Sunday 23 September 2012

pre-payment meters

Energy customers get switch rights under Ofgem plans

Many households were moved on to prepayment meters after running up debts

Households with pre-payment meters who owe up to £500 to their energy supplier will be able to switch to cheaper deals with another firm under new measures.

It is part of a push by regulator Ofgem to encourage suppliers to work more effectively with struggling bill-payers and use disconnection as a last resort.

Customers of the biggest six companies are currently able to move only if they have debts of less than £200.

Meanwhile, the energy secretary is due to unveil plans to counter mis-selling.

Under the Ofgem announcement, British Gas, EDF, Eon, SSE, Scottish Power and Npower will allow people on pre-payment meters to switch from 1 November.

It is thought tens of thousands of users will be helped by the move.

There are 320,000 gas and 315,000 electricity customers with pre-payment meters who owe money to their supplier, according to Ofgem.

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Ofgem remains determined to ensure suppliers continue to focus on helping consumers manage their energy bills and reduce their debt”

Sarah HarrisonOfgem

The majority racked up the debts when they were given credit by the suppliers and moved to pre-payment meters as a condition of their repayment plans.

Ofgem is due to report figures next week that will show a 59% fall in the number of people disconnected from their gas supply and a 54% drop in electricity disconnections, partly as a result of people being given more time to repay debts.

However, the average amount of debt people are repaying on their gas accounts rose to £371 in 2011, up from £339 the previous year.

Meanwhile, the average electricity debt fell slightly to £357.

Sarah Harrison, senior partner for sustainable development at Ofgem, said: "We welcome the significant falls in the number of households being disconnected, but Ofgem remains determined to ensure suppliers continue to focus on helping consumers manage their energy bills and reduce their debt."

People power

Ofgem will also be given powers to help customers gain compensation if they have lost money owing to energy companies breaking industry rules, under the government proposals to be unveiled by Energy Secretary Mr Davey at the Lib Dem conference.

Ofgem already has the power to penalise energy firms heavily when they break the terms of their licences, for example by mis-selling products or overcharging, but the money from those fines goes straight to the Treasury.

Ed Davey is to outline the government help at the Lib Dem conference

The new powers will allow Ofgem to force suppliers to pay compensation directly to their customers, in cases where a voluntary agreement cannot be reached.

They also include a £5m fund for schemes which bring local people together to switch energy supplier en masse in a bid to secure lower bills.

The cash will go to the best initiatives drawn up by local councils and community groups, with Mr Davey warning that without them the best deals were reserved for "well-heeled internet savvy" consumers.

He was inspired to offer the funding after being present at the launch of such a move in Cornwall - set up jointly by a local authority, the NHS, a trade union, the Eden Project and a brewery.

Thursday 13 September 2012

poor care'

Bristol Children's Hospital to 'learn' from incidents of 'poor care'

Jack Casey's parents said aftercare was "not acceptable" at the hospital

Bristol Children's Hospital has defended its record after a series of complaints over care of child cardiac patients.

It follows the publication of a report earlier this week which partly blamed staff shortages on the death of a seven-year-old boy.
The parents of other children who were treated there have said they also received poor care.
A spokesman said the hospital would "learn" from the incidents.
The report, published on Monday, said Luke Jenkins, seven, of Cardiff, had been expected to make a recovery after heart surgery at Bristol Children's Hospital. But he suffered cardiac arrest and died, partly due to staff shortages, the report found.
After its publication parents of other children contacted the BBC to say they had also received poor care at the hospital.
Tiffany White, from Gloucester, said there were poor hygiene standards at the hospital shortly before her son Oscar Wilcox died from a complex cardiac condition.
'Laying in his own vomit' Ms White said: "He'd be sick all over himself. There were many occasions when he'd be laying in his own sick and crying.
"I wondered why no-one would come in and help him."
The parents of three-year-old Jack Casey from Bridgend said the lining of his lungs was accidentally punctured as he was having fluid drained from his chest when he was seven months old.
His mother, Rachael Puaca, also said hygiene was poor, and she found him lying "in a dirty nappy, laying in his own vomit with no nurse by him" when he was in an intensive care unit.
"If my son ever needs any heart surgery he will never go to Bristol Children's Hospital again," said Ms Puaca. "The surgeon was fantastic, the consultant was fantastic but the whole aftercare was just not acceptable."
A spokesman said it could not comment on Jack Casey's case because of the threat of possible legal action.
Dr Sean O'Kelly, medical director of University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, said: "I'm profoundly disappointed and upset to hear these stories of poor care from patients and their families.
"We always strive to provide the highest standards of care and it's disappointing when we don't, so we will learn from this."

