19 Feb 12 Meeting over plans to axe Queen Elizabeth Hospital stays
WORRIED parents discussed controversial plans to shake-up children’s NHS services in the region.
The Chronicle told yesterday how proposals have been put forward to axe long-term inpatient paediatric care at Gateshead’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital and South Tyneside District Hospital.
It means children who need more than a day’s treatment could be sent to units in Sunderland or Newcastle.
It is part of a wide-ranging review into the way services for acutely sick and injured children are delivered across the South of the Tyne area.
Last night members of the public attended a consultation meeting at Gateshead library to hear the NHS plans in detail.
Dad-of-one Michael Brunskill, of Sheriff Hill, Gateshead, who has an 18-month-old daughter, Lily, said he was anxious about the impact the proposals could have on future healthcare.
The 31-year-old office worker said: “There is no doubt that people in the area are concerned about the proposed changes. I have a young daughter and I worry about what will happen in the future is she needs long-term care in Gateshead. it will be extremely difficult for parents to travel to other hospitals in the region.
“I would urge people to get involved in the public consultation and make their views heard.”
A public consultation is currently being undertaken by NHS South of Tyne and Wear and it will continue until March 31.
Health chiefs have insisted that care will be improved by the plans as they want more children and young people to get treatment closer to home and fewer going at hospital and being admitted for overnight stays.
Within the proposals there are two options and both mean children’s inpatient services in Gateshead and South Tyneside will end. Sunderland Royal Hospital is the planned location for the children’s inpatient service with patients having to travel up to 10 miles further for treatment. Youngsters could also attend the great North Children’s Hospital and the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.
Under the preferred plan, the long-term care units will go at Gateshead and South Tyneside and short-term treatment will be available each day.
The other option put forward is to make children’s short-stay assessment units available for only limited hours.
Blaydon Labour MP Dave Anderson said: “the most important issue is that children get the best and safest paediatric care possible.”
Dr David Hambleton, director of commissioning development for NHS South of Tyne and Wear said: “We are committed to improving local services for children and young people. Our plan will ensure that many children are able to receive expert paediatric care close to home.”
To record your views see sotw.nhs.uk/yoursay/consultations
16 Feb 12 Nanny Agencies and Their Services
Our children are the most important people in our lives. when we have to work, and cannot care for them ourselves, we need to be able to trust the people we hire to take care of our precious ones. This is when you need to find the best nanny agencies. many people struggle with the thought of a stranger taking care of their children. Parents put an ad in the paper, or ask friends for advice. But what about nanny agencies?
Parents interview the prospective nanny, and ask all of the right questions, but there is still the nagging feeling that they may not be totally honest. there is no way of knowing for sure. That is when a nanny agencies can be of assistance. Nanny agencies can offer more of a thorough screening process than event the most diligent parent can.
These nanny agencies are temp-to-hire agencies specially developed for nannies. Each applicant is screened; every aspect of his or her life is an open book. Nanny agencies do an extensive criminal background check complete with fingerprints, the employment history and check all references very carefully to rule out any possible threat to a child. Even though the agency screens each applicant, it is in the best interest of your child or children to check out the references for your self. Ask for prior clients and meet face to face with them. Write down all of the questions you want to ask. Often, when you have an actual face-to-face meeting, you are nervous and forget what you wanted to ask. when a parent decides to hire nanny agencies, there are a few things they need to take into consideration.
First of all ask questions. These people will be taking care of your children, ask as many question as it takes until you feel comfortable with the prospective nanny agency.
One of the first questions that should be asked is how long the nanny agency has been in business. It is not necessarily a bad thing to be a new agency, but with an established agency references can be furnished and the nanny agency itself will have some type of reputation. Ask what the placement success rate is. Experts estimate that placing six to eight nannies per month is a good ratio, as long as it is not the same nanny being placed.
The question of the rates and fees of the nanny agencies is important. No one wants to think that they cannot afford the best for their children, but in today’s economy, it is impossible not to take this into consideration. It is counter productive to hire a nanny one month, and not be able to pay for it the next.
The advantages to using nanny agencies are many. But there are also disadvantages. One such disadvantage is the monthly payments. These payments can sometimes be thousands of dollars. If a nanny agency claims have low rates, be very wary. An excellent agency that has an excellent reputation can and does charge a very high fee. you are paying for the expertise of the nannies that are within the agency.
