The Group took up this issue following responses to parliamentary questions, which revealed that implementation was the responsibility of individual NHS organisations and progress was not monitored centrally.

The Report’s Key Findings:

• Serious challenges to the delivery of psychological services, particularly CBT, to all service users with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, as called for by the Guideline
• Lack of focus on the requirements for more comprehensive services such as assistance with employment and partnerships with relevant local organisations
• Confusion and difficulties in providing improved physical health screening for service users with a diagnosis of schizophrenia
• Inconsistency in the services provided across Trusts and the potential for sharing of good practice in areas such as monitoring adherence to medication

The report highlights the difficulties mental health service users face in accessing what should be basic treatment and the importance in maintaining the growth in funding for mental health services.   The report is based on responses from over half of the mental health trusts in England and Wales.

A copy of the report can be obtained at: www.appg-mentalhealth.org.uk/appgmh-news.html

Philip "Silver fox" Schofield and Eastenders' Heather, actress Cheryl Fergison are backing the Diabetes UK Get Serious campaign

A shocking number of children are being rushed to hospital suffering from a potentially fatal diabetic condition, says the National Director of Diabetes UK Cymru, Dai Williams.

More than 120 children in Wales were admitted to accident and emergency departments in a year with a potentially fatal diabetic complication, leading health charity Diabetes UK Cymru warns today.

One hundred and twenty one children out of the 1,419 children and young people diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in Wales were admitted to hospital with potentially life-threatening diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), according to the latest available figures.

DKA happens when blood glucose levels are high (hyperglycaemia) and causes nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, rapid breathing and, if left untreated, may lead to coma and death. It requires urgent hospital treatment.

The UK has the fourth highest incidence of Type 1 diabetes in children (25 per 100,000 a year) in Europe and the lowest number of children attaining good diabetes control.

Diabetes UK Cymru is concerned that in many cases DKA occurs because Type 1 diabetes is not diagnosed early enough.

Dai Williams, National Director of Diabetes UK Cymru, said: “It’s shocking to see such high numbers of children being rushed to A&E with this life-threatening complication in Wales.

“We know from our previous research that specialist diabetes staff report an increase in emergency hospital admissions whenever there are cuts in services.

“Children and their parents desperately need better access to paediatric specialist diabetes teams.

“The number of emergency admissions could be reduced significantly with investment in appropriate care, diabetes advice and practical self-management support.

“The quality of life for children with diabetes is at stake so we must act now.”

The symptoms of Type 1 diabetes include increased thirst, extreme tiredness, weight loss, blurred vision, genital itching and passing water frequently (particularly in night).

In Type 1 diabetes, these symptoms happen faster than Type 2 diabetes, often within a matter of weeks.

A 2008 Diabetes UK Cymru poster warning about the symptoms of DKA is available free of charge from: Diabetes UK Cymru on 029 20668276 or email wales@diabetes.org.uk.

Michaelston Community College - 28 per cent saving on CO2

In the last three years a total of 66 separate energy efficiency projects have been completed in 53 council buildings as the council works towards cutting CO2 emissions and reducing energy bills.

Examples include loft and cavity wall insulation, heating controls, pool covers on swimming pools to reduce heating and ventilation costs and motor controls on pool pumps and ventilation fans.

Compared to 2005-06 the council has seen around a 12.5 per cent reduction in energy use and CO2 emissions for all buildings, receiving energy efficiency measures, falling by 11.6 per cent. This equates to an annual saving of £264,126.

There have been some shining individual examples of reduction in C02 emissions at Llanishen High School (18 per cent). Llanishen Leisure Centre (21 per cent), Michaelston Community College (28 per cent) and Willcox House (22 per cent).

Cardiff Council has made a commitment to reduce 60 per cent of the authority’s carbon emissions from non domestic buildings and waste by 2018 and is the first local authority in Wales to set such an ambitious target. Further measures such as insulation, heating controls, lighting upgrades and replacement of inefficient hot water systems, are set to be implemented in schools.

The Council is now looking at future carbon reduction initiatives and strategies to achieve existing and future carbon reduction targets.

It has joined the 10:10 campaign which aims to achieve a 10 per cent in UK carbon emissions in 2010 and is looking to becoming involved in the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) Energy Efficiency Scheme which aims to give incentives to improve energy by directly rewarding energy savings.

Cardiff Council leader Rodney Berman, said: “Cardiff Council is making excellent progress in reducing its carbon emissions. This is a hugely important project as it not only is vital for the environment that we meet our targets but in doing so the council will make significant efficiency savings at the same time.

