Any parent knows that when their child is ill they want the right medical help fast.

Now NHS Norfolk has brought together doctors, nurses, parents and the staff who commission health services to begin a major review of the best way to provide the right help and information.

Under the spotlight are a range of common medical conditions which children are susceptible to, such as coughs and colds, tummy upsets, wheezes and temperatures.

The aim is twofold: To make sure parents receive correct and consistent information on how to treat their young one and also to make sure medical staff throughout Norfolk are consistent in the treatment they provide.

A major conference has just been held in Norfolk at which doctors, nurses, consultants, national experts and the people who commission healthcare for the county came together to share their ideas.

NHS Norfolk's Commissioning Manager for Children's Services, Helen Jackson said: "We know how worrying it is for parents when their child becomes ill.

"We also know that unless they are confident that they have the correct advice and information to support them they might feel they have no alternative than to drive in the middle of the night to a hospital or call an Out of Hours GP which can be both unnecessary and frightening for them.

"This is why we have called together experts in the health system to conduct a very extensive review of the care we provide, the consistency of care we provide and the information we give to parents."

The review is expected to lead to very clear guidance for parents on what to do if their child has one of the common ailments. In most cases parents will be given the support and reassurance they need to treat their child at home, following the national Choose Well initiative.

However if they do need to ask for assistance from a medical expert, NHS Norfolk wants to ensure GPs across the county have a consistent "pathway" to follow with very detailed clinical guidance to help them manage the condition.

One common illness which the experts will look at is gastroenteritis - diarrhea and vomiting. It is usually mild - certainly unpleasant and distressing - but it normally does not last long or cause serious problems.

However a small number of children can become dehydrated and as a result, about 1.5% of all childhood cases of gastroenteritis in England will require hospital treatment.

In many cases, clearer and consistence guidance to parents will help prevent children from spiralling into dehydration and reduce their distress.

If the child does need medical assistance then, for example, every GP would have exactly the same, up to date and very detailed clinical guidelines to ensure the cases is managed in the most appropriate way.

Helen Jackson said: "Anything which can be done to help parents and clinicians manage a condition without the need to be admitted will mean a speedier recovery and minimise distress.

"We want to learn from best practice across the country. We shall want to talk in great detail to clinicians, parents and young people and make sure the care we provide meets their needs."

The review and ongoing development is being carried out with the support of the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement.

NHS Norfolk is hoping that implementing new initiatives will take place later this year.
 

This video clip was taken along side one of my photographic projects, all clips were taken with a Canon 7D DSLR and a Canon 500mm Lens landscapes (24-105mm).

For a high res image go to: www.wildaboutimages.co.uk

© Paul Bunyard

Active Norfolk would like to invite villages across the county to assemble squads of players to compete in different sports varying from Archery, 5-a-side Football, Carpet Bowls, Netball, Table-Tennis, Rounders, Badminton, and Tug Of War at the Norfolk Village Games.

People of all ages are invited to take part. Villages will be offered taster sessions in a variety of sports at their very own Sports Roadshow. These Roadshows will visit various parts of the county throughout the summer months in the build up to the Norfolk Village Games in September.

We are appealing to volunteers to register their interest as Village Team Captains by visiting www.activenorfolk.org/villagegames. We are looking to sports clubs, parish councils, local business’s and community groups to work together in order to provide representation from their area, and battle it out against other villages from across the county.

For more information and to register your interest visit www.activenorfolk.org/villagegames or call Ellen Vanlint on 01603 697008.

Giginthepark, fast becoming East Anglia’s number one festival and now in its 12th year has put together another bumper collection of headline acts for this years event.
Held in Halesworth’s Town Park over the weekend of 6/8th August this years event will be headlined by punk legends The Undertones.

Formed in 1978 and championed by the late John Peel they have had hits with the anthem Teenage Kicks, My perfect cousin and Jimmy Jimmy amongst others. They are still in demand as a touring act and are bound to be a big draw for this years festival.

Lee Vasey and his big band make a welcome return to round of the proceedings on Sunday night bringing the soundtrack of your life from the last three decades to get the park dancing.

Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust is encouraging members of the public to take advantage of the valuable services provided by Patient Advice and Liaison Services (PALS). The services are being promoted during PALS Awareness week, which runs from June 14 - June 18.

PALS is a completely confidential service to help patients, carers and members of the public who need advice, have concerns or are not sure where to turn for help.

