Health - In partnership with the NHS

Money Matters – Fuel Poverty


June 2011 - A price hike too far?

Back in June 2011 Scottish Power (one of the Big 6 energy companies in the UK) announced changes in its tariff’s that meant near 20% price increases to the cost of electricity and gas for domestic users. The scale and timing of the increase shocked many (no pun intended), coming as it did, at a time when households across the UK found their disposable income under severe pressure on a number of fronts, inflation, pay freezes, job insecurity, budget cuts and an economy struggling to get out of recession and reeling from the continuing turmoil in the financial markets.

Fuel Poverty

As is the way of the UK’s energy market, the other five of the Big 6 energy suppliers announced similar price hikes over that summer. The price hikes and other factors have, as was expected, pushed thousands of households across the UK into Fuel Poverty.

Which? Affordable Energy Campaign

Fuel Poverty does not recognise or respect either class or geography. It is our pensioners, those on fixed and or low incomes who are hardest hit by these increases to the cost of energy.

Community Groups and Consumer Associations among others are calling for change to the way in which the energy market is operating in the UK. Which? and Consumer Focus are two of the main groups championing change in the UK Energy market. The link to Consumer Focus is particular useful if you are looking for advice on how to get the most for your energy pound. These group and a myriad of local community groups across the UK are campaigning for change that ensures our energy market operates with transparency, is competitive and works with customer need ahead of corporate greed at the heart of the business ethos.

In response to the calls for change, Ofgem recently announced proposals which adopted should help simplify the overly complex tariffs structure that are used by the Big 6 energy suppliers in the UK. Although welcoming the proposal Which?, do not think these go far enough and so is calling on supporters of the campaign to email Chris Hulme as Minister with responsibility for energy to ask that he acts decisive on this issue. You can add your voice to the calls for change here.

Energy Prices – UK Coalition Government meet with the Big Six Energy Suppliers

The UK Coalition Government held talks with the Big 6 energy suppliers back on Monday 17 October 2011. The purpose of these talks to raise with the Big Six concerns about the rising costs of energy in the UK and discuss with them what action they could take to ensure we (the consumer) get the most for our energy pound. Details of the discussion can be found on here.

If you are looking for advice on how to reduce your energy bills, make the switch to a new supplier and or want to help the environment check out our list of sites that offer impartial and independent on all these fronts.

Tackling Fuel Poverty – The Scottish Dimension

The Scottish Government is working towards its target of eradicating Fuel Poverty in Scotland by 2016; it hopes to achieve this by working with Local Authorities and others to ensure that homes across Scotland are fuel efficient and by investing in renewable forms of energy. Specific details of its Home Insulation, Warm Homes, Boiler Scrappage Schemes as well as information on how it is helping those on low income stay warm can be found here details of how North Lanarkshire is going about reducing fuel poverty in our area can be accessed here.

For our part, the Forum is organising an event on Fuel Poverty. The event targeted to our older people and those on fixed and or low income with the aim of helping them to get the most for their energy pound, whilst signposting them to support/services that will help them stay warm.

Warm Home Discount Deal (WHD)

Thanks to our chums at Motherwell Citizen Advice Bureau for providing us with the following posting linked here as a *PDF; the posting spells out who might qualify for this deal and also the discretion energy providers have to help the most vulnerable of their customers meet their fuel bills.


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Energy Prices – UK Coalition Government meet with the Big Six Energy Suppliers


The UK Coalition Government held talks today Monday 17 October 2011 with the Big Six energy suppliers in the UK. The purpose of these talks was to raise with the Big Six concerns about the rising costs of energy in the UK and discuss with the energy companies what action they could take to ensure the consumer gets the most for their energy pound. Details of the discussion can be found on http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15308005

If you are looking for advice on how to reduce your energy bills, make the switch to a new supplier and or want to help the environment check out our list of sites that offer impartial and independent on all these fronts.

