The Queen has approved the nomination of the Reverend Hugh Edmund Nelson, BA, MTh, Vicar of Goudhurst with Kilndown, in the diocese of Canterbury to the Suffragan See of St Germans, in the diocese of Truro, in succession to the Right Reverend Christopher David Goldsmith, BA, DPhil, who resigned on 29th September 2019.
Hugh was educated at Worcester College, Oxford and spent 13 years living and working in L’Arche London, one of the Christian communities for people with and without learning disabilities founded by Jean Vanier. He trained for ministry at Ripon College, Cuddesdon, served his title at The Benefice of The Six in the Diocese of Canterbury and was ordained Priest in 2010.
In 2012, Hugh was appointed to his current role as Vicar of Goudhurst and Kilndown. He also served as Chaplain to Blantyre House Prison from 2012-2016.
Automated cone laying vehicle trials due to start
Highways England and its partners are joining forces to create automated vehicles to lay cones on the country’s motorways and major A roads – and prevent workers having to lift an average 10 tonnes of equipment per shift.
Cones are needed to protect road users and road workers while essential improvements or maintenance is carried out on the busy routes.
But dramatic footage released today by Highways England shows how terrifying it can be for the workers who traditionally put the cones out, working in tandem from the back of a vehicle as motorway traffic thunders past just yards away.
As the workers manually lift and place each of the cones, the footage shows vans and lorries rushing by, often beeping their noisy horns.
Now Highways England is working with a group of industry experts to develop pioneering machines that will take away the need for cones to be manually placed. This will improve safety and free up two workers to carry out other tasks.
The automated cone laying machines could be in use by the end of 2020.
Highways England Group Leader Martin Bolt, who oversees innovation in the Midlands, said:
Safety is always the priority for Highways England and we are constantly looking for ways to ensure everyone who works and travels on our road network is protected.
By taking out the human element in the laborious task of putting out cones, we will be taking out an element of potential risk. As well as taking away this physical labour, these automated machines could also save valuable person hours and allow us to redeploy the workforce to other traffic management duties.
We are delighted to be working with all of our partners to create an innovative vehicle that will make this possible.
Experts from Highways England, Kier, HW Martin Traffic Management and competitors Highway Care and King Highway Products are working together in a collaborative effort to resolve this potential safety risk.
Highways England is funding the development and establishing a minimum standard while the companies themselves are developing the vehicles.
Putting out cones is still currently undertaken by two people on the rear of a vehicle working in tandem. The bulk of this work is undertaken at night and carried out in most weathers.
An average 1m high cone weighs approximately 10kgs. A typical 4km closure involves putting down – and later removing – approximately 260-300 cones, meaning that two workers will both handle between 5-6 tonnes per shift in cones alone.
When additional equipment such as frames, signs, lamps, sand bags are factored in, it is not unreasonable for them to lift between eight and 10 tonnes per shift.
A single kilometre of coning takes approximately 15 minutes to install and remove, resulting in an exposure time to live traffic of approximately two hours per shift.
To date, ergonomics experts have struggled to identify a suitable method of placing and removing cones that doesn’t have an impact on workers due to the twisting of the body required and environmental conditions that the work is undertaken in.
Two automated cone laying vehicles are being developed with testing due to get under way next month at a centre in Lutterworth, Leicestershire. If the tests prove successful the two companies will be able to take their vehicles to the marketplace.
Highways England criteria stipulates that not only must the machines offer a safer method for highways workers, they must be safe for all road users and pose no further risk to traffic.
It is hoped both machines – if they prove themselves in testing – will be implemented in late 2020.
Highways England is committed to investing in innovation and this is the latest automated machine which has been put to use to improve safety and reduce disruption for drivers.
A quirky road-marking robot is being used to mark out new or resurfaced roads saving hours of engineers’ time on schemes across the country and avoiding hundreds of hours of disruption.
And tests began last year on the A14 of self-driving dump trucks which move huge amounts of earth and provide the potential to work around the clock so could help reduce the length of time roadworks are on the ground.
General enquiries
Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.
Media enquiries
Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.
Security Minister visits Czech Republic
The Security Minister, Brandon Lewis, met his Czech counterparts in Prague this week (15 January 2020) to discuss the close security partnership of the UK and the Czech Republic.
