The nursing advisory unit, advises the Government on health policies and how they will affect nursing and nurses, allied health professionals and ultimately the health of the country. Nurses are the largest workforce in the UK and if they close this unit, it means that effectively nurses voices will not be heard within the department of health and they will get their information from lobbyists and private health care companies. The nursing posts that will go are nurses who advocate on behalf of those with mental health and learning disabilities, some of of our most vulnerable members of society. The Royal College of Nurses voted to ask their council to lobby Jeremy Hunt to keep the unit. I would ask you to join the campaign.

Barbecues on London Fields have been trialled for several years and were approved again for 2017. Barbecues are banned in most of the parks of London on safety and health grounds. It is the only park in Hackney where the Council overlooks their own strict bye-laws banning fires in parks. As a result, London Fields is now popularised through social media to the point that on a sunny summer weekend it attracts thousands of visitors and tourists from all across London and beyond. The smoke from BBQs and fires makes it impossible for residents neighbouring the park to open their windows on hot summer days. Depending on the wind, dense smoke carries across the park in different directions - into houses and flats, up to the Lido or across the children's playgrounds. The smoke is unpleasant and represents a significant pollution risk, especially for people with breathing difficulties. A highly toxic particle known as PM2.5 is released into the atmosphere when burning barbecues. There is no safe level of PM2.5 and it can: * suppress lung function in children * cause heart disease and strokes * cause and aggravate asthma * cause lung cancer [Source: "Every Breath We Take", RCP / RCPCH pub. Feb 2016] In the summer of 2105 an investigation by King's College London pollution team showed toxic PM2.5 air pollution levels during barbecues on Highbury Fields, Islington, to be up to 3 times the kerbside levels at one of London's busiest roads in Marylebone. In 2013 a study involving 312,944 people in nine European countries revealed there was no safe level of particulates. Hackney Council has an air pollution plan (http://www.hackney.gov.uk/air-pollution) and an air quality action plan (http://www.hackney.gov.uk/air-quality-action-plan) - and does nothing to stop toxic smoke over children's play areas in the Fields. Anti-social behaviour is an ever-present worry with small groups staying in the park overnight. Mounds of litter are left behind, overflowing the many extra bins provided. On Sundays and Mondays, parts of the park are unusable by local residents until clear-ups are undertaken, bins are left on fire and discarded food attracts rats. Every summer this costs Hackney council-tax payers a potential £80,000 or more in extra bins, refuse disposal, signs, security and damage repairs to the park. According to an FOI request, £57,000 alone is paying for a security firm to watch just the BBQ area all summer long*. To put this in perspective - if the park charged 800 visitors every week for the whole summer £5 to BBQ (15 weekends) it would only raise £60,000 - and not cover those costs. And the security is there only on weekends - and BBQs are lit every day during the summer. London Fields is a small park. It just cannot sustain this pressure on such a tiny piece of land. It is time to call an end to a failed experiment and treat London Fields like any other Hackney Park – a green space which visitors should respect and use with care. Local people should not have to dread sunny weekends. And what if there were no barbecues? Well, they are no real loss to anyone; *picnics* are rather similar in nature but much less annoying and polluting - and they are fun, cheaper, eco-friendly, no smoke, no fire, less mess (except perhaps for egg sandwiches) and they can be eaten anywhere, in any park, in any neighbourhood, not just a tiny, barren corner of London Fields. So please sign this petition and share with your friends on Facebook, Twitter and email - and in the street - to ask the Mayor and Hackney Council to end this abuse of the Fields. * Hackney Council claim the security is for the whole of the park; this is not what the security staff say - or do.

It is important to families of disabled children, those of us with sensory or mobility needs. Those visiting a sick relation. For many having to use two buses is just too much. This will have a huge impact on the most vulnerable. Transport should serve the public not put profit first. Please sign and share.

Because for more than 520 people, it's a life-saving, life-affirming space where they aren't judged and they can feel safe and supported. We desperately need a continuation of the service No.10 provides. Demolition of No.10 doesn't begin until January 2017, which will mean that currently the building will be left empty for four months from September 1st.

