Hypo Awareness Week

HEALTH professionals from Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust's diabetes services in Southport and Formby are participating in a national drive to raise awareness of hypoglycaemia, a short term complication of diabetes.

The week long campaign is being held in a bid to raise awareness about and reduce episodes of the condition as part of Hypo Awareness Week, which is being held this year from 24 September to 30 September 2018. Hypoglycaemia, also known as a hypo, happens when the blood glucose levels of people with diabetes drop too low and, as a result, feel shaky and unwell and risk slipping into a coma.

Erin Foley from the Southport and Formby Diabetes and Dietetics Services at Lancashire Care said:- "It's Hypo Awareness Week and we're using this opportunity to build on the work that we're doing on raising awareness about hypoglycaemia. We're working with those people living with diabetes on how best to treat hypos, as well as family members and staff so that everyone is aware about hypo prevention and treatment. We're also encouraging people with Type 2 diabetes to attend our Diabetes for You and Diabetes and More education sessions; there's one that will be held at the Ainsdale Centre for Health and Wellbeing on 19 and 26 October 2018 and we're really keen to see members of the public attend these events. We also have sessions running monthly throughout the year."

Hypo Awareness Week has been taking place annually since 2012 and, during this period, the prevalence of all hypoglycaemic episodes in Hospitals has decreased by 6%, according to the 2016 National Diabetes Inpatient Audit report (NaDIA.)

For more information on Hypo Awareness Week, visit:- HypoAwarenessWeek.Com.

Formby Royal British Legion's Quiz Night is all ready to welcome you

THE Formby Branch of The Royal British Legion are holding John Nelson's Fun Quiz, on Tuesday, 2 October 2018, at Formby Cricket Club, Cricket Path, L37 7DP, from 7:30pm prompt. Tickets cost ₤5 and there will be a raffle and auction, all proceeds to go to Formby Royal British Legion Branch Funds, which funds Remembrance events within Formby, Altcar, Ince Blundell and Hightown. Bar facilities are available. Tickets are available from Formby Home, or by ringing:- 01704 871927. Those who have not been to 1 of John Nelson`s Nights before are in for a treat, please come prepared to enjoy yourselves! For more information about the Branch please visit their Page on the Royal British Legion website via clicking on here.

Should Councils use Phone boxes to house CPR information and a defibrillator?

WE have been in the Mendip Hills, and around Gloucestershire on a fact finding mission for a few days, recently. As we looked around the area we spotted that most of the remote rural villages and even some towns and cities had turned the old, disused phone boxes into locations to house public CPR units, equipped with defibrillators. This idea, we think is fantastic. Recently we had a incident within Southport Town Centre when a defibrillator would have been extremely useful, but this was late on and even though the NW Ambulance Service is quick, as anyone who knows First Aid will know, every second counts. Sadly, as this was late evening, this proved to be a bit of a problem and it has got us thinking. In Southport Town Centre, the nearest public defibrillator we know of (NWAS002263/A) is located within Dunes Splashworld Leisure, on the The Esplanade, but has limited access times, from Monday to Friday, 7am to 10pm and Saturday to Sunday, from 9am to 5pm. The Merseyrail Station does have a defibrillator, as do some of the shops, but they are not public, so the appliances can't be taken away from those locations easily and again, are restricted on hours of access. With so many people within the Town Centre, and given the fact that Southport has 3 old phone boxes, located next to the Town Hall as well as by the old Post Office, might these be ideal places to install public defibrillators? They are readily recognisable and the 2 by the Town Hall, are not only down as Listed Buildings, but they have power already installed, yet not used. Another alternative perhaps, since the idea of turning the boxes into a type of shop failed; would be to make use of these iconic structures as information resources for visiting tourists. What are your thoughts on this? To find out where the nearest public CPR and a defibrillators are located by you, at any point, keep this website listed on your phone or Pad, HeartSafe.Org.UK/AED-Locations, as they're that important to saving lives. Paramedics can shock victims' hearts back to a normal beat with defibrillators, but they rarely are able to arrive in time. Now, thanks to modern technology, any bystander who sees someone going into cardiac arrest can become a lifesaver, as early use of a defibrillator can improve greatly the chances of saving someone's life. Also, you do not need to know how to use a modern device, as the instructions are already on it and it talks to you! But if you want to learn more about Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) and how to use them, St John Ambulance offers a few courses that might be of interest to you, on their website. We would love to know your thoughts on this matter, so please do email us to:- News24@SouthportReporter.Com and let us know what you think...