Glaucoma
Glaucoma is one of the most common
causes of preventable blindness. It
can be picked up as part of a normal
eye test and once treatment starts, its
progress can be halted.
Millions to miss out on new state pension
Up to seven million people are going to miss
out on the new single tier state pension
according to research from Prudential. The
new pension of £155 a week will be
introduced in April 2016 but 21% of women
and 14% of men will lack the required 35
Treatment cannot reverse damage years of national insurance contributions to
already done and is likely to be qualify for the full amount.
necessary for the rest of a person’s
life. Sight can be protected if it is Many will also be unable to afford to buy
picked up in time.
back lost years. Since 2010 both men and
women have needed just 30 years of
Glaucoma is the name of a group of contributions to gain a full state pension in
eye conditions that affect the vision. Of retirement, but the planned increase will
the many types of glaucoma, chronic clearly have a huge impact on at least one in
glaucoma is the most common. It five future pensioners. In addition all existing
usually affects both eyes but can start pensioners even those with state pensions
in one eye before the other. Often in of less than £155 a week will also be
glaucoma the pressure in the eye is excluded.
higher than it should be and over time
this causes damage to the optic nerve Britain’s state pension is just a third of
at the back of the eye. The optic nerve average wages according to a new research
carries visual information from the light from the International Longevity Centre. By
sensitive part of the eye to the brain comparison the state pensions in the rest of
where it is translated into a picture. the EU work out at around half national
Damage to the optic nerve can affect income. The ILC also found out that the UK
the site. The eye produces a fluid that has a greater number of pensioners at risk
helps maintain the shape of the of poverty (16%) compared to a European
eyeball and transports nutrients to the average of just 13%. In April the basic state
eye. The fluid is produced by cells pension will increase by £2.85 a week for
behind the coloured part of the eye.
those on a full state pension.
Phyl Rafferty 50+ Development Officer
Tony Leighton
Healthwatch
Patient and Public Engagement Officer
Rockhaven
36 Victoria Road
Hartlepool TS26 8DD
Hartlepool 50+ Forum meets
every second
Wednesday of the month from
1:30 - 4pm
The next meeting:
January 14th 2015 at 1.30pm
January
2015
Dignity Action Day
Dignity Action Day is on 1st
February 2015 at The
Maritime
Experience
Historic Quay. There will be
free admission to the
Hartlepool
Maritime
Experience to everyone
from 10am until 3pm.
There will be trade stands in
the Baltic Suite from
10.30pm. Registration and
Refreshments 10.30am.
Key speakers will deliver
their presentations in the Sir
William Gray Suite from
11am until 1pm.
To register for a place
please contact: Jan Shortt
Regional Secretary NPC
Northern Region, Tel : 0191
274
9345
or
email
[email protected]
RSVP no later than January
15th 2015.
CQC sets out plans
Adult social care services in England that fail to
improve within a year of being rated as inadequate
overall will face closure as part of plans to tackle
failing care.
Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care at the Care
Quality Commission Andrea Sutcliffe, said: “ A
critical part of our role as the regulator is to hold
providers of adult social care to account and ensure
they are providing the standards of safe, caring,
effective, responsive and excellent care that are
good enough for my mum or anyone else’s loved
one. Since the launch of the CQC’s new rating
system in October, our reports are showing many
adult social care services are providing good care.
However, where we identify services to be
delivering inadequate care, we know the effect on
people’s lives can be awful”. These proposals set
out our thinking about when a provider is placed
into special measures and the timescale they will
have to improve. Above all, I want to help the adult
social sector improve so that people can get the
high quality care they expect and deserve. But if
providers do not or cannot improve, they will take
action that will lead to closure.”
“We are now in the final stages of developing the
special measures policy and I would like to thank
everyone who has been involved so far and
encourage anyone who has an interest to share
their views with us.”
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Assaults on NHS staff increases
Physical attacks and assaults against
NHS staff have increased to 163 per day
with fears that waiting times and workforce
cutbacks are to blame. Overall assaults on
NHS staff in England reached almost
60,000 last year, an increase of more than
three per cent on the previous year. The
steepest rise was seen in assaults by
patients who where undergoing treatment
and whose condition contributed to the
attack.