15 Feb 12 Tips to Create Babysitting Checklist for Parents
For the smooth going of babysitting, a better communication between parents and babysitters are necessary. For that you can make use of a checklist which contains the do’s and don’ts. here goes some tip for parents in creating a checklist to the babysitter.
Parents should leave their cell phone and office phone numbers with the babysitter. also provide them with contact numbers of close relatives and friends. Provide them with numbers of doctors whom you consult for your kid. make sure that babysitters know the numbers of police, fire force, ambulance and other emergency numbers. You should also maintain the contact number and address of babysitter.
Most of the kids have a set of routine activities. Provide that information to the babysitter. It includes the kid’s meal and snack time, nap time, play time, bed time etc. if kids have any medication, inform the babysitter about that. Remember them to give pills to kids at the proper timings.
Parents should maintain a list of kid’s foods while they make use of babysitting. some kids may be allergic to certain food items and some may need special diets in their meals. so properly include that in the checklist for babysitter. To feed kids is not an easy job. some kids tend to eat while providing them some toys or other stuff. if so, tell that to your babysitter about that.
While babysitting, it is the duty of babysitters to entertain the kids and make them engage in certain activities. Parents can guide babysitters about the activities which the kids like most. This will make them easy to entertain them. some kids love music, some others like painting etc. so by understanding the nature of a kid, babysitter can take care of them. For that parents should provide necessary information about kid.
Most of the times, kids get upset when the parents leave them. so with the help of some soothing tips like showing cartoons, playing music, giving some special toy etc, they can handle kids. The one who knows about the kid’s weakness is parents. so they can tell babysitters about that.
There may be things which kids are not allowed to do like playing video games, watching certain television shows, going to garage and basement etc. make sure that you tell these things to your babysitters. Sometimes kids will tell white lies to babysitters that their parents allowed doing this and that.
If babysitting is done in your house, you should show babysitters about the emergency exits and fire extinguishers, for using in case of emergency. also provide them with the kid’s dress and diapers to change them when necessary. Parents should advice babysitters what to and what not to do while babysitting.
As you are leaving your kids with babysitters, your responsibility to them is not over. be sure that the babysitter you chose is genuine and kind to your kid. give them appropriate wages so that they won’t be greedy for more money. if so, their behavior to kid will not be too good. so understand your babysitter and provide them with good suggestions and checklist while you leave your kid in babysitting.
You can find babysitter Newcastle or more babysitting related tips on this page.
15 Feb 12 Is A Hidden Nanny Camera The Right Way To Go?
There are very few reasons why you should not get a hidden nanny camera and tons of reasons why you should get one. a hidden nanny camera can save the life of your child and for that reason alone I think that it is a very good idea for all parents to consider getting one, whether they actually have a nanny or if they just hire a babysitter from time to time. Kids are delicate and they need to be treated properly. that means that they need to be treated with as much respect as adults and they need to be protected form any neglect or violence. And the fact of the matter is hat you don’t know what goes on in your home when you are not there. even if your child does not have any cuts or bruises that does not mean that he or she is not being abused. Only a good quality hidden nanny camera is going to show you what the nanny is doing when you are away and it is just the nanny and the baby.
Do you know how often your nanny or babysitter yells at your child or children? probably not, it is not like you can ask him or her, the nanny is obviously not going to tell you that all she does is yell all day long And if your child is very young he or she is not going to be any help either, but a hidden nanny camera would be. when you have a hidden nanny camera in your home nothing is going to be a secret any longer, you will know exactly what is happening when you are not there. Either you will finally have your mind put to rest about the quality of care that this nanny is providing or you will find out that she is terrible and that it is time to get a new one. Either way you win, you simply cannot go wrong when you purchase a hidden nanny camera.
There are a few different kinds of hidden nanny camera on the market today. Some are as small as pins and they can be hidden absolutely anywhere and the nanny will never detect it. there was a time when they were all hidden in teddy bears, well that is done, now you can hide them in pictures, fire alarms, in the VCR, absolutely anywhere that will give you a good view of the room is a great place to put your hidden nanny camera. And since they are all so tiny now this is beyond simple to do. Having a good hidden nanny camera is the only way to know that your child is safe when you are not home, safety is the most important thing for your child, the most important. So take care with the life and wellbeing of your baby and get a hidden nanny camera to use, and then use it
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