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Author: Martin Driver

NHS advice for over this August Bank Holiday weekend

26 August 2021
Martin Driver
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Categories: Front Page, Health, Latest News, Uncategorized

NHS treatment information posterHealth professionals in Sefton are encouraging residents to contact NHS 111 first if they need urgent medical advice over this August Bank Holiday weekend. They are also reminding people of the wide range of support that will be available.

NHS111

People who need urgent health care across Sefton are being encouraged to contact NHS 111, by visiting www.111.nhs.uk or by calling 111 if they do not have access to the internet.

NHS 111 is staffed by trained professionals and clinicians, who will direct you to the most appropriate health service. It is fast and simple and the easiest way to be sign posted to the right service that you or a loved one needs. This could be a GP out-of-hours, a walk-in centre or a local pharmacy. In an emergency, you should call 999.

There any time

Dr Pete Chamberlain, GP and chair of NHS South Sefton CCG, said: “NHS 111 is there any time to advise you how to safely manage your condition at home, or direct you to the right health service for your needs. This may include a local walk-in centre, GP, pharmacy or hospital. If appropriate, 111 are able to book appointments with GP out-of-hours over the bank holiday weekend too.”

“Remember, in a life-threatening medical emergency such as loss of consciousness, stroke or serious injury, you should always call 999 straight away.”

Trusted information

Dr Rob Caudwell, GP and chair of NHS Southport and Formby Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said: “The NHS website has a wealth of trusted information and support as well as really helpful guides to some of the most common conditions that people can often treat at home. 

In addition, many local pharmacies will be available over the bank holiday weekend to provide advice and support on how to treat some of these conditions. You can also still get your COVID-19 jab over the bank holiday at walk-in vaccination sites.”

Mental health support

For anyone over 16 in need of urgent mental health support as they no longer feel able to cope or be in control of their situation, there is a free 24-hour telephone service on 0800 145 6570. There is also free, confidential, 24/7 text message support for anyone who is feeling overwhelmed or is struggling to cope. The service, run by Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, is staffed by trained volunteers who will work with you, to take your next steps towards feeling better. For this service text HEAL to 85258.

Litherland Walk in Centre is open 8am to 8pm and is operating a telephone triage and appointment system to keep everyone safe by supporting social distancing. Local residents are advised to book an appointment before visiting the centre by calling 0151 475 4667.

Pharmacies

Many local pharmacies are open over the bank holiday weekend and pharmacists can offer expert advice on appropriate treatments for a wide range of conditions affecting adults and children.

The NHS has produced a range of easy to follow online ‘self-help’ guides to common conditions such as indigestion, ear infections, sprains and strains and Mersey Care have developed their own range of self help guides for a range of physical and mental health conditions. You can also find trusted advice about hundreds of health conditions on NHS.uk and the NHS app which provides secure access to a range of NHS services.

For detailed information on where you can go for your COVID-19 vaccine and information on other health services including pharmacy times over the bank holiday weekend please visit the CCG websites: southseftonccg.nhs.uk  / southportformbyccg.nhs.uk

Information on urgent mental health support can be found via: https://www.merseycare.nhs.uk/urgent-help and Mersey Care’s range of self-help guides can be found on: https://www.merseycare.nhs.uk/are-you-a-service-user/self-help-guides 

The latest information about Litherland Walk-In Centre can be found at: https://www.merseycare.nhs.uk/our-services/south-sefton/walk-centre-litherland 

And a range of helpful self help videos to common conditions and how to treat them is available at https://bit.ly/SelfCareSefton 

You can also check @NHSSSCCG or @NHSSFCCG on Twitter, or ring NHS 111.

Sefton Council’s Cabinet asked to approve ÂŁ2 million-plus of new roles

25 August 2021
Martin Driver
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Categories: Front Page, Latest News, Sefton Council

Sefton Council’s Children’s Social Care department looks set to receive over £2 million worth of new roles over the next two years if approved at the Council’s Cabinet meeting next week (Thursday 2nd September) and supported by the financial strategy for 2022/23. The £2 million due to be spent on extra staff forms part of the £7 million investment approved by Full Council earlier this year.

Additional investment

The additional investment into Children’s Social Care is to improve the service and help deal with the unprecedented increase in demand, which has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

This is an additional step on Sefton’s Children’s Services’ improvement journey following an OFSTED visit in March 2021 which highlighted areas in need of improvement. Since March, a number of additional staff have been recruited, bolstered by a transformation team and support from the Department for Education.