The use of glyphosates has already been banned or restricted in 8 countries and the EU has recently stepped back from renewing its approval. It is not acceptable that ourselves, our children and the animals we share our community with are being routinely exposed to these chemicals whether we like it or not. This is a matter of great importance for those of us who care about each other's health and the health of our children, our cats, our dogs and all the flora and fauna of this city, of course including bees and other insects essential to pollination. Further information here: http://wembleymatters.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/should-brent-follow-hammersmith-fulham.html If you don't live in this area, click here to start a campaign for your city: https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/start-a-pesticide-campaign

My Mum died on Sunday 26th June 2016 from mesothelioma, a cancer that comes from exposure to asbestos. It can lie dormant for a long time, meaning that victims are diagnosed with the illness 15 to 60 years after their exposure. Mum believes she was exposed to asbestos in the schools she taught in. Before she died I promised her that I will do my best to make sure no-one else has to suffer like she has. The facts about asbestos in schools • 86% of UK schools have asbestos in them, putting over 7 million pupils at risk. A survey in 2015 found that 44% of teachers have not been told if their school contains asbestos. This lack of awareness puts them and their pupils at risk of exposure. • More than 224 school teachers in England have died of mesothelioma between 2003 and 2012. There is a similar pattern for school support and maintenance staff. Last year 22 teachers died, meaning the UK has the highest death rate in the world. Experts predict that the number of school related deaths in the UK will continue to rise. • Children are particularly vulnerable to developing mesothelioma. A five year old child that is exposed is five times more likely to contract mesothelioma than someone exposed to asbestos in their 30s. It is reported that between 200 and 300 people die each year from exposure to asbestos as school children. All of these deaths are completely preventable. We've known the dangers since the 1960s with legislation controlling its use since the mid-1980’s. 2 million asbestos fibres can fit on a pin head but mesothelioma can develop from ingesting only one or two fibres. There are no safe levels of exposure to asbestos. Mum taught over 800 children and was a wonderful teacher and very committed to her work. Some of her ex-pupils recently wrote to her saying ‘you were the best reception teacher we could ever have wished for and you gave us the best grounding in education that anyone could ever have’. I’ve seen first hand the pain and suffering that mesothelioma causes. I’ve lost my darling Mum to this terrible disease, as a parent I need to be sure that my school age daughter is not being put at risk simply by going to school. We can't let more of our children and teachers die from this entirely preventable disease. Rt Hon Gillian Keegan MP, Secretary of State for Education must prioritise the removal of all asbestos from all our schools.

My Lovely 84-year-old mother has the terrifying condition Dementia. This means she will eventually forget everything, including who her loved ones are, how to do day to day tasks, how to feed herself and eventually how to breath. For me her daughter this is heart breaking to see and placing her in a care home was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do, but knowing she was safe and receiving the care she needed was some conciliation to me. However, the more I visit my mam in her care home the more I come to realise that our care homes are in crisis and our mams, dads, grandparents, aunties, uncles and most probably eventually ourselves are not receiving the care and dignity that they deserve. This is due to staff being over worked and stressed due to inadequate staffing levels. Currently there are no legal requirements in our care homes for staff to service user ratios. I have personally witnessed 4 staff to look after up to 28 service users all with different needs and challenging behaviours, the carers do their best with what time and resources they have but this is not enough i have witnessed my mam (who is unable to feed herself) sitting in the dining room with her food in front of her and no one assisting to feed her due to lack of staff, I have also witnessed my mam and other service users sitting soaked in urine as staff have not got around to changing her in time due to their work load. This problem could easily be solved if the companies that run the care homes take on more staff to meet the ever changing needs of the service users, instead of keeping staff to a bare minimum to maximise profits. Please Sign my petition and get this to the house of commons and get the law changed so our vulnerable relatives get the care and dignity that they deserve.

