• Help Save specialist day centre for people with Alzheimers in Portsmouth
    My Mum who has rapidly progressing Alzheimer’s disease uses the centre. It is a local lifeline for many local residents, as a caring unit which understands her condition and provides a friendly and stimulating environment, and for the carers such as myself to get some much needed respite. The proposal is to move the Patey clients to the Royal Albert Day Centre in the centre of Portsmouth which would be extremely detrimental for the majority of them. They are a close knit group of individuals who thrive on the familiarity and security of both their number and setting. The skilled carers provide stimulating activities which maintain their clients' skills, helping them to feel valued and promoting independence. The move to the much larger Royal Albert Centre and much longer journey would be frightening and hasten the progress of their disease as the unfamiliarity will cause confusion. Portsmouth City Council's own Dementia Action Plan 2013/14 states: “Objective one of the Portsmouth Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy is to enhance the quality of life for people with dementia” “2142 residents will have some form of dementia · 55% (1178) will be mild, 32%(685) will be moderate, 13% (279) will be severe” “Portsmouth aspires to be a dementia friendly city where people with dementia will be treated with respect and feel included in our local communities.” “There will need to be a shift away from acute care towards primary and community based service provision, including rehabilitation and reablement.” “Support for carers is key” By closing the Patey Centre there will be just 60 spaces for the 2142 sufferers of alzheimers and dementia in the whole of Portsmouth. Portsmouth NEEDS more spaces not less. The Council claim this is a cost cutting measure however this is only true in the short term. Longer term there will be: growing costs of caring for increasing numbers of isolated dementia sufferers in their homes for whom there are no day care spaces; an increased need for residential care as overwhelmed carers without specialist day care respite will reach breaking point faster; and additional costs transporting people to the Royal Albert. The Council's intention is to sell the land the Patey Centre is on to help fund a residential home for people with alzheimers in the north of the city, why doesn't this incorporate the Patey Centre? The 2142 sufferers of alzheimers and dementia in Portsmouth are vulnerable people, many with carers such as myself who are stretched to breaking point. Their needs are being ignored and their excellent day centre is being lost. Please don't close the Patey Centre in Cosham, without providing alternative specialist day care for people with alzheimers and dementia in the north of Portsmouth, put the needs of the people of Portsmouth first.
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    Created by Ellie Savidge
  • Save Bronglais Hospital
    I've heard that Hywel Dda health board are to downgrade Bronglais. They'll stabilize patients in Bronglais, then fly them down to Carmarthen
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    Created by Ieuan Hywel Griffiths
  • Jeremy Hunt: Axe the hospital closure clause
    Recently, Jeremy Hunt lost his appeal against closing Lewisham Accident and Emergency. The law that protected it would be removed if Clause 118 passes. The Clause will allow the government to close or downgrade any hospital in the country, with barely any consultation of local people, if there is a Trust in financial difficulties anywhere nearby. They will be able to appoint an administrator to one Trust who will be able to take decisions to fast-track the closure of hospitals in another area - no matter how successful or popular those hospitals are - using the 'unsustainable provider' legislation that was designed only for insolvent Trusts. If it becomes law, this Clause means that *no* hospital will be safe, no matter how successful. Check out this link http://www.opendemocracy.net/ournhs/stop-hospital-closure-clause for more information. We will update you on further campaign actions you can get involved in. Please share on Twitter and Facebook.
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    Created by Louise Irvine
  • STOP EXCESSIVE CAR PARKING CHARGES AT THE HEREFORD WYE VALLEY TRUST HOSPITAL
    So that people can visit their friends and relatives in hospital, or stay with them for check ups, and not have to pay excessive car parking charges that they can ill-afford. The current charges hit the most vulnerable, and people when they are most vulnerable.