Committed and skilled

Cllr Mhairi Doyle MBE, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, said: “We have a committed and skilled workforce, dedicated to working on behalf of our children and I can assure families, children and young people across Sefton that we are determined to deliver to them the high-quality, responsive service they rightly expect and deserve from us.

“But the level of demand for our services is unlike anything we’ve known before, and with additional pressures from Covid-19, we recognise that improvements need to be made to Children’s Services in Sefton.

“We acknowledge the issues and challenges that OFSTED raised, and are committed to facing these head on. I am confident that the recruitment of these new posts to the Children’s Social Care team, in addition to external support from the Department of Education, will help ensure we make the improvements necessary to achieve better outcomes for children and families, and quickly. We need to make immediate improvements, and our existing staff need to see immediate relief in capacity and positive outcomes.

“We are aware of the need to focus on the management of the service and already have a new interim executive director of children’s social care and education and transformation team in place to drive the improvements.”

You can find the agenda and papers for the meeting here.

Sefton’s simplified online renewals services for taxi driver & vehicle licencing remains in place

25 August 2021
Martin Driver
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Categories: Business and Economy, Front Page, Latest News, Sefton Council

A queue of taxi cabs waiting for customersSefton’s taxi drivers are being reminded that despite the relaxation of some COVID-19 restrictions, vehicle licence renewals are still being processed through a simple e-mail service.

Ten-day turnaround

We aim for a turnaround of ten working days for the renewal of vehicle licences with a high proportion being processed more quickly. We ask that as much information regarding vehicle renewals is included within the subject line of the e-mail enabling us to prioritise our workload.   

Driver licences continue to be considered for auto renewal for a period of six months. A number of licence holders will be invited in for interview if a new DBS check is required, Immigration status check is required, a Medical check is required or there are pending criminal matters.

Target

Cllr Paulette Lappin, Sefton Councils Cabinet Member for Regulatory, Compliance and Corporate Services said: “Since the start of the COVID pandemic, to ensure the safety of drivers and its own staff, the Council has been carrying out online renewals rather than the drop-in system at Bootle One Stop Shop.

“Infection rates show that the coronavirus is still very much with us, so the online process remains in place for now.

“We have a 10-working-day-target for the process and the majority of applications are being done more quickly.

“And, owners can apply for renewal of their plate 28 days before their current one expires so there should be no reason why anyone should be without a plate.”

To renew, all drivers need to do is email a copy of their Mechanical Fitness Test, which they get from one of the Council’s authorised testing centres to taxiapplication@sefton.gov.uk. Their application needs to be accompanied by an image of their application form, their V5 Registration certificate and evidence of insurance.

The Council then collects the fee from the driver over the telephone and the renewal certificate is sent to them.

Safety

Cllr Lappin added: “As with many of our services, Sefton Council quickly adapted the way we managed taxi vehicle and driver licence renewals to ensure the safety of drivers and our own staff.

“This has mean that the popular drop-in service that took a few minutes, which drivers had got used to now takes a little longer but with a 28-day lead-in time for renewals, no-one need miss the deadline.

Since taking renewals online to prevent the chance of COVID-19 spreading, between drivers, with Council staff and with taxi users, Sefton has processed around 9500 renewals.

Cllr Lappin continued:

“Inevitably taxi drivers in Sefton have had to get used to a change from the drop-in, face-to-face process they have been accustomed to but the vast majority of them have adapted and have been using the system without any problems.

Find out more about the application process on the Sefton Council website.

Grants

During the pandemic, Sefton Council has distributed close to ÂŁ1,000,000 in grant funding through two sets grants to support taxi drivers who have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Over 4,000 taxi drivers licensed in Sefton, and who live in the Liverpool City Region, were eligible for an initial ÂŁ100 support grant followed up by a further ÂŁ200 support grant.

Call for those with a love of the outdoors to take part in Green Sefton customer satisfaction survey

24 August 2021
Martin Driver
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Categories: Front Page, Green Sefton, Latest News, Local Consultation

Sefton Council’s Green Sefton Service loves the Borough’s parks, greenspaces, playgrounds, sports pitches and beaches just as much as its residents, which is why they want the community’s views on their management of these vital outdoor spaces.

The customer satisfaction survey is now open for contributions until 31st October 2021 and can be easily completed online at www.yourseftonyoursay.sefton.gov.uk  

Green Sefton Rangers will also be out and about over the next fortnight at popular parks and coastal locations, to help gather feedback and encourage people to submit their thoughts online.  

