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70% of parents in the North
West say its not fine to fine
ONLINE flight booker, Kiwi.com, has
revealed the frustrations of parents in the North West being penalised for
taking their children away on holiday during school term time.
Research conducted by the brand reveals that 70% of parents in the North West
sided with Jon Platt, who earlier this year lost his High Court battle for the
right to take his children out of school during term time. When asked whether it
is wrong to fine parents who take children on holiday during term time, 60%
agreed.
The data also reveals that 87% parents from the North West think holiday costs
are too high during July and August, and is the main reason they take their
children out of school during term time. Visiting family and relatives abroad is
also a contributing factor to term time absences as it seems getting everyone
together can only ever be done around universal and expensive holiday periods
such as Christmas and the Summer holidays. 31% of parents have taken their
children out of school for family/relative related reasons.
52% of families in the North West have taken their kids out of school in
term-time and estimate they save ₤670 on average from taking term time holidays.
As a result, 63% of parents would take their children on holiday during
term time. Despite 70% of parents being fined by their local Council, just 52%
of those would do it again.
Stephen Davis at Kiwi.com said:- "Each year the school holiday period
heavily impacts the cost of flights abroad, meaning families have to pay
unnecessary premiums for their annual trip abroad, or battle with colleagues to
bag the holiday time from work 1st to avoid missing out. Our ethos is focused
around finding the right flights for our bookers, at the best price; whatever
the reason for flying, wherever you're going."
It is not just flight costs that drive families in the North West to book their
breaks outside of the designated holiday months. 13% of parents in the North
West reveal they find it hard to get the time off work during the holidays as
they are competing with so many other parent colleagues who want the time off.
This has resulted in arguments with management and colleagues, being bullied
into taking time off, and even feeling so pressured that they have considered
leaving their jobs.
Kiwi.com offers bookers the best prices all year round. To take advantage of
some fantastic flight deals, visit:-
Kiwi.com. Kiwi.com also offers a guarantee on
all bookings, protecting customers from flight cancellations, delays and
rescheduling of flights. Customers will either be refunded or a new flight will
be purchased to the final destination.
Local ladies raise ₤9560 for Hospice
200 ladies from across Merseyside got dressed in their
best, on Sunday, 14 May 2017, to attended a party the afternoon at the St.
Joseph's Hospice Spring Ladies Day and raised a staggering ₤9,560.
A few drinks and a sumptuous 3 course lunch gave way to an afternoon of
pampering, shopping and dancing but the main focus of the afternoon was to raise
as much money as possible for St. Joseph's Hospice.
TV presenter and Broadcaster, Debi Jones, hosted the day, and kept everyone
going on the dance floor. She also encouraged everyone to dig deep for the
chance to win a range of stunning prizes.
Singer, James Franklyn, and DJ, Jeff Wall, kept everyone entertained throughout
the afternoon with a wide range of hits from across the decades which got
everyone up on their feet and singing.
A number of local businesses supported the event, including Investec, who
sponsored the raffle; The Christmas Decorators, who donated a beautiful kissing
arch; and all the stall holders and therapists.
Laura Smith, fundraiser at St Joseph's Hospice who organised the event, said:-
"Our ladies did us proud yet again. The atmosphere was fantastic and we
even managed to book the sunshine this year.
I want to say a really big thank you to our match funders from Barclays and
Barclaycard, as well as local businesses from Crosby, Formby and Maghull which
donated money and prizes. Also to our host Debi Jones, Singer James Franklyn, DJ
Jeff Wall and all the staff at Formby Hall who worked hard to make sure the
event ran smoothly. However, the final word of thanks must go to everyone who
came along on the day. All our glamorous ladies support this, and many other
events, year after year and they all helped to make the day such a big success." |
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North West health
network wins national award for outstanding care
A group of NHS North West experts
have been awarded 'Network of Excellence' status for their care
of people with neuromuscular conditions.
Muscular Dystrophy UK, the charity for 70,000 people living with
muscle-wasting conditions, awarded the status to the North West Adult and
Paediatric Neuromuscular Network, which works with many of the estimated
8,000 people living with neuromuscular conditions in the North West.
Many muscle wasting conditions are rare and complex, meaning that
professional education is vital for making sure that people receive the
right treatment. The network, formed in 2006, was praised by the charity for
its events training professionals in the conditions. It has grown rapidly
since 2015 with new support staff, involvement from NHS England and more
professions joining the network, contributing to its new award status.
The network brings together staff from 7 organisations and is 1 of only
3 networks to receive the accolade from the charity.
It pools the skills of medical consultants with patient representatives,
physiotherapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, commissioners and
support staff to provide faster referrals, improved service and better
coordination for patients.
The network also supports community teams who work across the network to
ensure that they have the knowledge and support to care for people with
neuromuscular conditions close to home.
The status was awarded following a rigorous UK wide audit of neuromuscular
services by a panel of experts. The panel, chaired by geneticist Professor
Martin Bobrow, were particularly impressed by the network's focus on hosting
events for patients and health professionals across the region. The meetings
are welcomed by people living with neuromuscular conditions as a chance to
ask questions outside of often stressful clinic appointments.
Dr Esther Vasanth, from Manchester, has 2 adult sons with Becker muscular
dystrophy and said:- "The North West Neuromuscular Network is making a
difference to me and my family as they work together to increase the support
provided to people with muscle wasting conditions. The more support our
regional neuromuscular experts can provide to NHS decision makers and
community health professionals, the more we can see real improvements in our
care. The network's work is essential and this status is well deserved."
Dr Stefan Spinty, Network Clinical Lead, North West Adult and Paediatric
Neuromuscular Network and Consultant Paediatric Neurologist said:- "I
am delighted that the Northwest Adult and Paediatric Neuromuscular Network
has been recognised as a Network of Excellence. Founded more than ten years
ago, the network has brought together multidisciplinary healthcare
professionals involved in the care of and individuals affected by
neuromuscular disorders, charities and commissioners. Educational events
throughout the network over the years have been increasingly well attended
leading to significantly increased awareness about neuromuscular conditions,
their presentation, diagnosis and modern treatments. The North West
Neuromuscular Network will continue to work together to further improve
neuromuscular service provision in the North West. On behalf of the network
we would like to thank Muscular Dystrophy UK for their ongoing support."
Robert Meadowcroft, Chief Executive of Muscular Dystrophy UK said:-
"The North West is well deserving of becoming a Network of Excellence. The
8,000 people in the North West living with muscle wasting conditions have
specialist needs and the NHS staff working with them need to be fully up to
speed on how best to support them. The network's excellent knowledge sharing
approaches provide a model for other areas as they have put neuromuscular
care on the health agenda in the North West. The right specialist care
helps people to lead longer and less stressful lives, which is fantastic for
both patients and the NHS. The network has rapidly become invaluable in
providing the services and information that people need. We warmly
congratulate the excellent team for delivering such high standards and
expertise, and look forward to seeing what improvements to care it
cultivates next." |
