Cutting waiting times by shutting out patients

Your Focus Team was shocked to learn that Sirona, who run the Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) in Yate, are being allowed to shut the doors to new patients when they're busy so they can meet their waiting time targets.

Of course there is no guarantee if you're redirected to A&E that you'll be seen any more quickly there than if you'd been allowed to wait at the MIU. Neither Southmead or the Children's Hospital are easy to get to from Yate, especially when injured. This seems to be about meeting targets, not meeting the needs of patients.

Claire Young is asking for your experiences of being turned away by the Yate MIU during the advertised opening hours. Please fill in our short survey  - the more evidence we have, the better we can speak up for you. We have already heard from a number of disgruntled users, including someone who travelled from Thornbury with two young children, only to be told they would have to go to Bristol Children's Hospital, and another who found the unit closed 2 hours early.

Find out more about fostering

South Glos are currently looking for foster carers for every background to care for children and young people who have had a difficult start in life. You can find out more at a Fostering Information Evening in Yate on Thursday 3 August. It runs from 7pm to 9pm at the Badminton Road Council Offices.

For more information, call the fostering team on 01454 866423, email fostering@southglos.gov.uk or visit www.southglos.gov.uk/fostering

Summer reading challenge

Once again libraries in South Gloucestershire are inviting all 4 to 11-years-old to take part in the Summer Reading Challenge. This year’s theme is Animal Agents, based on a detective agency staffed by a variety of clever animals – furry, scaly and slippery – who are out to crack a case at the library with a little help from their friends. The challenge, which involves reading six books, runs until 16th September.

 You can find out more about the challenge and a range of free activities running through the holidays at www.southglos.gov.uk/childrenslibrary

Climate change coffee morning

At 10am this Saturday, 29th July, the WWF are holding a Climate Change Coffee morning in the Ridgewood Cafe, Yate. This will be a chance to find out more about the Climate Coalitiion, how climate change is affecting the local community and what action you can take. You can find out more at https://www.facebook.com/events/408149509578801/

M4 J18a proposals - ways to have your say

South Gloucestershire Council have published proposals for a new junction 18a on the M4. They are in the early stages of a feasibility study and you will have a chance to have your say in a formal consultation starting next month. You can pre-register your interest in the consultation here.

Last week Claire Young attended an open-air meeting at Pucklechurch about the junction. There is strong opposition there to the Eastern proposal, which would involve building a link road near the village. You can read what the Parish Council has to say here.

 

There were mixed views expressed on the western proposal, close to the science park. Westerleigh village residents who attended were worried that either option would lead to a big increase in traffic through their village. Your Focus Team raised concerns about the limited scope of the feasibility study when the council decided to accept the money from the Government to carry it out. We do not think any option should go ahead without action to prevent serious knock-on impacts on the surrounding roads and communities.

Claire has been helping Westerleigh Parish Council to arrange a drop-in session where officers from South Gloucestershire Council will be available to answer your questions and hear what you have to say. It will take place from 4pm to 6.45pm on Monday 11th September in Westerleigh Village Hall.

Yate Spur cycle route progress (and delays)

There's good news and bad news about the long-awaited cycle track between Yate and the Railway Path, the cycling "superhighway" between Bristol and Bath. At the moment the Yate Spur only comes out as far as the T junction on Westerleigh Road south of Westerleigh.

• Westerleigh Road T junction to Broad Lane (Cornerways) - inside the farmer's field up to the former Cornerways Nursery - Construction starts this month, taking 4 months 
• Broad Lane - has already been upgraded 
• Broad Lane to Nibley Lane Corner - the "Westerleigh bypass" - being designed, awaiting funding 
• Nibley Lane Corner improvements - recently consulted about - on hold until Spring 2018 because of expected heavy traffic during the Bromley Heath Viaduct work 
• Section under railway viaduct to Westerleigh Rd mini-roundabout - being designed, awaiting funding 
• