Fiona Bruce MP urges people to support newlife foundation for disabled children

'Fiona Bruce MP urges people to support newlife foundation for disabled children

Fiona Bruce MP met representatives from newlife foundation for disabled children recently, a local charity helping disabled and terminally ill children in the UK, the UK’s largest charity funder of disability equipment for disabled children. The charity will collect no longer needed medical equipment so that it can be reused rather than it being thrown away.

Fiona Bruce MP said "I'm urging my constituents to support this excellent charity which is meeting more than one real need. Over the years several residents have contacted me expressing concern that they have been told to dispose of medical equipment after they have used it, - some valuable - when it could be used again by someone else who very much needs it. This recently founded, but already successful and growing charity solves that problem and will even collect items of equipment form people's homes! I encourage everyone to keep a note of their contact details.”

www.newlifecharity.co.uk

Former Mayor of Sandbach and MP Fiona Bruce join to support North West Air Ambulance fundraising

Former Mayor of Sandbach and MP Fiona Bruce join to support North West Air Ambulance fundraising

The former Mayor of Sandbach, Mike Benson, who together with his wife, Kathie, volunteers for the North West Air Ambulance Fundraising team, joined forces with the MP at the recent Sandbach U3A concert to raise funds for them.

Funds were donated by those attended the 1^st concert by the Sandbach U3A at which Mike Benson spoke. His statement regarding the fundraising at the Wesley Centre, Sandbach is below.

Fund-raising at the Sandbach U3A Concert

When the North West Air Ambulance fund-raising team contacted me to see if Kathie and I could help by providing a fund-raising table at a U3A Concert, a quick check of the diaries and ‘yes’ was our response.

The Concert raised much-needed funds from ticket sales, a raffle and from our modest merchandise table.  The Concert was very successful and a credit to Pat and Norman Satterthwait and the Team.

As I explained to the audience shortly before the interval, our involvement with NWAA was for a personal reason. I told of how one morning in September 2012 I received a call from my son-in-law to tell us that our daughter Jennifer had been involved in a motorcycle accident in Darwen, Lancashire, and suffering serious injuries.

At the scene, the paramedic, Chris, made an important decision. He diagnosed spinal injuries and called for the Air Ambulance. Jennifer’s flight took four minutes and at The Royal Preston Hospital this was confirmed. Jennifer’s vertabrae was broken in two places and she had broken her shoulder, collar bone, pelvis, several ribs and both lungs had collapsed. I still shudder when I think of that call and that we could have lost her or she could have been crippled for life.

North West Air Ambulance now has three helicopters and it costs 6 million pounds a year from voluntary contributions to operate them across the North West, covering 5,500 square miles and 8 million people.  It is worth remembering that the Air Ambulance is in the Sandbach area regularly and that 30% of all missions are to road traffic collisions. It could happen to any of us.

Jennifer’s journey probably cost about three thousand pounds, but the gift of time of four minutes instead of a journey by road of over 20 minutes undoubtedly was a life changer. Her recovery took over two years but last year she completed a fund-raising trek to Everest Base Camp, taking twelve days to reach 5357 metres.

At the time of the accident I was Deputy Town Mayor and it was a given that I would nominate NWAA as my main charity when I was appointed Mayor in 2013.  Before and since then, we have continued to support other voluntary organisations in Sandbach but we will never forget our gratitude to the North West Air Ambulance Team for the fantastic job they do.

Mike Benson

Supporting Healthy Drinking

Supporting healthy drinking

Fiona Bruce MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Alcohol Harm, hosted a panel discussion in Parliament on how to implement the new Chief Medical Officers’ Alcohol Guidelines.

The new guidelines, which were published in January, advise that both men and women are safest not to drink regularly more than 14 units a week. They also state that the risk of developing a range of illnesses (including cancers of the mouth, throat and breast) increases with any amount you drink on a regular basis.

The guidelines also advise that if you wish to cut down the amount you are drinking, a good way to help achieve this is to have several drink-free days each week.

Fiona Bruce MP introduced three expert speakers, two of whom were involved on the panel which advised the Chief Medical Officers on the guidelines. Professor Sir Ian Gilmore spoke about how health professionals could be better trained to take full alcohol histories with patients. Professor Theresa Marteau and Professor Marcus Munafo talked about how small things, like the shape of the glass you drink from, can drastically change the amount you drink. They also spoke about the importance of public education as an important first step.

