'Outstanding' Liverpool diabetes service lands 5th award

IT'S high fives all round for a Liverpool diabetes service celebrating its 5th prestigious accolade this year for raising awareness of complications associated with the condition.  The team, made up of nurses, consultants, dieticians, podiatrists, health care assistants and administrative supports staff, at the:- 'Liverpool Diabetes Partnership' have landed a raft of awards for their work to improve services for people with diabetes across the City.

The team's "significant" campaign during Hypo Awareness Week saw them pick up an Excellence Award at the Quality in Care Diabetes Awards, fending off competition from 22 other entrants to be named joint winners with NHS Tayside.

Judges praised the team for taking the campaign, to raise awareness of hypoglycaemic attacks in people with diabetes, out to the wider community by attending a student freshers' fair at the City's Echo Arena and using a 'hypo' simulation head set.

'Hypos' or hypoglycaemic attacks, happen when glucose in the blood falls to a low level. Symptoms include:- drowsiness, sweating, trembling, hunger, confusion and unconsciousness.

Earlier this year, the integrated community diabetes team was rated outstanding following an assessment by the national Clinical director for obesity and diabetes at NHS England.

The service, a partnership between Aintree University Hospital Foundation Trust, The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen NHS Trust and the Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, was praised for demonstrating a 20% reduction in sight and kidney complications, 12% fewer strokes and a 22% reduction to admissions to Hospital following a hypoglycaemic episode.

Further work to improve links with Muslim, Arabic and Polish communities was declared an:- "outstanding contribution to equality, diversity and inclusion in health and social care" and saw them pick up a trophy at the:- 'Royal College of Nursing North West Black History Month Awards.'

On top of this, the team was awarded the Divisional Award for Medicine at the Proud of Aintree Excellence Awards, where Juliette Palmer was also named Innovator of the Year for her on-going work to improve access to diabetes care for homeless people. The team's work to improve the care for people with diabetes who have complex needs or are hard to reach, also gained the team the title of:- 'Team of the Year.'

The Diabetes Specialist Nurse has been involved in setting up a drop-in diabetes Clinic for homeless people where they can access a Diabetes Specialist Nurse, GP, Podiatrist and Ophthalmologist. They also won the title of Team of the Year.

Vicki Alabraba, Diabetes Specialist Nurse, at the Liverpool Diabetes Partnership said:- "I think it's safe to say that 2018 has been an amazing year for us and as a team we are so proud that our hard work has been recognised.  We work tirelessly to make improvements to people with diabetes and are always looking forward at how best we can reach our patients. We are excited to see what 2019 brings."

₤500,000 fund launched to celebrate Windrush Generation throughout the year

THOUSANDS of communities across the country will have the opportunity to bid for a share of ₤500,000 of new funding to hold their own local events to celebrate the contribution of the Windrush Generation on Windrush Day and throughout the year.  The fund, which launched on 22 November 2018, will provide money to local Councils, charities and community organisations seeking to hold commemorative and educational events to mark the arrival of the Empire Windrush, at Tilbury Docks. This could include:- exhibitions, seminars, School projects and street parties.

Communities Minister Lord Bourne said:- "I am delighted to launch the Windrush Day Grant Scheme, which will help ensure that people across the country have the opportunity to take part in celebrations and commemorations every year. It's absolutely right that we honour the Windrush Generation and their descendants who have contributed so much to our national life, and this fund will help keep their legacy alive for generations to come."

A national 'Windrush Day,' announced in 2018 will take place annually, on 22 June, and will encourage communities across the country to celebrate the contribution of the Windrush Generation and their descendants. The grant scheme will be overseen by the Windrush Day Advisory Panel made up of community representatives.

Windrush Foundation Director and Windrush Day Advisory Panel Deputy Chair,  Arthur Torrington said:- "We welcome this initiative, which invites organisations and institutions to apply for funding to celebrate Windrush Day annually. It will support projects that help the public to appreciate the contribution the Windrush Generation has made and continues to make to Britain's wellbeing."

The announcement builds on a range of events marking the 70th Anniversary of the arrival of the 'MV Empire Windrush,' culminating in a:- 'National Service of Thanksgiving', at Westminster Abbey, on 22 June 2018.  70 years ago, on 22 June 1948, the Empire Windrush landed at Tilbury Docks, in Essex. The arrival of 492 passengers from the Caribbean marked a seminal moment in Britain's history, and their story has come to represent the rich diversity of this nation.  The Windrush Generation made a huge contribution to rebuilding the country following the Second World War and their descendants have continued to enrich social, economic, political and religious life.

