As the UK stands divided over Brexit and with the extended Article 50 deadline looming ever closer, Prime Minister Theresa May took the extraordinary step of searching for a way out of the quagmire on Facebook groups.

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"I found a group on Facey" the PM explained.

"There was lively debate going on and so I thought I would read some of the comments as I was sat with my iPad in a local wheat field and well its not like Brexit is going anywhere, nor is the UK for that matter.

"I can tell you, I am glad I did find this group as that lot on there know what they're talking about.

"The quality of debate was far superior to what I am used too in my cabinet office and one guy was even suggesting that the Americans faked the moon landings, I know right? I think that Dean is onto something and so once this Brexit stuff is over with I am going to ask MI5 to look into it.

"It's not all lost cats and people complaining about bins, it is seriously uninformed debate.

"Although I am not too keen on their tribes leader Albert of Spiby as I am informed by one disgruntled member that he has banned Gif images.

"I have done some shocking things to the NHS and to the benefits system but even in my darkest hours I would not go that far, there are just some lines you simply can not cross a Gif is a Gif.

"Like Salford the UK has no idea if its coming or going so it is only right that the good people of the City rescue us from the abyss and come up with a way forward, or backwards, at this point I really don't mind, either will do.

"So with this in mind I have decided to scrap my current deal and formulate a new deal that that will ensure that our party delivers on it's Brexit promises.

"Because lets face facts here, we have sod all in the way of any other ideas and we have kind of backed ourselves into a corner."

It is understood that the PM has struck a deal with a local unnamed armchair politician in which he has agreed to fly to the EU and give Donald Tusk a swift kick in the nuts and sort out the 'bloody mess'.

However it has emerged that in return for this the PM has pledged to divert over £1 billion for the construction of a Pyramid on Winton Park with an adjoining Sphinx which will feature her own face on it which is to be built on the site of the proposed new Lidl.

Local Historian and Skiffle Board legend Tony Flynn has described the plans as outrageous and a campaign to save the park was quickly launched, a petition has been set up which already has tens of signatures.

Tony 'a well known drunk' explained to us that the historic value of the park goes back to the Jurassic period and that it must be saved at all costs, he also told us that some of the bins have been there since Adam, he has since declared that he intends to tie himself naked to the park gates in protest, although a petition has been launched to stop that.

Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn ,speaking from a nice day out on Salford Precinct told the people... 

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"Theresa is so desperate she will stoop to any level, what we need in this country is informed debate and a new Government.

"We also should nationalise the refuse collection services and outlaw rogue property developers with their eyes set on building large monolithic triangle based structures.

"The UK can not risk its economic future and world standing based on the deranged rambling of a fat bloke on social media."

Afterwards Jeremy wowed the crowds with a heartfelt rendition of Red Flag by Billy Brag, accompanied by local Skiffle Board Trio, 'The Skin Flynnts' who are set to headline Park Life later this summer. 

See here for the full story about Salford's Skiffle Board Legends.

We did try to find a member of the Lib Dems in Salford but they all seem to have moved to the EU already as no one was answering our calls.

Meanwhile calls have been made to deal with the growing pigeon obesity epidemic that is causing major issues in Salford. The Salford Star has recently uncovered damning evidence that the health of local pigeons is being compromised. Salford Shopping City has responded by setting up a Gym for their feathered friends in order to help end the crisis.

The heart breaking report can be found here, although we advise readers that it does contain upsetting imagery of fat birds.

Famed local Skiffle Board trio 'The Skin Fylnnts' have announced that they will be appearing at Park Life this summer.

Lead vocalist and local pigeon fancier Tony Flynn has revealed that the band which started out in the seedy pubs of Eccles, has hit it big and has even been offered 4 album deal by local DJ/Promoter Simon Williams.

The trio, famous for their skiffle technique have already been in the studio completing their first self titled album and will soon be sharing the stage with such greats as George Ezra, The Streets and Mark Ronson.

It has not all been plain sailing though as in March last year Tony's alcoholism took a shocking turn as photos emerged online of him stealing pints from a local pub, in late September his good friend John Cooper Clarke took him to court after claiming Tony has duped him into signing a contract which would have seen Tony become his financial manager.

Regardless, the troubles of the past are long behind him and the Skin Flynnts are on the rise again. Tony has even managed to rekindle his friendship with JCC and things are looking rosy once more for the local historian and his motley crew.

See: The Salford Star exposes 'Pigeon Obesity' epidemic in a damning report that has ruffled feathers across Salford.

Tony has recently been linked to a relationship with female rap artist Cardi B who is also headlining at Park Life this June.

The new Greenspace Strategy updates the previous planning guidance for developers, which has been in place since 2006 and sets out how the council aims to protect and enhance green areas of the city.

It details Salford’s ambitions to provide three new nature reserves, new parks, play spaces and allotments and invest more than £10 million in bringing existing parks, play spaces nature reserves and other green spaces up to new standards.

Councillor Derek Antrobus, lead member for planning and sustainable development, said it was an ambitious vision which, given the current funding challenges faced by local government would take ‘decades rather than years’ to realise.

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 “Since 2006 Salford has seen a huge level of green investment from the £44 million site of the fifth national RHS garden, Garden Bridgewater, to the council’s investment in a 28 kilometre of green, traffic free cycling and walking routes across the city using old railway lines,” he said.

“A new wetland has been created as part of the £10 million second flood basin along with the 558 acre country park bordering Salford, Bolton and Wigan at Cutacre Park which surrounds the Logistics North employment site. These are both hugely important for wildlife as well as people.

“We’ve also secured funding to revitalise the Bridgewater Canal and restore Peel Park back to its Victorian glory. We’ve also seen considerable investment in many of our parks and now have an excellent and growing network of friends of parks groups and other community volunteers who dedicate a huge amount of time and effort to keeping our city looking green and great.