“While we have short-term targets this is very much a long term project and, for example, the UK Climate Change Act has set targets for local authorities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by 2050. Public sector organisations currently account for approximately five per cent of the UK’s overall carbon emissions – equivalent to around 21 million tonnes of CO2 and the Council is fully committed in working towards meeting our targets and tackling this major environmental challenge.”

The new Park and Ride in the east of Cardiff is proving to be extremely popular, with the numbers of people using it rising each week.

Since its launch on October 19, the weekly number of cars using the Park and Ride has more than doubled, with the latest count showing 1548 drivers taking advantage of the service from November 16 to 22.

Both commuters and shoppers are finding the Cardiff East Park and Ride invaluable and the approaching festive season, coupled with the recent opening of St David’s, has boosted figures significantly with more than 6000 vehicles using the service.

Councillor Delme Bowen, Executive member for Traffic and Transportation, said: “People are realising just how easy the new Park and Ride makes it to get in and out of the city centre and I am getting nothing but positive feedback about it.

“It’s great to see people actively seeking alternative travel solutions to get into Cardiff to help reduce congestion problems and carbon emissions. The Cardiff East Park and Ride looks to be a resounding success.”

Based just off the A48 (Eastern Avenue) the Cardiff East Park and Ride can be accessed from the Pentwyn Interchange. It has 340 car parking spaces, including 19 disabled spaces, with buses running every 15 minutes direct to Dumfries Place at the end of Queen Street (next to Sainsburys) via a dedicated bus lane.

The bus journey gives people a quick and environmentally friendly way of travelling into Cardiff city centre, with the amount of spaces to be eventually extended to 1100.

The cost of the Park and Ride for all-day parking is £2.50 per car with buses running from 7am to 8.30pm Monday to Friday (Thursdays 7am to 10.30pm), Saturdays 9am to 7pm and Sundays 9am to 5.30pm. The buses are low-floor, wheelchair accessible and able to take prams.

There is a Park and Ride bus every fifteen From Monday to Friday the service operates from 7am until 8.30pm and 10.30pm on Thursdays. On Saturdays buses run from 9am to 7pm and on Sundays from 9am until 5.30pm.

The new Park and Ride is part of Cardiff Council’s Sustainable Travel City initiative, which is partly funded by the Welsh Assembly Government, and links in with the ‘Free B’ shuttle bus, which helps in getting people between key points in the city centre, with a bus every 10 minutes.

Cardiff East Park and Ride also links up with existing Park and Ride facilities which are available to the west of the city at the new Cardiff City stadium in Leckwith.

Opening times are 7.30am to 7.30pm Monday to Saturday, except on match days.

At the weekend the regular Cardiff South and Cardiff North Park and Ride services are in operation. On Saturday these run from both County Hall and Crown Way from 9am to 6pm and on Sunday from 10am to 5.30pm (Cardiff North Park and Ride,is open on Sundays until January 3 for the Christmas period).

The Parkes telescope - one of the largest in the world

A group of Cardiff students took control of one of the world’s most powerful radio telescopes this week as part of an innovative Cardiff University astronomy link-up.

AS and A-level students from Cardiff schools including Whitchurch High and Howells visited the University’s School of Physics and Astronomy which is playing host to the Parkes telescope, one of the world’s most powerful radio telescopes.

The 64m radio telescope, situated 400km west of Sydney, Australia was used to receive the television transmission of the Apollo 11 moon walk in 1969 and allows astronomers the chance to observe pulsars, along with a whole host of other astronomical observations.

By remotely accessing the radio telescope and working directly with the telescope’s Australian-based operators, students will be given the chance to view pulsars – which are spinning, magnetised neutron stars, left over from massive star explosions.

Pulsars spin and emit radio waves in beams from their poles. The spinning causes the beams to sweep across the Earth, creating pulses of radio waves. By taking control of the telescopes the students have the chance to witness first-hand some of the most striking images and undertake real-time scientific research.

Mr Chris North, from Cardiff University’s School of Physics and Astronomy, said: “Pulse@Parkes is an innovative project that allows students interested in astronomy a unique opportunity to take control of one of the world’s most powerful radio telescope. We are delighted to be hosting it here in Cardiff for its first visit to the UK.

“The students will have the chance to take part in real science with the measurements adding to an archive which may eventually help scientists detect the elusive gravitational waves predicted by Einstein’s theory of general relativity.”

The event is open to A-level and AS-level students with a keen interest in astronomy. The measurements used by the students will also form part of an archive of data that is used to monitor and record the characteristics of pulsars throughout our galaxy, such their distance, their rate of spin and any unusual characteristics.

Cardiff University’s Astronomy Group carries out research in many areas of astronomy, in particular the formation of stars, the origin and evolution of galaxies and the cosmic microwave background.

