The South Glos Post

NHS South Gloucestershire has launched a questionnaire for patients, family members and carers to share their views on South Gloucestershire’s current range of community health services and what needs to be provided in the future.

South Gloucestershire’s community health services provide a range of nursing care in people’s own homes, community specialist clinics and in Henderson Ward at Thornbury Hospital.

Services include discharge support to help people when they leave hospital, district and specialist nursing at home, physiotherapy and occupational therapy. They also provide specialist clinics to provide patients with easier, faster access to diagnostic tests; assessment and treatment for a range of conditions; advice on diet and nutrition; as well as advice and support by the Disabled Adult Resource Team.

Kate Lavington, Urgent Care Programme Manager at NHS South Gloucestershire, said:

“We know that people really value the nursing support they get in the community and we would like patients, carers and family members who have used these services to tell us their experience and what they would like to see in the future. We are preparing to award a new contract for these services and your experience and views will help us shape what we offer in the future.”

Questionnaires can be picked up at your local GP surgery, downloaded from NHS South Gloucestershire’s website or completed online at:

www.surveymonkey.com/s/communityviews

The survey will close on Monday 30th April, 2012.

Please note that the survey does not include home care services provided by South Gloucestershire Council.

Source: NHS South Gloucestershire

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The coalition government’s £1bn Youth Contract scheme, which aims to tackle youth unemployment, has been launched today by the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

The Youth Contract aims to ensure that all jobless young people are earning or learning again before long-term damage is done.

In South Gloucestershire, 1,340 18 to 24-year olds are currently in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance and would stand to benefit from the Youth Contract.

The Youth Contract will provide at least 410,000 new work places for 18 to 24-year olds into work over the next three years. This includes 160,000 wage subsidies and 250,000 new work experience placements.

A new programme to will help 16 and 17-year olds, 5.1% of whom in South Gloucestershire who are not in employment, education or training (NEETs).

This will help the most disengaged of the NEETs in South Gloucestershire get back to school or college, onto an apprenticeship or into a job with training.

In addition, there will be at least 20,000 more incentive payments to encourage employers to take on young apprentices in England.

Commenting, Ian Blair said:

“In these difficult times Liberal Democrats are doing the right thing and making sure we help those who need it most.”

“If young people are out of work, the consequences of that will be felt for a long time afterwards. We have to ensure that the young people of today do not have a false start to their careers.”

More: Scheme aims to avoid another "lost generation" »

Source: South Gloucestershire Liberal Democrats

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Horizon Nuclear Power has announced that it has taken a decision not to proceed with developing new nuclear power stations in the UK, including the one planned for Oldbury-on-Severn in South Gloucestershire.

Horizon, jointly owned by E.ON UK and RWE npower, says that raising finance for power projects has become difficult due to the global financial crisis.

RWE has also been hit by costs associated with decommissioning nuclear power plants in Germany.

The two German firms formed Horizon Nuclear Power, which is based in Gloucester, in 2009.

Horizon Chief Operating Officer Alan Raymant said:

“We are grateful for the support and backing of E.ON and RWE npower since the company was formed in 2009. This has enabled us to bring our projects forward to an advanced stage.”

“We are also very pleased to enjoy broad public and political support, in particular from the communities around our sites. This continues to make nuclear new build an attractive proposition in the UK.”

“We have made good progress in developing our sites, in particular our lead site at Wylfa, and a strong organisation capable of delivering nuclear new build in the UK.”

“We will now focus on consolidating the progress made and working with our shareholders as they investigate the opportunities for new ownership.”

More: Withdrawal is "very disappointing", says Minister »

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South Gloucestershire Council will return to a committee system of governance, following a majority decision at Council on Wednesday evening (21st March).

The option for the council to return to the committee system from the current Leader and Cabinet arrangements was introduced in the recent Localism Act 2011.

The new governance arrangements will be introduced from the Council’s Annual Meeting in May and the current Leader and Cabinet arrangements will continue until then.

Working groups will be set up to prepare for the transition between now and May.

Under the new arrangements, decisions will be made by groups of Councillors from all parties, sitting as committees with a Chair elected for each committee. Committees will be appointed by Council, which will also set out committees’ terms of reference.

Source: South Gloucestershire Council