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The NHS and MPs have today joined forces to honour some of the biggest achievements in health and social care from across the country, honouring individuals and teams in the prestigious NHS Parliamentary Awards supported by FUJIFILM.

Among those scooping awards at the ceremony, will be Sheffield Teaching Hospital’s world-leading stem cell team who have pioneered the use of a breakthrough treatment for multiple sclerosis, the first treatment of its kind to significantly reverse the disease and its debilitating conditions.

Nurses in Hertfordshire are also being recognised as part of celebrations for their contribution to covert operations, working with the police to provide safe and well checks for potential victims of sex trafficking. This is the first operation to involve a collaboration between health services and the police to safeguard these vulnerable individuals who are hard to reach and have limited access to health care.

Simon Stevens, NHS England chief executive, said:

“It has once again been a privilege to celebrate with some of the extraordinarily dedicated and selfless health and care heroes who make the NHS what it is today - the much-loved institution that our patients say is what makes them most proud to be British.

“From those who have devoted their lives to helping people and supporting some of our most vulnerable, to delivering pioneering lifesaving treatments, the NHS Parliamentary awards are rightly honouring those who continue to make a huge contribution to our country, through our NHS Long Term Plan.”

More winners at the awards, which have been supported by FUJI Film, include London GP, Dr Peter Buchman, who has worked tirelessly to encourage rough sleepers and people in temporary housing to register with a doctor. His team at the Royal London Hospital has worked to ensure homeless people, who typically have complex health needs including mental and physical, have a good experience of healthcare services and is helping prevent discharge back onto the street when they have been admitted to hospital.

Dr Sarah Wollaston, MP and Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee, said:

“The success of the National Health Service is built on its wonderful staff, so it is right that MPs champion the outstanding work happening in their local area. I have been blown away by the all the winners including NHS staff, carers and volunteers and their drive to deliver brilliant care to their patients, day in day out, morning and night, throughout the year.”

This year’s lifetime achievement gong is being awarded to Pamela Campbell, a registered nurse from the South whose career has spanned five decades, and her unwavering passion to support vulnerable people including better support for Asylum seekers, people addicted to alcohol and homeless people.

England’s top nurse and lead for the national awards ceremony this year, Ruth May, said:

“It was humbling to hear about the hundreds of examples of outstanding care we received for the NHS Parliamentary Awards this year and all were worthy winners, on behalf of the expert panel who represent millions of NHS staff, patients and carers and who had a hard time choosing, I’d like to say a huge congratulations on your fantastic achievements.

“The skills, expertise and innovation that I have seen in the nominations give me confidence that together we can deliver the ambitions set out in the Long Term Plan - I am delighted to be celebrating with the individuals and teams involved.”

The twelve winners will be honoured at the prestigious NHS parliamentary awards ceremony on Wednesday 10th July at the Palace of Westminster’s Terrace Pavilion, hosted by Dr Sara Kayat, NHS GP & TV Doctor.

They have been selected from hundreds of nominations submitted by over 230 MPs – the ceremony will be attended by Health Select Committee Chair Dr Sarah Wollaston MP, Health Secretary Matt Hancock MP, and the panel of judges who collectively represent millions of NHS staff, patients and Carers all paying tribute to the outstanding local NHS heroes.

The twelve NHS Parliamentary award winners selected by an expert panel are:

The Excellence in Mental Health Care Award, Sponsored by the Premier League: Oxfordshire Mental Health Partnership, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust

OMHP have created a number of schemes which are benefitting the lives of people living with mental ill health. These include Oxford Safe Haven which offers out of hours crisis support, walking for well-being which offers physical activity, help with employment for people who have experience psychosis and advice on benefits.

The Excellence in Health Care Award: Olutayo Arikawe, The Priory Community Pharmacy

Olutayo Arikawe has taken pharmacy care out into her community promoting health in local pubs, supermarkets, town centres, colleges and libraries ensuring it reaches the people that need it the most, in one for the most deprived areas in Dudley. Action includes raising awareness of the signs of cancer such as skin, pancreatic and cervical, taking health checks to people in their workplace such as cholesterol, glucose and blood pressure as well as better alcohol awareness.

The Excellence in Urgent and Emergency Care Award: Dr Peter Buchman & the Pathway Homeless Team, the Royal London Hospital and East London NHS Foundation Trust

By building relationships with patients, hospital staff, housing, social care and other partnership organisations Dr Peter Buchman and his team have worked to improve access to care for homeless people. The work is now being replicated across ten hospitals in the UK.