Wednesday 12 September 2012

The chicken went to takeaway restaurants and kebab shops in Bristol, as well as surrounding towns and cities as far afield as Swindon, Cardiff, Newport and Swansea.

Leading vet criticises ritual slaughter of animals

Halal abattoir in Oudeschoot, Netherlands

Prof Reilly says if there is no alternative to non-stun slaughter, then it ought to be kept to a minimum

A leading vet has criticised the "unacceptable" rise in the number of animals killed in ritual slaughter.

Ritual slaughter is lawful in the UK and the EU to satisfy the dietary requirements of Jews and Muslims.

Prof Bill Reilly, former president of the British Veterinary Association, said estimates suggested more animals were slaughtered than was necessary.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) said its own figures showed most animals were stunned before being killed.

The FSA conducted a survey into animal welfare in slaughterhouses in September.

A spokesman said: "The results indicate that the number of animals not stunned prior to slaughter is relatively low, accounting for 3% of cattle, 10% of sheep and goats, and 4% of poultry.

"They also show that the majority of animals destined for the halal trade in both the red and white meat sectors are stunned before slaughter."

The FSA said full details of the survey would be published ahead of a discussion at a board meeting on 22 May.

'Not acceptable'

But Prof Reilly, writing in the Veterinary Record, said: "In my view, the current situation is not acceptable and, if we cannot eliminate non-stunning, we need to keep it to the minimum.

"This means restricting the use of halal and kosher meat to those communities that require it for their religious beliefs and, where possible, convincing them of the acceptability of the stunned alternatives."

He suggested some abattoirs might be refusing to stun animals simply to cut costs.

UK legislation allows halal (Muslim) or schecita (Jewish) "non-stun" slaughter as long as it does not cause "unnecessary suffering".

But Prof Reilly said he witnessed schecita slaughter in the 1970s and he wrote: "The distress, fear and pain were there for all to see in the abattoir."

Prof Reilly said his own estimates suggested around two million animals, mostly poultry, were killed in the UK each year without stunning for the orthodox Jewish community.

Halal meat now accounted for 25% of the entire UK meat market, Prof Reilly added. Anecdotal evidence suggested that almost half of lambs destined for slaughter were killed without prior stunning.

Joyce D'Silva, from the charity Compassion in World Farming (CWF), said: "Judaism and Islam believe that animals are creatures of God; science tells us that they are sentient beings, who can suffer.

"If you hold either view, or both, then your principle concern must be to ensure the least possible suffering for the animal concerned.

"Therefore animals should be handled with care and stunned effectively before their throats are cut in order to minimise their distress and pain.

"Consumers should be able to tell how the animals they eat are reared, transported and slaughtered," he added.

Thursday 6 September 2012

South Gloucestershire Hawk and Owl Trust

Stolen Hawk and Owl Trust mobile unit recovered after eBay sighting

The mobile education trailer was towed from a driveway in Stapleton in May 2011

A Bristol conservation group has had its stolen mobile education trailer returned after its chairman saw it for sale on eBay.

The unit belonging to the South Gloucestershire Hawk and Owl Trust

Owls in the United Kingdom

Six species of owl occur naturally in the United Kingdom, while controversy rages over whether a seventh, the European Eagle Owl, is living wild in England as a result of natural migration from the Continent, or as a result of escaping from bird collections.

was stolen in Stapleton in May 2011.

It contained display boards, show equipment and thousands of leaflets.

Chairman Paul Golledge spotted it on the internet auction site and contacted Avon and Somerset Police who launched an investigation.

The trailer was subsequently recovered earlier in the year and it has now been returned to the trust.

A police spokesman said no-one had been charged over the matter.

The trailer had been stripped of its branding so it has been refurbished and will resume its role in transporting the group's promotional tools to shows across the West.

Mr Golledge said the trust had been "devastated" when it was stolen.

He said: "We are incredibly grateful to Avon and Somerset Constabulary for its dogged detection work in solving this crime. It means the important work of the trust can continue unhindered."

Vice-chairman Stuart Robson said he was "delighted" to celebrate the trailer's return and added: "Our education unit enables us to explain to people the work we do and why we do it.

"It also gives them the opportunity to get involved with us as conservation volunteers."

Hawk and Owl Trust volunteers work for wild birds of prey and their habitats.

