News Andy Burnham MP for Leigh

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21/10/2009 - More than 11 million people in England will be offered it first.

NHS Hospitals will begin vaccinating frontline healthcare workers and their patients who fall into at risk categories against swine flu from today (Wednesday). The vaccination programme will be rolled out over the next few weeks with GP surgeries receiving deliveries from Monday (26 October).

Around two million frontline health and social care workers will be offered the vaccine. This group is at increased risk of infection and of transmitting that infection to susceptible patients. Protecting these people will help the NHS workforce to remain resilient and able to treat sick patients.

The following at risk groups will be prioritised in the following order (numbers given are approximate and are for England only):

1. People aged over six months and under 65 years in current seasonal flu vaccine clinical at risk groups (about 5 million people)
2. All pregnant women (about 0.5 million people)
3. Household contacts of people with compromised immune systems e.g. people in regular close contact with patients on treatment for cancer (about 0.5 million people)
4. People aged 65 and over in the current seasonal flu vaccine clinical at risk groups (about 3.5 million people). This does not include otherwise healthy over 65s, since they appear to have some natural immunity to the virus.

Patients will be contacted by their GPs if they fall into one of the at risk categories.

The GSK vaccine (Pandemrix) will be offered to the vast majority of people. It has been licensed and approved by the European regulators. Most people will need only one dose of this vaccine for protection.

Leigh MP and Health Secretary, Andy Burnhan said, “Our best line of defence against swine flu is the vaccine. I’m very pleased to say that the UK is one of the first countries in the world to start vaccinating against this virus."

“The independent committee of experts in the UK has recommended that all those in the ‘at risk’ groups should be offered the swine flu vaccine. It is also being offered to frontline health and social care workers to protect them and their patients and ensure the NHS is staffed should it come under pressure this winter.”

Sir Liam Donaldson, the Chief Medical Officer said, “This is the first pandemic for which we have had vaccine to protect people. I urge everyone in the priority groups to have the vaccine – it will help prevent people in clinical risk groups from getting swine flu and the complications that may arise from it."

“It's important for frontline health and social care workers to have the vaccine. It will help prevent them and their families getting the virus from patients, it will stop them passing the virus onto their patients, it will potentially protect them from mutated strains and it will reduce the disruption to NHS services caused by people being absent due to illness.”

14/10/2009 - National Care Service will take the fear out of getting older pledges Andy Burnham MP

A new National Care Service will help take the fear out of getting older Health Secretary Andy Burnham pledged as new figures came out showing that ageing is a real worry for most people.

In a Department of Health survey, 86 per cent of people said they are worried about getting older.

The survey showed that:

• more than half (54 per cent) worry about losing their mind and memory;
• the same number of people (54 per cent) worry about illness or infirmity;
• 39 per cent worry about being lonely; and
• 38 per cent worry about poverty.

However, 8 per cent of people surveyed hoped they wouldn’t get to an age where they would have to worry about these things.

The Government is currently consulting with the public on the future of care services, following publication of a Green Paper earlier this year.

Under the proposals, a National Care Service would be created, making care for older and disabled people simpler, fairer and more affordable for everyone. As part of this the Prime Minister recently announced plans to make home care free for the people with the greatest care needs.
The consultation for the Big Care Debate closes one month from today, on the 13 November.

Andy Burnham MP said, “Of course many of us worry about getting ill or not getting about so easily when we get old, that’s only natural. But I don’t want people to worry about how they will be looked after and how that care will be paid for."

"That’s why we’re proposing a National Care Service which will take away some of the fear of getting older. We should all be able to look forward to old age and feel confident that if they need care, the right services will be there for us."

"We’re currently having a big care debate with the public about how to make this National Care Service simple, fair and affordable for all. The debate ends in a month and its essential people have their say.”

Half of all men and two in three women will end up needing care at some point, and if someone has more than £23,000 in savings, they will need to meet all the costs themselves. The costs average £30,000, but for someone with dementia they could be as high as £200,000.

There are three proposals for funding a National Care Service:

Partnership – the responsibility for paying for care would be shared between the Government and the person who has care needs. The Government provides between a quarter and a third of the cost of care, more for people on a low income. Today’s 65 year olds will need care costing on average £30,000.

Insurance – the same as partnership but the Government could help people to prepare to meet the costs that they would have to pay for themselves, through an insurance-based approach. As well as receiving between a third and a quarter of the cost of care, the Government would make it easier for people to take out insurance to cover care costs. It is estimated that the cost of insurance could be around £20,000 to £25,000.

Comprehensive – everyone who can afford it would pay into a state insurance scheme meaning everyone who needs care will receive it free. It is estimated that the cost of being in the system could be between £17,000 and £20,000.

Under the National Care Service, everyone will get at least some care for free. The Government wants to hear people’s views on how we balance what it is fair for everyone to pay, against the need to protect some people from having to pay huge care costs.

The Department of Health survey was undertaken by Opinion Matters between 13 and 22 July 2009. 2003 adults in England took part.

The Green Paper, Shaping the Future of Care Together, published on 14 July, set out a vision for a National Care Service. A service which is fair, simple and affordable for all adults. Everyone in England will be guaranteed:

Prevention services - the right support to stay independent and well for as long as possible and to delay care needs getting worse.

National assessment - care needs will be assessed in the same way across the country.

Joined-up services - all the services will work together smoothly.

Information and advice – the care system will be easy to understand and navigate.

Personalised care and support - services will be based on personal circumstances and need.

Fair funding - money will be spent wisely and everyone will get some help meeting the high cost of care needs.

07/10/2009 - Teenagers urged to make views known on bankers pay and bonuses

Following the launch of the annual ifs Young Business Writer of the Year competition Andy Burnham MP has urged teenagers living in the Leigh Constituency to enter the national writing competition to make their views about bankers pay and bonuses known.

This engaging competition is open to all UK school and college students aged between 14 and 19 and enables teenagers to test their writing skills by writing a 1,000 word article with the headline, "Bankers rewards - asking for trouble?"

As well as the title “ifs Young Business Writer of the Year”, the winner will also receive a £500 cash prize.

Andy Burnham MP said, “This competition achieves two admirable goals - encouraging young people to think about business & finance and helping to foster an interest in writing. I therefore have no hesitation in encouraging teenagers in Leigh to participate and wish them every success with their entries.”

Rod McKee, Head of Financial Capability at the ifs School of Finance said, “We are pleased that Andy Burnham has highlighted some of the benefits of this popular competition and urged his constituents to submit an entry. Issues relating to bankers rewards can be complex and contentious so it will be interesting to read local teenagers views.”

Anyone aged between 14 and 19 who wishes to enter the competition simply has to e-mail their article (which must not exceed 1,000 words) to ybwy@ifslearning.ac.uk between now and the competition closing date of Monday 26 January 2010.

For more information please visit www.financialcapability.co.uk