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Sefton residents warned of toxic mould and damp scams

1 February 2023
Martin Driver
No comments
Categories: Front Page, Latest News

Damp MouldSefton residents are being warned about fraudsters offering free surveys to check for toxic mould in their homes.

Since recent high-profile coverage of two-year-old Awaab Ishak’s death in 2020 as a result of mould in his family home, there have been reports of scammers cold-calling, phoning, texting and emailing householders urging them to have a survey carried out.

Cashing in

Cllr Trish Hardy, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing, said: “Sadly, criminals are cashing in on the sad death of Awaab Ishak and using it to trick householders into paying administration fees ranging from £50 to £250, which they say will secure Government grants.

“Sometimes, having cynically taken the money, the scammers simply disappear.

“In other cases, they have charged people thousands of pounds for unnecessary work and pressured them into taking out loans to finance it. Some of that work has been such poor quality that it has affect the value of the property.”

The Chartered Trading Standards Institute has blamed emerging damp and condensation problems on the national cost-of-living crisis, which has resulted in people leaving their heating off to save money. It’s Chief Executive John Herriman recently described those exploiting people’s fears about mould as plumbing the depths of cynicism.

Investigating

Cllr Paulette Lappin, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Regulatory, Compliance and Corporate Services, said: “The Council’s own Trading Standards team is currently investigating a similar case.

“You should avoid clicking on any links or downloading any attachments in unsolicited emails or texts from unknown sources, or even trusted ones, unless you are absolutely sure they are authentic.”

Help and advice

The Council’s Trading Standards team provides help and advice on consumers’ civil rights relating to goods or services purchased. Available to residents and businesses in Sefton, the service promotes fair trading practices and enforces consumer law relating to a range of areas including the safety of consumer goods, the sale of fake or counterfeit goods, doorstep crime and overcharging and misleading prices.

People can find out more abut Sefton Trading Standards here.

Or they can contact the team by emailing etscontact@sefton.gov.uk  or calling free on 0808 223 1133.

National Education Union Strike Action Letter to Parents

31 January 2023
Bridie Finnan
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Categories: Front Page, Latest News

Dear Parents,

Following recent ballots by teacher unions, I am writing to inform you the National Education Union (NEU) intend to carry out industrial action over the national pay offer to teachers.

Members of the NEU intend to strike over a number of days in coming months. The union have stated their intent for 3 days of national strike, along with an additional day’s strike regionally.

For Sefton schools, this means intended strike action is due to take place on the following days:

1st February 2023

28th February 2023

15th March 2023

16th March 2023

Each school will complete their own risk assessment to determine whether they are able to open, partially open or remain closed on the above days. Each school will be impacted differently and some may provide some virtual learning over the strike period for those children not in school.

Schools will communicate directly with families if they are due to remain open, partially open or closed on each of the strike days.

We understand this action may cause difficulties for some families however we also recognise the hard work and commitment that teachers and school staff constantly show to children in Sefton and we know any decision has not been taken lightly.

Tricia Davies, Assistant Director, Education, Sefton Council 

Sefton Council’s Assistant Director Life Course Commissioning appointed

27 January 2023
Sian McCosh
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Categories: Front Page, Health, Latest News, Sefton Council

Following a thorough recruitment process, Sefton Council is pleased to announce the appointment of Eleanor Moulton as its first Assistant Director of Life Course Commissioning.

Life Course Commissioning is the planning and contracting of services to support vulnerable people’s wellbeing and improve their opportunities throughout their lives. This starts with pre-birth health and continues right through to positive experiences of ageing.

A headshot of Eleanor MoultonEleanor’s role will also influence wider planning of services to improve health and wellbeing outcomes and integration across the Borough through Sefton’s Health and Wellbeing Board.

Eleanor said: “I feel really pleased to be appointed in this role and I’m excited to play my part in the important work we will do for the community. I look forward to working closely alongside our partners to continue the Council’s excellent work in providing care services for its residents.

“I am keen to do everything I can to lead the Commissioning team and work with our fantastic partners organisations to ensure we have excellent services in Sefton for residents who need care so that they are able to remain independent at home wherever possible.”

Eleanor will work closely with local partners, including the Community and Voluntary Sector, Public Health, Primary Care Networks, and the NHS. She will report to Deborah Butcher, Executive Director and NHS Place Director for Sefton, and will be joining the Sefton Place Executive Leadership Team in her new role.