The University’s School of Physics and Astronomy has one of the most active Gravitational Physics Groups, and remains one of the largest research groups in the School. The Group’s search for gravitational waves is focused on transient events such as supernovae and binary neutron stars and black holes, and stochastic gravitational waves.

Rt Hon Peter Hain

New funding arrangements for Wales will ensure a fair deal for the people of Wales for years to come. Under the deal negotiated with the UK Treasury the UK will take action if Wales becomes disproportionately disadvantaged by the Barnett formula.

Mr Hain said “This commitment is a major breakthrough for Wales. The Barnett formula has served Wales well over the years but action was needed to ensure that funding did not fall below what Wales needs”.

“The financial situation is tough right now but we must not forget our principles. I am committed to the devolution process. For it work the right level of funding is needed. This shows the Government is committed to making devolution work. Next year the Welsh budget will rise to almost £15.5 billion, helping to ensure the delivery of front-line services that the people of Wales need. This deal will ensure Wales will always get the best possible deal in the future”.

Mr Haid added ” The Holtham commision made clear that, if we do not take action, spending could decline relative to the rest of the UK. That is not acceptable. And that is why I have fought so hard for this new commitment from the Treasury to assess the impact of future spending reviews in Wales. If a spending review results in a bad deal for Wales, if Wales is disproprtionately disadvantaged compared to other parts of the UK, then we now have a mechanism to take action”.

A portable electricity meter similar to the devices Cardiff Council will be loaning to residents

Cardiff Council is setting up a scheme where residents can borrow electricity monitors from libraries to help keep an eye on their energy bills.

The meters are quick and simple to install and allow people to see their energy usage which is also displayed in actual cost terms. By monitoring their consumption this will help people to reduce their bills

A total of 100 monitors will be available across Cardiff’s 20 libraries.

Councillor Judith Woodman, Executive member for Communities, Housing and Social Justice, said: “Cardiff Council has an ongoing commitment to help Cardiff residents reduce their home energy usage and these meters can significantly help with that.

“The monitors are simple to install and easy to use and by providing the opportunity for people to borrow these meters from libraries for short periods of time we will allow them to understand their home energy usage, reduce their usage and hopefully their bills.”.

She added: “A number of local authorities across the UK have introduced similar schemes in their libraries and these have been extremely successful with positive feedback from the public.”

The monitors will be available at all city libraries from this week.

The party’s new tax plans will see tax cuts for millions of people, paid for by closing tax loopholes, making polluters pay and introducing a ‘mansion tax’ on homes worth over £2million.

Jenny Randerson AM said, ‘These are ambitious plans which will mean that up to 6 200 people in Cardiff Central will pay no tax at all.

‘In addition to this, a further 25 000 people in the Constituency will save £700 a year – giving them an extra £60 a month in their pay packets. The vast majority of taxpayers in Cardiff will benefit from our fair tax plans.”

Kirsty Williams, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, said “This will help more people who are feeling the pinch at the moment to get by – and boost the economy by making sure ordinary hard-working people are better off.

‘It is time for a more fair and simple tax system – and it is clear that the Liberal Democrats are the only party with the plans to do this.’

Jenny Randerson AM

Welsh Lib Dem Shadow Transport Minister, Jenny Randerson AM has today called for plans to be brought forward to electrify the Valley Lines network immediately following the electrification of the Great Western line.

The calls come after officials from the UK Department of Transport told the Assembly’s Enterprise and Learning Committee that “there is logic” that the Cardiff Area Network could be electrified once main line work reaches Cardiff.

Jenny Randerson AM said: “It is clear that if we miss the opportunity to electrify the Valley Lines as part of the process of electrifying the main line, then this could be gone for decades.

“Experts say that once the electrification ‘factory’ is shut down, it is hugely expensive and time consuming to re-start it. Therefore, if we are ever going to see the Valley Lines turned into a speedy, economically beneficial, metro service, then this could be our last chance for quite some time.”

David Melding AM

Comment on today’s figures which show that the rate of so-called ‘enterprise births’ or new business start-ups in Wales is among the lowest in the UK, Shadow Minister for the Economy David Melding AM said:

“It is essential for the future health of the Welsh economy that we develop growth in the enterprise culture.

“That’s why we need to look at the resources we provide to people from within Wales seeking to start a business, and not be so reliant on outside investors.

“It is disappointing we have the second lowest rate of so-called enterprise births in the UK, but more encouraging that the five year survival rate is at the UK average.

“Support for new businesses must come from government, and is even more important at a time of recession.

“That’s why we will continue to press ministers in Cardiff to ease the burden on businesses across Wales from the proposed business rates revaluation due to come into effect next April.

“This rates rise could determine whether some entrepreneurs set up business at all, or whether existing firms remain trading, lay off staff, or shut up shop altogether.”