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BETTER SERVICES FOR ELDERLY PEOPLE
AROUND 150 staff are to be recruited to help elderly people continue to live independently in their own home in Liverpool.
It forms part of a massive
restructure of the home care service in Liverpool approved by the
city council's Executive Board. Currently, around 3,000 people per
week are assisted with daily tasks by a mix of city council staff
and independent providers contracted by the city council. But there
are differences in the type of tasks carried out, which has led to a
two-tier service. It means several different staff often visit them,
which can be confusing.
Under the restructure, the home care
staff will provide day, evening and weekend care to help those who
are recovering from illness or surgery in their own home. A new
Assessment and Rehabilitation Service will ensure that the most
vulnerable people are able to leave hospital promptly and be given
the assistance they need in their own home.
Councillor Flo Clucas, Executive
Member for Social Care, said:- "Elderly people are among
the most vulnerable members of society and it is vital we provide
them with the best quality care we can offer.
The re-organisation will allow
us to ensure they can continue to live in comfort in their own home
when recovering from a trauma such as a fall or surgery, or as their
frailty increases as they get older."
Around 400 other staff will work
within a new unit to help deliver longer term personal care, working
alongside the independent sector. It is also proposed that other
city council staff work on preventative care to help elderly people
avoid falls and other accidents. This could include identifying
problems with mobility at an early stage and providing suitable
adaptations to help them continue to live safely.
Tony Hunter, Executive Director of
Supported Living, said:- "All the evidence that we have
tells us that elderly people want to stay in their own homes for as
long as possible.
We are anticipating a 20%
increase in demand for home care in the next decade, and it is vital
that we have a service that can cope with the pressures placed upon
it in the coming years."
The city council is also proposing an
improved career structure for staff in the home cares service, to
promote recruitment and retention. It will include enhanced training
and development opportunities. Consultation with staff has already
been carried out via the trade unions and it is anticipated that all
employees affected will be transferred to the new look service.
The report will now be referred to
the Social Care and Health Select Committee for consideration.
Pubs
Asked to Back Christmas Anti-Drink Drive Campaign
LIVERPOOL
landlords are being asked to back this year's Christmas anti-drink
drive campaign by promoting a designated driver scheme.
The
City Council and Liverpool Primary Care Trusts are giving every pub
in the city a pack containing anti drink drive posters and
designated driver promotion material.
The
campaign warning to drivers is that 'It takes less than you
think for your driving to be impaired by alcohol' and 'You
can't calculate your own drink / drive limit and the only safe way
is not to drink and drive'. Nationally 560 people were
killed in drink drive related accidents in 2003 and 2,600 were
seriously injured.
Landlords
are being asked to:-
Promote
the 'Designated Driver ( DES )' campaign;
Display Don't Drink/Drug Drive' posters in a prominent position in
the pub;
Proactively
provide non-alcoholic drinks, particularly for drivers;
Train
staff to promote responsible drinking.
Councillor Peter Millea, Executive Member for Regeneration, said:- "By
assisting us to get this important message over to their customers,
landlords will ensure everyone will have a safe and merry Christmas.
And
we would also remind drivers that drinking excessively at night
could well mean that they are still over the limit in the
morning."
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Historic Courthouse Restored
WORK has started on restoring one of Liverpool's oldest buildings, the 16th Century
West Derby Courthouse.
The
unique courthouse building in West Derby Village has fallen into
disrepair in recent years.
Now
£45,000 from the city council's Buildings at Risk programme and a
£40,000 English Heritage Grant are being used to bring the building
back into use. An extra £25,000 from the Buildings at Risk
programme may be available for additional work.
It
is planned that the building will be reopen for public use by next
summer with re-enactments of some of the ancient court hearings.
The
Courthouse dates from 1586 when Queen Elizabeth I, as Lady of the
Duchy of Lancaster Manor of West Derby, commissioned the building.
It is thought to be the only freestanding court building of this
period still containing its original courtroom fittings, It has
recently suffered deterioration from mason bees which have burrowed
into the soft sandstone walls to build their nests.
Specialist,
conservation architects, James Brotherhood Associates, have been
drawing up detailed plans to conserve the building fabric. Lambert
Walker, who has experience of working on historic buildings
throughout the region, are the builders.
The building work should be completed in April 2005, and then
specialist furniture restorers will start work to restore the court
fittings. The building will be open to the public again in July
2005.
National
Museums Liverpool has been commissioned to carry out an
archaeological study and the Ranulf Higden Society Trust will be
studying the ancient court rolls, some of which date back to
1453.
The
West Derby Society has been supporting the project. They are, along
with staff from Croxteth Hall, are drawing up a rota of volunteers
to open the building to the public during the summer months. They
also plan re-enactments of actual historic courts held in the
building.
Councillor
Mike Storey, Council Leader said:- "This building has a
fascinating history and should be brought back into use and open to
the public. It will be very interesting to see the
re-enactments as part of Liverpool's history and who knows, one day
we may see the nearby stocks back in use for the wrongdoers of West
Derby!"
Urgent
food safety warning about Walkers Crisps. Issued on 17 December
2004.
FOOD standard officers at
Warrington Borough Council are issuing an urgent food warning to
people across Warrington, after Walkers Snack Foods Ltd.
inadvertently packed cheese and onion flavour French Fries into bags
labelled as ready salted flavour.
The warning goes out, in particular, to those people across
Warrington with allergies to milk, wheat and mustard, as they may
have a severe reaction to the cheese and onion flavouring.
The affected product is:-
* Walkers Ready Salted French Fries in individual, single serve,
packets (excludes multipacks and 95g size packets)
* Best Before 26.02.05
* Codes GBC 303 318d and GBC 303 319d
No other Walkers Brand French Fries products are known to be
affected.
Given that a large proportion of this product was distributed
through cash and carry type outlets Walkers Snack Foods Ltd are
unable to provide a conclusive distribution list for the affected
product.
However, a maximum of 11,000 packets could be in circulation. It is
most likely that this product will be found in small retail outlets
and public houses.
Council Enforcement Officers will be contacting premises across the
borough could potentially sell the affected product.
Edwina Greenwood of the Council's Trading Standards team, said:-
"If any of these products are found, people should ensure that
they are removed from sale and destroyed."
Walkers Snack Food Ltd has provided a customer helpline, which can
be contacted on:- 0800 274 777
Alternatively, people can contact Trading Standards in Warrington on
01925 442678.
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