Deborah Butcher said: “Eleanor’s appointment as Assistant Director Life Course Commissioning is great news and I am looking forward to working closely with her in the future.

“This role is a vital addition to Sefton Council, ensuring that we are able to deliver high-quality services for vulnerable people across the Borough. Care and support are needed throughout every stage of life, and we are delighted to introduce a role to continue building on our work in this field.”

The robust selection process for Eleanor’s role included technical and stakeholder interviews, with the decision being made by the Council’s Employment Committee, made up of Cabinet Members, last month.

Currently the Council’s Integrated Health and Care Manager, Eleanor brings a great deal of experience in specialised commissioning gained from a number of senior roles in local authorities and her work at NHS England.

In her current role, Eleanor has supported the development of the Sefton Partnership that brings Health, Social Care and partners together.

Established in 2022, Sefton Partnership brings together organisations across the Borough to strengthen the way they work together for the benefit of residents.

People can find out more about Sefton Council’s social care and health commissioning service at: www.sefton.gov.uk/care-and-health-commissioning

Four NHS trusts awarded rare freedom of Sefton Borough honour at Town Hall ceremony

27 January 2023
Martin Driver
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Categories: Front Page, Health, Latest News

Freedom of the Borough rceptionLast night (Thursday 26 January), Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Southport and Ormskirk NHS Trust, as well as Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust and Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, were awarded the Honorary Freedom of the Borough by Sefton Council.

Dedication, sacrifice and heroism

In a special ceremony held at Bootle Town Hall, Council Leader Ian Maher presented the award in recognition of the dedication, sacrifice and heroism shown by local healthcare workers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Around 70 of the Trusts officers and their invited guests attended last night’s ceremony and civic reception.

Honour and a pleasure

Making the presentation, Cllr Maher said: “It really is an honour and a great pleasure to thank our NHS partners and healthcare heroes.

“People were going into a situation during the pandemic where they did not know the outcomes. It is pure bravery.

“The Freedom of the Borough is awe of our frontline workers and I am confident that people across Sefton will agree that the work of these NHS staff need to be recognised and rewarded.”

Freedom of the Borough certificatesSelflessness and resilience

Ahead of last night’s ceremony, Sue Musson, Chair of Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “It is a great honour for the Trust to be awarded Sefton Council’s Freedom of the Borough for our services during COVID-19.

“The pandemic presented immense challenges for all of us working in healthcare, and this award recognises the remarkable courage, selflessness and resilience of our staff who cared for patients, families and each other at a very dark time. We are so grateful to receive this very special honour and for the continuing friendship and support of colleagues across the Borough.”

Tireless

Neil Masom OBE, the chair of Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust said: “This is a tremendous honour for the tireless and often challenging work of colleagues during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Every one of them is on the frontline in one way or another whether they are in a clinical, support or administrative role. We all work as one team and one family, ensuring we deliver the best possible care for those in need.”

Fantastic recognition

Dame Jo Williams, Chair of Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust and Louise Shepherd, Chief Executive of Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are hugely honoured to be recognised and to have been awarded the Freedom of the Borough from Sefton Council. It is fantastic recognition for our staff and colleagues who have worked tirelessly and bravely during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Alder Hey is privileged to play a vital role in supporting the health of children in Sefton and around the world. This would not be possible without the support we receive from children and families around the Borough and from our friends and partners in the Local Authority and other agencies.”

Huge challenges

Joe Rafferty CBE, Chief Executive of Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, said: â€œLike all other NHS organisations, the COVID-19 pandemic presented huge challenges for Mersey Care, and I see this honour as recognition for everyone who have worked so hard during some of the most difficult times in the history of the NHS.

“We’ve had to adapt, quite often find different ways of working, but I’m extremely proud of the way we’ve continued to care and kept our mental health and community health patients and service users safe.”

Highest honour

Freedom of the Borough is the highest ceremonial honour Sefton Council can bestow. It will stand as a permanent record of the Borough’s endless appreciation and debt of gratitude to the Trusts and their staff.

Organisations receiving Freedom of the Borough gain the ‘right, privilege, honour and distinction of marching through the streets of the Borough on all ceremonial occasions with colours flying, bands playing, drums beating and bayonets fixed’.

