Letter to the Editor:- "No 1 wants to see more veterans on our streets this winter"

"DEAR Editor... As the cost of living crisis deepens, we welcome any action to prevent the very real possibility of more people ending up homeless on our streets. Since the start of the Pandemic, charities have seen a rise in the number of homeless Armed Forces veterans seeking their help; some report an increase of 50%. We are also seeing people with more severe and complex needs. When someone has served their country, the least we can do is support them when they make the move back to civilian life. Yet every year thousands of veterans end up sleeping rough, sofa surfing or living in unsuitable hostels because they're unable to access housing and slip through the net. The cost of living crisis will only make the situation worse. The Armed Forces Covenant states that anyone who has served should face no disadvantage and that veterans who are especially vulnerable should be prioritised for support. It's vital that when someone needs help with housing, they are asked whether they've served in the Forces. If they have, this should be recorded. Once identified, they can be directed towards support that's available. We are concerned that without action, things will get much worse. A more coordinated approach between local authorities, housing providers, homelessness charities and veterans' organisations is needed. No 1 wants to see more veterans on our streets this winter. Those that have served, often through the most trying of times, deserve better." Yours Richard Gammage, No Homeless Veterans Campaign.

FSB Merseyside and Cheshire responds to Government's mini Budget

RESPONDING to the mini Biget 'fiscal event' and the Government's response to FSB calls to place small businesses at the heart of plans for economic revival and growth, Michael Sandys, Liverpool City Region Area Leader for the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), said:- "In this announcement the Chancellor has delivered pro-small business measures and has rightly recognised that removing taxes on jobs, investment and entrepreneurs is essential for our economy. Taken with the energy cost support announcement, the Truss Government is off to a good start as far as small businesses are concerned, but it's just a start. Ministers need to be relentless in removing barriers to success, particularly given the current challenges. The Government has signalled its determination to back small firms and we will work to ensure this continues. We look forward to working with Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, as well as Ministers and their departments nationally, on Investment Zones and other measures to help small businesses grow and succeed."

Looking at the detail of today's fiscal event, FSB has successfully lobbied for:-

►  National Insurance tax hikes to be reversed... "The confirmation that the NICs hikes introduced in April will be reversed is good news for small businesses and the self-employed. FSB has been campaigned tirelessly for this and it's very welcome that the new Government heard us. Reversing all four NICs rises:- employer, employee, self employed and the dividend equivalent; will help small businesses and the self-employed at a crucial time. Keeping the Employment Allowance at £5,000, an increase FSB fought for, is also welcome."

►  Corporation Tax increase to be scrapped... "FSB welcomes the decision to scrap the planned Corporation Tax increase. The £50,000 threshold for the main rate would have captured many small firms, so keeping tax on profits over £50,000 at 19% is welcome. This will free up funds for small businesses to invest, and mitigate the impact of continuing high inflation levels."

►  Removing the IR35 tax... "The Chancellor has done the right thing in getting rid of IR35. Scrapping the poorly thought-out, unnecessary and burdensome IR35 rules that have restricted the ability of small businesses and self-employed to do the work they do is a very positive move."

►  Keeping the Annual Investment Allowance at £1 million... "Keeping the Annual Investment Allowance at £1 million, rather than reducing it to £200,000, will be good news for small businesses considering significant investments. In order to achieve economic growth goals, for everyone's benefit, investment and productivity must be prioritised and incentivised through the tax system. This will ultimately lead to the higher wages and more technologically advanced economy that the Government is aiming to create."

Other key announcements...

►  Investment Zones:- "The proposals for investment zones, where business taxes will be reduced and planning rules eased, shows welcome resolve to levelling up by being pro-business. Levelling up can only succeed if small businesses in communities across the country are backed to grow, invest, and create new jobs. FSB looks forward to working with the Government, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and the small business community to make investment zones a success, and to ensure that they work both for the small firms already working in these areas, and new small firms starting up."

►  VAT Shopping:- "Liverpool City Region is a major destination for global tourism, and keeping incentives for international visitors is a smart move. The tourism sector is hugely important for small firms, and for the economy overall. International tourists contribute billions to the UK economy, supporting millions of jobs, and allowing them to continue to shop VAT-free will help maintain the flow of visitors to our tourism hotspots."