Fiona Bruce MP said: “The new Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines provide an important opportunity to advise the public on the dangers of drinking alcohol. It is vital that the Government now makes sure that the new guidelines are properly understood so that the public can make their own informed choices about how much they drink.”

Fiona Bruce MP continued: “The expert panel brought some fascinating data about how we can change our everyday behaviour. If used correctly, this could help change some of the dangerous drinking patterns which lead to huge cost to the NHS and, more importantly, to families and society.”

Calls for Government to prevent discrimination against pro-life Doctors

CONGLETON MP CALLS FOR GOVERNMENT TO PREVENT DISCRIMINATION AGAINST PRO-LIFE DOCTORS

A group of MPs led by Congleton MP Fiona Bruce have called on Government and NHS governing bodies to ensure that the legal right of healthcare professionals to conscientious objection to taking part in abortions is properly protected. The All-Party Parliamentary Pro-Life Group, chaired by Congleton MP Fiona Bruce, found that there is increasing pressure on healthcare professionals with a conscientious objection to abortion to participate in the abortion process.

While the Inquiry, which received evidence from 150 different witnesses, including many healthcare professionals, healthcare bodies and abortion providers, heard accounts from nurses, midwives and doctors who had been pressured and discriminated against despite their right to conscientious objection, often seeing their career or training options limited. The British Medical Association confirmed that ‘some doctors have complained of being harassed and discriminated against because of their conscientious objection to abortion.’

The Report makes clear that, whilst there is legal protection for healthcare professionals who have a conscientious objection to participating in abortion, this is not being observed in practice.

It also recommends that the Government conduct a review into the training of medical students, and calls for the principle of ‘Reasonable Accommodation’ to be introduced into legislation in this country. The report calls specifically on the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecologists to publish a statement clarifying its position on this issue.

Fiona Bruce MP, who has been Member of Parliament from the Congleton constituency since 2010, said “Freedom of conscience is a key part of living in a diverse and democratic society. It is vital that conscientious health professionals who do not wish to participate in abortion can be confident in their right to opt-out of doing so without fear of censure, discrimination or abuse.

‘It is essential that our hardworking doctors, nurses and midwives are given the protection the law requires if they do not want to participate in abortions.’

ENDS

The full report can be found at: www.conscienceinquiry.uk

The report concludes:

The Abortion Act 1967 provided in Section 4(1) – the Conscience Clause – a clear right for all healthcare professionals who wish to do so to opt out of involvement in the abortion process. Today, almost fifty years later, when respect for difference and diversity in our society has substantially increased, doctors and other healthcare practitioners should feel as confident as ever, if not more so, about exercising this legal right. There should be no question of healthcare professionals being, as the British Medical Association has described it in evidence to this Inquiry, harassed and discriminated against. There should be no question of their being denied career choices or progression; nor of the exercise of the right to opt out being dependent upon the views and attitudes of individual managers;  nor of there being a lack of clear teaching to medical students of their legal rights in this regard. The All-Party Parliamentary Pro-Life Group  hopes that as a result of this Inquiry and report, healthcare professionals’ ability, and indeed resolve, to rely on this right will be strengthened and appropriately defended at all times by their professional bodies.

Fiona Bruce MP secures funding for Middlewich Bypass

Fiona Bruce MP secures funding for Middlewich Bypass

Fiona Bruce MP is pleased to be able to announce this week that she has secured £1,257,000 of Government funding to help build the business case for the much needed Middlewich Bypass as part of the Government’s Large Local Major Schemes programme.

After campaigning on this on behalf of Middlewich residents both locally and in Parliament almost since her election in 2010, Fiona has said of this announcement:

 “I am delighted that, following meetings with Government Ministers and representations in Parliament, and working together with Cheshire East Council and the Local Enterprise Partnership, we have been able to secure this Government funding. This funding decision by Government Ministers should give everyone locally confidence that National Government has listened to, heard and understood the very real need for a bypass for the people of Middlewich. I hope that this funding to help develop a detailed business case will ensure that a firm plan and construction timeline is set in place. Middlewich has been waiting too long for a bypass, deserves this investment and local residents can be assured of my continued determination to keep fighting for the bypass for the town until we see its completion.”