Energy Saving Advice

Looking for impartial and independent help and advice on saving energy, whilst helping the environment and maybe hooking into the grants and support that is out there to help you do both then why not check out these sites

The Guardian how to reduce your energy bills

Consumer Focus (comprising Energywatch)

Energy saving trust

The Scottish Government

Make that switch


Best Tariffs best suited to your needs. Interested in switching your energy supplier but confused about what offers are out there and how to go about switching. Don’t panic! There are impartial and independent comparison sites out there designed to help you do just that. Check out Which?

The EnergyShop.com

Home Energy Scotland


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Elament


We woule encourage you to take a look at the Elament web site. Lanarshire's first stop for on-line mental health and well-being information providing information for people seeking assistance with mental health problems. Click here


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Men's Health


We have created links to posters promoting up coming events designed around and tailored to the specific needs of men's health. We are happy to help promote these events and would urge you to do the same. The big task is not only to get the word about the events but as important get men to attend these - this is where your help can be invaluable

Poster 1
Poster 2
Poster 3


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North Lanarkshire Disability Forum to host consultation event on the proposed changes to Disability Living Allowance (DLA)


The Westminster Government is proposing changes to DLA and the process is currently out to consultation.

The proposed changes could adversely affect those currently in receipt of DLA and will have far reaching effect for new claimants to its replacement, that is, Personal Independence Payments (PIPs).

North Lanarkshire Disability Forum is planning to host an Event to allow all with an interest in this matter to get along and have their say on the proposed changes to DLA.

Place: South Dalziel Studios, Windmillhill Street, Motherwell
Date: 3d February
Time: 1:00pm to 4:00pm

All are welcome, although for catering purposes as well as Health & Safety we would ask people to register by contacting Clare Quigley, Disability Forum, 42 Civic Square, Motherwell, 01698 275710 or email clare@nldfforum.plus.com It is important that as many people as possible attend the event and voice their concerns to enable the Forum's submission to be as robust as possible. However, if for whatever reason people cannot attend the meeting, they could contact the Disability Forum either electronically or by post, detailing any comments they may have and these too will be included in our final submissions. The Disability Forum will start writing up their submission on 7th Feb and that will be the closing date for written submissions.

If you would like a copy of the Government's proposals then contact Clare Quigley at the Disability Forum (the contact details are at the start of this blog) .

Some background to the proposed changes to the DLA

Initially, as part of the Government's austerity measures the plan was to reduce eligibility for DLA by 20%, but in a short space of time they decided to scrap DLA altogether and replace it with the Personal Independence Payment (PIP). This will result in even fewer people being eligible for a benefit that contributes to the extra costs incurred by disabled people and help them to lead a normal life enjoyed the rest of society.

To support "the need for change" members of the Government point out that when DLA was introduced in 1992, 2 million people qualified for DLA whereas there are now 12million people in receipt of DLA and so "something has to be done". This beggars the question "Why must something be done"? It may be that disabled people started to hear about the availability of DLA and applied for it and under the criteria, they qualified.

To support the stance "that something has to be done" David Cameron fronted the campaign to highlight "benefit cheats". On 10th August last year he made the statement that "we need to do more to stop benefit fraud - £1.5bn of hard earned taxpayers' money is being stolen from the taxpayer: and this is simply not acceptable". However the official fraud rate for the benefit is calculated at 0.5% which means DLA has the lowest rate of fraud of all other benefits.

In an article published in Vocation for Justice (vol 24 pub Winter 2010) it was reported that The Daily Mail carried 212 stories about 'scroungers' between the General Election and August that year, over 170 stories on 'benefit cheats' appeared in other 'broad sheet' Newspapers. I am sure everyone has seen TV News carrying stories of a DLA claimant running marathons, another claimant teaching dance classes, and a claimant 'running the line' during a football match.

It could be suggested that if the official fraud rate is 5% (based on the Government's own figures), then perhaps the black art of propaganda is at work here.

To concentrate on the proposed changes from DLA to PIP, currently with DLA if a person has severe difficulties with walking to the point where they depend on a wheelchair to get about then it is likely that they will qualify for the higher rate of the mobility component (and probably the higher rate of the care component). However, under the PIP proposals the fact that they can "get about" in their wheelchair the mobility component will be deemed at the lower rate.