The mobile education trailer is used at festivals, shows and events to help promote the trust's work while providing information.

Thursday 30 August 2012

how not to safeguard adults from abuse and neglect

Safeguarding adults from abuse and neglect

Everybody has the right to live their life free from violence, fear and abuse.
Everybody has the right to live in safety.

You have these rights especially if you are disabled, ill or an older person. A vulnerable adult is someone who is or may be in need of community care services by reason of mental or other disability, age or illness; and who is or may be unable to take care of him or herself, or unable to protect him or herself against significant harm or exploitation.

Abuse is when someone does or says something to you which harms you and makes you upset and scared. You may be afraid and do not know how to get the help you need. Abuse can be a single act or continue over months or even years. It can be accidental or deliberate. Just because there is no injury doesn’t mean there is no
abuse.

Under ‘No Secrets’ (Department of Health/Home Office 2000) local authorities have the responsibility to coordinate a multi agency approach to safeguarding vulnerable adults.

In South Gloucestershire there is a multi agency partnership called the Safeguarding Adults Board(SAB) which oversees the Safeguarding Adults Policy and Procedures and the multi agency Workforce Development Plan.

The Safeguarding Adults Policy and Procedures aim to safeguard all adults resident in South Gloucestershire aged 18 or over who are or may be eligible for community care services and whose independence and well-being would be at risk if they did not receive appropriate health and social care support.

This includes: adults with physical, sensory or learning disabilities and those with mental health problems. It also includes carers, family and friends who provide personal assistance and care on an unpaid basis.

A direct link to the Department of Health Guidance can be found in the 'other websites' box on this page.

Wednesday 29 August 2012

Our role in Winterbourne View and the changes we will make to protect people from abuse

7 August 2012

Our role and that of five other organisations involved in the events at Winterbourne View have been drawn together in the serious case review published today.

The serious case review looks at our role and that of Castlebeck Ltd, NHS South Gloucestershire, NHS South West, South Gloucestershire Council and Avon and Somerset Police during the events at Winterbourne View.

You can find the serious case review on South Gloucestershire Council's website.

After the events of Winterbourne View, we carried out a full review of our systems and processes that showed failings in the way we involved whistleblowers and processed the information they gave us.

We have already made significant changes to various areas of our work to ensure that we are better placed to respond to concerns of whistleblowers in order to protect vulnerable people.

Other changes relate to the way we:

follow-up on action plans when services aren’t meeting government standards.
build new ways to work with local safeguarding teams.
develop the way we analyse safeguarding alerts so we can spot trends in care.

Our role in Winterbourne View: Internal management review

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Dame Jo Williams, CQC chair, said, “Winterbourne View was a watershed moment for CQC. We did not respond as we should have and we have offered our apologies to the patients and their families.

“We have been honest about our limitations at the time and willing to learn from them. We carried out an urgent and thorough internal review to strengthen our processes and to ensure that we are better placed to play our part in protecting people in vulnerable care situations.”

Chief Executive David Behan said, “There is much for all the organisations involved with Winterbourne View to consider…I will ensure that the Care Quality Commission responds fully to all the recommendations for CQC. We will continue to work with other organisations to improve communications and sharing of information to ensure we all protect those who are most vulnerable.”

Wednesday 22 August 2012

most expensive locations to rent in the country

Bath has been named one of the - but property experts in the city say demand is as high as ever.

Specialist letting agents’ insurer Endsleigh this week rated Bath as the fifth priciest town or city for tenants in the UK.

Bath view

According to the insurance firm the average cost of renting a property in the city is £963 a month - £257 more than the national average.

The report shows the average monthly rent across the UK rose for the third year running in 2011 to £706 – compared with £688 in 2010 and £663 in 2009.

Bath was placed fifth behind Slough, Guildford, Watford and London, where the monthly average was £1,247.63.

Grant Stevens, general manager of letting services at Endsleigh, said the results proved that despite tough economic times, the lettings market remained buoyant.

He said: “Rents in London have been rising for a long time so it is no great surprise that there is finally a cooling in prices. However, nationally, year-on-year, the picture is one of a very buoyant rental market and, with the overall rise in-keeping with inflation, it won’t unduly affect the pockets of either Bath’s landlords, who are enjoying good yields, or renters, who are able to access a whole range of properties.”

Ben Tilling, partner at Bath Property Shop, said there was strong supply and demand in Bath which had created a successful rental market for the city.

He said: “The city is a one of a kind in terms of rental.

