From March 2022, the national Clinical Excellence Awards have been renamed the national Clinical Impact Awards. Our home page will be updated shortly to reflect this change.
The 2022 round of the national Clinical Impact Awards will open for applications on Wednesday 27 April, with registration for a new online application system opening shortly before.
Consultants and academic GPs wishing to apply for an award will be able to do so until Wednesday 22 June, with scoring and governance processes taking place throughout summer and autumn. Despite the later opening of the round than in 2021, the entire process will be completed at the usual time.
More details can be found in the updated applicant guidance. Other guidance will be published shortly.
Amended the last sentence to reflect the updated applicant guidance being published.
First published.
‘Floodmobile’ to visit at-risk communities in Calderdale
The Floodmobile, a mobile home which shows people and businesses how they can better protect their properties from flooding, is visiting communities in Brighouse and Todmorden on Thursday 24 and Friday 25 March
The mobile home showcases over 50 ways that people can increase resilience to their properties and reduce the risks of flooding
Industry experts along with Environment Agency and Calderdale Council staff will be on hand to provide specialist advice on how to better protect homes and businesses from flooding
The Floodmobile, a specially adapted mobile home that showcases over 50 examples of different products that can better protect properties, will be visiting communities in Brighouse and Todmorden at the end of this month.
The mobile home aims to promote options for homes and businesses that will allow them to adapt to the increasing flood risks brought about by climate change. It is scheduled to make an appearance at the Tesco car park on Huddersfield Road, Brighouse, on Thursday 24 March, followed by the Aldi car park on Burnley Road, Todmorden, on Friday 25 March.
The Floodmobile highlights the need for property adaptation, particularly in flood-prone areas, which will also increase the likelihood of a quicker recovery following a flood. Examples of measures that can be installed include waterproof plaster, pumps, barriers, flood doors, non-return valves, self-closing air bricks, periscope covers, and recoverable kitchens.
Paul Swales, Senior Flood Risk Advisor at the Environment Agency said:
Sadly, we are experiencing an increasing number of storms as a result of climate change.
However, there is so much that people can do to protect themselves and their property from flooding. Some examples of these are highlighted in the Floodmobile.
We can’t stop flooding altogether. That’s why we urge local people to come along to these events to gain practical advice about how they can reduce the impact of flooding to their properties, and to explore the different measures available to become more resilient.
Cllr Scott Patient, Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Resilience, said:
With Storm Franklin still very fresh in the minds of Calderdale residents and businesses, we’re pleased to welcome the Floodmobile to the borough. It’s a practical way to help people prepare for future flooding, which is sadly very likely as we continue to live in a climate emergency.
The Council, the Environment Agency, many other partner organisations and communities are working hard to reduce flood risk, increase resilience and tackle climate change across Calderdale. Alongside this work, it’s really important for local people to continue to be aware of the risks and have a flood plan to help reduce damage and disruption. This includes preparing homes using measures shown in the Floodmobile.
Mary Dhonau, a flood victim and campaigner also known as “Flood Mary” said:
I’ve been flooded on many occasions and it’s an appalling experience. Many people are out of their homes for many months on end.
The Floodmobile displays the moves that can be taken to reduce the awful impact a flood can bring. It demonstrates just what can be done at a home or business level to either keep the water out, or reduce the damage and speed up recovery if it does get in.
I have travelled around the country talking to people who have ‘built back better’. Their powerful and inspirational stories of being flooded one day and back home, or open for business the next, or not having to move out at all because of the moves they have taken have helped shape the content of the Floodmobile.
I encourage everyone who is at risk of flooding to visit us, we are looking forward to meeting everyone.
The Environment Agency, in partnership with Calderdale Council, is developing the Brighouse Flood Alleviation Scheme (FAS) to better protect 216 homes in the area. Members of the project team will be at the Brighouse event to answer any questions regarding the scheme.