The Excellence in Primary Care Award:

Joint Winner: Ade Williams, Bedminster Pharmacy, Bristol

The leading pharmacist has supported a number of pioneering schemes to support the health of people in the local area including the annual men’s health campaign known as the ‘Bemmy challenge’ with pubs, barbers and tattoo parlours and ‘pulse in the pub’ blood pressure checks.

Joint Winner: RESTORE2, West Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group, Wessex Academic Health Science Network

RESTORE2 (Recognise Early Soft-Signs, Take Observations, Respond, Escalate) is a tool that has been designed to recognise the physical deterioration including sepsis of people in nursing or care homes ensuring they get the right care.

The Future NHS Award, Sponsored by Fuji Film: The Autologous Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Team led by Professor Basil Sharrack & Professor John Snowden

The pioneering treatment, which was traditional used to treat cancers such as leukaemia and lymphoma, has had a life-changing impact on a number of patients who had previously failed to respond to standard therapies, with some now able to walk, run and even dance as a result of being involved in the trial. The team are now part of international efforts to examine the long-term benefits of the treatment.

The Volunteer of the Year Award: Winner:  Aintree Hospital Volunteer End of Life Companions, Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Volunteers have sat with 312 patients who are dying over the past year alone offering comfort and allowing them to dies with dignity. The efforts of the army of volunteers has also helped save more than 600 hours of nursing time.

The Care and Compassion Award: Kate Tantam & The ICU Rehabilitation Team, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust

 Kate has been key to improving the recovery of survivors of critical illness at the hospital. Every year around 170,000 people will be admitted to intensive care in the UK with three-quarters suffering from some form of physical or mental trauma following their experience. Working at one of the busiest critical care unit in the country Kate has been instrumental in improving patient experience including introducing animal therapy by way of Hovis the Labradoodle and a ‘Rehab garden’ actively involving patients and their loved ones on their road to recovery.

The Health Equalities Award:

Joint Winner: Chantel Palmer, North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust

Midwife Chantal Palmer has worked to ensure vulnerable mothers get the care and support they need in pregnancy and during birth so that their babies get the very best start in life. As a result of her work more women are being seen earlier on in their pregnancy at 11 weeks compared to accessing services in the final stages of their pregnancy meaning they get access to support to quit substance abuse much sooner.

Joint Winner: The Safeguarding Team, West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust

Working with Hertfordshire police to gain the trust of vulnerable women, nurses have participated in a total of eight covert operations linked to sex trafficking from other European countries to the UK that have resulted in 40 women receiving safe and well checks to date. The safeguarding team have provided advice on domestic violence, victim support and rape crisis charities, as well as how to access sexual health support and A&E. Vulnerable women were also given mini physicals and supplied with condoms and pregnancy tests

Wellbeing at Work Award: Wellbeing at Work, North Bristol NHS Trust

North Bristol NHS Trust lives by the mantra “Your health is as important as our patients” and offers a number of activities to support staff well-being including sleep and mindfulness support, 24/7 confidential services and training for nearly 200 members of staff in mental health awareness.

Lifetime Achievement Award: Pamela Campbell, Solent NHS Trust 

Pamela has been instrumental in the development of the Homeless Healthcare Team and is recognised as a national leader in the field of homelessness. Her long career has included notably the Alcohol Day Detoxification Project and the Breathing Space Project, enabling safe and supported discharge of homeless patients. Most recently she has been involved in providing healthcare to Syrian refugees who have been offered asylum in the UK.

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The Independent newspaper - May Bulman Social Affairs Correspondent, has recently reported that DWP staff have been cut by 21% since the Universal Credit rollout began, figures show. This is leading to more errors say claimants. There have been complaints that Mandatory Reconsiderations are not being dealt with in a timely manner.  

Social Welfare Training has just sent us this information. The Company runs excellent training courses if you are a professional looking to increase your knowledge.

Are you facing benefit overpayment recovery personally? If so, this guide downloadable below should help. 

This is what Social Welfare Training has to say:

'Universal Credit already has procedures and regulations in place to protect claimants from excessive deductions. The maximum rate of deductions cannot normally exceed 40 per cent of the Universal Credit standard allowance, and from October 2019 this will be reduced to 30 per cent.

If a claimant is in financial difficulty as a result of the level of deductions, where it relates to benefit debt, a social fund loan or rent arrears, they can request that a reduction be considered. Similarly, if a claimant is having difficulty repaying a benefit overpayment, they can request a reconsideration of the amount that is being taken. Reductions are always based on the individual circumstances of the claimant, rather than the amount of the overpayment, which helps to ensure that a sustainable repayment plan based on affordability is put in place.