“This updated strategy sets out our stall for the next decade or more and will help us work with developers to provide new green spaces, play and recreation facilities while protecting and enhancing existing ones.

“It lists many of the improvements we want to see such as providing new parks and play areas in Clarendon and Swinton and replacing play equipment and outdoor gyms, improving footpaths, access routes and signage across most of our existing parks and play areas to bring them up to new standards.

 “We will partly be reliant on development opportunities for this because of the funding challenges local government faces. That means it will take decades rather than years to achieve the high standards we have set out in this plan, but the scale of development planned for Salford in the next 10 years provides a significant opportunity to make our city even greener.”

 

The Greenspace Strategy, which went out to public consultation in 2015 and 2017, supports the Salford Local Plan which sets out details of proposed development sites across the city and the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework which sets out a strategic overview of development across the city region.

NHS Salford Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has approved £630k funding for extra staff in the Salford community. This investment will bring services together to reduce hospital lengths of stay and create shorter waiting times for access to the service. 

Progressive neurological disorders such as dementia, Parkinson's and tumours; as well as traumatic brain injuries and strokes can benefit from neuro rehabilitation. Once the acute stage of treatment for a brain injury is completed, neuro rehabilitation helps the patient recover and regain their functional and cognitive abilities.

In Salford, there are two separate specialist community rehab services, an early supported discharge (ESD) team for stroke patients designed to enable a quick transfer from hospital to home following an acute stroke. There is also the community neurological rehabilitation team (CNRT) that offers specialist multi-disciplinary services for people with brain injuries like those caused after a major incident like a car crash. 

Since 2015 the Operational Delivery Network (ODN) in Greater Manchester has been looking how stroke and neuro rehab services are delivered. The recommendation is to provide a specialist integrated stroke and neuro community rehab team.

The collaboration of the two services will provide a single service to both stroke and neuro rehab patients, dependant on need. This will improve the effectiveness and the quality of the service to all patients irrespective of diagnosis. The singular service will be made up of three pathways; high intensive therapy at home; low/medium intensity; and discharge to a residential home. A person-centred care plan will also be developed depending on the person’s needs and the intensity of therapy needed.

Dr. Jenny Walton, clinical lead for older people and integrated care in Salford, said:

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“This investment towards more staff will enable Salford to provide an exemplary service to both stroke and neurology patients in the community.”

Alcohol harm reaching further into our communities than commonly recognised, with higher earners the most likely to drink beyond recommended limits

Thousands of Greater Manchester children living with alcohol-dependent or binge-drinking adults, causing anxiety, worry and stress

Residents encouraged to join in The Big Alcohol Conversation and help identify new actions for reducing alcohol's impacts across the city region

Harms associated with alcohol are costing Greater Manchester's public services £1.3 billion a year, new figures announced today reveal. Amounting to almost £500 for every resident, this is the annual amount we are paying through health, social care, crime and work costs because of the way we drink.

The stark figure was announced by Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham and the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership as they launched The Big Alcohol Conversation, a major new initiative exploring alcohol-related harm across the city region.

More than 22,000 Greater Manchester hospital admissions a year are directly caused by alcohol, while almost a quarter of our residents (23%) say that there is a big problem with people being drunk or rowdy in public places.

But beyond such visible signs, the hidden harms run deeper into our communities than is commonly recognised.

Higher earners are the most likely people to drink beyond the Chief Medical Officer’s recommended guideline of 14 units a week. More than 1 in 3 men in wealthier households regularly exceed this recommended limit; over twice as many women in such households do so compared to those in the poorest households. Regularly drinking beyond 14 units a week increases the risks of a range of illnesses, such as cancers, heart and liver disease, brain damage and dementia.

Meanwhile, over 15,000 Greater Manchester children live with alcohol dependent adults. In addition, almost 1 in 3 under 16s have previously been estimated to live with at least one parent who binge drinks – the equivalent of 165,000 children across the city region.

While 90% of parents feel it is their responsibility to set a good example with their drinking, only half of children say their parents’ drinking behaviour provides a positive role model. This insight – from a report by the Institute of Alcohol Studies – revealed that adults’ drinking can result in feelings including embarrassment, anxiety, fear and poor emotional health and well-being among children, and that our permissive pro-alcohol environment has led to normalisation of drinking which masks these impacts.

In response to these findings, the Big Alcohol Conversation is examining the scale and nature of alcohol-related harm across Greater Manchester and identifying how it can best be reduced. The wide-reaching engagement exercise is looking to gather the views of thousands of people across the city region, learning more about the role of alcohol in their lives and communities and their opinions on ways in which a safer approach to alcohol can be secured.

Thanks to the city region’s devolution agreement with central Government, a number of new potential options are available to help tackle alcohol-related harm in Greater Manchester. Possible actions which could be introduced subject to public support include additional restrictions on the marketing and sale of alcohol, increased information and education around related harms, greater opportunities for people to socialise without alcohol, and easier access to high quality support.

Any new measures would build on some innovative steps already introduced across Greater Manchester.

These include a pioneering Communities in Charge of Alcohol programme through which local volunteers are trained as community alcohol health champions to provide advice and help create a more responsible approach to alcohol in neighbourhoods that experience particularly high levels of alcohol-related harm.

In addition, the Mayor and his night-time economy advisor Sacha Lord has announced funding for an extra 150 Drinkaware 'crew' staff members in bars and clubs to promote a positive social atmosphere and help those who may be vulnerable as a result of drinking too much alcohol. 

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said:

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“Greater Manchester is an amazing place to live and to visit, with a vibrant nightlife and a strong sense of togetherness. No-one is saying that people shouldn’t enjoy themselves with a drink, but it’s also true that alcohol abuse is causing more harm to people and communities than is often recognised. I’m calling on residents and businesses to join in our Big Alcohol Conversation as we seek to minimise alcohol harm.”

