The free one-stop number for patients with urgent, but not life-threatening symptoms, is planned for April 2013.

The British Medical Association says existing services may come under strain and wrote to the health secretary asking for the deadline to be relaxed. Other organisations echo its worries.

To find out more please click here.

 By Caroline Parkinson Health editor, BBC News website

17th February 2012

Wessex Water has teamed up with the Energy Saving Trust to offer a free online calculator where customers can input their daily water usage around the home.

The facility asks a series of questions ranging from how many times a kettle is boiled to how many showers a household has a day, while also considering factors such as water meters and efficiency grades of appliances.

Please click here to read more.

Wiltshire Times – Wednesday 15th February 2012

Disabled people in different parts of the country have been getting together to paint murals in public spaces in Frome, Norwich, Bristol and London. The murals express the hopes, concerns and messages directly from disabled people, as well as being an attractive contribution to the local area.

We are working with disabled people living in a wide range of different circumstances, including so far: asylum seekers and refugees; ex-servicemen; lesbian gay, bisexual and transgender; parents; people with learning difficulties in residential settings; and young peoples’ groups.

Please take a look at our brand new website with lots of photos of the finished murals as well as the work in progress – www.disabilitymurals.org.uk .

A photographic exhibition of the work is available. Please contact us if you are interested in using this at your events.

This project is part of UK Disabled Peoples Council and funded by the Big Lottery.

We also have a new Facebook page and twitter – see links on website. Please link to us, tell us what you think and pass on to all your contacts. The next opening event will be in Bristol at the end of the month, keep in touch to find out more!

Many thanks,

Rebecca Yeo

rebecca.yeo@ukdpc.net

Research Coordinator

UK Disabled People’s Council

www.ukdpc.net

Jenny Wilcockson is the Digital Literacy Coordinator for Wiltshire Council, working on the Wiltshire Online programme.  It’s Jenny’s job to ensure that between now and 2015, adults across Wiltshire have the chance to learn the skills and access the technology they need to get online.  To do this, Jenny will shortly be recruiting a team of Digital Champion volunteers across Wiltshire, giving them the training, resources and support they need to go out into their local communities and help local people get online.

To find out more please click here.

A nurse who forced an elderly woman at a Trowbridge nursing home to take medication after threatening to hit her has been suspended from the profession.

Margaret Afaribea Boateng, a nurse at the Ravenscroft Nursing Home in 2008, left the woman “hurt, harmed and frightened” after raising her hand as if to hit her. She also held down her hands and spoon-fed the medication, even though the woman was able to feed herself.

When she realised a colleague, care assistant Titania Wheeler, had witnessed the incident on October 14, 2008, she repeatedly phoned her and, in one aggressive call, reportedly asked: “Why tell the manager that I was going to hit her?”

Please click here to find out more.

By Mike Wilkinson,  Senior Reporter – Wiltshire Times

5th February 2012

The new disabled access ramp at Bradford on Avon’s railway station has opened to the public.

The ramp was officially unveiled by Bradford on Avon town councillor Janet Repton, during a ceremony attended by people who have campaigned for disabled access at the station for a number of years.

First Great Western station manager Dave Martin said: “We are delighted at the improvement for our customers and very pleased that First Great Western could play its role in supporting the local community.”

Author Sue Le Blond, who is disabled and will use the ramp, attended the event on January 21, as did MP Duncan Hames.

Please click here to find out more.

Wiltshire Times – 31st January 2012

Spending on social care for the elderly in England is falling this year – despite the assurances of ministers, an analysis by campaigners suggests.

The Age UK report said £7.3bn was being budgeted this year – the same as in 2011 – but it represented a drop of 4.5% once inflation was taken into account.

The charity said the squeeze meant thousands were missing out on care.

But ministers said there should be enough money available to avoid cuts.

To find out more please click here.

By Nick Triggle Health correspondent, BBC News

30th January 2012

NHS patients in Wiltshire will be asked if they want their medical records added to a national computer database.

Primary Care Trusts have been given the responsibility of loading patients’ records locally, after the previous Government’s maligned national IT programme for health records was abandoned.

However, following concerns from patients groups, the only information that will be loaded on the electronic record will be a patient’s name and address, their GP, current medications, allergies and adverse reactions.

To find out more please click here.

Wiltshire Times – 29th January 2012

Bladder and kidney cancers kill more than 7,000 people in England ever year – that’s 20 people every day, or almost one person every hour.  But cancer experts believe that with earlier diagnosis 1,000 lives could be saved each year if patients recognised the possible symptoms and visited their GP straight away.

In Bristol, Bath, North Somerset, Somerset, South Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, Primary Care Trusts have received a £245,000 investment from the Department of Health to raise awareness of the symptoms of bladder and kidney cancer and more importantly, to take action if people have them.

Dr Steve Rowlands, a GP at Bradford Road Surgery in Trowbridge who is also the Medical Director at NHS Wiltshire and Bath & North East Somerset, said:

“People might ignore the signs of kidney and bladder cancer, because the symptoms are similar to more common conditions like cystitis.  For instance, if you notice blood in your pee, even if it’s ‘just the once’, you should see your GP.  Blood in pee can be a symptom of bladder or kidney cancer and finding it quickly makes it more treatable.

“We need patients to be better at recognising the symptoms and seeking out medical advice.  By doing something quickly, patients can get the treatment they need without delay – improving their chances of survival.””.

In Wiltshire, mortality rates from both kidney and bladder cancer are very similar to those for England as a whole, with four deaths from kidney cancer per 100,000 population in 2007-9, and five deaths from bladder cancer per 100,000 population over the same period.  The number of deaths in Wiltshire could be reduced if people identify and act on the signs of bladder and kidney cancer, and get an early diagnosis.

The campaign will run over 3 months from January to March.  The funding was awarded to the Avon, Somerset and Wiltshire Cancer Services team after a successful joint bid with NHS Bristol.

Posters and leaflets have been sent to all GP surgeries to raise awareness of symptoms and to encourage people to speak to their doctor

Around 2,500 people in Trowbridge could be tested for hearing loss this year after a new campaign was launched in the town.

Action on Hearing Loss, formerly RNID, has teamed up with Specsavers opticians to get one million people in Britain to test their hearing for free this year.

The Trowbridge branch, in The Shires shopping centre, hopes thousands of residents in the town will take up the offer.

Please click here to find out more.

Wiltshire Times – 27th January 2012