Archive for June, 2015

Areas around England may experience “heatwave” conditions over the next few days, according to Met Office forecasts.

Warnings that a heatwave may be imminent are triggered when the Met Office forecasts that there is a 60% chance of temperatures being high enough on at least two consecutive days and the intervening night to have a significant effect on health.

This will normally happen two or three days before a heatwave is expected to occur. This is a critical stage to ensure readiness and swift action to reduce harm from a potential heatwave. During hot spells vulnerable groups, such as the older people, feel the acute effects of heat more than others and it’s long been recognised that death rates rise in the early stages of heatwaves.

Even if temperatures do not hit extreme levels, Public Health England (PHE) still advises people to keep safe in the sun, seek shade to cool down and keep hydrated with plenty of cool fluids.

Top advice for being sun safe:

• try to keep out of the sun between 11am to 3pm
• wear UV sunglasses, preferably wraparound, to reduce UV exposure to the eyes, walk in the shade, apply sunscreen of at least SPF15 with UVA protection, wear a hat and light scarf. Wear light, loose-fitting cotton clothes. This should minimise the risk of sunburn.
• drink lots of cool drinks
• look out for others especially vulnerable groups such as the older people, young children and babies and those with serious illnesses
• never leave anyone in a closed, parked vehicle, especially infants, young children or animals

Remember that it can get uncomfortably hot indoors too. Try to keep your bedroom and living space cool, by closing the curtains on windows that receive the sun and opening your windows at cooler times of the day and overnight when you can. Turn off non-essential lights and electrical items as these generate heat.

Health and social care workers should regularly check on vulnerable patients, share sun safety messages, make sure room temperatures are set below 26 degrees and ensure patients have access to cold water and ice.

Local authorities, professionals and community groups can prepare for hot weather by reviewing the Heatwave Plan for England.

See the Heatwave Plan for England for more information or visit the sunsmart website

Do you have diabetes or know someone who has? Would you like to understand more?

Come along to a free event Friday 19 June 11am -2pm and have a chat with experts who can help you understand more about your condition.

You’ll also be able to find out more about the new Liverpool Diabetes Partnership which can provide you with advice on:

• Eating healthily
• Being active
• Looking after your feet
• Looking after your eyes

Making small changes can improve your diabetes or prevent the development of diabetes in your family or friends who may be at risk.

Let us help you manage your condition. To book a place please call or Email:

A multimillion pound Urgent Care and Trauma Centre which will treat the region’s most seriously ill and injured emergency patients opens at Aintree University Hospital on Wednesday 10 June.

The hospital has invested £35m in the centre and the first phase is now complete, with the new Emergency Department due to receive its first patients on Wednesday 10 June.

The new Emergency Department provides major trauma and resuscitation, major and minor illness and injury services. It supports the hospital’s role in the regional major trauma centre collaborative, treating critically-injured patients from across Merseyside and Cheshire.

Aintree is the first hospital in the region to have an entire new Emergency Department constructed adjacent to a working A&E. Work on the centre started in March 2012 and hospital staff worked closely with colleagues involved in the construction work to keep disruption to a minimum.

Dr Libby Wilson, Emergency Care Consultant at Aintree University Hospital, said: “We’ve worked really closely with the construction team to keep the show on the road over the last 22 months. We had to ensure the construction, which at some points was literally two metres from the building we were working in, wasn’t affecting our ability to deliver safe and effective care. The construction team has been brilliant and you wouldn’t know they were there apart from the occasional bit of drilling and hammering!

“The new building has been designed with our patients at its heart. We care for tens of thousands of patients each year and many are seriously ill when they arrive, particularly those who come to us for trauma care. The new facilities match the excellence of our care, so this is great news for our patients and our staff.”

Steve Warburton, Acting Chief Executive of Aintree University Hospital, said: “We now have one of the most modern Emergency Departments in the North West. This investment supports the excellence of the clinical care provided by our teams, gives patients a much better environment and demonstrates Aintree’s commitment to getting it right for every patient, every time.”

The new Emergency Department has three large trauma bays, twice the size of those in the old department, and new equipment, including a CT scanner, additional ventilators and additional specialist monitors. This means lifesaving decisions and treatment plans can be made more quickly.

Patients will also now receive quicker access to senior medics, with designated areas for rapid assessment and treatment that will be led by senior clinicians, reducing the number of people who need to be admitted to hospital when they may not need to be.

Staff have taken part in simulated exercises to test the new systems before receiving patients.

The hospital’s existing Emergency Department will now be converted into a centre for minor injury and a medical assessment unit, with an observation ward for those patients who need extended care within the Emergency Department. A new 24-bed critical care unit above the new Emergency Department, giving swift access for the most seriously ill patients, completes the project and is scheduled for autumn 2016.

Foster Care Fortnight takes place 1-14 June and this year’s theme is Making a Connection. Sefton Fostering and Adoption Service has teamed up with Sefton Care Leavers Centre, Sefton Library Service and One Vision Housing to name a few to make a connection and share the importance of finding stable, loving homes for our children with the wider Sefton community.

As part of Foster Care Fortnight there will be drop-in sessions in selected local libraries (dates to be confirmed) and a surprise PR event linking back to our successful Inner Superhero themed foster carer recruitment campaign. Watch this space…

If Foster Care Fortnight inspires you to think about fostering, let us know using our simple online form or by calling . You can also contact us by email, via Facebook or Twitter

You can also come to our next Fostering and Adoption Information Session, 15 July, 6.30pm at Crosby Lakeside Adventure Centre, Waterloo, L22 1RR. It’s a great chance to listen to the experts and ask any questions you have over a warm brew.