by Paul Scully | Dec 1, 2015 | News |
Recently I attended the launch of the ‘Handz’ campaign in Parliament, hosted by my colleague Andrea Jenkyns MP (pictured) and Chief Medical Officer Dame Sally Davies.
The Handz campaign is trying to raise more awareness of Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs) like MRSA, campaign to educate young people about the advantages of good hand hygiene and push ahead to help solve these global issues.
Andrea said, “In November 2011, I lost my father Clifford to the Superbug MRSA following a routine procedure in a hospital. Within 24 hours of being discharged he started to feel unwell and we took him back to hospital and were devastated to hear he had been infected with MRSA. He was in an out of hospital for the last four months of his life. While he was there, despite the fact he was suffering from an infection he picked up in hospital, I was shocked by the lack of awareness of basic hand hygiene in this particular hospital. We want to raise awareness around hand hygiene and make sure we can spread the word far and wide that simple, easy hand hygiene techniques can make a real difference. This isn’t just about hospital settings either. With an ageing population and growing pressure on the NHS, preventing infections and illness is more important than ever. Hand hygiene is a big part of that, and I am delighted that Paul is supporting this campaign.”
I was shocked that, in London alone, from January to March 2015, 2025 people contracted a HAI. In 2014-15, the Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust recorded seven cases of MRSA. I’ve spoken to the Chief Executive and I know they are trying to do more to stamp this out, as even seven is seven too many.
To find out more about the Handz campaign, visit their website at http://handz.org.uk/.
by Paul Scully | Nov 27, 2015 | News |
To protect our national security, we are defending our country’s interests abroad and keeping our citizens safe at home.
There will be no cuts in the police budget with real terms protection for police funding and we will deliver on our commitment to spend 2 per cent of our national income on defence.
It is absolutely right that we are protecting the police budget. Locally I am very supportive of the Borough Commander David Snelling (pictured) and of the great work that the police do in Sutton. Sutton is lucky to have one of the top three lowest crime rates in London, and that is testament to the brave men and women of the police in Sutton who keep us safe. The police protect us and now we are protecting the police.
I have always been clear that I did not want to see police numbers cut. I have been working hard on this issue with our Conservative London Assembly Member, Steve O’Connell. We beleive that effective and visible policing works, not only as a deterrent of crime, but also for intelligence gathering and it offers the public reassurance. I also met with the Chancellor, George Osborne, before the Autumn Statement to express that I wanted to see the police budget protected.
It’s a shame that some Lib Dems were getting ahead of themselves and scaremongering about police numbers. Talk of reducing police numbers actually came from the management body of the Metropolitan Police, not politicians, who were essentially negotiating in public via the media. This sort of scaremongering only increases the fear of crime.
by Paul Scully | Nov 26, 2015 | News |
Following the terrible attacks in Paris, I attended a special remembrance service at the Baitul Futuh Mosque in Morden last Friday.
There was a speci
al service of prayers and brief remarks, as well as a minute’s silence in memory of those who lost their lives.
This was a good opportunity to show our solidarity both with communities in London and Paris, and send a clear message that such terrorism will only serve to unite us even more.
I was touched to see so many people at this event, from all backgrounds. We stood united in the face of terrorism and in mourning of the victims of those tragic attacks.
I would like to thank Baitul Futuh Mosque for inviting me and for organising this service.
by Paul Scully | Nov 25, 2015 | News |
I welcome the Chancellor’s Spending Review and Autumn Statement. It delivers on the promise the Conservative Party made to the British people that we would put their security first by:
- Protecting our economic security – taking the difficult decisions to live within our means and bring our debts down. The public spending plans set out in the Spending Review mean Britain will reach a surplus of £10.1 billion in 2019/20 – that’s higher than was forecast at the Budget and means Britain will be out of the red and into the black.
- Protecting our national security by defending our country’s interests abroad and keeping our citizens safe at home. The Spending Review announced there will be no cuts in the police budget with real terms protection for police funding and delivers on the Government’s commitment to spend 2 per cent of our national income on defence.
In total, the Spending Review commits £4 trillion pounds over the next five years. A huge commitment of the hard-earned cash of British taxpayers, and the Conservative Party knows we have an obligation to make sure it is well spent.
London will benefit from the measures announced including:
- £11 billion of investment in London’s transport infrastructure. The Government will provide £11 billion worth of support for transport in London by 2021, going further than our existing long-term commitment to provide £10 billion of support. Comprising over £7 billion in grants and borrowing powers worth nearly £4 billion, this will enable the completion of Crossrail, major Underground upgrades, 1,700 hybrid-electric buses by 2016 and new cycle superhighways to open in 2015-16.
