….to think that whilst in hospital you may be sharing your space with pests. I never kill any living creature - I catch any home invaders and put them outdoors. I really quite like spiders, especially those that are known as September spiders. However, the thought of being ill, possibly confined to a hospital bed and having creepy-crawlies at close quarters, being unable to remove them to the garden, makes even my skin crawl.

According to reports this is happening and Sandra Gidley, Lib Dem spokesman for Health,  commenting on figures released today that reveal there have been 20,000 incidents of pest infestation in NHS hospitals in the past two years, said: “People will be revolted by this news and need to know that vermin control is stopping the spread of disease.”

……………..King’s Lynn and West Norfolk District Council has spent £450 on a scheme to provide 39 local takeaways and restaurants with new four-holed salt shakers which have been proved to reduce salt intake.

A far cheaper solution would be a circle of tinfoil in the lid, with only 4 holes in it! Change it daily in the interests of health and Bob’s your father’s brother! £450 available to spend on more vital schemes.
 

…………that’s what I would do!

Some councils (not ours) have spent an inordinate amount ot taxpayers’ money on researching a new salt cellar, with a view to cutting salt intake. Whilst I consider it admirable that councils are so concerned about their residents’ health and well-being, I think this initiative is a touch over the top .

 At least six councils have ordered five-hole shakers – at taxpayers’ expense – and begun giving them away to chip shops and takeaways in their areas.

Leading the way has been Gateshead Council, which spent 15 days researching the subject of salty takeaways before declaring the new five-hole cellars to be the Holy Grail of salt shakers!

Officers collected information from businesses, obtained samples of fish and chips, measured salt content and ‘carried out experiments to determine how the problem of excessive salt being dispensed could be overcome by design’.

They decided that the five-hole pots would reduce the amount of salt being used by more than 60 per cent yet still give a ‘visually acceptable sprinkling’ that would satisfy the customer.

I don’t shake salt for a ‘visually acceptable’ result - I do it for taste improvement purposes. Whatever next? The mind boggles.

 ……for letting their child try alcohol at home under proposals being considered by ministers. Currently children as young as five can drink at home with parental supervision but a Government review is looking at raising that limit. The Youth Alcohol Action Plan, which aims to curb binge-drinking among teenagers, could also lead to a 9pm watershed for alcohol advertising.

How insane is it to give children as young as five the taste for alcohol? No wonder there is such a monstrous problem with under-age drinking!! These problems start in the home, the place where children should be at their safest. Some parents are creating a store of trouble for their children. Time to educate the parents?

…..like it is and very sad reading it makes, too!

Over 30,000 children excluded for drink and drugs - Clegg 

New Liberal Democrat analysis shows that Britain’s binge drinking culture is leaving young people excluded from education and suffering more mental and behavioural disorders.

The figures, which come on the eve of the Government’s Youth Alcohol Strategy, provide further evidence that ministers have failed to tackle spiralling binge drinking among young people:

• In the last three years, over 1,500 pupils were permanently excluded and nearly 32,000 pupils were temporarily excluded for drug/alcohol reasons.
• Over a quarter more under 14’s were admitted to hospital with mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol in the last eight years.
• Over 23,000 children under the age of 14 have been admitted to hospital due to alcohol in the last eight years.

………Area Assembly took place last night and our meeting was displaced by the slimming club. We had to meet in the small hall at Turner Memorial Hall and the Slimming Club took the larger hall. Now, whether this is a sign of falling numbers attending Area Assemblies or increasing numbers attending the Slimming Club, I can’t say. If it is a fact that people are trying harder to adopt a healthier lifestyle, I say ‘Well Done’ - I think I should sign up myself! But please, do come to the Area Assembly meetings - there we discuss things that matter to Leeming, Priory, Robin Hood and Sherwood Wards.

Last night we had a presentation by the Notts Primary Care Trust about the government’s plans to provide ‘Poly Clinics‘ which will be rather similar to Byron House at Kings Mill Hospital, with a variety of health needs being catered for  and where patients can either register  on the clinic’s patient list (panel) or use the service on an ad hoc basis and just walk in and be seen by a GP, nurse, physiotherapist, dentist or other medical expert.