Brandon Lewis held discussions in the Czech capital with Deputy Interior Minister Jakub Kulhánek where the importance of the continuation of UK-Czech and UK-EU cooperation after Brexit was stressed. The Czech Republic is currently president of the ‘Visegrad Four’, an influential regional group of EU member states also including Poland, Slovakia and Hungary.
The minister also met with State Secretary for European Affairs Milena Hrdinková, and discussed the important collaboration between UK law enforcement and Czech authorities on issues like cyber-security and threats from hostile states.
During the visit, Mr Lewis and his counterparts also discussed citizens’ rights after Brexit, and how the EU Settlement Scheme is securing the rights of EU citizens living in the UK.
Security Minister Brandon Lewis said:
The UK and the Czech Republic are close security partners and it is in our mutual interest to continue to work closely together after Brexit.
I am very pleased to have met with my counterparts in Prague to discuss the importance of our future collaboration on security, both bilaterally and as part of a close future security relationship with the EU.
This close relationship benefits the safety of the citizens of both of our countries so it is in our mutual interest that it continues.
Karen Wheeler CBE announced as new Chief Executive of RWM
RWM, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), provides radioactive waste management solutions and, on behalf of the UK government, is the organisation responsible for the delivery of a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) – a deep underground, highly-engineered facility, to house the UK’s higher activity radioactive waste.
Professor Malcolm Morley, OBE, Chair of RWM said:
I am delighted to announce Karen’s appointment as RWM’s Chief Executive and look forward to working with her. She joins us at an exciting time as we work in partnership with communities who may be willing to host a GDF. Karen brings a proven track record of leadership and delivery from across both the public and private sectors and has an invaluable insight into RWM, having already made an impact as an Independent Non-Executive Director. Her knowledge and experience will be vital as she leads RWM through the next phase of its development as a community-focused delivery organisation operating in a complex stakeholder environment and as a key contributor to the delivery of NDA’s mission.
David Peattie, Chief Executive Officer, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) said:
Delivering a GDF is a critical part of our mission to clean up the UK’s nuclear sites and safely manage radioactive waste for thousands of years into the future. I am pleased to welcome Karen to the NDA group, as Chief Executive of RWM. The public and private sector experience she brings in major change and infrastructure programmes will be vital as we deliver this multi-billion pound project of national importance on behalf of the British taxpayer.
Karen Wheeler said:
I am delighted to be joining RWM as Chief Executive, to lead the delivery of its nationally important work, providing solutions for managing radioactive waste. RWM is at a particularly exciting stage in its work to find a suitable location for a deep underground Geological Disposal Facility. I look forward to working with the RWM team, the NDA group, and with the many stakeholders and communities involved and interested in this important project.
Karen Wheeler‘s previous full time role was Director General Border Delivery Group, responsible for leading the cross government work to prepare the UK border for Brexit. She has also been a Non-Executive Director on the RWM Board since September 2018.
Karen’s appointment follows current RWM Managing Director, Bruce McKirdy’s decision to retire. She will take up position from 1 February 2020.
Karen Wheeler’s biography
Karen Wheeler CBE joined the Board of RWM as an Independent Non-Executive Director in September 2018.
From July 2017 to July 2019, Karen established and led, as Director General, the cross government Border Delivery Group, specifically to manage and deliver the work across government, private sector and industry, which would prepare for and ensure a functioning border, in preparation for EU exit.
Previous roles in government have included NHS England’s National Director for Transformation and Corporate Operations from 2014-17, responsible for NHSE corporate services, and for transforming NHSE into a higher performing commissioning organisation.
Between 2010 and 2014, Karen worked in the Department for Health, managing the work to implement radical NHS and Public Health reforms, and as Director General she led DH’s Informatics, Change and Operations Directorate.
Karen joined the Civil Service in 2003, to lead a number of major change and infrastructure projects in the Ministry of Justice, and then worked for a year in the Cabinet Office, launching cross government work to promote Digital services.
After graduating with a Physics degree from Durham, Karen worked for a number of years in management consultancy in the private sector, advising and helping organisations such as Guinness, British Steel, North West Water to manage and deliver major projects and programmes.
A skills and knowledge framework for Health Impact Assessment
Assessing the effect of policies and strategies on health is a core public health capability detailed in the Public Health Skills and Knowledge Framework (PHSKF).