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    Created by Amanda Attfield
  • Keep A&E and Stroke services in Shrewsbury
    The trust's medical director Edwin Borman told BBC Radio Shropshire "we need to have a countywide debate... we need to have serious decision-making" about the future of accident and emergency care in the county. Shrewsbury and Telford both have A&E departments but the trust is concerned resources are spread too thinly to sustain both of them. Mr Borman said that a trial to move urgent stroke care to Telford had resulted in patients getting the most important parts of their treatment more quickly. People in Montgomeryshire and surrounding areas need services to remain in Shrewsbury as Telford is too far travel. For more info: Please check out our facebook page link on the left under the map If you want to know more about us please go to other Campaign Website link under the map 8th Sept UPDATE: 8388 signatures ... Following the start of paper petitions last Tues 5th Sept and support from shops, residents, businesses and volunteers in Welshpool and Newtown collecting on the street we are proud to announce our total number of supporters. Thank you we will continue to promote this cause and thanks for all your support to date lets all keep up the good work 17th Sept... 9607 signatures....Thanks for all who have signed on line... also great response to the paper petition for those who are unable to site on the web. PLEASE KEEP SHARING AND ASKING FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO SIGN...LETS GET THIS PETITION OVER 10,000 THIS WEEK 18th Sept UPDATE .... 10,166 have signed so far... Keep signing
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    Created by Joy Joyanvic
  • Make the NHS Ambulance Service recognised as an "Emergency Service"
    Did you know that the UK NHS Ambulance Service is NOT currently recognised by the Government as an "Emergency Service"? (we are currently only classified as an essential service). Why is it important to receive recognition? = If the Ambulance service is officially recognised as an "Emergency Service" the funding would come from central government rather than the NHS budget. How would this affect you? - You would almost certainly get a better funded, better trained and better equipped ambulance service for yourself and your family = if you think that is important?
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    Created by Les Hill
  • Fair retirement age for Emergency Ambulance staff
    Emergency ambulance staff are often unable to work until the state pension age due to repetetive strain injuries, sustained through years of lifting patients. Every week we will be forced to carry patients in a carry-chair on multiple occasions; these patients are often younger than ourselves and increasing levels of obesity make the outlook bleak. Do people want emergency ambulance staff aged over 60, perhaps 68, attending their relatives for time-critical emergencies, almost always having to carry patients up/downstairs between just 2 staff? Emergency Ambulance staff have in the last few years increased their work-load by over 40%. If you value the response we provide, and agree that our job is more demanding than most, then I would like to take this opportunity to ask your support for the Ambulance service 'Emergency' staff to have pay and retirement parity in line with the Police and Firefighter's.
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    Created by Les Hill
  • Ban fracking in Herefordshire
    The damage to the environment and economy of areas where this has been allowed is well documented. Poisoning of the water supplies, health issues, earthquakes are not imaginary and if you want an economic reason, property values can drop by 30% and you can find yourself unable to get house insurance. An estate agent in Poulton le Fylde, near one of Cuadrilla’s drilling sites, told the Observer "There are a lot of properties coming on to the market, and some of the owners are saying they want to get out before prices start dropping” Other local estate agents have said sales have fallen through because properties are near a fracking site. Herefordshire is an agricultural area and a tourist attraction, being an area of outstanding beauty. Experience in the US shows that fracking can create problems for local agriculture, including the loss of agricultural land, and concerns about water resources. Jumping forward to September 2015, you will have heard on BBC Hereford & Worcester that a new round of applications were to be allowed in the South of Herefordshire in the Wye Valley Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty and in autumn of 2016 were issued. Thanks largely to public resistance accompanied by adverse oil prices South West Energy handed back the licences but made clear that this is a 'temporary' reprieve and they would be back, The fight continues ... Meanwhile a documentary is in editing stages at present. Thanks to those who have caught up with the plot and all the new additions to signatures. . Further info: Nationwide Mutual, the largest US farming insurance underwriter, announced in 2012 that “from an underwriting standpoint we do not have a comfort level with the unique risks associated with the fracking process to provide coverage at a reasonable price." What would be the impact on tourism of hundreds of shale gas wells and associated infrastructure? In Australia, local tourism bodies are among the opponents of unconventional gas developments. The Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management has said that the UK should “not encourage fracking as a part of our energy mix until there is more evidence that operations can be delivered safely, that environmental impacts are acceptable and that monitoring, reporting and mitigation requirements are comprehensive and effective. Mark Menzies, the Conservative MP whose constituency covers much of the area in Lancashire where Cuadrilla has been active, has said “I do not believe that the regulatory system is robust or transparent enough to instill public confidence should permission be granted to the industry.". Having fought off a previous attempt by South West Gas & Oil, we achieved a temporary stay, but with current news 2 years later in 2018 we can no longer consider ourselves safe we must raise attention to the fact that we are in an area where previous attempts have taken place. Go tell your friends again that this is no longer a distant threat but a very real one right on our doorstep . For recent updates watch our associated facebook pages. Here is an explanation for beginners: https://www.facebook.com/frackfreeshires/videos/1971358513123509/
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    Created by John Perkins
  • M S Drug Availability
    The drug I want to try is Gilenya. It is approved for one type of MS but not for mine.It is approved for RRMS but still in trials for PPMS. The final approval date is till over 18 months away, and in the mean time i'm just getting worse. I understand .all drugs have side effects having already been on a clinical trial. I'm 53 and married with two young children.and desperate to try something. Please help as there is NO approved treatment.