Customer satisfaction survey for Sefton's Green Sefton Service has been launched and people can take part of visiting the your sefton your say website

Cllr Ian Moncur, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, said:

“Sefton has 22-miles of stunning coastline, more than 30 parks and around 180 open spaces. All these places have been more popular than ever over the pandemic for residents and visitors as people have enjoyed spending time outdoors.

“We have an incredibly passionate workforce who look after these sites, many of whom are experts on conservation and environmental issues. They work side-by-side a network of enthusiastic volunteers and community groups who together ensure our outdoor spaces are great places for people, animals and plants to thrive.

“It’s really important that we take time to stop and reflect on what has been an incredibly busy and demanding 18 months, and so conducting the survey at this time will allow us to make informed decisions on our management and development of the service area over the next few years.”

Feedback will be gathered from people who use Sefton’s parks, open spaces and coastal gateways to see how they rate the services provided by Green Sefton and to set a baseline for future customer satisfaction surveys.

The survey also looks to provide an understanding of the expectations of visitors which needs to be balanced with the Council’s commitment to managing recreation pressure on the Sefton Coast. The Council must also fulfil its legal duties under the Habitats Regulations to protect these internationally important nature sites.

Cllr Moncur added:

“We have faced backlogs and delays to many of our normal maintenance schedules this summer, as we’ve continued to feel the effects of the pandemic. We know that some of our outdoor spaces are not looking up to their usual standards, which people may well reflect on when answering our survey.

“But the management and maintence of our greenspaces also needs to take into account the need to reduce the impact of climate change moving forward, and how we can boost our biodiversity so that rare species and habitats are not lost.

“We are interested in opening this dialogue with our residents as part of this survey, so that together raising the standards of our outdoor spaces doesn’t just mean regular mowing and pruning, but more sympathetic and sustainable approaches that benefit both people and planet.”

Once the consultation period has concluded, the results will be used to inform and shape management and development decisions for the Green Sefton Service, for example where resources could or should be directed, to maintain and improve satisfaction levels.

Merseyside Police launches new officer identification protocol for people who are visually impaired

23 August 2021
Martin Driver
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Categories: Front Page, Latest News, Police

Merseyside Police has launched a new way to help people who are visually impaired confirm whether a person at their door is a police officer.

Anyone with any form of visual impairment can use the verification protocol, which is made possible by the Police Contact Centre, either over the phone or by the attending officer using an agreed password.

Password

There are two instances when the protocol can be used. The first is when someone with a visual impairment, rings 101 or 999 to ask for police attendance at their address. In this scenario, a password is chosen during the call and the officer who calls at the address will use this password to verify their identity.

The second scenario is when someone with a visual impairment needs to verify the identity of a police officer who is calling at their address although they have not dialled 101 or 999 to request police attendance. Whether it’s a planned visit or not, the occupant can call 101 and give details provided by the officer to the police call handler to verify their identity.

Carers and anyone who provides support to someone who is visually impaired can also use the service.

Details about the Visual Impairment Protocol are being distributed to people across Merseyside who are visually impaired, by councils and other organisations including charities.

More information can be found on the Merseyside Police website.

 Warrant

All police employees (including those in uniform) carry an identification or warrant card, but it can be difficult for someone with a visual impairment to make out details of a uniform or to see a photograph or details on a card.

Superintendent Mark Wiggins of Merseyside Police described the protocol as an extra layer of security and assurance for potentially vulnerable people. He said: “The person with the visual impairment is safeguarded by verifying the identity of the police officer, before letting them into the premises. This verification is facilitated by our contact centre, either over the phone or by the attending officer using an agreed password.

“Similar initiatives have been implemented by other forces across the UK and we have adapted the protocol for use in Merseyside. Examples of good practice like this are shared between forces at a national level and we recognised the protocol’s potential to enhance our accessibility and support for vulnerable members of the community.”

He added: “The partnership approach taken to develop the Visual Impairment Protocol for use in Merseyside is a good example of preventative policing. It’s about problem solving and reducing the risk to vulnerable members of the community becoming a victim of a bogus caller who purports to be a police officer.”

Simple but effective

Merseyside’s Police Commissioner Emily Spurrell said: “It’s vitally important that police officers and staff who go to the door of a victim or witness are able to identify themselves.

“This simple but effective process provides greater security and safeguarding for visually-impaired members of our community, ensuring they can have confidence that the person coming to the door is who they say they are and can be trusted.”

“I’d like to thank everyone who has helped to introduce this worthwhile scheme here in Merseyside and I would urge anyone who knows someone with a visual impairment to let them know about this useful protocol.”

Find out more.  

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