The claimant should provide reasonable evidence to support their request. This could include information about the household income and expenditure where hardship is claimed on financial grounds. Where hardship is claimed because either the claimant or a member of their family is seriously ill, they would need to provide supporting evidence to explain how or why recovery would be detrimental to the health or welfare of the claimant or their family.

A Repayment Negotiation Framework based on the individual circumstances of the customer, rather than the size of the debt and repayment period has been developed. This makes the process much simpler, and ensures both on and off benefit customers are treated fairly. This framework is contained within the Benefit Overpayment Recovery Guide which can be found below: 

ABC Comment: If you want more advanced knowledge Social Welfare Training run courses for professionals in the welfare benefits field;

Social Welfare Training can be contacted by the following:

Tel: 0117 951 4337
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Accredited training courses coming up are: 

Introduction to Welfare Benefits 2019

This course examines the structure of the Benefits with Univeral Credit in it.

London 9/9/2019  Cardiff 10/9/2019  Birmingham 16/9/2019  Manchester 17/9/2019 

Course Level- Update (for delegates with or without prior knowledge of the subject)

NEW COURSE  Universal Credit the tricky parts 2019

Includes latest developments,  sanctions and overpayments.

London  23/9/2019  Cardiff  24/9/2019  Birmingham 30/9/2019  Manchester 1/10/2019

Course Level- Update (for delegates with at least a good basic knowledge of the Universal Credit)

Overview of Universal Credit 2019

London 14/10/2019  Cardiff 17/10/2019  Birmingham  21/10/2019   Manchester 22/10/2019  

Includes free access to our Members' area and unique UC software designed to help you learn the new system

Course Level- Update (for delegates with or without prior knowledge of the subject)

Benefits for Older  People 2019

London 4/11/2019  Cardiff 6/11/2019  Birmingham 11/11/2019  Manchester 12/11/2019 

Course Level- Update (for delegates with or without prior knowledge of the subject)

Welfare Benefit Appeals 2019

London 2/12/2019  Cardiff 3/12/2019  Birmingham 9/12/2019  Manchester 10/12/2019 

Course Level- Update (for delegates with at least a good basic knowledge of the Benefits System)

Testimonials- training courses- click here

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PLEASE download this guide: 

Boris Johnson uses his Daily Telegraph column this morning to call for more funding for apprenticeships, and to 'recognise' the 'immense value to society and to the individual' of practical and technical education.

In 2017/18, there were 814,800 people participating in an apprenticeship in England, with 375,800 apprenticeship starts and 276,200 apprenticeship achievements.

Image: National Apprentice Week. 

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Social services experts came out this week with fears the huge tax cut bill will start a countdown to a vastly less fair Australia.

It's the final tranche of the three-stage tax plan say the, Australian Fabian Society which has experts worried, with fears the government will slash essential services like health, housing, education or welfare to pay for the cuts, as well as the tax cuts increasing inequality.

All actions on tax this government is taking are going to have massive impacts on inequality.

The Governments fixation on a surplus they say is a ticking timebomb, that could see more cuts to public services and further degradation of trust in the Australian political system. 

You can join the Australian Fabian Society here for just fifteen Australian bucks - money we would argue is well spent: 

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The SNP has called Tory government to launch an independent inquiry into deaths linked with welfare reforms after it was revealed that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) hid documents linking the department’s fit-for-work test to the deaths of disabled benefit claimants.

The Disability News Service reported in May that the DWP admitted that two letters written by coroners and a series of ‘peer reviews’ into the deaths of claimants were kept from the team reviewing the work capability assessment.

In response, the DWP stated that it was too late to know for sure and that the documents may have been destroyed.

The SNP has led the campaign to eradicate damaging polices that have lead people to believe suicide is their only option, and have called on the Tory government to follow the Scottish Government’s lead and introduce audio recordings of assessments, which the UK government is now trialling.

The SNP’s call for an inquiry follows research that revealed that suicides relating to disability benefits had doubled under the Tory government.

Commenting following an Urgent Question in Westminster today, SNP MP Carol Monaghan said:

“The Tories must urgently launch an independent inquiry into all deaths linked to the Tory government’s austerity-driven welfare reforms to avoid further government-commissioned assessments leading to deaths.

“It is sickening that when faced with serious allegations, the Tory government took so long to admit their failing in turning over documents that ministers knew would link the department’s fitness for work test to the deaths of disabled benefit claimants.

“It is clear that this Tory government is content with private sector companies prioritising profits over people when it comes to social security. This is in stark contrast to the SNP Scottish Government’s view that social security is a public service and therefore it is delivered through a government run public agency.