►  Alcohol duty reforms scrapped:- "FSB welcomes the decision to scrap planned reforms of alcohol duty. The complexity of the planned changes to alcohol duty announced earlier this year would have meant that small retailers would have had to calculate many different levels of duty based on alcohol levels, which would be very challenging to administer and properly account for. The news that the current system will be retained is therefore helpful and will not put small independent wine and beer shops at a disadvantage compared to larger rivals with more sophisticated systems, as would otherwise have happened."

Health and Social Care Secretary announces Government's new 'Our Plan for Patients' to improve care for this winter

OUR 'Plan for Patients' will inject £500 million of additional funding into adult social care to help people get out of Hospitals and into social care support. The Plan was unveiled by the Health and Social Care Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister.

In her 1st major intervention in her new role, Thérèse Coffey announced a package of measures to ensure the public receives the best possible care this winter and next. The Adult Social Care Discharge Fund will help speed up the safe discharge of patients from Hospital this winter to free up beds as well as helping to retain and recruit more care workers. With 13,000 patients in beds who should be receiving care in the community, this will improve the flow in emergency departments and help reduce ambulance delays.

The plan also sets out interventions to improve access to general practice appointments, with the expectation that everyone who needs 1 should get an appointment at a GP practice within 2 weeks; and that the patients with the most urgent needs should be seen within the same day.

As well as more support staff, an enhanced role for Pharmacists and new telephone systems, changes will also be made to NHS pension rules to retain more experienced NHS clinicians and remove the barriers to staff returning from retirement, increasing capacity for appointments and other services.

This includes extending retirement flexibilities to allow retired and partially retired staff to continue to return to work or increase their working commitments without having payment of their pension benefits reduced or suspended, and fixing the unintended impacts of inflation, so senior clinicians aren't taxed more than is necessary.

Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Thérèse Coffey said:- "Patients and those who draw on care and support are my top priority and we will help them receive care as quickly and conveniently as possible. That is why we are publishing Our Plan for Patients, which will help empower and inform people to live healthier lives, while boosting the NHS' performance and productivity. It sets out a range of commitments for our health service, ensuring we create smoother pathways for patients in all parts of health and care."

Alongside the Government's plan to ensure patients get the best possible care, the Health and Social Care Secretary called for a "national endeavour" to support the NHS. This includes encouraging more volunteering across the health service, as well as exploring strengthening how we use volunteers, such as supporting NHS ambulances in the areas of greatest need.

Local health and care partners will be able to decide how best to use the social care funding to improve Hospital discharge, and to retain and recruit social care staff.

Funding of £15 million this year will help increase international recruitment of care workers. The funding will enable local areas to support care providers with activities such as visa processing, accommodation and pastoral support for international recruits. This will complement a national domestic recruitment campaign, which will launch shortly.

The Health and Social Care Secretary acknowledged the scale of the challenges facing the NHS in the wake of the Pandemic and Our Plan for Patients builds on the NHS Winter Plan, including the roll out of Covid boosters and flu jabs already underway to help protect the most vulnerable. The plan sets out actions to ensure the best possible care for patients under each of her A, B, C and D priority areas; Ambulances, backlogs, care and Doctors and dentists.

Prime Minister Liz Truss said:- "On the steps of Downing Street this month, I pledged that 1 of my earliest priorities as Prime Minister would be to put our health and care system on a firm footing. These measures are the 1st part of that plan and will help the country through the winter and beyond. Ultimately my mission in Government is to grow our economy, because that is the best way to support the NHS and social care system and ensure patients are receiving the frontline services they deserve."

National Eye Health Week report finds nation's EYE Q is missing the mark and putting millions at risk of avoidable sight loss

1 in 3 of us will suffer sight loss in our lifetime, yet half of this could be avoided. Routine eye tests, to ensure early detection and treatment of eye conditions, and adopting healthy lifestyles are key to preventing unnecessary sight loss; however, the findings of a new report reveal many of us lack even the most basic 'know how' when it comes to looking after our vision and eye health. "Many of us lack even the most basic 'know how' when it comes to looking after our vision and eye health"

The Eye Q report, commissioned by Eye Health UK and Thomas Pocklington Trust to mark National Eye Health Week, that ran from 19 September to 25 September 2022, found just 1 in 4 of us rate routine eye tests as important for maintaining good eye health. Worryingly, the report also found more than 17.5million of us haven't had an eye test in the last 2 years, as recommended; with men and minority ethnic groups most likely to skip this essential health check.