The use of glyphosates has already been banned or restricted in 8 countries. It is not acceptable that ourselves, our children and the animals we share our community with are being routinely exposed to these chemicals whether we like it or not. This is a matter of great importance for those of us who care about each other's health and the health of our children, our cats, our dogs and all the flora and fauna of this city, of course including our beloved bees. If you don't live in this area, click here to start a campaign for your city: https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/start-a-pesticide-campaign

The use of glyphosates has already been banned or restricted in 8 countries. It is not acceptable that ourselves, our children and the animals we share our community with are being routinely exposed to these chemicals whether we like it or not. This is a matter of great importance for those of us who care about each other's health and the health of our children, our cats, our dogs and all the flora and fauna of this city, of course including our beloved bees. If you don't live in this area, click here to start a campaign for your city: https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/start-a-pesticide-campaign

The use of glyphosates has already been banned or restricted in 8 countries. It is not acceptable that ourselves, our children and the animals we share our community with are being routinely exposed to these chemicals whether we like it or not. This is a matter of great importance for those of us who care about each other's health and the health of our children, our cats, our dogs and all the flora and fauna of this city, of course including our beloved bees. If you don't live in this area, click here to start a campaign for your city: https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/start-a-pesticide-campaign

The use of glyphosates has already been banned or restricted in 8 countries. It is not acceptable that ourselves, our children and the animals we share our community with are being routinely exposed to these chemicals whether we like it or not. This is a matter of great importance for those of us who care about each other's health and the health of our children, our cats, our dogs and all the flora and fauna of this city, of course including our beloved bees. If you don't live in this area, click here to start a campaign for your city: https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/start-a-pesticide-campaign

At the moment everywhere in the NHS clinical care is provided according to need, if you need a hip operation you join a queue, if you need a dressing it will be arranged when necessary, if your GP thinks you might have cancer he can refer you urgently, counsellors ring you up and asses your needs before timetabling sessions. If you phone your GP for an appointment for an itch you've had for 3 years they will likely schedule an appointment for next week or the week after. If you report your child has a high temperature, a purple rash and a headache they'll respond immediately. Everywhere except that is, in A/E departments. There, because of a ministerial target introduced 16 years ago, long before the change in GP out of hours contracts, everyone has to have their problem dealt with within 4 hours. There has never been any scientific basis for this target. This means your piles you may have had for 4 years, a muscle sprain that happened 6 weeks ago on a run, or your hay fever that you have had every year for a decade will be dealt with inside 4 hours. No matter how minor, no matter how long you've had your symptoms. This is care being directed for purely administrative reasons, not clinical. Because it is a political target it becomes a political football, Secretaries of State will divert hundreds of millions of pounds into these departments to avoid lurid headlines of "long waits in A/E". Please do not misunderstand I am not advocating 82 year olds with broken hips having to wait, what I am advocating is treatment on clinical grounds. The diversion of all this money and resource is robbing the NHS of valuable care that could be delivered elsewhere. Because the target is so widely publicised the public are aware of it and not unreasonably use it to their advantage, why wait for a GP appointment when you just pitch up at A/E with a guarantee of being seen. No wonder more and more people turn up. Whats even better is that you decide when to turn up. It is a fact that A/E attendance rates can be tracked against major events such as football matches, or climactic events in TV series . This results in yet more money being poured in to bolster the target, its a vicious cycle without end. Since its introduction in 2000 no end of new ideas; Walk in Centres, Darzi Centres, Minor Injury Units, poly clinics, GP led Health Centres etc and no end of new money has been able to reduce the inexorable rise in A/E attendances. Care in A/E departments, whilst of high quality, is not appropriate for many of the conditions they deal with. The chances of having tests and investigations is much greater than when the same condition is dealt with by a doctor who knows you, rather than the next one on the shift. They deliver formulaic protocol driven care which again encourages patients to go there - if I go to my GP with a cough I get advice, if I go to A/E I get an e-ray, an ECG, a blood test and an antibiotic. You can treat 4 or 5 cases of Hay fever at a GPs surgery with the money an A/E department would use to asses and treat one patient with the same condition. The 4 hour target is a political target that leads to a distortion of clinical care and can only ever result in more and more resources being diverted into them. If patients were treated on a clinical need basis, so with your 4 year old piles you will be seen but no guarantee of when, then departments could begin to allocate resource more effectively and patients might think twice about turning up in the first place. The saved money could then go to GPs where it would be more cost effectively used.