Independent Gloucestershire Thursday, January 9, 2014 20p where sold  NEWS  CARS  JOBS  SERVICES  PROPERTY  EVENTS


Christmas is over - fancy an eating marathon?


Report is just the tonic for a ‘highly clean’ hospital


STROUD General Hospital has been given a clean bill of health by inspectors working for the Care Quality Commis- sion (CQC) watchdog. Inspectors from the CQC,


the regulator of health and social care in England, visit- ed the hospital over two days on November 27 and 28, and found standards were being met across all five categories assessed. They spoke to hospital pa- tients about their experienc- es and were told that the staff were friendly and caring, the food was good and the stand- ard of cleanliness high. Liz Fenton, director of nursing at Gloucestershire Care Services NHS Trust which runs the hospital, said: “This is a really positive re- port for a well-loved hospi- tal and everyone at Stroud deserves recognition for the


quality of care demonstrated to the inspection team. “This report will act as


a platform from which we can continue to improve so that our community hospi- tals provide only the highest quality services for the peo- ple of Gloucestershire.” During the routine inspec-


tion, the inspectors can choose to assess the hospital against any of 16 yardsticks which relate to the quality and safety of care. The CQC team observed the


care people received, studied hospital records and talked to patients and staff in order to assess the hospital in five areas, including the care and welfare of patients and the extent to which the hospital meets nutritional needs. Inspectors also looked at


the hospital’s cleanliness and infection control measures,


its staffing levels and its plan for assessing and monitoring the quality of service provi- sion.


Patients described the


staff as “kind” and “socia- ble” while another said that “nothing was too much trou- ble.


They said Stroud was “a quiet hospital, good for rest and recuperation” while an- other said: “The staff here are kind, extremely nice and the hospital is small – every- one knows each other and is very friendly.” The CQC report said the hospital was clean and hy- gienic and that there were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to meet pa- tients’ needs. Stroud General said the in- spectors also provided some observations which would help to improve standards.


Call to take example of other authorities over parking fees


COTSWOLD District Council should look at their neigh- bouring councils when it comes to setting its parking charges, according to the leader of the opposition. Following the national news that local councils made a £594 million profit from parking charges and that CDC reported a profit just shy of £1.5 million, Cllr Paul Hodgkinson, Lib Dem Parliamentary candidate for the Cotswolds, said: “This is clearly a big issue in other parts of the country too, but


not every council sees the need to hammer residents with high charges. “Look at West Oxfordshire,


whom CDC shares a chief ex- ecutive with, they have free parking and the result is a lot more footfall in their town centres. If they can do it in a similar sized rural area, why can’t we?” Local councils up and down


the country have made al- most £30 million more in parking charges, compared to this time last year. The figures, which were


compiled by the RAC, were calculated by adding up in- come from parking charges and penalty notices and de- ducting running costs. A spokesman for the De-


partment for Communities and Local Government said that the current state of parking in Britain is unjust and is looking at taking ac- tion to halt “town hall park- ing bullies”. CDC claims that all the money itmakes from parking charges and fines is put back into local services.


See page 5 Blankets for poor tots


Members of the South Glos Fibromyalgia Knit’n’Natter Therapy Group show off their latest designs, which are now on their way to the Little Angels Academy in Kenya (2368533)


A SOUTH Gloucestershire knit- ting group has pulled out all the stops to ensure some of Kenya’s poorest children have warm blankets at night in their new home. The 34 hope blankets were


crafted by the South Glos Fibromyalgia Knit’n’Natter Therapy Group for each bed at the newly constructed Little Angels Academy in the Mabambani village. Dr Paul Walker and his wife,


Pearl, trustees of the Kanamai Development Trust, which helped build the home, received the blankets and said they were amazed by the mix of vibrant colours and differ- ent textures. Founder of the knitting group


Lynne Cullen said: “They don’t have very much to call their own and these little gifts might give them hope that people are thinking of them.” The Kanamai Development


Trust aims to assist the extremely poor in the Kanamai District of Kenya by providing free education, sanitation, clean drinking water, basic healthcare and employment.


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