As well as fears about the cost of eye care, the misnomer that:- "if your eyes are fine you don't need to have an eye test" was a common reason not getting eyes checked.

The report also uncovered a shocking lack of awareness of 'reg flag' symptoms linked to sight threatening eye conditions. Despite being symptoms of retinal detachment; a condition requiring urgent treatment to avoid permanent sight loss; only 19% of us would seek same day medical attention if we suddenly saw lots of flashes and floaters in our vision, 48% would take urgent action if we saw a shadow, veil or curtain over our vision.

When it comes to understanding how lifestyle can impact risk of sight loss, a meagre 8% of us link exercise and eye health despite evidence showing being physically active can slash the risk of visual impairment.

80% of us are in the dark about the eye health benefits of eating a nutritionally balanced diet; 38% understand exposure to the sun's UV can impact eye health, and, a paltry 13% link smoking and sight loss, even though smoking is a direct cause of sight loss, including:- macular degeneration; the UK's leading cause of blindness.

Awareness that the menopause can affect eye health was also woefully low, with just 13% of peri and menopausal women making a connection between the 2, despite 'the change' triggering dry eye and blepharitis, and, increasing the risk of glaucoma and cataracts.

UV protection is vital to prevent poor eye health and future sight loss, however, 1 in 5 believe eyes only need protecting on sunny days, when in fact, eyes should be protected whenever the UV index rises to 3 or more, even if the skies are cloudy, as 90% of UV can transmit through the clouds.

With increasing screen use more and more of us are suffering screen fatigue; headaches, sore or tired eyes and temporary blurring of our vision; because we don't know how to be screen smart. Just 1 in 7 of us follow the 20-20-20 rule [look away from your screen every 20 minutes and focus on something 20 feet away for 20 seconds]; only 28% adjust room lighting and 4 in 5 don't consciously blink.

Other misconceptions about factors that can have a negative impact on vision and eye health include:-

►  75% of us think it's okay to shower in contact lenses. It's not. Contacts should be removed before showering to prevent water borne infection.

►  72% of us are unaware of the dangers of using old mascara. Using mascara that's been open for more than 3 or 4 months is a common cause of eye irritation and infection.

►  65% of us think reading in dim light could damage our eyes. It won't. It will simply highlight any existing imperfection.

►  56% of us are unaware that rubbing our eyes could be harmful. However, excessive rubbing is linked to keratoconus; a condition that distorts your vision.

With little knowledge about how to care for our eyes and factors that can affect them it's probably no surprise the report found 77% us suffered poor eye health in the last 12 months, whilst 52% of us say our daily lives have been disrupted by the quality of our vision; affecting our ability to do, or enjoy, daily things like household chores, driving, reading or our hobbies.

The state of our eye health also affected our emotions and mental well being. 55% of respondents say their vision affected their mental state; leaving them feeling frustrated (24%), anxious (16%) or stressed (13%). The affect of eye health on mental state was particularly prevalent amongst people living with sight loss[7], with 76% saying their vision had affected their mental health.

Commenting on the report David Cartwright, optometrist and chair of Eye Health UK said:- "With 60% of us worrying about our long term vision it's time for us to wise up and learn how to look after our eyes. Making some simple changes to our lifestyle and having regular eye tests could give your eye health a boost and prevent future sight loss."

Mike Bell, Head of Public Affairs and Campaigns at Thomas Pocklington Trust added:- "The Eye Q report has revealed how little knowledge there is about the importance of eye health, including amongst people already living with some form of sight loss. Looking after your eyes is just as important as looking after the rest of your body. Regular eye health checks can help prevent or limit the damage done by many eye conditions. They can also help identify the signs of other health conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure. The message is clear, get regular eye health checks and never ignore changes in your vision."

Visit the National Eye Health Week website to check your risk of future sight loss using on the online eye health calculator.