“It is time the Tories stopped brushing serious issues such as this under the carpet and took responsibility for their failure in delivering a fair and dignified social security net. If it will not, it is imperative that Scotland has the full powers of independence to ensure there are no more deaths as a results of harmful social security policies.”

Futher reading

MP accuses DWP of incompetence - https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/mp-accuses-dwp-incompetence-cover-17382803

‘First, do no harm’: are disability assessments associated with adverse trends in mental health? A longitudinal ecological study - https://jech.bmj.com/content/70/4/339.full

Under the Tories, attempted suicides by disability benefit claimants have doubled – why won’t Theresa May scrap the work capability assessment? - https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/disability-benefits-suicide-doubled-disabled-theresa-may-conservative-tory-tories-govermment-scrap-a8131981.html

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Essex Trading Standards are at the forefront of publishing consumer related product recalls to inform you about important safety matters.

There has been a recent safety notice issued for iCandy Orange pushchairs.

A few iCandy Orange bumper bars are missing a plastic cap which results in there being a small hole in the bumper bar - iCandy will issue a replacement part for affected batches.

For more information check:

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The Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Regina Doherty, T.D., has welcomed the latest statistics published by the CSO today which show that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for June 2019 was 4.5%, down from 5.9% twelve months previously in June 2018.

The seasonally adjusted number of people unemployed was 109,700 in June 2019 compared to 140,200 in June 2018 which is a year-on-year drop of 30,500.

Minister Doherty commented:

“The drop in the unemployment rate in the twelve months from 5.9% in June 2018 to 4.5% in June 2019 is quite significant and, especially so when compared with February 2012, when it peaked at 16.0%. We have continued to make huge inroads into tackling unemployment in every region and, as a result, the country is now benefiting from a strong workforce and thriving economy. 

“In the area of youth unemployment, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 10.1% in June 2019 compared to 14.3% in June 2018. This is an improvement but I and my Government colleagues will continue to concentrate our efforts in providing the supports needed by our young people with apprenticeships and training.“

Examples of support provided by the Department to jobseekers and employers include:

The Youth Employment Support Scheme (YESS)

Minister Doherty launched the Department’s YESS scheme in September 2018. YESS is a new work experience scheme targeted exclusively at young jobseekers, aged 18 to 24, who are either long-term unemployed or face significant barriers to employment.

JobsIreland.ie

JobsIreland.ie, the Department’s national recruitment website provides a free online vacancy advertising and candidate matching service for employers who wish to advertise job vacancies, apprenticeships and community employment (CE) schemes. YESS vacancies are also advertised on JobsIreland.ie. The service is available to all employers irrespective of size or industry sector.  There are currently over 6,000 jobs advertised on the site. JobsIreland.ie provides the opportunity for candidates to register and search the latest jobs in the market place.  With JobsIreland.ie candidates have the option to create an online CV and they are then notified automatically of vacancies that match their profile.

JobsPlus

JobsPlus provides a direct monthly financial incentive to employers who offer full-time employment opportunities to long-term unemployed people.  The scheme was further enhanced from 1 January 2018 to support workers aged 50 or over.  Over 20,000 payments have been made through this scheme to date.

Jobs Fairs

Additionally, the Department hosts numerous Jobs Fairs and events throughout the year, with our annual Jobs Week a particular focus. The Department also co-hosts a number of jobs fairs with EURES, the European Recruitment Service.  The Department continues to engage with employers throughout the country to ensure that jobseekers can avail of the many jobs that are being created by employers.

Community Employment and TÚS schemes

In addition the Department continues to provide valuable work experience for those who are long-term unemployed through the Community Employment and TÚS schemes. These schemes also provide important local services in towns and villages throughout the country. 

ABC Note: There are two types of welfare payments forunemployed people in Ireland. Maximum Weekly Rate : €203 plus €134.70 for a dependent adult plus €34 for each child under 12 and €37 for each child aged 12 or over.

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Recent data from the Bank of England (BoE) found that British consumers owe a total of £72.9 billion in credit card debt.

This has stemmed from relatively low-interest rates driving families in Britain to borrow more than ever, after the financial crisis. This is an increase of 5.6%, up from £68.8 billion since May 2018. With some credit cards offering opening offers that quickly expire, this could cause fraught financial complications for millions of families.