Previous organisations to have been granted Freedom of the Borough include RAF Woodvale, in 2011, and No. 238 (Sefton) Squadron, 156 Regiment, Royal Corps of Transport, in 1982. Individuals who have had the honour bestowed upon them include Jamie Carragher, in 2004, and Donald “Ginger” McCain in 2006.

HMS Mersey will receive Freedom status in April while England footballer Alex Greenwood will also receive the Freedom of the Borough in a ceremony planned for late 2023.

Southport Crisis CafĂ© saves Sefton woman’s life after suicide attempt

26 January 2023
Martin Driver
No comments
Categories: Front Page, Health, Latest News, Uncategorized

Sefton resident BrittneySefton resident Brittney, who suffers with severe depressive episodes, is reaching out to thank the team at a mental health support service in Southport, crediting them for saving her life after she had experienced suicidal thoughts earlier this year.

Low point

Brittney lives in Southport and says that she had hit a really low point while struggling with poor mental health. On one evening in particular she was suffering from very strong suicidal thoughts and had taken steps to harm herself. Fearing the worst, she decided to visit the Sefton Crisis Cafe in Southport – a local mental health support service – to find help.

A support worker at the Crisis Cafe sought immediate help for Brittney, giving her emergency assistance to de-escalate the crisis situation she was in, preventing her from taking her own life and supporting her to get back to a safer mental state.

Dramatic

Brittney said: “I was in such a low place and I didn’t see a way out, I didn’t want to be here any more. As dramatic as it might sound, I don’t think I would be here if it wasn’t for the support of the Crisis Cafe.

“The support that they offer seems so real and genuine
 the consistent support here helped me get through that really difficult time.”

Watch Brittney share her story below.

Resilience

With locations in both Southport and Crosby, the Sefton Crisis Cafe service continued to offer Brittney out-of-hours support for her mental health conditions and has been there to help her on numerous occasions when she has found herself in crisis. She says that the service has also helped her build her resilience and develop coping strategies for when she feels low, as well as helping her get through more difficult times when she feels she cannot cope on her own.

Brittney continued: “I think now, as soon as I know I’m having a bad day, I reach out for their support and I wouldn’t leave things until they get as low as they did.

“It is a much needed service. From my own experiences, A&E is not always the most appropriate support or environment for people in crisis like me. Whereas here they’ve got staff on hand to step in and offer that emotional support immediately.”

Social activities

Brittney continues to visit the Crisis Cafe in Southport during their opening hours on Friday to Sunday evenings, to get one to one support, chat with staff and volunteers over a cup of tea, as well as taking part in social activities such as board games. She has found that the combination of talking therapy and group activities has really helped to improve her mental health.

Brittney has thanked the staff at the Crisis Cafe for saving her life and giving her ongoing care, saying: “I think, genuinely, it’s probably been the best service I’ve ever been to for support, and I couldn’t mean that more
 they’ve made such a difference.

She said: “For me personally, the Crisis Cafe means somewhere I can go if I’m struggling, and I know I’ll get help.”

Reach out

Sherran Robb, manager of the Sefton Crisis Cafes, said: “Thank you to Brittney for bravely sharing her story so that others know they are not alone in suffering from depression and poor mental health. Brittney and all of our staff would like to encourage anyone who is suffering with their mental health to come along to the Sefton Crisis Cafes or reach out to our team.

“Many local organisations have worked together in partnership to provide the Crisis Cafe service for Sefton, and to know that we have saved the life of one of our residents is testament to how essential this service is for those in a mental health crisis.”

Crosby and Southport

The Sefton Crisis Cafes are based in Crosby and Southport, and offer out of hours support to anyone aged 18 years or over in Sefton experiencing a mental health crisis. They offer drop-in sessions from 5pm to 11pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings to give local residents a place of safety as an alternative to A&E.

The service also offers a social space with refreshments and one to one support to reduce stress and help manage crisis situations, as well as support via phone, email or online Zoom calls.

The Sefton Crisis Cafe service was set up thanks to the local NHS in Sefton, Sefton Council, Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust and local community groups; Sefton CVS and Parenting 2000.

You can find out more about Sefton’s Crisis Cafes here.

Or you can get in touch with the team by emailing crisiscafe@seftoncvs.org.uk or calling 0300 323 0197.

Also, further information on mental health and wellbeing support and services in Sefton can be found by following #SeftonInMind on social media.

 

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