- Sharing £250 million National Potholes Fund. We will fill over 4.5 million potholes across the UK through a new dedicated Potholes Action Fund – with total roads maintenance funding equivalent to filling 20 million potholes a year.
- Expanding Help to Buy in London to help families realise their dream of home ownership. The Government will create a London Help to Buy scheme, offering a 40 per cent equity loan. This will mean buyers with a 5 per cent deposit can access an interest free loan of up to 40 per cent of the value of a new build home for five years. The scheme will mean people can make the most of the biggest house building programme by any government since the 1970s with a doubling of the national housing budget to over £2 billion a year. Our bold plan to back families who aspire to buy their own home will deliver 400,000 affordable new homes by the end of the decade.
- Schools in London. We are rebuilding and refurbishing 87 schools in the worst condition through the Priority Schools Building Programme. We have opened 97 free schools in London since 2010 and have already approved application to open 64 more this parliament including one in Sutton.
This Autumn Statement delivers on the promise we made to working people in Sutton that we would put their security first. Securing enough housing and school places and better transport, healthcare and economic growth are all vital to local people. Whilst taking the difficult decisions to live within our means and bring our debts down, the measures in the statement will help achieve these improvements for Sutton. I have raised the issue of the police budget and its effect on neighbourhood policing directly with the Chancellor. I am delighted that he listened to MPs like myself and protecting the police funding in real terms. This is also part of protecting our national security by defending our country’s interests abroad and keeping our citizens safe at home. George Osborne also listened carefully about concerns regarding the proposed reform of tax credits and acted decisively using the improvement of the public finances to support the lowest paid in our society.
Our approach across the nation is not simply retrenchment, it is to reform and rebuild, with:
- Full funding of the Five Year Forward View put forward by the NHS itself as the plan for its future with the first £6 billion delivered up-front next year.
- The biggest real terms rise in the basic State Pension in 15 years. Thanks to our commitment to the triple lock, next year the basic state pension will rise by £3.35 to £119.30 a week.
- The biggest house building programme by any government since the 1970s with a doubling of the housing budget to over £2 billion a year.
- The phasing out entirely of the local government grant. By the end of the parliament local government will keep all of the revenue from business rates. We will abolish the uniform business rate so councils will be able to cut rates to attract new businesses, but because the amount government raises in business rates is much greater than the amount we give to local councils through the local government grant we will phase that grant out entirely and devolve additional responsibilities.
- New apprenticeship levy to deliver 3 million apprenticeships. This will ensure large businesses share the cost of training, but businesses with a wage bill below £3 million won’t have to pay. We will also increase funding for apprenticeships to make sure they are high quality apprenticeships.
- Real terms protection of the schools budget. We will maintain funding for free infant school meals, protect rates for the pupil premium, and increase the cash in the dedicated schools grant. We’re also going to open 500 new free schools and University Technical Colleges, and invest £23 billion in school buildings and 600,000 new school places.
- The largest ever investment in free childcare so working families get the help they need. From 2017, we will fund 30 hours of free childcare for working families with three and four year olds. We’ll support £10,000 of childcare costs tax-free and, to support nurseries delivering more free places for parents, we’ll increase funding for the sector by £300 million.
- The improvement in the nation’s finances used to help on tax credits. Because of the improvement in the public finances, the simplest thing to do is not to phase these changes in, but to avoid them altogether. Tax credits are being phased out anyway as we introduce universal credit.
- Average saving of £30 from the projected energy bills of 24 million households by introducing a cheaper domestic energy efficiency scheme.
by Paul Scully | Nov 24, 2015 | News |
With winter approaching, it is important that people are taking advantage of free help and support with their energy bills.
It is really important to be prepared for winter and I want all my constituents and I want everyone living in Sutton, Cheam and Worcester Park to understand what help is available to them, and for their family and friends. Being energy efficient and keeping bills under control is so important and I advise everyone to get in touch with their energy supplier to find out what support is on offer.
There are a number of simple steps that every constituent should take to make sure they’re doing all they can to keep their bills down and their home warm.
Stephen Beynon, Managing Director of British Gas Residential Energy said: “Winter can be a challenging time for households and many people will be concerned about their winter energy bill. There is help available and we urge customers to get in touch to find out what advice and support is on offer.
