News reports located on this page = 3.

Lancashire Care receives Gold Standard Accreditation for its work experience programme

LANCASHIRE Care NHS Foundation Trust has become the 1st NHS organisation in the North West to be awarded the Gold Standard Accreditation for the quality of its Work Experience Programme under the new partnership agreement with Health Education England.  The Trust's Employment Services Team has recently been recognised for their work in improving the quality of the Trust's work experience programme and has received Fair Train Work Experience Quality (WEQs) Gold Standard accreditation.  The team is responsible for overseeing vocational learning including apprenticeships, work experience and employability programmes and has recently introduced a new application process and guidance for managers, in order to make it easier make it easier for students to apply for placements. Following on from this new placement areas have been introduced across Lancashire, which offer a wider variety of learning experiences to people from all different backgrounds. As part of the accreditation process, the team was assessed against student resources and documentation, how the organisation links to Schools and Colleges and how they ensure students meet their learning outcomes. Fair Train recognised the Trust for many areas of strength including its Work Experience Passport, Work Experience Guidance and Work Placement Directory which were all described as examples of exemplary practice.

Natalie Bradley, Vocational Learning Co-ordinator at Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust said:- "To come in at Gold in such a short space of time is a massive achievement for the team and the Trust as a whole. It recognises all the hard work that went in to developing the resources, promoting opportunities for work experience and our dedication to providing good quality placements for students. The accreditation lasts for 2 years and we now have an official logo to illustrate this success."

Deborah Cox, Deputy Director of Workforce and Organisational Development at Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust said:- "The Trust is committed to providing valuable work experience and development to our local community and to promote careers within Lancashire Care. The work experience programme will provide an insight into the wide variety of careers within the NHS and will hopefully help us to attract and secure the workforce of the future."

Rod Natkiel, CEO at Fair Train said:- "It's great to welcome Lancashire Care into 'the Fair Train family' and to be able to accredit it at Gold, our top level. Workforce development is crucially important to any organisation and carefully thought through and well run vocational learning plays a key role in attracting the talent of the future. Lancashire Care has clearly demonstrated its commitment to this, and to carrying it out at consistently high quality, which is making a hugely valuable contribution to the wide range of services with which the Trust supports so many people in the county."

To find more information about working for us or to apply for 1 of our vacancies please visit:- Lancashirecare.NHS.UK/Working-For-US. 

Petitions Committee launches fireworks inquiry

THE Petitions Committee launches an inquiry into fireworks law, including the case for a ban on public sale and use. It follows almost 750,000 people signing petitions expressing concern about fireworks through the:- Petition.Parliament.UK website, in the last 3 years. A current petition by Amy Cullen, signed by nearly 300,000 people, calls for a ban on the sale of fireworks to the public and for fireworks displays to be restricted to licensed venues. The petitioner wrote:- "Every year fireworks are set off unnecessarily. Fireworks are a nuisance to the public. They scare animals, young children and people with a phobia. They injure thousands of people every year. They cause damage to buildings, vehicles, emergency vehicles and lastly kids are still being sold them."

There are 11 open petitions calling for stricter fireworks regulations. Other recent popular petitions have raised concerns ranging from the impact on veterans, particularly those suffering with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), public nuisance effects, particularly noise effects on children and animals, and concerns about the use of fireworks as weapons, injuries and the effects on the emergency services.  Another 11 petitions closed in 2018, among the most popular was Change the laws governing the use of fireworks to include a ban on public use, which attracted 113,000 signatures.

The Government says it recognises these concerns, but also acknowledges the enjoyment provided by fireworks and their cultural significance in the history of the UK and to religions including Christianity, Hinduism and Islam. It believes current legislation and guidance strikes the right balance between allowing enjoyment of fireworks, respecting traditions, ensuring safely and avoiding undue nuisance.

But firework companies have pointed out, as have many members of the public, that just as with alcohol, the problem has hit headlines more and more due to superstores and non-specialist shops selling to the public. They feel that the availability of fireworks from non-specialist shops is the biggest issue as many do not  ask the key questions specialists shops would ask.  Also if sold in the likes of a superstore, it gives completely the wrong message to youngsters.  Just as with alcohol, with non-specialist staff, the education part and checks and balances have been undermined. If sale was restricted to just specialist suppliers, many in the industry think the problems selling to the public would be hugely decreased.