Sarah Price, executive lead for population health and commissioning in Greater Manchester, said:

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“Alcohol is having serious impacts on our residents, our communities and our public services. But just as important are the hidden harms – affecting many more individuals and their families than is often recognised. The Big Alcohol Conversation is all about identifying the scale and nature of these harms, and coming together to help tackle them”.      

Sacha Lord, Greater Manchester’s night time economy adviser and Warehouse Project and Parklife co-founder, said:

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“Responsibility for the harms of alcohol is so often placed at the doors of pubs and clubs and many of our younger visitors. But through initiatives such as the Greater Manchester Operators’ Standard – a first for the UK – our city region’s hospitality sector is leading the way in improving the way we do business. There is an increasing trend of many of our younger customers drinking more responsibly. We need to build on this and encourage similar shifts in behaviour across the alcohol industry and our wider society. The first step in this is talking with people. That’s why I’m backing the Big Alcohol Conversation and calling on my industry partners to support it too”.

James Carter, a Communities in Charge of Alcohol (CICA) volunteer alcohol health champion from Salford, said:

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“I started drinking with friends in the 90’s. It was just a bit of fun and it didn’t seem a problem – but it became every day. After I had an internal bleed, I thought ‘I’m not going to drink anymore’. The first year was really hard, I didn’t seek the help I needed. When I did go to my local support service, it was a slow process, I was fighting a battle and just hoped I could make it through. After I received so much help I thought I want to use the knowledge I’ve got to give something back’.

The Big Alcohol Conversation is running until the end of February 2019. People can get involved by visiting www.thebigalcoholconversation.org, using #GMbigalcoholconversation on social media, or by attending a Big Alcohol Conversation bus tour roadshow which is calling at 20 prominent locations across the city region. The first round of visits is as follows:

Friday 16 November, 10am-6pm – Salford Shopping Centre car park, Pendleton Road

Saturday 17 November, 9am-5pm – Bolton Town Hall, Victoria Town Square

Sunday 18 November, 9am-5pm – Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester

Wednesday 21 November, 10am-6pm – Oldham Market

Friday 23 November, 9am-5pm – Ashton Markets, Bow Street, Tameside

Saturday 24 November, 9am-5pm – The Rock shopping centre, Bury

Sunday 25 November, 11am-7pm – REDROCK centre, Stockport

Wednesday 28 November, 10am-6pm – Smith Street, Rochdale

Saturday 1 December, 9am-5pm – Bradshawgate, Leigh Town Centre, Wigan

Sunday 8 December, 9am-5pm – Stretford Mall, Trafford

Views gathered during the Big Alcohol Conversation will contribute to Greater Manchester’s ‘Ambition for Alcohol’, a high-level plan of action for tackling alcohol-related harm across the city region due to published during 2019.

Many new parents will admit having a baby is a wonderful experience, but it can also be exhausting and develop anxiousness and feelings of loneliness and isolation.

To increase physical activity and get new parents socialising, ‘Buggy Movers’ has been set up in Salford funded by NHS Salford Clinical Commissioning Group, Lifecentre and Salford CVS.

Parents and carers are encouraged to walk and jog along routes in Salford with their babies and toddlers in prams.

The bouncing babies are safe inside specially-modified three wheeler prams with thick tyres and safety harnesses. 

Buggy Movers co-founder, Rachel Morris, said: 

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“We’ve got some lovely routes in different parts of Salford. It’s about the social aspect, getting together as well as improvements in health and wellbeing, reducing isolation and all of those great things that you really need when you’re a parent.” 

One of the mums, Stacy Broad, said 

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“I love it. It’s really good. It gets me out, gets the baby out and gets us exercising. It’s great”. 

The group meet at different locations across the city, including Langworthy Cornerstone, St Philip's Church and at SAYF on Cholmondeley Road.

If you’re interested in joining Buggy Movers, follow the group on Facebook here.

The Empowered Conversations course, which is run by social enterprise – Six Degrees – takes a different approach to communication in dementia care that is designed to help people living with dementia and their carers to find ways to stay connected, handle emotional stress and navigate the day together.

The full course is four sessions, with the first one running on November 9, 16, 23, 30, all Fridays, between 10am and 12.30pm at Emmanuel Church, 174, Langworthy Road, Salford, M6 5PN.

The next set of four courses will run from January 24, 31, and February 7 and 14, all Thursday, between 2pm and 4.30pm, at Bourke Gardens - City West - 18 Alfred Street, Walkden, M28 3LD.

Empowered Conversations trainer Natalie Warrick said:

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“If you’re a friend, relative or carer of a person living with dementia, this free dementia communications training gives you time to pause, reflect and find new ways to reconnect with loved ones with dementia.

“We want to be able to support as many people as possible in Salford – so please get in touch – we can help.”

 

To register for free or for further information call Emma on 0161 212 4981 or email emma@empowered-conversations.co.uk

The vigil will take place 6.30pm, Monday, 10th September, World Suicide Prevention Day, at The Lowry Plaza, directly in front of The Lowry Theatre, Salford Quays.

A procession of 109 yellow flags, each representing a life of loved ones, family members, colleagues and neighbours lost to suicide in Salford over the last five years[1], will open the vigil. The flags will be carried, and then flown from the offices of public and third sector service providers across Salford to commemorate World Suicide Prevention Week.

The occasion will also be marked with a candle ceremony, reading of a remembrance roll of names of those lost to suicide, a minute’s silence, speakers, poets and music by Salford’s Blaney.

Greater Manchester over the last five years has lost 1,279 loved ones, family members, friends, colleagues and neighbours to suicide[2].

The Vigil will remember those that we have lost and demonstrate to those that are grieving the loss of loved ones to suicide that our community is here for them with this mass demonstration of support. It will contribute towards smashing the stigma that is associated with suicide and contribute to our community enabling people to discuss suicide and to disclose when they are experiencing suicidal thoughts and enable lives to be saved.

