Posted 01.08.13
Carbon Monoxide: Ignorance Can Be Fatal Conference
The Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers (IGEM) (11th July 2013)
Some 200 delegates gathered for IGEM and Wales & West Utilities', landmark event - Carbon Monoxide: Ignorance can be fatal!
Supported by the Carbon Monoxide All Fuels Action Forum, the one day event aimed to tackle head on issues surrounding the fight against this silent killer.
In an effort to prevent unnecessary deaths and injuries from accidental CO poisoning, a vast number of organisations and industry representatives - including those from the medical profession, fire paramedics, local authority representatives, charities and fire service workers - came together to promote innovation, sharing of best practice and development of new partnerships.
Research has shown that many cases of CO poisoning are undetected, undiagnosed and unreported, meaning official estimates of the harm caused by the silent killer are likely to be misleadingly low.
This significant event followed the publication of a report by the All Party Parliamentary Carbon Monoxide Group (APPCOG) - Preventing carbon monoxide poisoning.
The report made 17 recommendations to industry and Government for addressing the risk of CO in the UK. The conference followed up on the research and enabling interested parties to come together and create a targeted road map to address the risk of CO.
In a day filled with speakers across the gas, medical and regulation industries, delegates were reminded of the consequences of CO through moving case studies of lives cruelly snatched by CO poisoning and how they have campaigned to prevent such tragedies.
Barry Sheerman MP, a leading campaigner on the matter of public safety, spoke of the effective campaigns he has undertaken - including how developing partnerships across industries will be key in the fight against CO.
He praised delegates for making the first step in coming together, adding: "The important thing now is to keep the momentum. Keep campaigning, keep the partnerships and keep going."
Already, nearly 90% of the delegates have called for this event to become an annual conference and have expressed their interest to be involved in the outputs of this event.
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Welfare Reform Conference
Capita Conferences (16th July 2013)
Key speakers from across the public sector came together at Capita Conferences' Welfare Reform event on the 16th July in Manchester to help delegates with their questions and issues on delivering the new welfare system.
Areas of focus for the day were managing welfare reform changes, transferring to the new Universal Credit system, increasing digital inclusion and supporting vulnerable groups through the new direct payment and personal independence payment systems.
Lord Freud, Minister for Welfare Reform gave the keynote address on delivering the Welfare Reform Act and closed saying:
"The Universal Credit Pathfinder has launched successfully and is running as expected. The roll-out of Pathfinder is proceeding as planned...
"While the Universal Credit reform is both vital and radical, our approach is careful and controlled. It marks yet another important step in the Government's welfare reforms - simplifying the benefit system and tackling welfare dependency by making work pay."
Alison McKenzie-Folan, Director of Customer Transformation at Wigan Council gave an afternoon presentation on lessons learnt from a Universal Credit Pathfinder. She tod delegates:
"Within Wigan, we really want people to be confident in us as a council... To do this we realised we needed to support them and inform them about Universal Credit and seeked out the opportunity to become a Pilot."
She explained how Wigan Council wanted to deliver a digital strategy alongside the Universal Credit Pilot to increase the numbers of customers using the internet to access council services, whilst maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction on service delivery. She said:
"Just 18% of our Pilot group interact online and claim benefits from their own home. Our intention is to increase this, supporting the 4500 most vulnerable people in Wigan living in social housing."