It is covered in ‘PHSKF B1.2: Assess the impact and benefits of health and other policies and strategies on the public’s health and health inequalities’.
The Wales Health Impact Assessment Support Unit (WHIASU) was established in 2004 to support the development of Health Impact Assessment (HIA) practice in Wales. HIA is an interdisciplinary area of public health practice that is applied across sectors, including public health, land use planning, local government, and environmental health to improve population health and reduce health inequalities.
In 2017, WHIASU decided to review its training strategy in response to the changing legislative environment in Wales. The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 provides a government-wide policy framework centred around sustainable development. The Public Health (Wales) Act 2017 (Welsh Government, 2017) has made HIA statutory for public bodies in certain circumstances, enacting a ‘Health in all Policies’ approach.
The WHIASU developed a skills and knowledge framework specific to HIAs as a response to an anticipated need for practitioners, reviewers and policy makers to be skilled in conducting (and quality assuring) HIAs.
The solution
WHIASU used the PHSKF and Skills for Health National Occupational Standards for impact assessment for health and wellbeing (Skills for Health 2010a and 2010b) to map areas of skills and knowledge relevant to HIA practice across seven key role descriptors.
These role descriptors for HIA were developed to enable people to clearly identify where their work roles are relevant and transferable to the practice of HIA, ‘Health in all Policies’ and the expectations and outcomes of the roles.
All function areas of the PHSKF were relevant to HIA: technical, contextual and delivery. The PHSKF provided an important benchmark for the HIA Skills and Knowledge Framework (SKF) and the mapping enabled the WHIASU team to pinpoint and distinguish areas of skills and knowledge relevant to specific roles in HIA.
For example:
PHSKF A2.2: Advocate public health principles and action to protect and improve health and wellbeing – this was identified as a common competency across all roles as anyone involved in HIA needs to understand the wider determinants of health and health inequalities
PHSKF C2.3: Facilitate dialogue with groups and communities to improve health literacy and reduce inequalities using a range of tools and technologies – this is relevant to lead HIA practitioners or contributors with the relevant skills who may be directly engaging private citizens and communities in a HIA
The relevant themes in the PHSKF, such as sustainability, joint and system-based working along with a focus on the wider public health workforce were particularly relevant and complimentary to HIA practice.
The ‘areas of knowledge and skills’ are those needed to be exhibited by a competent team of people engaged in a HIA. The lead HIA Practitioner for the HIA does not necessarily have to have expertise in carrying out each area, but does need to understand what is required to complete a high quality HIA. They also need to be capable of drawing together and coordinating the requisite skill set, and are accountable for the final HIA and its recommendations.
The following bullet points show how the skills areas of the WHIASU Training and Capacity Building Framework for Health Impact Assessment map to the PHSKF functions:
Skills Area 1 (lead, plan, design, delivery and evaluate HIA) maps to PHSKF B1.2
Skills Area 2 (facilitate participation) maps to PHSKF C1.2
Skills Area 3 (data collection, analysis and critical appraisal) maps to PHSKF A1.5
Skills Area 4 (collaborative working) maps to PHSKF B2 B2
Skills Area 5 (communication skills) maps to PHSKF C2
Skills Area 6 (project management and governance) maps to PHSKF C3
The outcome
The Framework enables individuals, organisational leads and their officers and practitioners from all sectors to identify how their existing skills and knowledge are transferable to HIA practice and be able to highlight areas for development.
WHIASU hopes that this will enable a cross sector workforce to have the confidence to engage in HIA practice by highlighting that they have the relevant capabilities to contribute.
The future
As part of Public Health Wales World Health Organization Collaborating Centre (WHO CC) on ‘Investment for Health and Well-being’ for the WHO Europe region, WHIASU will lead on capacity building for HIA capability using the HIA SKF. As the first international SKF for HIA, this framework represents a significant contribution to shaping HIA practice and workforce development for HIA across nations.
Associated resources will be produced to support this work.
The Wales Health Impact Assessment Support Unit (WHIASU) supports collaborative working and knowledge-sharing, and as such are willing to share more detailed information regarding the methodology, and resources they have developed with others.
You can contact the PHSKF programme team at sp-phskf@phe.gov.uk for contact details.