The vigil will include Vikie Shanks whose husband Paul was 51 when he took his own life in 2007 leaving behind her and their seven kids - six of whom are autistic. ‘Kingdom of Us’ is a documentary on Netflix that follows the Shanks family’s struggle in the wake of Paul’s death over the next three years as they tried to come to terms with their loss.

Vikie Shanks said

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“Suicide is the ultimate statement of a person who can’t find a path through life.  We need so much more awareness and understanding of both the people who take their own lives and the people they leave behind, but, most of all, we need to change the routes by which people are able to seek help and allow concerned friends and family to raise the alert.  Then, we need appropriate help available which currently isn’t being offered, I know from personal experience.  I feel honoured to be a part of such an important day, events like this raise so much awareness, and with that, comes understanding, love and change.”

Poet Marvin Cheeseman, who lives with bipolar, said of his involvement

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“I feel very honoured to be involved with START's World Suicide Prevention Day vigil. Mental Health is a subject very close to my heart having spent all my adult life contending with bipolar disorder. Mental Health problems, even in these enlightened times, carry a stigma. We need to do our very best to empathise with those that are struggling, be supportive and understanding. We have a duty of care to one another - always remember: you have the power to make a crucial difference that could save someone's life.”

Salford’s award winning performance poet JB Barrington will be performing a 6 minute poem about love, life and loss charting the journey of a friendship from the first day at school to the tragic day his friend took his own life.

Ed Blaney, from Blaney, who's long been associated with The Fall, as well as being the man behind Salford Music Festival said of their performance at the vigil

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"It's a real pleasure to be invited to be part of this, over the years I have lost quite a few friends through suicide, many of whom you wouldn't have thought it was possible, no one saw it coming, all seemed happy before. There is and always has been a stigma attached to suicide, I think what all the team are doing here is fantastic, raising awareness and offering that helping hand, with this kind of support and help, many lives will be saved in the future".

Bernadette Conlon, CEO START said

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“People don’t know how to relate to death by suicide.  They are at a loss for how to comfort someone dealing with the loss. This is why we are coming together in this public display of support. The vigil is about remembering those lost to suicide, supporting each other and smashing the stigma that inhibits us from reaching out for and giving help”.

Andy Burnham, GM Mayor, Paul Dennett, Salford City Mayor, and Prof Louis Appleby, Chair National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory Group will also be speaking at the vigil.

If you would like to add your loved ones name to the remembrance roll that will be read out at the vigil or further information please email Dennis.baldwin@startinspiringminds.org.uk or via social media @reachoutstes 

Help and support is available right now if you need it. You don't have to struggle with difficult feelings alone. Samaritans offer emotional support 24 hours a day.  Tel: 116 123 (free to call) Email: jo@samaritans.org  Website: www.samaritans.org.uk

The 24-7 Control Room Triage Service will be delivered by North West Boroughs Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust and Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, working in partnership with Greater Manchester Police. It will ultimately help to reduce demand on emergency services.

Launching in August, the service will see trained mental health professionals based at the Clayton Brook communications centre, assessing incidents relating to mental health and providing advice and support to police staff, to help avoid unnecessary deployments of police officers.

Mental health staff will also provide expert clinical advice to police officers through telephone or video conferencing, supporting them to make the right decisions when responding to incidents involving people who are experiencing mental health problems.

The new service has been commissioned by Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the 10 NHS clinical commissioning groups in Greater Manchester.

Gail Briers, Chief Nurse and Executive Director of Operational Clinical Services at North West Boroughs Healthcare, said:

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“We are proud to have been given the opportunity to deliver this brand-new service in partnership with neighbouring trusts Greater Manchester Mental Health and Pennine Care, and working closely with Greater Manchester Police.

“The service will sit alongside our Greater Manchester Integrated Healthcare, Liaison and Diversion Service, which launched in February last year and will further enhance support for vulnerable people across Greater Manchester who come into contact with the police.”

 

Dr Chris Daly, Medical Director for Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust said:

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“Our Trust has an excellent working relationship with Greater Manchester Police and we are glad to support them when they are dealing with some of the most vulnerable people in society.

“Not only will this service support police officers, it will also ensure people living with a mental health issue get the care they need sooner. Very often when police attend an incident, the individual has not committed a crime, but needs urgent mental health help and a place of safety. Our experts will be well-placed to support officers make informed decisions.”

Henry Ticehurst, Medical Director at Pennine Care said:

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“I am pleased Pennine Care will form part of this newly launched service, providing trained mental health professionals to support our partners and Greater Manchester Police.

“Providing expert advice will support the most vulnerable in our society and avoid the unnecessary deployment of police officers.”

Rob Potts, Assistant Chief Constable at Greater Manchester Police said:

“This collaborative approach will see trained mental health professionals working alongside and supporting officers, allowing us to protect the most vulnerable at times of crisis and ensuring the best outcome for the individuals affected at the earliest opportunity.”

 

Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime Bev Hughes said:

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“Police officers are often the first contact for people going through a mental health crisis so it’s vital they have immediate access to the right help and advice to be able to support those in need.

“By doing things differently we are building on our work to transform mental health crisis care, once again bringing police and health partners together to enhance existing services, reduce demand on our over-stretched emergency services and, importantly, ensure the most vulnerable members of our community are protected and supported.”

 

Salford Royal (Hope Hospital for the oldies) is the only NHS acute and community Trust to be rated as Outstanding on two consecutive occasions.

This achievement is combined with the significant improvements that are well underway at Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust following support from Salford Royal over the last 18 months under the leadership of Sir David Dalton as part of new Northern Care Alliance NHS Group.

Outstanding practice highlighted includes the successful integration of health and social care.

Salford Royal says it will continue to use their experience, knowledge and areas of outstanding practice to share with hospitals/services in its group to further drive improvements to benefit staff and patients; to deliver this at scale and help save and improve lives.