Over 10,500 people in the North West are now homeless

SHELTER launches urgent appeal after new report reveals depth of homelessness crisis. Brand new analysis from Shelter reveals that 10,665 people are recorded as homeless in the North West. This figure lays bare the true scale of the Region's worsening housing crisis, despite repeated Government pledges to tackle the problem.  In 2017, the overall number increased by more than 1,000 people. To identify where the problem is most acute in the North West, the charity mapped the top 5 hotspots in the Region with the highest levels of homelessness.

Manchester topped the list where 1 in 135 people are homeless and sleeping on the streets or stuck in temporary accommodation, including hostels and B&B's. This was followed by Salford, Trafford, Bury and Tameside.

Shelter has launched an urgent appeal calling on the public to support its frontline advisers as they work to help the growing number of people trying to find or keep their home. In its annual landmark review, the housing charity combined official rough sleeping, temporary accommodation and social services figures. As these records are not definitive, the true extent of homelessness is likely even greater. Overall, almost 320,000 people in Britain are now homeless; an increase of 13,000 people since last year.

Shelter's report:- 'Homelessness in Great Britain; the numbers behind the story' warns this is due to a combination unaffordable rents, frozen housing benefits and a severe shortage of social housing.

John Ryan, Shelter Manchester Hub Manager said:- "It's unforgivable that thousands of people in the North West have been swept up by the housing crisis and now have no place to call home. These new figures show that homelessness is having a devastating impact on the lives of people right across the Region.  Due to the perfect storm of spiralling rents, welfare cuts and a total lack of social housing, record numbers of people are sleeping out on the streets or stuck in the cramped confines of a hostel room. We desperately need action now to change tomorrow for the hundreds of thousands whose lives will be blighted by homelessness this winter.  Shelter's services have never been more needed. That's why we're asking the public to support us this winter so that we can answer as many calls as possible and have trained advisers on hand when people need them most."

To support Shelter's urgent appeal please visit:- Shelter.Org.UK or text:- 'SHELTER' to 70020 to donate ₤3.

Landlord fined for misleading City Council and not having licence

A Liverpool landlord has been hit with a total bill of over ₤4,000 after pleading guilty to managing a rented property without a compulsory licence and failing to install smoke alarms. At Liverpool Magistrates Court, on Thursday, 22 November 2018, Aslam Parvez, of Prescot Road, was also fined by magistrates for providing false and misleading information in his subsequent licence application for the property, on Lilley Road, Fairfield.  Landlord Licensing was introduced by Liverpool City Council in April 2015 with the aim of improving standards in the private rental sector. After submitting an incomplete application, in March 2017, Mr Parvez failed to finish it, despite reminders. He later contacted the Council, in March 2018 and said the property was vacant. Following a subsequent complaint about conditions at the house, an investigation by the Council found it was, in fact, occupied by tenants, who had been living there, at the time Mr Parvez said it was empty.  Various issues were identified, including exposed wires and nails, faulty light switches and no smoke alarms.

Mr Parvez subsequently made an application to licence the property, but falsely claimed that it had smoke detectors throughout and that there was no gas installation. This was untrue and his falsehoods were exposed when Council Officers conducted an inspection. Mr Pavez's solicitor confirmed in mitigation that he was now up to date with dealing with the repairs in the property and he was well aware of what was required of him going forward and accepted on his client's behalf that the case was a good example of why licensing was needed. During the sentencing hearing, Mr Parvez was fined ₤3,500, plus ordered to pay the Councils full costs of ₤623.72.

District Judge Wendy Lloyd emphasised the importance of the Landlord Licensing scheme in Liverpool in order to make sure landlords were following:- "obvious basic safety requirements," and noted that smoke alarms cost:- "next to nothing." She criticised the defendant for lying about having smoke detectors in the property and misleading the City Council in relation to the gas installation so he did not have to obtain a gas safety certificate.

Councillor Lynnie Hinnigan, Deputy Mayor and Cabinet member for housing, said:- "We have many good private landlords in Liverpool who comply with legal requirements, but we take it very seriously when landlords do not comply. This case is a prime example of why licensing is important in this City. This was a property which was putting tenant's safety at risk and in a state of disrepair. The sentence imposed by the Courts in this case should send out a message to those landlords who fail to comply with the requirement to licence and licence conditions or are tempted to provide false or misleading information as part of their licence application."

There are currently more than 44,300 property licenses in force in the City and since the scheme was introduced 1,700 legal notices have been issued, there have been around 130 successful prosecutions and a further 1,400 cases are being considered for further action.  Tenants and members of the public can check if a property has the required Landlord Licence online and report unlicensed properties to:- Unlicensed.Landlord@Liverpool.Gov.UK.