The Environment Agency provides a Flood Warning Service to over 8000 properties and business in the Upper Calder Valley, which aims to provide residents and businesses with essential time to prepare for flooding and act immediately.
To find out if you are living in a flood risk area and for information about how to sign up for flood alerts and warnings, please visit the Environment Agency website or contact Floodline on 03459 88 11 88.
Flood defence work to help protect Cambridgeshire homes
Press release
People in Cambridgeshire are set to benefit from work done to bolster the county’s flood defences.
Construction vehicle removing vegetation from the brook.
At Broughton, vegetation along Bury Brook has been cleared to avoid it posing a flood-risk. The work covered the brook from the Bridge Road bridge to just beyond the Causeway Road bridge. Brambles, saplings and selective established trees are among the vegetation that has been removed.
In December 2020, 16 properties in the village flooded after 80% of the month’s rainfall fell in just a day.
Investigations by the EA and Cambridgeshire County Council found that the flooding was caused by both surface water and the Bury Brook.
Environment Agency investigations provided the evidence needed to secure funding for the removal of the vegetation. This will help ensure uninterrupted flow of water through the channel during periods of heavy rain and help prevent potential flooding.
Nicola Chadwick from the Environment Agency’s Asset Performance team, said:
This essential work will help to reduce the flood risk in Broughton.
Mitigation measures don’t always need to involve large barriers, carrying out maintenance and clearing rivers is an important part of the work we do.
Between 2015 and 2020, we have invested more than £1 billion on maintaining flood and coastal defences. We routinely inspect both Environment Agency and third-party defences. Repairs identified are prioritised to minimise flood risk.
Everyone should know their flood risk and sign up for free flood warnings by going to https://www.gov.uk/check-flood-risk or calling Floodline on 0345 988 1188. You can also follow @EnvAgencyAnglia on Twitter for the latest flood updates.
Work to clear Bury Brook began at the end of January and was completed at the beginning of March.
Published 16 March 2022
It’s a hattrick! Another boost to the North East economy as third A19 upgrade opens to traffic
The A19 Downhill Lane scheme will provide extra capacity on the junction between the A19 and the A1290 in Sunderland, supporting the regional economy and providing access to the planned development of the International Advanced Manufacturing Park (IAMP) to the north of Nissan’s motor manufacturing plant.
The upgrade is part of the Government’s drive to build back better from the pandemic and level up regions across the country and follows closely on the heels of last year’s opening of the A19 Norton to Wynyard and A19 Testo’s improvements.
National Highways marked the milestone today (Wednesday, 16 March) by cutting a ribbon to open a new pedestrian, cyclist and equestrian footbridge over the main carriageway. Key stakeholders, including delivery partners Costain, scheme designers Jacobs, Sunderland City Council and South Tyneside Council were in attendance.
Minister for Roads Baroness Vere of Norbiton said:
I’m delighted to see this multi-million pound scheme open for traffic. Our funding will provide a fantastic boost for the North East’s economy, make it easier for millions of people in the region to get around, and is a great example of how this Government is levelling up the country by enabling better access to opportunities and employment.
National Highways Chief Executive Nick Harris said:
This is the third upgrade of the A19 we have been able to open to traffic in the last eight months and another important milestone in the substantial investment being made in the North East’s major A roads.
The International Advanced Manufacturing Park is predicted to create up to 7,850 new jobs and attract £295 million of investment by 2026/27. Having the infrastructure in place to support that is key.
These improvements will make a major contribution to the region, from providing better journeys to and from the region’s ports and Teesside airport, to improving journey times for local people who can get home more quickly and safely to their families or to and from their workplace.
Our roads are not only the lifeblood of our economy, they support local as well as national businesses, and are vital to enable our emergency services to support local communities.
L-R: Paul Muir, Sunderland City Council, Helen Burrow, National Highways project manager, Trevor Male, South Tyneside Council, Cllr Joan Atkinson, Deputy Leader, South Tyneside Council, and Tim Gamon, National Highways Regional Delivery Director at the event.