Sir David Dalton, Group Chief Executive of the Northern Care Alliance NHS Group, has praised and thanked staff at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust for what he calls a ‘tremendous achievement’ following the news that the Trust  has once again been rated Outstanding by the (CQC).

He hopes Salford and Pennine’s Group approach shows that there are real opportunities for other organisations within the NHS; patients can benefit when organisations decide to work together to deliver standardisation at scale.

Salford Royal is the only acute and community Trust in the country to consecutively repeat its Outstanding rating and the first integrated Trust to achieve an Outstanding rating for the ‘Use of Resources’ part of its inspection, as well as being declared Outstanding for being ‘Well-Led’.

CQC Inspectors visited the Trust in April and May this year and within their formal report highlighted many areas of exemplar practice, including:

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“The Trust was a national exemplar for integrated care. It directly employed social care and primary care staff. This was having positive benefits for patients, through their continuity of care; reducing delayed transfers of care and supporting the wider health and social care system, such as delivering training programmes to nursing homes”.

“Services had comprehensive systems co-designed by staff embedded into practice to keep people safe. The Nursing Assessment and Accreditation System and Community Assessment and Accreditation System provided a high level of transparency to the Group, Care Organisation and to patients in relation to clinical performance indicators and measures. This information was publicised throughout the wards and clinical areas for people to consider and scrutinise.”

“The Trust was part of the Global Digital Exemplar programme which provided technology solutions to embed safe care. The electronic patient record was assessed against an international set of quality indicators and Salford Royal was in the top 5% internationally.”

 

Excellent care and services for patients with dementia, for example, reminiscence pods and a dementia courtyard; and Innovative medicines and pharmacy projects.

Salford Royal, along with The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, forms the Northern Care Alliance NHS Group, which brings together over 17,000 staff across five hospitals and associated community and social care services into a healthcare group. The Group is one of the largest NHS organisations in the country and is focused on ensuring that the one million patients who live across Salford, Oldham, Bury, Rochdale and North Manchester benefit from the delivery of reliable, high quality care. 

The collaboration started in April 2016 when Salford Royal agreed to provide leadership and operational support to Pennine Acute, following a CQC inspection which resulted in inspectors deeming the Trust as Inadequate.

This arrangement paved the way for the creation of the Northern Care Alliance NHS Group. This Group concept has seen the two Trusts working together to identify best practice and reliably implement this to create improvements for all patients. This includes Salford Royal’s successful Nursing Assessment and Accreditation System being rolled out across all wards at Pennine’s four hospitals meaning these wards now have clear plans to achieve 13 core standards; and also adopting common approaches across the Group in terms of infection prevention and control processes, falls prevention and elimination of pressure ulcers. New standardised approaches to digital developments are also being implemented.

When CQC inspectors returned to Pennine in October 2017, they found a significant number of improvements were well underway across all of its hospitals and in March 2018, they raised the Trust’s CQC rating to Requires Improvement. There are no longer any services across Pennine’s hospitals that are rated Inadequate, with 70% of the aspects of the services inspected now rated as either Good or Outstanding.

Sir David said that Salford Royal’s re-affirmation as an Outstanding Trust was a major milestone in the journey of the Northern Care Alliance NHS Group.He added:

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“This is an amazing achievement for Salford Royal’s staff and we will celebrate their success across our Group of hospitals and services.

 “I must pay tribute to all colleagues across the Northern Care Alliance who have risen to the challenge of coming together to create a Group that has the mission of improving and saving lives on a far greater scale than what the Trusts could achieve working on their own.

“They have worked tirelessly to create better care for their patients with the results that a significant number of improvements have taken place at the Pennine sites whilst Salford Royal has continued to retain its own high standards.

“This provides us with the platform to continue working together as one Group to share and spread best practice. As ever, we will do this with an unwavering focus on patient safety, patient experience and quality improvement and by ensuring staff are fully involved in finding improvements.

“I hope our Group approach shows that there are real opportunities for other organisations within the NHS; patients can benefit when organisations decide to work together to deliver standardisation at scale.”

 

Jim Potter, Chairman of the Northern Care Alliance, said:

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“This is a moment to say huge congratulations to colleagues working for Salford Royal. They have not only helped the Trust to retain its own high of standards but they have achieved this whilst being part of a far bigger mission. The Northern Care Alliance has an incredibly bright future ahead.”

James Sumner, Chief Officer of Salford Care Organisation, which Salford Royal is part of, said:

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“I am incredibly proud of all my colleagues working across Salford Royal’s hospital, community and social care services. CQC inspectors visited our organisation earlier this year and were able to see what I am fortunate enough to experience every day – and that’s our caring and compassionate staff working incredibly hard to ensure patients and service-users receive the best care possible. I am delighted for them that this, once again, has been recognised by the Care Quality Commission.

“NHS Salford Clinical Commissioning Group was also confirmed earlier in the summer by NHS England as an Outstanding organisation following its annual assessment. This means that the people of Salford continue to benefit from both an outstanding CCG and outstanding Trust.”

 

 

 

Salford Royal’s CQC report can be found on the CQC’s website at www.cqc.org.uk

Tony Ward, Dietitian for the Salford Royal Foundation Trust, says:

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“As a dietitian working within care homes I’ve seen first hand how malnourishment can slowly creep up with the signs often being quite subtle and hard to spot. It’s a difficult task to ensure that all the resident's nutritional needs are met and that all of their allergens and special dietary requirements are catered for. Some care homes find this very difficult and they struggle to meet the regulation 14 of the CQC.

When I was introduced to Kafoodle Kare it became quite apparent that this software will tick all the boxes. Kafoodle’s ideas for the future are exciting and I was excited for Salford to be the first CCG to develop and implement this innovation. Knowing how it feels to have a family member in a care home I know that I would want to make sure that the food they were eating was always nutritionally complete. Kafoodle Kare will give the care home owners, chefs, care staff, residents and their families full transparency around the food being served. The software will enable care homes to fine tune their menus to cater to all their residents’ unique requirements whilst ensuring they remain nutritious and cost-effective.”