The service:
- Advises and supports patients, their families and carers
- Provides information on NHS services
- Listens to your concerns and suggestions
- Helps sort out problems quickly on your behalf

The Trust PALS team will be at the following local events from 10am - 3pm each day:

Monday 14 June - The Forum, Norwich
Tuesday 15 June - Community Centre, Fakenham
Wednesday 16 June - The Lawns Hotel, Holt
Thursday 17 June - Abbey Hall, Wymondham
Friday 18 June - Community Centre, North Walsham


Michael Lozano, Norfolk & Waveney Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust PALS Manager, said: “The PALS team is here to help members of the public on a range of subjects. We can help you find a local service, offer advice if you have a problem or need help to resolve an issue. I encourage people to use PALS because it can help you make the most of the local NHS provisions in your area.”

Sarah Boulton, Chair of NHS East of England, said: “I am delighted that PALS teams across the region are building on the success of last years PALS Awareness week. PALS have a vital role to play in supporting members of the public with a good patient experience. Our regional ambition is to provide the best health service in the country, and to do so we need to get the patient experience right.

"PALS are often the first port of call for people who have queries, worries or concerns about the services they receive. PALS teams are highly professional people who reflect the values of the NHS Constitution extremely well.”

Do you want to adopt a healthier lifestyle, and learn more about exercise and nutrition, but are not sure where to begin?

Then Life 4 Life could be just what you are looking for...

Coordinated by Paul Wilson and the Norfolk Life team at the Great Yarmouth Community Trust, the programme is run in partnership with NHS Norfolk, and all Norfolk adults who are overweight are welcome to join.

If you have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 25-30, or a waist measurement of more than 37-40in for men, and about 31-34in for women, Life 4 Life is here to help.

The team can work out your BMI if you're unsure of it, and will then join you up to the Life 4 Life programme, or advise you on what other services you can access. All participants must be aged 18 and over.

LIFE stands for Lifestyle, Improvements, Food and Exercise, and the sessions are delivered to groups of 12-15 adults. Booking is essential.

There are currently Life 4 Life trainers in Great Yarmouth, Thetford, Norwich, Diss, Reepham and Holt, and the list of venues is set to increase.

Paul said: "Life 4 Life gives people the knowledge and skills to begin their healthier lifestyle - and stick to it! Sessions are designed to be interactive, interesting and fun. They will be held in local, accessible locations."

The four-week programme consists of a two-hour session each week, covering nutrition and exercise theory. It has been written by exercise and nutrition specialists, and is delivered by qualified Life 4 Life trainers.

Topics covered include metabolism, food labelling, food groups, benefits of exercise, goal setting, barriers to exercise - and more.

Lucy Macleod, NHS Norfolk's Consultant in Public Health, said: "In Norfolk, on average, more than a quarter - 26.85% - of all adults are obese.

"We are commissioning Life 4 Life as a preventative service to help overweight adults avoid obesity, and would urge those interested to contact Life 4 Life today."

To find out more about Life 4 Life, call freephone 0800 023 4798 or visit www.priorycentre.co.uk/nutrition

Lot of talk at the moment about the new element to the Learner test as from this coming October 2010.

It is the Independent Drive.

The Examiner will stop the test Candidate on the side of road, they will give the driver a series of directions, all in one go, for example follow road signs to a certain place, and they may also be shown a diagram of the road layout.

It is not the end of the world if the candidate can not remember every direction, a double check with the examiner is ok..

In order to have a good 10 minute independent drive during the test, the candidate will only get one other exercise to do i.e Reverse to the left.....Turn in road...Reverse park....Bay park.. and of course an Emergency Stop which is carried out on random tests...


This has been introduced to help the new driver to think more for themselves, and to find their way about ,as during driving lessons they have been told where to turn and go by their Trainer.

Sat Navs not allowed.......see video below for more info:

RAFA Commemorating 90 Years of The Royal Air Force
As you know, April 1st 2010 marked the 90th anniversary of the formation of the Royal Air Force. On this momentous day RAFA launched a celebratory website dedicated solely to this occasion.

The ‘Microsite’ carries news and reports on 90th anniversary topics and, more importantly, enables you to view and share details of forthcoming regional or national celebratory events with other members by submitting them directly to the site.

RAFA Areas, Branches and Members may be celebrating the anniversary. You can share the details of an event to take place this year or provide details and pictures of one that has taken place. Please visit the site for more information.

> View 90th Anniversary events by region
> Read about the history of the formation of the RAF

RAFA's South East and Eastern Area are holding an event entitled 'Beating the Retreat- a Sunset Ceremony' at RAF Uxbridge on June 28th 2010. For further information please click here

In conjunction with this RAFA will be commemorating the anniversary by holding a Candlelit Carol Concert on December 11th at Peterborough Cathedral, click here for further information.

To visit the RAFA website - please click here

Email General Enquiries: Click here

MIKE DANIELS DRIVER TRAINING is offering Learner Drivers a chance to earn a L 2 BTEC award in Driving Skills as they learn to drive.