The A19 Downhill Lane project has seen the construction of a full roundabout at the junction and improvements made to the existing A19. New traffic signals have been installed at the junction, a new road bridge has been installed and a bridge provided for walkers, cyclists and horse riders.
National Highways has also improved the adjoining rights of way helping to support and encourage non-polluting and healthier travel options.
The improved access off the A19 encourages drivers to stay on the strategic road, more suited to moving larger volumes of traffic, and off the local highway network, improving the environment for those that live and work in the area.
Cllr Jim Foreman, Lead Member for Housing and Transport, South Tyneside Council, said:
It’s fantastic to see this work completed and for drivers to start experiencing the benefits of this scheme.
The A19 is the economic artery linking South Tyneside to the wider region and beyond, and these improvements are a major boost.
As well as increasing capacity, reducing congestion and improving connectivity to the local road network, this scheme is vital to promote economic growth and to ensure that we can unlock the full potential of the IAMP and other employment and investment opportunities.
Located next to the Nissan plant, IAMP is a joint venture between Sunderland City Council and South Tyneside Council to offer a place for advanced manufacturing and an attractive location for national and international investment.
Cllr Martin Gannon, Chair of the North East Joint Transport Committee, said:
We are pleased to support the A19 Downhill Lane junction improvement scheme that Sunderland and South Tyneside Councils have been working hard to develop. It’s great to see that one of the schemes key aims is to increase sustainable walking and cycling links to the International Advanced Manufacturing Park (IAMP) via a linked pedestrian bridge across the A19. We also commend the project team on their efforts to make carbon savings by re-purposing existing road materials on the development.
The works will bring tremendous socio-economic benefit to the region by greatly improving access to a number of large manufacturing plants in the North East, meaning there will be better connectivity to key employment sites, as well as creating thousands of new jobs through the extension of the IAMP- something which will move us closer to achieving our vision of becoming a green, healthy, dynamic and thriving North East.
More than half a million people hours were worked on the A19 Downhill Lane project, with 60 per cent of the workforce made up from locally based staff.
Some £3 million of savings were achieved by delivering the project at the same time as the work on A19 Testo’s Junction, and £150,000 was saved reusing materials such as the stone from the site access roads at Testo’s.
In addition, 100,000 tonnes of earth were re-used from the £75m A19 / A1058 Coast Road scheme delivered in 2019, while 44,000 cubic metres of material were re-used at Washington Road.
The new steel bridge for pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians weighs 550-tonnnes.
Just under 600 steel columns were installed as part of the foundations for the new road bridge, which is 37 metres long and 14.5 metres wide.
Elsewhere in the region, National Highways is carrying out a range of improvements along the A1 corridor between Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead by increasing the number of lanes in each direction between junction 74 at Scotswood and junction 79 at North Brunton as well as between junction 65 at Birtley and junction 67 at Coal House. Both projects will improve capacity and safety as well as unlock potential future growth.
Members of the public should contact the National Highways customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.
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Fisheries and Seafood Scheme Relaunch
News story
The Fisheries and Seafood Scheme will relaunch in April, continuing to provide support to England’s seafood sector, coastal communities and marine environment.
This April the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) will relaunch the Fisheries and Seafood Scheme (FaSS). This will continue to provide certainty to the seafood sector, with funding available up to April 2025.
The new iteration of the scheme will deliver investment to safeguard the long-term sustainability, resilience and prosperity of the seafood sector across England.
The scheme will have simplified guidance – reflecting feedback from the first year – and will continue to evolve and improve throughout its lifetime.
If you have a project you would like to progress through the scheme, please do look out for the new guidance which will be published on MMO’s website once the scheme is launched.
Please note the relaunched FaSS will replace the existing scheme, which will no longer be considering new applications this financial year. Any project you would like to progress will be considered under the new scheme.