 

The Salford CCG project will run for a duration of 12 months across five care homes within the CCG and aims to

Reduce malnutrition in nursing home residences

Provide a more standardised approach to nutrition and food data.

Provide an easily accessible, consistent and dietitian approved recipe and menu database for care homes.

Prove time saving for chefs and staff

Improve communication throughout the care home team and community

Currently, in its opening phase, the project is focusing on the recruitment and preparation of care homes within the Salford CCG.  The next phase will involve fine-tuning care home meal plans to help ensure the nutritional needs of their residents are being met.

Kelly Myatt, Clinical Support Manager at the participating Kenyon Lodge Care Home, Abbey Health said:

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“My goal is ultimately to ensure that each resident receives person-centred, high-quality care and support. Nutrition and hydration plays a major role in this and is a high priority for both residents and their significant others. I feel privileged to have the opportunity to work alongside a dietitian within the Salford CCG and Kafoodle Kare innovation project, which enables every one of our residents to receive specialist assessment and management. Although we are only a couple of weeks into the project and the baseline data collection has taken some time, improvements have already been made.”

Tarryn Gorre, CEO and Co-Founder of Kafoodle says:

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“It is an honour to be the first food-tech company to be conducting a trial with an NHS CCG and to be given this opportunity to really make a difference to the lives of those living within a care home. I am confident that food-technology can play a large part in reducing malnutrition within the ageing population and this is a fantastic opportunity for all involved. The future of nutrition within healthcare is exciting, and I am very glad that Kafoodle is playing a part in it.”

The MiiHome project, which is being trialled in Salford, aims to help older people live more safely in their homes for longer by tracking their movements using artificial intelligence.

The project is a collaboration between housing association Salix Homes, working alongsideSalford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, The University of Manchester, and The University of Salford.

Now the project has been shortlisted in the Innovation of the Year category in the prestigious 24 Housing Awards, which recognises excellence in the housing sector.

The project has seen X-Box Kinect sensors, which detect movement, fitted into a number of properties at Salix Homes’ sheltered living schemes, which provide accommodation for older people.

Jonathan Drake, service director at Salix Homes, said:

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“The idea of MiiHome is that it acts as a sort of ‘digital guardian angel’ which is able to detect changes in behaviour that could mean something is wrong, for example someone’s gait may have slowed down, or they may be getting up more than usual in the night.

“Its aim is to provide an early warning system to enable a health professional to step in and provide the right sort of care before the situation escalates, and hopefully reduce hospital admissions and pressure on our already overstretched NHS.

“It’s a trial-blazing project which could change the landscape of how health and housing is delivered in the future, so to be nominated for such a prestigious industry award really is the icing on the cake.”

 

And it’s double the celebration for Salix Homes, as its new affordable housing development –Alexander Gardens in Broughton – has also been shortlisted in the Affordable Housing Scheme of the Year Category.

Alexander Gardens, which was damaged in the Boxing Day 2015 floods, has been completely remodelled and transformed to provide affordable housing exclusively for doctors, nurses and medical staff.

The project is a collaboration with Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust to help them plug an acute staff shortage at the local hospital by providing a comprehensive employment and accommodation package for potential new recruits.

Lee Sugden, chief executive at Salix Homes, added:

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“It’s a real honour for Salix Homes to have two of our projects named as finalists in the 24 Housing Awards, and it’s testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved.”

The winners of the 24 Housing Awards will be announced at an awards ceremony in October.

The Food Standards Agency, Food Standards Scotland, Public Health England and Health Protection Scotland are reminding people that most frozen vegetables, including sweetcorn, need to be cooked before eating. This includes if adding them to salads, smoothies or dips.

People should always follow manufacturers’ instructions when preparing their food. If the product is not labelled as “ready to eat”, the cooking instructions should always be followed before eating the food hot or cold. 

Frozen corn and possibly other frozen vegetables are the likely source of an outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes that has been affecting Austria, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom since 2015.

Experts used whole genome sequencing to identify the food source, which initially was thought to be limited to frozen corn. As of 8 June 2018, 47 cases including nine deaths had been reported.

The same strains of L. monocytogenes have been detected in frozen vegetables produced by the same Hungarian company in 2016, 2017 and 2018. This suggests that the strains have persisted in the processing plant despite the cleaning and disinfection procedures that were carried out.

The available information confirms the contamination at the Hungarian plant. However, further investigations, including thorough sampling and testing, are needed to identify the exact points of environmental contamination at the Hungarian plant. The same recommendation applies to other companies belonging to the same commercial group if environmental contamination is detected.

On 29 June 2018, the Hungarian Food Chain Safety Office banned the marketing of all frozen vegetable and frozen mixed vegetable products produced by the affected plant between August 2016 and June 2018, and ordered their immediate withdrawal and recall. This last measure is likely to significantly reduce the risk of human infections and contain the outbreak. All freezing activity at the plant has been stopped.

New cases could still emerge due to the long incubation period of listeriosis (up to 70 days); the long shelf-life of frozen corn products; and the consumption of frozen corn bought before the recalls and eaten without being cooked properly.

To reduce the risk of infection, consumers should thoroughly cook non-ready-to-eat frozen vegetables, even though these products are commonly consumed without cooking (e.g. in salads and smoothies). This applies especially to consumers at highest risk of contracting listeriosis – such as the elderly, pregnant women, newborns and adults with weakened immune systems.

The birthday party, which was organised by NHS Salford Clinical Commissioning Group, created an opportunity for the Peterloo Court residents to talk to the local children about their experiences of the NHS was when it was first established seventy years ago. The partygoers then took time to reflect on how the NHS has evolved to become what it is today and discussed what needs to be done to protect the NHS going forward.