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    Created by Chris Bogumil
  • Bring back A&E to Wycombe Hospital
    High Wycombe is a large town and the nearest A&E units are at Wexham (in Berkshire) and Stoke Mandeville Hospital - both of which are approx an hours drive away from Wycombe centre. John Radcliffe is the other nearby Hospital in Oxfordshire. Many people since they closed down the unit have suffered in pain and sadly there have been an increase in deaths as brought up in the recent condemning Keogh report. Please now listen to the people of Wycombe and the surrounding areas and bring this back. It doesn’t matter if you pay private medical insurance; everyone no matter who you are may need to use the A&E or their family and friends.
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    Created by Darren Hayday
  • Accept the Lewisham hospital decision
    Appealing the decision would waste still more taxpayer cash which should be spent on making the NHS better. It would cause continued damaging uncertainty and anxiety for NHS staff and local people. The decision to close vital Lewisham services was completely flawed and has now been found unlawful. The government has already spent hundreds of thousands, if not millions, in a misguided attempt to close Lewisham hospital services. It should stop now, not throw good money after bad. If the High Court judgement were to be overturned, no hospital anywhere in the country would be safe from closure. See www.savelewishamhospital.com/ and www.opendemocracy.net/ournhs for more information.
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    Created by Caroline Molloy
  • NHS contaminated blood scandal
    We have never been compensated for the extreme harm to our health since it began in the 1970's and 1980's. Despite cross-party support calling for proper compensation there appears to be no political will from the Department of Health or the Prime Minister. Despite a long awaited apology which was finally delivered by David Cameron in 2015, there is still no meaningful compensation for victims, and justice is being denied. MPs were deliberately blocked a few years ago by party three-line whips from having the opportunity to debate Lord Alf Morris of Manchester's Contaminated Blood Bill in the house of Commons. If the Bill had been heard and passed, it would have given legal implementation of all the recommendations made by Lord Archer of Sandwell in his independent report in 2009, but once more the government denied the victims proper acknowledgement of their suffering. Teresa May eventually agreed to a public inquiry in 2017 but failed to carry out the commitments made by David Cameron in 2015, one of which was "compensation". An outgoing ex health minister Andy Burnham MP, was quoted in the Guardian in 2017 stating that there had been a“criminal cover-up on an industrial scale” in the NHS over the historic use of contaminated blood. The headline read "Andy Burnham demands NHS contaminated blood inquiry" "Outgoing Labour MP says there was an industrial-scale cover-up over infection of haemophiliacs with HIV and hepatitis" It is now 2020 and the suffering and loss of life goes on. We are still waiting on compensation. It is an absolute disgrace that no government will accept their moral responsibility to acknowledge the wrongdoing of past governments, but choose to sweep it under the carpet and hope the public won't find out about just how serious this blood scandal is, or the negligent policies which have cost the lives of approximately 3000 haemophiliacs. By comparison, and without admission of liability, the Irish government compensated their victims over 20 years ago on the grounds of "extreme harm and suffering". This was done prior to any public inquiries. Irish victims were infected in an identical set of circumstances to haemophiliacs in the UK . The British public should be concerned as to why the government allowed the sale of 80% of Plasma Resource UK for 230 million pounds. The link to this article below will demonstrate that lessons are still not being learned. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/is-there-no-limit-to-what-this-government-will-privatise-uk-plasma-supplier-sold-to-us-private-8718029.html profit. Haemophiliacs were not protected by the state, so how can we trust it to protect British Haemophiliacs and to ensure the supply of safe blood plasma products for the future? We the public must demand that this government acknowledges the alleged wrongdoing of the past and provide meaningful compensation for every victim and their families. Please support the victims by following the current public inquiry and force the government to tell the truth. I am a victim of the contaminated blood scandal and I have been forced to live off scraps of money from an inadequate government trust fund, which is discriminatory and divisive in the way it has been set up. The final insult is that ATOS followed by Capita under the direction of the DWP are now trying to force the victims, many of whom are facing liver failure and cancer, back to work even when they have been deemed too ill and many already medically retired from employment on the grounds of chronic illness. past failures of government policies has resulted in the a vulnerable patient group and community of people. They are struggling to survive, living with multiple viruses from state supplied contaminated blood products, many of them are wrongly assessed fit for work. Please sign the petition now and demand that the government accepts responsibility for what Lord Robert Winston ex vice president of the haemophilia Society called "the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS".
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    Created by colette wintle