Contained within the new PIP proposals there will be "one-off" payments available to allow people to buy aids and adaptations to allow the disabled person to "get about more", for instance wheelchairs, including battery operated chairs will be included in these "one-off" payments and so disabled people will be buying aids which hitherto have been supplied free. Disabled Activists believe that these" one-off" payments to assist disabled people to "get about a bit more" will include aids such as zimmers and other such walking aids. (we haven't seen any suggestions that they will include crutches and walking stick, but who knows what this Government will include) Another major change has been highlighted by Leonard Cheshire Campaign and that is that disabled people currently living in residential care and who at present qualify for the mobility component will lose that entitlement.

This means that it will be very difficult for disabled people living in residential care to maintain contact with family and friends and have access to community life, and as such their quality of life will be greatly diminished. As to the changes in the care component of DLA, many of the people who receive the current allowance use that money to pay for Home Care Services from North Lanarkshire Council. NLC's Welfare Rights Section have figures that suggest that the changes in DLA will impact seriously on the Council's new Budget that was passed in December last year. The Budget was of course in response to the austerity climate forced upon the Council by the Westminster Government. The result is that people will not have the money to pay for their Home Helps, Home Support and the other services that they "buy" from the Council.

It is estimated by the Welfare Rights team that using the 20% reduction (not to mention PIP), the annual loss to the North Lanarkshire economy will be £21,193,286 (yes that is right 21 million, 193 thousand and 286 hundred pounds).

I hope from this brief blog people will see why the Disability Forum have arranged a Consultation Event so that we can collect the views of Disabled People, their Carers, and their families (who will have to pick up the slack caused by these proposed changes) and submit our findings not just to the Department of Work and Pensions but also to the 4 MP's who represent the constituents of North Lanarkshire.

Greg McFarlane, vice-chair, North Lanarkshire Disability Forum.


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Hepatitis C


The Hepatitis C Resource Centre invites you to a briefing event in Lanarkshire. The event is free and designed to help the Voluntary and Community sectors to become more informed about the health and social issues raised by Hepatitis C.To read more please visit their site
To book places for the event please click here.


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Independent Advice & Support Service


The Lanarkshire Independent Advice Support Service has been in operation since September 2006. During this time we have helped address all kinds of complaints and concerns that the general public have wished to raise with the NHS.

NHS Lanarkshire is such a wide and varied organisation, it can be difficult for clients to know how to raise a concern, who to raise it with and how to convey their concerns.

Therefore the Independent Advice &Support Service has proven invaluable to the clients who have used it. We assist clients who wish to raise a complaint or a concern regarding any aspect of care or services provided by NHS Lanarkshire.

We have assisted our clients with issues such as lost property whilst in hospital, to the more serious issues involving serious illness and bereavement.

The service always promotes local resolution as a first step; many concerns are resolved by simply making staff aware of concerns and worries. As the Independent Advice Support Service is part of the Citizens Advice Bureau, we can also assist clients with other issues that may be impacting on their health, such as benefits, dept, housing, and employment ect. The service can be assessed by contacting any Lanarkshire Citizens Advice Bureau.

The service has successful assisted many clients navigate the NHS Lanarkshire complaints procedure with a positive outcome. However if the client remains dissatisfied with the response we also offer advice assistance in taking the complaint to the SPSO.

Contact details for the Independent Advice and Support Service caseworkers;

Valerie Costello  Tel: 01555 664301  Email: valcostello@clydesdalecab.casonline.org.uk
Evelyn Anderson  Tel: 01236 429338  Email: evelynanderson@coatbridgecab.casonline.org.uk


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Breast Cancer Awareness


Every October Breast Cancer Care joins other charities for a month of activity highlighting breast cancer and breast awareness issues. Breast Cancer is now the most common cancer in the UK, with over 44,000 people diagnosed every year.

Many cases of breast cancer are identified because of people being breast aware. This years campaign is called "Be Breast Aware", and packs are available free but are limited to one per person. To order a pack please use this link: Breast Cancer Awareness Website


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