The children arrived at the party armed with homemade birthday cards and messages of thanks for their NHS. They enjoyed playing games of NHS bingo and Operation together with the Peterloo Court residents whilst listening to music in the background from 1948.  After singing ‘happy birthday’, everyone enjoyed a slice of NHS birthday cake whilst the children enjoyed dressing up as doctors and nurses.

Chair of Salford CCG, Dr Tom Tasker states;

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“The landmark 70th birthday of the NHS has provided us with the perfect opportunity to bring the young people together with those who remember the days of the NHS in its infancy and to celebrate the achievements of one of the nation’s most loved institutions. It also gives us the chance to thank all those who have worked in the NHS since 1948 for their continued support.

However, we must not forget the daily pressures the NHS is currently facing and therefore do all we can to help the organisation out by taking steps to stay healthy and to use the services appropriately. We can then all look forward to celebrating many more NHS birthdays to come.”

 

Originally the club went as part of the twinning set up but then when funding sadly stopped the club decided to carry on, the rest is history.

This year (2018) they are taking their youngest team ever, ranging from 8/9-year-olds up to senior swimmers.

Leaving on Wednesday 4th of July they will make the journey overnight from Hull to Europort and then onwards to their base of operations at a hostel in Dortmund.

The 2-day gala is held at Cappenberg in Lünen which is Swinton’s twin town. Swinton has always had strong links with Lünen and although the club is self-funded through raffles, quiz nights, bag packing's, they fly the flag with pride for their hometown.

SSC does not receive any grants but has been very lucky this year to have gained sponsorship for their kit from various local companies including Morson's International which has kindly supplied the stylish rucksacks and hoodies, Manchester-based IT Consultants Cloud53 provided some equally stylish polo shirts, Safeguard International who donated the teams swim caps, Boels and Belmont Kitchens who funded drinks bottles and Aldi in Swinton who provided Microfibre towels. Without the help of sponsors, the trip would not have been possible.

The gala is an international meet in a 50-metre, open air pool. This will be a first for many of the clubs swimmers so to introduce them to swimming in open water they held a session at the Quays on Sunday 24th June and again will be holding another on Sunday 1st July. The team loved it.

Pre-gala they train at Volspark , again a 50-metre open-air pool next to Borussio Dortmund's ground. So a must visit to the football clubs shop is on the cards.

In the previous visits, the clubs swimmers have won many medals for both individual and team events. Their trophies can be found proudly displayed in the clubs ever-growing trophy cabinet at their home in Pendlebury leisure centre.

Once the gala is over, the club members will spend a day relaxing at the close by movie park, giving the swimmers, parents, coaches and team manager a chance to kick back and unwind after what looks to be a hectic 2-day schedule.

The club has a faithful group of supporters who never fail to cheer them on, parents and swimmers fly in and out over the 2 days due to work commitments but they never cease to amaze and the club really does appreciate them making the effort to show their support.

When everything is over they will leave on Tuesday to arrive back in Swinton on 11/7/18, treasured memories made with friendships and bonds formed by both swimmers and parents alike.

Here's to a successful visit!

The Salford Open is part of the Royal Academy’s 250th-year celebrations that has enabled three Salford museums team up to put on special Royal Academy themed exhibitions during 2018 and 2019.

Budding local artists can win prizes including the first prize of £250 cash, the People’s Choice (£100 cash) and additional prizes supported by the University of Salford Art Collection and Contemporary Six Gallery who will award a prize to each of their favourite entrants.

There are no age or artistic medium restrictions for the Salford Open; entries can be submitted as paintings, textiles, sketches, drawings or mixed media pieces of work.

For those interested in entering a piece of work, there are two days allocated for submissions which are Friday 6 July (10am-4pm) and Saturday 7 July (12.00-3.30pm).

Heritage manager at Salford Museum & Art Gallery, Ceri Horrocks, says:

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“Investing in local artistic talent is very important to us here at Salford Museum & Art Gallery, after all, we have some huge names in art from the Salford area so we are always looking for the next big thing. We’d encourage those unsung creative heroes to come forward and submit their work for a real chance for it to be exhibited for a few months in our popular gallery and the chance to win cash prizes.’

A number of entries will be selected in July to form the Salford Open exhibition which will be held in the North and Bluestairs Galleries from Saturday 21 July to Sunday 11 November 2018.

To enter the Salford Open, people are asked to download the entry form and guidelines that will need to be submitted with their work when it is delivered to the gallery on the specified dates. Printed versions of this form are available to pick up from the reception at Salford Museum & Art Gallery in advance of the delivery days.

There is a non-refundable charge of £5 per entry (payable on the hand-in dates) and each person may enter up to two entries per artist.

Main Image: Marianne Edwards (age 26) from Cadishead with Jeremy Brannigan (34) from Didsbury)

Inserted Image: Rachel Bilford (28) from Prestwich and Anna Jones (35) from Swinton and Cecilia Drummond (56) and Harriet Jones, both of Worsley

 James officially launched his book on Thursday 14th June at Clarendon Leisure Centre in Salford, the same day as the book was printed.

161 pupils were in attendance from Lark Hill Primary, The Willows, Summerville Primary, Cadishead Primary, St Sebastian’s RC Primary and St Pauls.

Written by James Campbell and illustrated by Rob Jones, the book is filled with outrageous facts, hilarious jokes, insanely funny online videos and brilliant stories all about pets, the author, and all sorts of other things.

Says James Campbell:

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‘Pets are brilliant. They come in different shapes and sizes. Some are furry. Some are scary. Some are so small you can hold them in one hand. Others are twice the size of you and if they sit on you there is a danger you will burst.

Some pets are useful and can fetch things, help people and even have jobs! Other pets just sit around all day doing nothing or, worse still, go behind your wardrobe and do a secret poo. “

 

Emily Stock, Schools’ Library Service Co-ordinator, said:

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‘We are delighted that James wanted to work with Salford Community Leisure on his latest book launch. The children loved meeting him and he was very funny.”