“There are a lot of quality properties in Bath and they are the ones that always rent.

“There is real value for money for tenants in terms of quality, and tenants have got selective about what they want.

“Bath has a very strong rental market but it’s a vicious circle because people can’t afford to buy in Bath so they rent.

“We get a lot of families from London who relocate from London because of the very good schools.

“We also have good links with London and Bristol, and a lot of people commute to Bristol because Bath offers a better quality of life.”

Monday 13 August 2012

Gloucestershire gets new rapid response water rescue centre

Labels: Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire gets new rapid response water rescue centre

A new water rescue centre in Gloucestershire will enable rescue teams to attend incidents anywhere in the county within 30 minutes, Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service (GFRS) said.

The centre at Moreton Fire Station "completes the provision of strategically-placed water rescue teams in Gloucestershire".

The need for such a facility was highlighted in the service's Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) and DEFRA provided £56,000 funding for it.

The IRMP advised an improved water rescue response was necessary in the event of further major flooding in the area.

A similar centre was set up at Tewkesbury Fire Station in 2011.

Deputy chief fire officer Geoff Sallis said: "Since the floods in 2007, we have significantly increased the number of swift water rescue technicians located around the county."

Firefighters have completed specialist water and mud rescue training and now have technical rescue equipment designed to perform rescues from water.

The water response team is also trained to support the large animal rescue team and to work alongside the rescue boats and the GFRS hovercraft.

Sunday 12 August 2012

england

The Dobunni were one of the Celtic tribes living in the British Isles prior to the Roman invasion of Britain. There are seven known references to the tribe in Roman histories and inscriptions.^[1]^[2] The latter part of the name possibly derives from Bune, a cup or vessel. The name seems to have had a similar meaning to the later tribal name Hwicce; both being related to the recognisable cult of a Romano-British goddess.^[3]
Various historians and archaeologists have examined the Dobunni, including Stephen J. Yeates in his book The Tribe of Witches (2008).

[hide]

[edit] Territory

The tribe lived in the part of southwestern Britain that today broadly coincides with the English counties of North Somerset, Bristol, and Gloucestershire; although at times their territory may have extended into parts of what are now Herefordshire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, Worcestershire, and Warwickshire.^[4]^[5] Their capital acquired the Roman name of Corinium Dobunnorum, which is today known as Cirencester.
Their Territory was bordered by the Cornovii and Corieltauvi to the North; the Catuvellauni to the East; the Atrebates and Belgae to the South; and the Silures and Ordovices to the West. Some of these suggestions are, however, speculative.
There is evidence for a cult associated with the tribe in the Romano-British period; the evidence being coterminous with the tribe's territory. Sculpture has been found at: Gloucester, Cirencester, Nettleton, Bath, Wellow, and Aldsworth.^[6]

[edit] Iron Age period

The Dobunni were a large group of farmers and craftsmen, living in small villages concentrated in fertile valleys. A major study of the Iron Age material was carried out by Tom Moore.^[7]
Remnants of several fortified camps, otherwise known as hillforts, thought to have been occupied by the Dobunni can be seen in the Bristol area at Maes Knoll, Clifton Down, Burwalls and Stokeleigh - all overlooking the Avon Gorge - and at Kingsweston Down and Blaise Castle.
In the late Iron Age period, southern Britain saw the development of sites generally referred to as oppida (towns). An example of such a site has been recognised for some time at Bagendon, near Cirencester.^[8] It has now been realised that the Bagendon site was not as important as first thought, as other extensive sites are now known to have existed at places such as Salmonsbury.^[9]

[edit] Roman period

Dio Cassius referred to the tribe as "Bodunni", probably a misspelling of the Dobunni. Tributary to the Catuvellauni, they capitulated to the invading Romans when Caratacus and Togodumnus withdrew.^[10]
Unlike the Silures, their neighbours in what later became south east Wales, they were not a warlike people and submitted to the Romans even before they reached their lands. Afterwards they readily adopted the Romano-British lifestyle.
Even though the Dobunni were incorporated into the Roman Empire in AD 43, their territory was probably not formed into Roman political units until AD 96-98. The tribal territory was divided into a civitas centred on Cirencester, and the Colonia at Gloucester. The Colonia was established during the reign of the emperor Nerva (AD 96-98).^[11]
At the beginning of the 4th century, Britain was reorganised into, initially, four and then five provinces. The Dobunnic territory lay in the province of Britannia Prima, as described in an inscription found at the base of a Jupiter column.^[12] The area remained a Roman Civitas until approximately 409.
The Dobunnic territory contained two large towns (Corinium Dobunnorum now Cirencester, and Colonia Nerviana Glevum now Gloucester). Besides this there were numerous smaller towns, and many rich villas.
A study of the religion of the Dobunni has shown that there was a focus on the worship of the natural world It is possible to identify deities associated with the landscape; for example: Cuda, a mother goddess associated with the Cotswold Hills, and its rivers and springs, and Sulis Minerva at Bath. Other cults were defined by social action, such as mining, for example at Lydney Park, and hunting, for example at Pagan's Hill near Chew Stoke.^[13]