There were mixed feelings about the possibility of Mansfield / Ashfield acquiring this type of service (the decision as to the location has not yet been made)and bearing in mind the mix-up over confidential data of late and its attendant worry for those concerned, I am not altogether convinced about this whole project. To have yet another agency privvy to everyone’s medical history is a little more of the Big Brother syndrome .Indeed, this story illustrates my point:

Commenting on the announcement that Fujitsu has been sacked from the NHS IT contract, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb said: “This is yet another example of a hopelessly flawed, centrally imposed project that has not been properly thought through from the start and was never subjected to a proper cost benefit analysis.”
http://www.libdems.org.uk/news/story.html?id=14367

….magazine; is this one of the few magazines that increase their prices solely in line with inflation? This magazine is well worth its price and is the one magazine I buy, aside from Radio Times.

The Big Issue is an international entity that works with homeless people all over the world, from the United Kingdom to Africa, Asia and Australia. At the centre of their work is The Big Issue magazine, an award- winning entertainment and current affairs magazine, that is produced by professional journalists and sold on the streets by homeless people. In the UK, they buy the magazine for 70 pence and sell it on for £1.50, keeping 80 pence for themselves.

Not only does beginning to sell the magazine provide an opportunity to access the services of The Big Issue Foundation, but also the act of having to organise themselves and their money, as well as committing to a sales pitch, teaches new skills and self reliance, which in turn builds self confidence and can be the key to moving on. The Big Issue offers social as well as financial inclusion.

Editorially The Big Issue magazine is committed to giving homeless people a voice in the media and raising difficult issues that are overlooked in the mainstream press. The Big Issue Company also aims to promote itself as a model of how a social business, as opposed to a charity, can be a solution to homelessness and social exclusion.

I remember buying from a particular seller in Lincoln. It was a bitterly cold day and he was dressed in Tee-shirt & jeans. His jacket was covering his dog, sitting on a doorstep beside him. That was why I bought my Big Issue from him. These young people are often living rough due to a change of circumstances or perhaps due to ill-treatment at home, so next time you see a seller, please stop and buy. He or she is working to effect a change in their life and deserve our help.

….have reported their findings on  the classification of Cannabis to the Government and  Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne said:

“The Government must stop playing politics and publish this advice as soon as possible.

“There should be nothing secret about the scientific advice being given to ministers on this important issue.”

There needs to be a clear, firm, definitive classification and if it is to be changed,   I agree that  there  should be as little delay as possible. Equally, if it is recomended that it remains in the same classification, let us know.

 ….Navi Saheli, the Notts Asian Women’s Group of which I am an honorary member. Mrs Kamla Joashi is to retire from her long-term position as Chair of the group and has asked me to stand in as Interim Chair until the appointment of a permanent Chair. I have very little in the way of Hindi or Gujerati, but thankfully the lady members have good English and are so friendly that the prospect of chairing the meetings is far from daunting; indeed, I am looking forward to it. I have been unable to attend for the past two weeks on account of ill-health, but I went to the Luncheon Club today and was greeted with hugs from the members. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to stay and have lunch today, which was a shame, because the freshly cooked vegetarian food suits me down to the ground, being a veggie! I can definitely recommend it - at £2.50 it’s great value and very healthy. I joined the group after meeting Mr Joashi at the Holocaust Centre at Laxton in June of last year and when I met his wife, I just knew we would become firm friends.

I have so much respect for the group, which encourages integration and I look forward to cementing my friendship with the ladies who are my Navi Sahelis (New Friends)

Cases of whooping cough in England and Wales have almost trebled since 2003, according to figures released in response to a Parliamentary Question from the Liberal Democrats. Other infectious diseases have also seen big rises since 2003, including a 52% rise in cholera and 17% rise in both tuberculosis (TB) and typhoid.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb said: “People will be shocked to hear that diseases which belonged to a bygone era are making a comeback.  Prevention is often a case of a simple vaccine. The NHS is failing in its duty to prevent easily avoidable disease. Many of these infections are connected to the kind of poverty which is at the root of the growing health inequality since Labour came to power. Public health schemes are failing to reach the people who need them most.”