TOP CIVIC AWARD FOR UNIVERSITY...

A prestigious civic accolade has been awarded to Edge Hill University, in recognition of the major contribution it has made to the city of Liverpool.  As a fitting grand finale to the University’s 125th anniversary celebrations, Liverpool City Council granted the institution Freedom of the City at a special meeting of its councillors on 19 January 2011.  Edge Hill University will now be included on the City’s Freedom Roll of Association; the highest honour that the City can bestow on an outstanding organisation in recognition of the good work it does to enhance the city.

Vice-Chancellor Dr John Cater said:- “Edge Hill University owes its very existence to the foresight of Liverpool philanthropists in the nineteenth century, who provided a home to the country's first non-denominational college for women teachers and the name that has stayed with us for more than 6 generations.  Today, Liverpool provides a home for much of our work in health and in education, and we are delighted to draw so many students from, and to see so many of our graduates from all disciplines employed, in the city of our birth.  As we reach the end of our 125th anniversary year, I can think of no greater accolade than being granted the Freedom of the City of Liverpool and the privilege of standing alongside the other esteemed recipients of this award. Thank you for this prestigious honour."

Founded in 1885 as the country’s first non-denominational teacher training college for women, Edge Hill has grown beyond recognition. It has become the UK's fastest growing university and has seen applications grow more than four-fold. It now has a student population of over 26,000, employs around 4,000 staff and has been shortlisted for Times Higher Education UK University of the Year in 2010 and 2007.

Over the past decade, the University has invested more than £130m towards creating one of the best campuses in UK higher education, climbed several prestigious national league tables, was the best performing regional university in the 2010 National Student Survey and is the in the top two in England for graduate employment and for students’ personal development.

It is a main provider of education for health and social care staff in the north-west, training 5,000professionals each year and is top in the UK for NHS practice placements. It is also the largest provider of Initial Teacher Training for secondary education in the UK and the largest provider of postgraduate professional development for the whole school workforce in the country.  To find out more about the University why not got to their website by visiting this link:- edgehill.ac.uk.

NHS protected as EU agrees cross border treatment rules

PATIENTS have won new rights to seek treatment abroad, after the European Parliament backed rules to facilitate cross-border healthcare.  Under the legislation patients will be able to seek treatment in another European country, provided it is something that would be funded by the NHS.

Original drafts of the law could have undermined the NHS by allowing patients to choose expensive treatments abroad without safeguards to avoid spurious or inappropriate claims. However, checks have now been added to the legislation to give the NHS overall control over what treatment is authorised.  Safety clauses are also included to ensure that the NHS cannot be undermined by foreign patients coming to Britain under the new rules.

Patients with rare diseases are among those who could benefit from the changes, but Local Labour Euro MP, Arlene McCarthy warned it is now down to the British government to decide exactly how people will benefit.

Speaking after the European Parliament vote, Arlene said:- “These rules will make little difference to most people who will want to be treated by NHS staff in their local hospital - so our priority has always been to protect NHS treatment. NHS trusts in the North West have in recent days had to ban 57 types of surgery as a result of Government cuts. As a result we may see people in the North West voting with their feet and seeking treatment elsewhere in Europe.”

The details of how treatment will be authorised and how payments will be made are still to be specified by national governments. One of the areas not laid down in the EU legislation is the way in which payment for treatment abroad would be paid for.

There are dangers that if the government were to require people to pay upfront and then repay the costs, then these new rights would only be available to those who are able to cover big hospital bills.

Labour Euro MPs have called on the Coalition to act fairly. Arlene said:- "We have worked hard to put these new rights into place in a way that will give patients choice but also protects the NHS.  However, we can’t allow a situation to develop in which people with personal wealth are able to access publicly funded treatment abroad, while those without large savings cannot.  That would lead to an unacceptable two-tier health service.  The government has backed these rights, it now needs to show that it believes they should be available to all, not just the few."