Executive Chairman and Founder of FairMoney Dr Roger Gewolb:

“We are in a whirlwind of debt and consumers are juggling what they owe onto credit cards. This can be a dangerous game to play in the medium and long term, with introductory rates quickly becoming high-interest, making them difficult to pay off. With such pressure, it’s not surprising that consumers would turn to payday lenders to try to ease their financial burden. We’re over a decade on from the financial crash of 2008– but there is still need to for change. It is time for consumers to take control of their personal finances with the solutions available to them. Taking out a loan to consolidate debts, and not having a number of credit cards, can make the repayment process easier and is often cheaper in the long-term. Millions of people are struggling under high-interest credit options – one of the biggest issues affecting UK society.”

ALMOST HALF of UK adults are currently in debt and believe the rising cost of independent living is to blame.

A survey of 1,000 UK adults published in The UK Spending Report, commissioned by a leading personal insolvency practice, Creditfix.co.uk, has revealed that almost 1 in 2 Brits (46%) are currently in debt.

Those who admitted to being in financial difficulty were found to have an average debt of £6,465.

 The top cause of debt in the UK has been revealed as increases in household bills (36%) followed by raised rent or mortgage repayments (33%).

Experts suggest these increases in housing costs are the result of a growing demand for new property, of which there is a dwindling supply. ^[1] The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors predicts the housing crisis will prompt a 15% surge in housing prices over the next five years.

Brits also listed credit card interest as the third major cause of debt (21%). Fourth on the list was excessive spending on clothes and accessories (19%) and general overspending (16%) completed the top five causes.

Taylor Flynn, Head of Marketing at Creditfix, comments: “The average British adult owns three credit cards with a total credit limit of approximately £10,000 available to them across these. With so much credit on hand, it's easy to understand how temptation can get the better of people sometimes - but treating ourselves on credit can be a slippery slope.

 “The property market is booming at the moment and the costs associated with being a homeowner are continuing to rise, so it’s unsurprising that many people are struggling to keep on top of these costs.

 “Credit repayments, excessive spending on clothes and accessories, and general overspending however is a different ballgame. We classify these as non-essential expenses and so it seems that there is some work to be done to educate Brits. Everyone deserves a treat from time to time, but there are ways that people can treat themselves whilst still being savvy with their finances.”

With over 70 years’ experience between their insolvency practitioners in the financial industry, Creditfix has successfully helped over 141,000 people with their debt over the years which has led to them becoming one of the most experienced in the market. Creditfix Limited is one of the largest personal insolvency practices in the UK, servicing Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. 

1] Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, 2018

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Statement by Will Quince MP, DWP Junior Minster

There are no plans to extend or maintain the Benefit Freeze.There are no plans to extend or maintain the Benefit Freezeafter March 2020. Specific decisions on how to uprate the Local Housing Allowance from April 2020 will form part of the discussions in supportof fiscal events later this year.

Universal Credit is causing a significant rise in homelessness. This is due to the waiting period that forces new claimants to borrow a Universal Credit advance which has a short repayment period. Also, this freeze has reduced the value of benefits due to inflation caused by the fall in the value of the pound [Brexit] increasing the cost of food imports and Quantitative Easing, what was once called printing money.

Landlords are refusing to let to people on Universal Credit. The repeal of Section 21 means that landlords cannot evict tenants on a whim and without good reason. Letting to people on benefits is therefore riskier, especially as landlords know how difficult it is to live on such a small amount of money.

Making people homeless just 'kicks the can down the road'. It costs far more to house people in temporary accommodation. People become focused on immediate survival. Job chasing without a permanent address is done more as a token gesture to please the DWP and avoid sanctions. People are more concerned about getting accommodation than a ‘career’.   

The stress of having to survive on such a low income is a major driver of mental illness caused by stress. What can seem a short-term saving, has long term consequences for claimants who may never full recover.

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Calling all those on the frontline of food poverty! Join the team during the End Hunger UK Week of Action 2019. End Hunger UK will be raising awareness of hunger in the UK and telling the government that they must take action to ensure that everyone has enough money to afford good food, and that no-one goes to bed hungry.

End Hunger UK will be providing lots of support and resources for anyone who wants to get involved. You can take part by either arranging a meeting with your MP or organising an event locally any time during the Week of Action, or by coming to London for the Day of Action on Wednesday 16 October. Or both!

On the Day of Action, people on the frontline of food poverty - those with lived experience, volunteers providing food aid, those involved in campaigning -  End Hunger UK supporters be coming together to share stories, learn new skills,  watch (and maybe sing with!) the End Hunger UK Foodbank Choir, and go to the Houses of Parliament to meet MPs. You are the experts – let’s make sure that your voices are heard.

Please sign up here for more info. If you have any questions contact Annie at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ABC Note: You have recieved the call folks. Please don't hesitate to join in. This is a very worthy cause. 

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