[edit] Sub-Roman period

After the collapse of the Roman Provincial Government, the core of this area retained territorial identity until the Battle of Deorham in 577, (now largely regarded as a dubious event ^[14]) when the Saxons made advances as far as the River Severn. These gains were reversed 50 years later when Penda of Mercia fought the West Saxons at the Battle of Cirencester, and the area came under the influence of Mercia as the sub-kingdom of the Hwicce. It has been suggested that the area retained a distinct identity as a Christian sub-kingdom, instead of being simply absorbed into Pagan Mercia, as a reward for an alliance against the West Saxons; and that this is evidence of a cultural continuity between the Dobunni Civitas and the Hwicce Kingdom.^[15]

Sunday 29 July 2012

Bristol care home cuts could be illegal

Solicitors' firm claims Bristol care home cuts could be illegal

Jon Rogers, deputy leader of the council, said the whole service needed an overhaul

Proposals to close care homes and day centres in Bristol could be illegal, a firm of solicitors claims.

Bristol City Council is considering three options for services, all of which involve closures.
But, Irwin Mitchell Solicitors is concerned that an option involving no closures has not been put out to public consultation, infringing the law.
The Lib Dem-run council, which could close up to 13 centres, says it is consulting widely on the plans.
Nine council-run care homes and at least four day care centres have been mooted for closure.
An Irwin Mitchell spokesman said it appeared the public had been given no choice on which of the homes and centres to close.

Options for day care

Close four buildings, which require investment to be fit for purpose accommodating displaced users in remaining centres, where possible
Develop three service hubs and close 10 centres
Close 11 day services based in council-owned buildings, or transferring their ownership

Polly Sweeney, from the firm, said: "The law is quite clear in saying that the consultation process must be open and allow people to respond adequately, and they must be given sufficient information to be able to respond properly.

"One of the concerns that people are telling us is that they just aren't being given the option to keep care homes open when they feel that's the right option for their loved ones."
Julie Wilson, regional organiser for Unison in Bristol, said: "Across the whole of health and social care the council is proposing to make savings of £5.1m and in order to do that is proposing making approximately 150 posts redundant.

Residential elderly care options

Explore potential to manage three homes - Redfield Lodge, Grenville and Brentry - in a council-led partnership, doubling capacity at Westleigh to 20 beds, and closing nine homes
Maintaining Redfield Lodge as a home for people with dementia
Retain Westleigh and double capacity to 20 beds, and closing 10 remaining homes

"In day services it is a third of all staff... that's a very significant cut in services."

But Jon Rogers, deputy leader of the council, said the whole service needed an overhaul.
"We actually had a lot of debate internally about whether we should have a 'do nothing' option on the paper," he said.
"We thought the difficulty is that everybody who has a resident there will say 'let's do nothing'.
"And they won't think about the impacts of actually closing this particular home or that particular home."

dumnonia

Sunday 23 September 2012

Energy customers get switch rights under Ofgem plans

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Thursday 13 September 2012

Bristol Children's Hospital to 'learn' from incidents of 'poor care'

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Wednesday 12 September 2012

Leading vet criticises ritual slaughter of animals

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Thursday 6 September 2012

Stolen Hawk and Owl Trust mobile unit recovered after eBay sighting

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Owls in the United Kingdom

Thursday 30 August 2012

Safeguarding adults from abuse and neglect

Wednesday 29 August 2012

Our role in Winterbourne View and the changes we will make to protect people from abuse

7 August 2012

Wednesday 22 August 2012

Monday 13 August 2012

Gloucestershire gets new rapid response water rescue centre

Gloucestershire gets new rapid response water rescue centre

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Sunday 12 August 2012

Sunday 29 July 2012

Solicitors' firm claims Bristol care home cuts could be illegal

Options for day care

Residential elderly care options

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