Mike says it is so important to change the way people learn to drive and with the technical help from The Drivers Ed Company, (who supply all the online theory courses) this has got to be the way forward to safer driving in the future.


Most accidents were caused by driver error, and remember about 20 per cent of newly qualified drivers will have accidents within the first 12 months of passing their test.

So to give the new driver coming onto our roads a better understanding, and gaining the skills to drive a car
Mike believes the Theory and Practical knowledge of the BTEC in Driving Skills is the best.

What is a BTEC?
This is a recognized academic qualifications supervised by the EDEXCEL examinations board, and is equivalent to the GCSE Level.

All driving courses are a designed to cover all aspects of driving complete from the Novice driver through to the Advanced driver.

The CEO of the Drivers Ed Company says from trials we have conducted and similar courses overseas we are confident the BTEC in Driving Skills will improve drivers chances of passing tests and reduce them being involved in accidents so early in their driving careers.

We are all delighted that MIKE DANIELS DRIVER TRAINING will be offering the BTEC in Driving Skills to all their customers....

Please give Mike a call and discuss BTEC and you could be on your way to a safe driving career with BTEC in Driving Skills added to your CV.

Tel: Bungay 01986 893025 Mobile: 07860 452421

email: Danielsm80@aol.com

Web site: www.danielsdrivertraining.co.uk

Also see: Mike’s Driving Hints

On BBC 1’s National Lottery programme on Wednesday 2nd June, presenter Carole Machin announced that the search was on to find the public’s favourite Lottery funded projects of 2010. A local project, Stuff Stigma, is flying the flag for Norfolk, having reached the semi-final stage of this highly prestigious award.

All of the projects through to the semi-final have until June 18th to attract public votes, which will take 21 projects through to the final of the Awards later in the year. Stuff Stigma, which campaigns to challenge the stigma and prejudice faced by people with experience of mental health problems, is in the ‘Best Health’ category.

Oz Osborne, Project Manager of Stuff Stigma said:

“Mental health problems affect 1 in 4 of us and many people report that the stigma and discrimination they face is a huge barrier to getting the support they need to work towards recovery. Every vote we get from the public will issue a challenge to this prejudice, and will help us to change negative attitudes towards those with experience of mental health difficulties.”

Stuff Stigma is part of the national Time to Change campaign and is managed by the mental health charity Rethink. The project was the brainchild of Wymondham-based author and activist Robert Ashton, and has been gaining local and national acclaim since he launched it in 2006.

In response to the news that the project is in the running for this national award, Robert commented:

“Shortlisting Stuff Stigma for this exciting award not only endorses the great work done by Oz and our volunteers; it also shows that at last, attitudes to mental health are changing. Voting for Stuff Stigma is much more than a vote for one project, it’s a vote for a more equal and inclusive society. I started Stuff Stigma because I was angry about prejudice. If it makes you angry too, please take a few minutes to vote and show your support for this campaign.”

One of the ways Stuff Stigma seeks to challenge attitudes and behaviours is to work in partnership with many other local organisations, and has been responsible for creating a new anti-stigma community Forum, which organises local activity.

Maggie Wheeler, chair of the Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, a partner organisation, said:

"In the Trust we see the effects of stigma on people's lives daily. It is hard enough to live with mental illness without people discriminating against you for it too. We are so proud of being part of bringing this campaign to the local population encouraging people to talk about what can feel a difficult subject."

To vote for Stuff Stigma, visit: www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards or call 0844 686 5951. Calls cost 5p from a BT landline but may vary from other networks.

For those who like their humour daft and thoroughly unsophisticated, this silent short will be a delight. The titular Daisy enters a face-pulling competition ('dial' - as in watch dial - is neglected slang for a face), but on the big day she falls victim to toothache. When her husband returns from the contest triumphant, the distinctly unladylike Daisy vows revenge in the next competition. But her impromptu rehearsal on a train causes chaos among her fellow passengers, and things only get worse after she is arrested for disturbing the peace...

Director/lead actress Florence Turner was an early Hollywood star, who briefly operated her own production company in Britain in the mid-1910s. Back in Hollywood in the late-1920s, she appeared alongside Buster Keaton in 'College' (1927), before her star faded. (Mark Duguid)

Big hearted staff at NHS Norfolk are planning to take part in a 50-mile sponsored bike ride, raising money for the British Heart Foundation.

They're taking part in the Norwich 100/50 bike ride on Sunday, June 6th. There are two courses, one of 50 miles and the other of 100 miles.


Paul Carlsen said: "I have been doing this bike ride since 2006. It is fun but it can be hard work, especially if you have a heavy bike.

"I would hope we can get round the 50 miles in four hours."

Their course, the 50-miler, will take them out past Reepham, sweeping round past Blickling Hall and back into the city.