The Wellbeing Fund, now in its fourth year, gives grants of up to £1,000 to small voluntary, community or social enterprise sector organisations, with less than £100,000 turnover per year, who provide projects which help to improve the health and wellbeing of Salford residents.

The grants are funded by NHS Salford Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

Eligible projects for the grants include those which fall under one or more of the established ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing’:  connect, be active, take notice, keep learning and give.

Examples include projects which help reduce social isolation; increase physical activity; increase a sense of community belonging; increase employability or improve happiness and a sense of wellbeing.

Last year, from 200 applications submitted, fifty local projects were granted funding. These included:-

Mature Movers in Little Hulton - a weekly  exercise group for older people with long-term conditions and poor mobility

Family Led Services – providing non-clinical support and sign-posting to people with terminal illness and/or people living with life-limiting conditions and their families.

DIY Theatre’s ‘Art of Communication’ project  - providing accessible, high-quality drama activities for adults with learning disabilities.

A panel consisting of Salford CVS, Salford CCG and a representative from a Community, Voluntary and Social Enterprise organisation will assess bids and agree which projects should be funded.

There will be four rounds of funding and successful groups will be informed within a week of the panel meeting.

Details about the application process and everything you need to apply for a grant can be found here: http://www.salfordcvs.co.uk/live-grants

If you’re not sure if your project is eligible for a Wellbeing Fund grant, you can get advice from Salford CVS, call 0161 787 7795  or email grants@salfordcvs.co.uk., however, organisations that received a Wellbeing Fund grant in the last 12 months are not eligible.

Bidders are asked to email their completed application form and any supporting documentation to: grants@salfordcvs.co.uk or post it to: Salford CVS, The Old Town Hall, 5 Irwell Place, Eccles, M30 0FN

All bids to the Wellbeing Fund must be returned by 12 noon on Monday 25 June 2018.

Salford CVS also manage other community funds supported by Salford CCG which community projects can bid for, such as the Impact Fund and Healthy Schools. Further details about these funds can be found here http://www.salfordcvs.co.uk/live-grants

The number of people being diagnosed with cancer in Greater Manchester is growing. In 2011, 13,600 people were diagnosed with cancer and in 2014, the figure was 14,500.

In Salford, 3,067 people were diagnosed with cancer in 2011, rising to 4,837 in 2014 and to 5,367 in 2016. Per year, around 1,300 new cases of cancer are diagnosed in the city,and there are 620 deaths due to cancer.

However, cancer survival rates are improving. In 2000, the overall chance of surviving a year following a diagnosis of cancer in Greater Manchester was 58%, but by 2013, the survival rate had risen to 69.9 per cent,  (68.5 per cent in Salford). The aim is to increase that rate to 75 per cent or higher by 2020.

The cancer champions campaign is being led by Greater Manchester Vanguard Innovation, part of the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership. It aims to support people to take charge of their own health and wellbeing, and help those with cancer get diagnosed and treated earlier.

The plan is for the new cancer champions to get involved in their local communities, and pass on advice to help reduce unhealthy behaviours, such as smoking, that increase a person’s risk of getting cancer.

They will also encourage people to take up cancer screening invitations or go to their GP if they are worried about symptoms, and they will gather feedback from the community to help improve patients’ experience.

Irfan Syed is an Engagement Officer for NHS Salford Clinical Commissioning Group. He looks after the BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnic ).community in Salford and is responsible for recruiting and working with cancer champions who specifically support the BAME community.

Irfan organised and promoted a BAME cancer champion recruitment event at the Beacon Youth Centre in Salford earlier this year. His target was to recruit 13 people. Remarkably, one hundred people attended the event and 45 of them signed up to be a cancer champion on the day, tripling expectations. This is the most cancer champions recruited in one single event in Greater Manchester. Irfan said:

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“I was thrilled that so many people were eager to become a cancer champion. The volunteers are from a variety of backgrounds, and of all ages, from 19 to 60 years.

“Our new cancer champions will be our voice out in the Salford BAME communities, helping us to make a difference and break down some of the barriers. They are from the same communities, they speak the same languages, so people are more likely to engage with them.

“Talking about cancer is difficult. It’s often a taboo subject among these communities, and many people don’t know much about it or what to look out for. It’s important to talk to people about the symptoms of cancer, the services available and to find out what the barriers are that prevent them from accessing help.”

“With our continued support, the champions will give 3-4 days of their time per month to communicate with people in their community and give them advice about how to prevent cancer.

 

The next step is to train the champions. Monthly training events are being arranged which will include presentations from health professionals.

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“We will look at their training needs and we will provide them with appropriate literature to help them communicate the key health messages and answer questions from community members,”

said Irfan.Rana Hassan, 19, has signed up to be a cancer champion in Salford.  He said:

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“Since the age of 16, I have been working as a volunteer for Manchester MIND so I have had a lot of training and experience in helping young people from BAME communities.

“I was keen to become a cancer champion because I wanted to make a difference  and see a change in the community.

“I am aware of all the different health services and facilities and I feel I can help people by guiding them to the right places to get the healthcare they need. The information we receive as a cancer champion will be useful to cascade to other agencies and services I am in touch with.

“A lot of young people don’t go to health services, many of them are afraid. I feel I will be able to put them at ease.

“I speak Urdu, Punjabi and Hindi and this helps to break down barriers, people feel more relaxed if you can speak their language.”

“I think the cancer champions will have a great impact as we can help people in the BAME communities to understand more about cancer and the symptoms, advise them on what they can do to prevent it and how to get medical help, if they need it.”

 

Irfan added:

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“We hope that the new cancer champions will be able to use their experience, knowledge and passion to support those at risk of developing cancer and those recently diagnosed with the disease.”

If you are interested in becoming a cancer champion for Salford BAME communities email Irfan irfan.syed3@nhs.net or you can find out more and sign up herehttps://www.icangm.co.uk/become-cancer-champion/