A firework expert told us that:- "Specialist who fire the fireworks know what the firework does and do not go by what is written on the packet.  they can give an honest idea of how safe the firework would be in the environment the user want to use it in and can give proper guidance.  They also ask questions about airport proximity and other issues, that a local high street shop will never think of asking.  Just as with alcohol, this is again a partition that is a yes and no reaction and not looking at the bigger picture.  That of who supplies and education of use. In our view, sadly, in this current climate, the few, who often have the voice, over ride the majority and spoil it for the masses.  This is heading that way, as the Government just wants headlines, so we know what will happen next, even before this is finished, if people do not speak up.  Lets not loose fireworks, lets use this to fix the problem and take back control, without using a headline that reads 'banning.'"

The Committee will investigate this by gathering formal evidence from the relevant public bodies and fireworks experts and is also appealing to people who have signed petitions to share their views via a survey.

Helen Jones MP, Chair of the Committee, said:- "The petitions system has provided hundreds of thousands of people with a way to voice their views about fireworks. Through the scores of petitions we have received on this it is clear that public feeling about fireworks is very strong, and there is a real need to scrutinise the current laws. The Government believes the rules on fireworks are effective, but the law hasn't been looked at for some time. We want to make sure the law and rules strike the right balance between respecting traditions, allowing the enjoyment of fireworks and protecting people, animals and property.  For the 1st part of the inquiry, the Committee is asking for submissions of up to 3,000 words answering 1 of more of the questions below. If you would like to make a submission, please do so no later than 5pm on Monday 8 April, using our online portal."

Self employment leaves 88,000 unable to move home in the North West

NEARLY 340,000 (75%) self employed people within the North West feel discriminated against by mortgage lenders and more than a ¼ of those (88,000) say they would live in another property if they paid the same as they are now, but employed rather than self employed. The shock findings are from research among people who are sole traders, contractors, or running a business, with up to 9 employees, and suggest widespread dissatisfaction with the way self employed people are treated when they apply for a mortgage. The figures, which are part of a special report:- 'The self employed economy; an opportunity for brokers and lenders' that hs been complied by The Mortgage Lender, shows that 113,000 (25%) of self employed people in the North West had reconsidered their employment situation because of the uncertainty of securing a mortgage. More than 313,000 (69%) believe mortgage lenders have a responsibility to provide a better level of support to self employed, contract workers and business owners and more than 125,000 (28%) think they would be refused a mortgage if they applied for 1, simply because they are self employed. Of those in the North West who have applied for a mortgage, 50% found it difficult to provide the information required by the lender to assess their application. There are 451,000 self employed individuals within the North West, accounting for 13.3% of the working population, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The Mortgage Lender deputy chief executive Peter Beaumont said:- "Self employed people in the North West are being let down by lenders. More than 88,000 would like to move house, but feel they can't because they're self employed. That's around 32,000 people living in rented accommodation and 56,000 who are effectively mortgage prisoners. As a sector we've quite happily lent to married employed people when statistics show at least ½ of those couples are going to split up. Self employed people in the Region are creating employment opportunities and form the backbone of our economy at a time when many large employers are finding it difficult to sustain their business models and levels of employment. It's important lenders recognise this reality and support entrepreneurs, to help them to live in the home they can afford.  It's something that we at 'The Mortgage Lender' have recognised. People's financial circumstances are constantly changing. It's why we believe in real life lending, we understand that life doesn't move in a straight line."

The full report:- 'The self Employed economy; an opportunity for brokers and lenders' also reveals a 53% rise in self employment since 2000 and that 60% of the growth in self employment since 2008/09 has been in high skilled, higher paying sectors.  Advertising, public administration and banking have seen the largest growth in self employment, while London (18.6%), the South East (16.1%) and the South West (17%) boast the highest percentages of self employed people. The Mortgage Lender is an intermediary only mortgage lender. It caters for a wide range of borrowers including:- employed, self employed, those with impaired credit, lending into retirement and buy to let investors.