Patients with learning disabilities, mental
health problems, in pain or drunk were
included. Experts said “We are particularly
concerned that the increase could be due
to increasing waiting times, reduced
staffing levels and a growing level of
frustration as the NHS struggles to cope”.
“Our message to employers is clear: there
are measures you can take to protect your
staff and they must be taken in order to
reduce the individual suffering and the
time off work which these assaults can
bring”.
However, unions drew a connection
between the hike in reported assaults and
the increasing pressure staff were under
from workforce shortages. They also
called on employers to provide safer
working environments for their staff,
warning that the statistics may not be a
true reflection of the real number of the
NHS workers being assaulted.
Meanwhile, last week the National Institute
for Care & Excellence announced a
consultation on new draft guidance on the
management of violent and aggressive
behaviour by people with mental health
problems.
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Dignity Day 1 February 2015
In February 2012, the NPC launched its
Dignity Code in the House of Commons
with the support of the then care minister
Paul Burstow. Since that time, the Code
has been adopted by over 40 local
authorities, numerous health organisations
and care providers and has gained
support from trade unions, health
professionals
and politicians from all
sides.
A few years ago the Social Care Institute
for Excellence designated 1 February as
National Dignity Action Day and this year
the NPC has decided to take part as a
way of promoting the Dignity Code.
The main aim of the day is to publicise the
Dignity Code amongst the general public
and local officials such as councillors, MPs
and GPs. To get across the idea that the
Dignity Code needs to be enshrined in
legislation. The Dignity Code seeks to set
a minimum standard for the way in which
older people should be treated when
receiving care whether in hospital, care
home, GP surgery or their own home. It
sets out how everyone would like to be
treated when they can no longer look after
themselves.
Given that 80% of social care is now
contracted out, the Dignity Code can have
an important role if it is included in service
contracts with these providers. It can act
as a standard which must be delivered
and can be judged against. Hartlepool
Borough Council is hosting Dignity Action
Day
on 1st February 2015 at The
Hartlepool Maritime Experience.
Number of bed blocking patients reaches record high.
New figures show hospitals entering gridlock amid fears of winter crisis with record
levels of bed blocking and the highest ever number of patients admitted to hospital via
Accident and Emergency. Amid growing concerns that the NHS has entered a crisis,
even before winter sets in, new official figures show. Experts say a lack of NHS staff to
discharge patients and a lack pf social care to help patients at home is behind the
growing crisis. The new NHS England statistics show a record number of hospital
admissions. Casualty wards could hit major difficulties if the numbers suffering from flu
and norovirus continue to rise experts warned.
Chris Hopson Chief Executive of the NHS Foundation Trust network which represents
all NHS hospitals said the combination of record admissions and the highest ever
levels of people stuck in hospital, meant the system was extremely “clogged up” with
little room for manoeuvre if flu levels rise or weather worsens. “Hospitals are under
very significant amounts of pressure-we keep seeing increasing demand” he said.
The new statistics also show soaring numbers of urgent operations being cancelled.
More than 300 urgent operations were cancelled in October. Each day an extra 2,000
A&E patients are seen within four hours compared with 2010. Senior doctors have
warned that many hospitals are “full to bursting” with not enough room to cope with
surges in demand. A Department of Health spokesperson said” We’ve given the NHS
an extra £700m to buy thousands more doctors, nurses and beds this winter. NHS
England has ensured there are plans in every area to manage the extra demand.”
Official figures show 1.3 million people visiting A&E units compared with four years
ago.
The Director of NHS Operations and Delivery said “The rise in A&E attendance and
emergency admissions continued this week. With 109,300 emergency admissions to
hospital the highest number since weekly records began. Unsurprisingly this is also
leading to more pressure on community services as these extra hospital patients
become well enough to go home. The NHS is pulling out all the stops with local
hospitals, ambulances, GPs, home health services and local councils all working hard
to open extra beds and seven day services using the extra winter funding that has
been made available.”
Cold Weather Alerts
Cold Weather Alerts are issued by the Met Office when winter weather is most likely to
significantly impact people’s health. When the mean temperature falls bellows two
degrees for 48 hours or longer or during heavy snow and/ or during widespread ice.
Only one of these thresholds needs to be met or exceeded for an alert to be triggered.
The ideal temperature is 64F degrees for the bedroom and 70F degrees for the living
room.
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