“In the long term, energy efficiency is still the best way to save money on bills. British Gas is pleased to be working with the UK Government to roll out free loft and cavity wall insulation for eligible households, and you don’t need to be a British Gas customer to sign up.
“We’re also proud to be leading the way in the roll-out of smart meters which enable you to see how much energy you are using in pounds and pence and identify where savings can be made.”
Here are some ways to help you save money this winter:
Insulate your home
One of the best ways to be energy efficient and keep your home warm is to insulate it. British Gas is currently offering free loft and cavity wall insulation as part of the UK Government’s ECO scheme. Insulation can save hundreds of pounds – for example loft insulation can save up to £140 and cavity wall insulation can save up to £160 per year in a typical semi-detached home. To find out if your home is suitable call British Gas free on 0800 316 4051 or visit: www.britishgas.co.uk/insulation.
Get the best deal
Make sure you are on the best gas and electricity tariff for you. British Gas tells customers in every bill if they have a better tariff for them, allows customers to switch between its tariffs without paying a penalty charge and offers flexible payment plans which allow customers to set and manage their own payments. Anyone worried about their energy bill can call British Gas on 0800 048 0202 to discuss the help available.
Extra support for vulnerable customers
Constituents may be entitled to extra support from the Government and their energy supplier if they meet certain criteria. Last year more than 650,000 British Gas customers in the UK received the Warm Home Discount – a one off discount of £140 on the electricity bill. British Gas has the broadest eligibility criteria of all energy suppliers. British Gas customers should call 0800 072 8625.
The British Gas Energy Trust
The British Gas Energy Trust is an independent charitable trust that offers advice and support for people who are struggling with their household bills. Since it was established in 2004, British Gas has provided £78million of funding to the Trust which has helped more than 120,000 people with debt advice and grants. For more information on the British Gas Energy Trust, visit: www.britishgasenergytrust.org.uk.
by Paul Scully | Nov 9, 2015 | News |
I have pledged to work with the Arrhythmia Alliance to raise awareness of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) – the UK’s leading killer – and Arrhythmia Alliance aims to work in partnership with others to reduce the number of deaths in the UK from SCA by 50% by 2020.
At an event held in Parliament hosted by the Arrhythmia Alliance on Thursday 5th November, I signed a pledge in support of the Arrhythmia Alliance’s ‘Now is the Time’ Manifesto. Arrhythmia Alliance’s Manifesto: ‘Now is the Time’ was launched in June this year and delivered into parliaments across the UK. The manifesto presents both the cause of SCA and the consequences of not being adequately equipped to revive a patient. It also offers a seven-task solution to improving, and dramatically increasing, the number of lives saved from SCA.
This event raised awareness of these issues and Parliamentarians who attended had a FREE pulse check, FREE ECG hand-held recording and the opportunity to see a defibrillator demonstration.
Arrhythmia Alliance Chief Executive Trudie Lobban MBE, who hosted the event, said: “Today across the UK, up to 250 people will be struck down by sudden cardiac arrest and less than 20 will survive – in many other places across the world MORE THAN 100 of these people would survive and continue to live their lives. All of this can happen quickly – in fact, in a matter of seconds… sudden cardiac arrest can strike anyone, at any time, any age, without warning. Unless treated immediately by CPR and defibrillation this always leads to death within minutes.”
I was delighted to attend Arrhythmia Alliance’s reception in Parliament and pledge my support for their ‘Now is the Time’ Manifesto. I was shocked by some of the figures that I heard at the event and I hope we can reach the target to reduce the number of deaths in the UK from SCA by 50% by 2020. It was a fantastic to learn more about the work of the Arrhythmia Alliance and I would encourage everyone to check out some of the work they are doing, and how they can get involved.
For further information about Arrhythmia Alliance or to view the Manifesto, please visit: http://heartrhythmcharity.org.uk/.
Andrea said, “In November 2011, I lost my father Clifford to the Superbug MRSA following a routine procedure in a hospital. Within 24 hours of being discharged he started to feel unwell and we took him back to hospital and were devastated to hear he had been infected with MRSA. He was in an out of hospital for the last four months of his life. While he was there, despite the fact he was suffering from an infection he picked up in hospital, I was shocked by the lack of awareness of basic hand hygiene in this particular hospital. We want to raise awareness around hand hygiene and make sure we can spread the word far and wide that simple, easy hand hygiene techniques can make a real difference. This isn’t just about hospital settings either. With an ageing population and growing pressure on the NHS, preventing infections and illness is more important than ever. Hand hygiene is a big part of that, and I am delighted that Paul is supporting this campaign.”
