Recruiting now - North West Ambulance Service creates careers with heart

THERE'S more to North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) than its blue flashing lights and sirens. NWAS employs over 7,000 people across the Region in around 300 different roles, all with 1 thing in common; they care.

Launching a brand new recruitment campaign:- 'Careers with Heart,' which is NWAS is showcasing the very people at the beating heart of the Ambulance service and the wide range of roles available to apply for.

You could be the 1st reassuring voice on the end of the line, the mechanical marvel keeping vehicles on the road, an apprentice earning whilst you learn or providing expert clinical care to people who need it most. There are so many rewarding career opportunities with NWAS, all of which help to make a real difference every single day.

Vacancies are open now for call handlers in NWAS' evolving Integrated Contact Centres based in:- Liverpool, Preston, Bolton or Manchester.

24 year old Phoebe Crowe works as a call handler in Manchester and says:- "I enjoy coming to work every day knowing I'm making an impact and helping people in their time of need. My dream is to become a Paramedic and this role is giving me excellent experience to help me get there."

Vacancies are also open now Regionally for apprentice Emergency Medical Technicians and qualified Paramedics.

Other vacancies currently being advertised by NWAS include:-

• Motor vehicle technician based in Haydock.
  

• Paralegal based in Bolton.
  

• Apprentice digital support engineer based in Preston.
  

• Workforce wellbeing Officer based in Liverpool.

Careers with Heart adverts will be popping up across the North West from this month in railway Stations, on the back of buses, on billboards, on the radio and online. They feature the people behind the Ambulance service and aim to encourage more people to consider joining NWAS' diverse and inclusive workforce.

NWAS' Director of People Lisa Ward said:- "There are lots of reasons to join NWAS. From the generous NHS pension scheme and our top-class training and development opportunities to our wide range of supportive and inclusive staff networks and our commitment to the health and wellbeing of our people. We love welcoming caring and compassionate people into our team so if you're looking for a new opportunity and want to make a difference, search:- 'NWAS careers' online."

Be at the heart of something amazing, visit:- NWHS.NHS.UK.

Should universal access to the Internet be a human right?

THE Internet has become essential for most of us in our everyday lives. It enables us to work, communicate and access important services, so this latest announcement, about UK high speed internet connectivity, is a a bit of good news for a change.

In a press release, sent to us from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) , they have just announced that 80% of the country now has access to high speed internet connectivity as the UK's next major connectivity milestone is reached. This means the majority of premises within the UK can access gigabit capable networks, up from just 6% in January 2019. This is a significant improvement in such a short timeframe and means the UK is currently building gigabit networks faster than any EU country. The DSIT says that this is:- "thanks to the hard work of the telecoms industry and UK Government action, gigabit coverage across the UK has increased rapidly in recent years, from:- 1 in 10 households in 2019, to:- 8 in to today."

Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan said:- "This is another giant leap forward in our mission to bring gigabit connectivity to every part of the UK, with 80% of the country now able to benefit from lightning fast broadband. Access to gigabit speeds does not just mean being able to seamlessly stream films, TV shows, and shop online all at once. It means better productivity for businesses and new opportunities for local communities with digital infrastructure which will help power our economy, create jobs and improve lives for decades to come."

We are also told that the UK Government is working with broadband suppliers to achieve at least 85% gigabit coverage of the UK by 2025, and then nationwide coverage by 2030. But this drive to go online is having an effect on some of the UK's most vulnerable, who are often digitally excluded because they have no access to the internet at home?

Within this latest press release the DSIT have said that the UK Government also recently announced (18 December 2023), a new charter with telecoms firms to protect vulnerable customers as the UK's phone lines are upgraded to a new, digital network.

But this focus of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, when looking at to protect vulnerable households, is only looking at nationwide switchover to the digital network from analogue telephone networks, such as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) used by BT.

Back in March 2022 Ofcom looked at this question about internet access within a report that found even more has to be done to ensuring that those who remain offline are not left behind, whether that is due to lack of income, interest, a limiting condition, or being part of an older generation. This has also been highlighted many other times, with many asking if access to the internet is considered a luxury, or a necessity. Views on this can vary, depending on the context and perspective, but many developed countries, the internet is increasingly viewed as a basic necessity, especially within modern society.

It is also extremely important for the next generation as highlighted in a statement on Northern Council for Further Education (NCFE) website. On it you can find a quote made in 2022 by the Good Things Foundation, that reads:- "A lack of digital skills and access can have a huge negative impact on a person's life, leading to poorer health outcomes and a lower life expectancy, increased loneliness and social isolation, less access to jobs and education."

It may also be depriving many of access to local services, such as in Sefton Council's Big Item Bin Collection, which appears to be now solely web based. Even where telephone services are available they are often unanswered, just direct you to the website, or routinely involve unspecified very long waiting times.

In many developing countries Internet penetration is still low, due to the lack of technological availability, slower Internet connections, and higher costs of Internet access, or whether the infrastructure has been developed, but marginalised groups are still struggling to overcome access barriers, even in the UK, a developed country.

It may be time to reinforce universal access to the Internet as a human right, and not just a privilege. Should the UK push to become the 1st country to put this in place?

Already, back in the Summer of 2016, the United Nations Human Rights Council released a non-binding resolution (Article 19) condemning intentional disruption of internet access by Governments. The resolution reaffirmed that:- "the same rights people have offline must also be protected online" but most of this is about the right to freedom of opinion and expression and not universal access to the internet, and oddly it does not work in reverse!

By pushing everyone in the UK to go online, does it not start to exclude those who can't access the web, from secure access to every day services? If you use the internet yourself, you might not realise how reliant we are on getting online. Already we have spotted many issues ourselves, from banks asking you to download forms and refusing to send them out by post, to insurance companies only letting elderly policy holders go online to make a claim, even though they have no computer access. And the situation will only get worse. Yes, universal access to the Internet for all individuals worldwide cannot be achieved instantly, but the issues raised so far with the swap over to the digital networks should act as a wake up call, not just for the UK, but for every country, whether developed or developing. Pushing everyone online and still viewing the internet as a "luxury" rather than a necessity, meaning unmonitored and uncensored access to this global medium might one day become a must, or we will see many disfranchised by the Internet, when it comes to the rights or privileges of citizens to access it. In the UK, many water companies run hardship schemes or fund independent charitable trusts which can help you pay your bills. Plus, as water is a necessity so cannot be cut off for domestic house holds. Should the same rights to water be the case for internet access moving forward in the UK?

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