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Permission for Helipad sought
THE Trust is
seeking planning permission for the construction of a helipad on
site at Southport & Formby District General Hospital opposite the
entrance to the Accident & Emergency Department.
Currently, if there is a need for a patient to be brought by
helicopter to the Accident & Emergency Department or the North West
Regional Spinal Injuries Centre the nearest available landing area
is on the playing fields by KGV College on Scarisbrick New Road.
This then necessitates the helicopter to be met by an ambulance and
the patient to be transferred to the hospital by road. This is not
entirely satisfactory because it involves what the ambulance service
call 'double handling' which has potential problems for the
patients and adds to the time to get them to A&E. Because the
occasions the helicopter is used are very few, this has not been an
issue, but with the future development of KGV there is a need to
review the current arrangements.
A site opposite the entrance to A&E has been identified as ideal
because the patients will be able to be taken straight from the
helicopter to A&E or the Spinal Injuries Centre without having to
transfer to another trolley or vehicle.
The plan is for a circular helipad on top of a 1.8m high mound with
a spiral slope to ground level. While it involves the removal of a
number of trees, the intention is to replace these along the front
of the site on Town Lane.
Sir Ron Watson, Chairman, said:- "This facility is important
for the hospital as it will enable patients to get to the emergency
treatment they need as soon as possible. We are clearly talking
about major trauma cases and emergencies where speed of treatment at
our hospital is absolutely critical and I am sure that this proposed
development will meet with considerable public approval."
EU
funding for tobacco
THE European
Parliament voted to maintain EU tobacco production subsidies,
contrary to appeals from the Conservative Party. Conservatives MEPs
are vehemently opposed to tobacco subsidies in the EU, which cost
taxpayers millions of pounds.
More than £200 million (293 million euros) has been set aside to pay
tobacco premiums in the 2008 EU budget, and an additional £10
million (14,250,000 euros) has been earmarked for the Community
Tobacco Fund. Direct payments to tobacco farmers, which were due to
expire in 2009, will run until 2012 as result of amendments passed
last month in the European Parliament's Agricultural Committee.
Sir Robert Atkins MEP, said:- "It beggars belief that whilst
food prices are going through the roof, we are still directly
funding tobacco farms around Europe. On the one hand the EU talks
about cutting dependency on tobacco, then on the other it sanctions
an extra three years of direct tobacco subsidies, whilst virtually
all other sectors have moved to an area based payment. We
spend £200 million on funding tobacco, yet only £30 million in the
UK on tobacco awareness schemes. The CAP should be supporting
healthy products, not something like tobacco. We end up not only
having to pay to support its cultivation, but also the huge costs in
treating its effects. I am amazed that the Parliament has missed its
last opportunity to put a stop to this ludicrous system.".
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HIGH STREET STORES MISS OUT ON DEAF POUND
HIGH street
chain stores could be losing out on millions of pounds worth of
business by making it impossible for deaf and hard of hearing
customers in Merseyside to check availability of stock over the
phone. Staff at the national telephone relay service RNID
typetalk, have been swamped with calls from irate customers
complaining that they are unable to call many big name stores to ask
about goods and services.
RNID typetalk is a telephone relay service that allows people with
communication difficulties to use the telephone. Users type text on
a keyboard while a Typetalk Relay Assistant relays the call to a
hearing person. But it seems that many people in the retail
industry have no idea how to use the service despite Typetalk
offering free training to anyone who needs it.
Typetalk director, Lorna Stephenson, said:- “This is a growing
concern as we have been inundated with calls from customers who are
unable to check store opening times or whether a particular item of
clothing or model of appliance is in stock. Some retailers are even
refusing to take Typetalk calls or simply do not understand how it
works.
We are calling on retailers to understand their legal and public
responsibilities to enhance their service to those with
communication difficulties. With an estimated 9 million people
in the UK who have hearing difficulties it makes
commercial/financial sense that businesses are able to handle and
access calls from anyone who suffers with hearing problems.”
Typetalk revealed that in a recent short survey of large high street
shops, John Lewis was the most helpful retailer when it came to
providing services for textphone users and knowledge of the Typetalk
service.
Barry Matheson, Head of Selling Development at John Lewis, said:-
"To be recognised in this way is a wonderful testament to the
efforts of our Partners who work hard to provide the best possible
service to all of our customers. At John Lewis, we have made
significant changes to our call centre operations to improve access
for deaf or hearing impaired people."
While most companies have made changes such as improving access to
buildings and providing large type and Braille literature, a large
number are still failing to make adequate provision for deaf and
hard of hearing people who rely on the use of textphones for access
to phone based services.
For example, most retail websites require users to input their
telephone details before allowing a transaction to be completed. But
it seems a large proportion do not realise deaf telephone users use
a five digit prefix to access Typetalk and often do not have space
to include it.
RNID Typetalk is encouraging anyone who has encountered similar
difficulties to let them know so they can contact the retailer
direct and offer free training to call centre staff.
The number to
contact is voice phone 0800 7311 888, textphone 18001 0800 500 888
or email
helpline@rnid-typetalk.org.uk.
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