“Bedtime story needed to help poorly kids”
A bedtime story from mum or dad is a precious moment, especially for a child in hospital far from home.
Ronald McDonald House Camberwell would like to invite your readers to help create a bedtime story set in our local area to raise awareness and funds for our charity. As you may know, we rely on the generosity of the public to provide free ‘home away from home’ accommodation for lots of families each year who have children in hospital nearby. We are able to ease the burden and keep families together when they need it most.
Our aim is to involve our supporters as much as possible in the creation of our story. Readers can visit our website and suggest all sorts of content, such as character names and even a dedication in our cover page, that will be considered for inclusion in our e-book.
The e-book will be made available to download free in October but there will be an opportunity to make a donation.
Ronald McDonald House Charities is able to provide support across the UK thanks to the kindness of people and businesses in local communities. However, we want to do more and our mission is to provide accommodation at every specialist children’s hospital across the UK.
We hope that your readers will get involved via our website at www.rmhc.org.uk/stories and look forward to seeing what fun and creative ideas they come up with.
Melissa Kirk, House Manager, Ronald McDonald House Camberwell (6-9 Windsor Walk London SE5 8BB)
“Council too little to late for Care Homes”
I think Councillor Stephanie Cryan (Lead Councillor for Adult Social Care) must have misread what I was saying following the announcement that a third Southwark elderly care home has been placed under supervision.
The point I was making was that the council has a duty of care to our elderly and pays for their accommodation and nursing care. Yet, within a short space of time three homes in Southwark have been rated as failing by the independent Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Residents, their families and councillors will have been flagging up their concerns with the Council but it seems that things are allowed to escalate to the point where the CQC has to intervene before the Council takes the necessary action. While it is right that the council stops placing elderly Southwark residents in these care homes, it shouldn’t have to reach this stage.
Southwark Council has taken its eye off the ball and seems to focus only on working with providers to turn care homes round once they have been deemed unsatisfactory. In the meantime others seem to slip through the net too. The council should act earlier to stop any Southwark care home ever being labelled as poor.
It is also unacceptable that in the meantime Southwark’s elderly now have to be placed in care homes outside the borough. This is distressing and disruptive for elderly people and can be inconvenient and expensive for families to travel to.
We have a care home crisis in the borough. The council needs to take its duty of care more seriously and intervene earlier when issues are reported about homes in Southwark. That’s what will stop putting our elderly at risk. Shutting the stable door once the horse has bolted is too little, too late.
Cllr Maria Linforth-Hall, Opposition Spokesperson for Adult Social Care
“Turn Dulwich Hamlet’s ground into housing for refugees?”
Dulwich Hamlet FC’s primary objective seems to have changed from being a football club to being a community conscience, perhaps they should surrender the stadium and land for the greater good.
It could then be redeveloped as housing for the refugees they are so welcoming of to an already overcrowded area of London with limited housing options for its less affluent residents.
I’m sure their supporters would welcome such a noble gesture in the face of the property capitalism that is blighting our borough.
David Arklane, via email