Category Archives: Safety

Will you be warm and safe this winter?

winter-warmthHARCVS is a partner in the Warm & Well project which seeks to assist residents and patients who are most at risk from the physical and emotional effects of being too cold at home, such as those on low incomes, with long-term health conditions, and the frail or elderly.

Support is varied according to people’s individual needs, but can cover energy switching, benefits advice, improvements to the home so it is both warmer and more efficient, crisis interventions where someone is without heating or hot water, and support with fuel debts. Funded by the British Gas Energy Trust, the project is only active until the end of December this year, so people are encouraged to get in touch sooner rather than later.

Referrals can be made into Warm and Well by calling 01423 740 001 or by visiting www.first4contact.org

 

Check out these tips for safe travel this summer

Couple on silver sandIf you’re travelling alone, follow this link for good advice about how to keep safe and basic self-defence.

U-Switch has provided a useful guide to driving abroad and ensuring that you have appropriate car insurance.

And don’t forget to see our ‘Topical News’ page for information about the need for biometric passports if you’re travelling to the USA.

The NHS Care.data project had been abandoned. What next for the security of patients’ healthcare data?

Data securityFor three years the NHS information sharing scheme has been mired in controversy. Now, after the publication of the Data Guardian’s report ‘Review of Data Security, Consent and Opt-outs’ there are new standards for data security and NHS England has announced that the care.data project has been abandoned. Now is the time to respond to the consultation (before September 7th 2016) about the rights of patients over the use of their personal healthcare data and their right to ‘opt-out’ of sharing personal data. By participating in the consultation, you can determine the wording of ‘consent’ and ‘opt-out’ to ensure that your personal data is only used by those permitted by you.

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Best Foot Forward!

 

Best foot forward 1

Come to our next Forum meeting to get some really good advice about avoiding falls. As people get older, they are arguably more prone to accidents. Slips, trips and falls are the commonest types and are often preventable. Contributing factors include poor mobility and loss of balance. Facilitated by Gail McCracken, NYCC Falls Co-ordinator, this presentation will heighten your awareness of the risks of falls and highlight ways in which you can improve your safety. The meeting will be held in St Paul’s Meeting Room, Victoria Avenue, HG1 1EL ( opposite Harrogate Library) on July 21st 2.00 – 4.00pm.  Entrance £2 (includes refreshments and raffle ticket).

Safe places in the Harrogate District

Safe PlaceA safe place is where anyone who might need a little bit more help and support, when they are out and about in the community, can call in to get assistance.

Members of the scheme carry a ‘keep safe’ card and may have a wristband. On the card there is a call centre number that can be contacted by the safe place to check the person’s details. The call centre will then contact the person’s responders to make sure someone who knows them the best can come to take them home. The safe place will make sure that the person is safe and feels comfortable until their responder is able to attend. More details about the scheme and local safe places.

Do you feel safe in your home?

Burglary advice‘A man’s home is his castle’. Do you feel safe at home? Are you worried about strangers ringing your doorbell? Have you read about burglaries in your area? How does this make you feel?

If you have any concerns about your safety at home, the Police Safer Neighbourhood Teams offer free home security advice. Visits can be booked via e-mail   You can also search for crime information for your street via this link.