August 2008 Archives

FLEAS in the operating theatre and maggots in the mortuary - news of infestations at Southport Hospital may be shocking but they should be taken with a pinch of salt.

With Labour on the back foot nationally, the Conservatives have used the ever-divisive issue of healthcare to score political points with a stomach-churning report.

In a busy hospital environment - where thousands of people pass in and out daily - pest infestations are bound to occur and even the smallest case should not be ignored.

Southport Hospital has proven itself as a safe and clean environment - it has been free from superbug MRSA since last year.

Frankly, it should not matter how many times controllers are called out - just that pest problems are dealt with quickly and safely.

It's Great Up North

BLACKPOOL-born Coleen Nolan has shown her support to the North by saying that it's time to knock all those regional stereotypes on the head.

Coleen, who will open this year's Southport Flower Show said the event is a perfect way to show the rest of the UK that we don't just "wear flat caps and eat pies" all the time.

Thousands of visitors will be flocking through the gates of Victoria Park for the Flower Show in a couple of weeks and it is a brilliant opportunity to show them the resort for what it is: a friendly, welcoming town, rich with culture and history.

LEISURE facilities in Southport are about to shoot up in cost as Sefton Council battles to combat a substantial shortfall in its budget.
Council chiefs and councillors faced a very difficult decision of how to fill a £40,000 black hole caused by recent rises in fuel and utility costs which look like they are only going to get higher.
It is to their credit that the popular Free and Active scheme continues to provide youngsters with free access to a wide variety of sports and activities this summer. Many other people in Southport however face rising charges bound to leave them furious at a time when everyone is feeling the pinch.
Right or wrong, it was a tough decision to make - and in this financial climate it looks like being the first of many.

A FIRM which offers services to people in Southport has gone bust - and the Southport Visiter could not be more delighted.
Patientline has been at the centre of much controversy in the Visiter pages ever since it was allowed to provide phone, TV and entertainment facilities for patients at Southport & Formby District General Hospital.
While the firm needed to recoup on its investment, charges were scandalous.
While those spending their days in hospital beds were often at their most vulnerable, their hopes of whiling away the time, taking their minds off the pain or cheering themselves up with contact from friends and families often proved prohibitively expensive.
Many people left hospital in better condition physically, but taking home hefty bills they could ill afford.
Sefton Council's health committee and Southport MP John Pugh were among those who called for charges to be slashed, arguing that making money from the sick was highly unethical.
Incoming calls cost 26p, outgoing calls were 49p a minute watching television cost £2.90.
It's enough to make you sick - wWhoever takes over should leave patients' bank balances in better health by the time they leave hospital.