones on 01824 702441 or e-mail office@dvsc.co.uk for further information or if you would like to be a Digital Buddy.

Welsh Ambulance Service under 'extreme' pressure

Extreme pressures on the Welsh Ambulance Service yesterday meant it had to declare a ‘business continuity incident’.

The Trust has been receiving in the region of 2,000 calls per day via 999 for the last three days.

Incidents yesterday were nine per cent higher than predicted, up 11 per cent from last Monday (12 July, 2021) and up 29 per cent from the same Monday last year (20 July, 2020).

Immediately life-threatening ‘RED’ calls were also up by almost 30 per cent compared to last Monday.

Call volume, coupled with lengthy delays at hospitals across Wales, meant that demand on the service exceeded its capacity to respond.

As a result, some patients waited many hours for an ambulance.

The Trust put special arrangements in place to manage demand, including asking some patients to make an alternative arrangement, such as making their own way to hospital.

More than a fifth (21 per cent) of 999 calls yesterday were categorised as low acuity ‘GREEN’ calls and were subsequently assessed by NHS 111 Wales.

Among them was a person with a fish hook in their foot, a person who had caught their finger in a juicer and a person with diarrhoea.

Here are the some of the other headlines from yesterday –

1. Immediately life-threatening ‘RED’ calls were up by 29 per cent from last Monday, and up 175 per cent from the same Monday last year
2. The number one reason people called 999 yesterday was for breathing problems (13.4 per cent) followed by falls (13.3 per cent)
3. Around nine per cent of callers were also experiencing chest pain and seven per cent reported feeling faint
4. Calls to patients with breathing problems were up by 37 per cent when compared to last Monday
5. 516 hours were spent by ambulance crews at hospitals across Wales yesterday waiting to hand over patients

Director of Operations Lee Brooks said: “It’s very rare that we declare a business continuity incident and it’s not a decision that we take lightly – it’s a sign of a serious situation.

“Yesterday’s heat coupled with the delays at hospitals meant we reached a point in the early evening where demand actually overtook our capacity to respond in a safe and timely way.

“For anyone who had an excessive wait for an ambulance yesterday, we are very sorry for your experience and this is not the service we want to provide.

“While we’re in a more stable position today, we’re still experiencing extreme pressures right across Wales, and we need the public’s help.

“Please only call 999 if a life is on the line – that’s a cardiac arrest, chest pain or breathing difficulties, loss of consciousness, choking or catastrophic bleeding.

“If it’s not a life-threatening emergency, then it’s important that you use of the many alternatives to 999, starting with the symptom checkers on our NHS 111 Wales website as well as your GP, pharmacist and Minor Injuries Unit.”

Lee added his thanks to staff and volunteers across the service.

He added: “Our staff and volunteers in every corner of Wales and in every part of our service are working flat out to deliver the best service we can to people in Wales in very difficult conditions.

“I’d like to extend a huge thank you to colleagues for the immense collective effort.”

Click here to read the ambulance service’s top tips for summer safety.

Minister impressed by railway's re-birth during visit today

llanblogger exclusive

* The Deputy Minister with railway board members and volunteers at Llangollen station.

* Board members and volunteers with the Deputy Minister on Berwyn station.

* Ms Bowden chats to railway volunteers on Llangollen station.

* The Deputy Minister is shown pictures of recent developments on the line by railway publicity officer George Jones.

The country cannot afford to lose heritage attractions such as Llangollen Railway, which is an organisation the Welsh Government wants to support, maintain and to see thrive.

That was the message from Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport, Dawn Bowden MS, when she paid a whistle-stop visit to the line this afternoon (Tuesday).

Earlier this month the railway was awarded a grant of £143,290 from the Wales Cultural Recovery Fund, which is controlled by the Welsh Government, to aid its recovery from recent financial problems brought on first by closure due to the pandemic and then when the company which ran it plunged into receivership with debts of £350,000.

But thanks to massive efforts by the separate and solvent Llangollen Railway Trust the railway is now back up and running. 

As the first stage of its salvage operation it is currently running a diesel train between Llangollen and the next station along the line at Berwyn but has firm plans to bring back highly popular steam-hauled services early next month.

During her visit today the Deputy Minister was invited to take a trip aboard the Class 108 heritage diesel railcar and see for herself the progress that has been made since the railway's re-opening on July 9.

She was given a full update by members of the trust board and volunteers along the way.

The Deputy Minister said: "One of our commitments as the Welsh Government is to make sure that our tourism industry is in a position to be able to thrive after the pandemic.

"We want to support our tourist organisations. We have supported them in Llangollen because we recognise the importance that tourism has to this part of north Wales.

"Without the Llangollen Railway we'd be losing a huge asset, to the economy, to tourism and to jobs.

"So the importance of it is literally buying into our strategy for tourism in north Wales."

Asked if it was likely the railway would be getting any further Welsh Government support, the Deputy Minister said: "Where there is a need and where we believe that there is value for money we will continue to support organisations like this.

"We cannot afford to lose this kind of heritage scheme. Llangollen Railway says so much about the area, our railway heritage and it's absolutely something we want to support and maintain and to see thrive.

"That's what our contribution has been, It's been about making sure that the railway can survive and hopefully be a thriving, going concern for the future of the tourism industry and for Llangollen."

Ms Bowden said she had been "very impressed" by what she had been shown, adding: "It wasn't that long ago that the organisation went into administration and the trust has had to turn it around and build a business case.

"They've also had to get a business plan together and they've had to make all this work. It's to their true credit that they've been able to do all that.

"We've been able to help with this but it's these people on the ground that have turned it around."

One of those who greeted the Deputy Minister was trust vice-chairman Phil Coles.

He said: "It was a very successful visit. She was impressed by what she saw and heard and my parting comment to her was, 'don't be surprised if we come back and ask for more support in future,' and she said, 'by all means'.

"She said she was really impressed by what we have been doing but we've still got a long way to go.

"We've got to get the engineering going to get the trains further along the line and the icing on the cake will obviously be next March when we open all the way to Corwen.

"We've also got steam coming in early August, we hope."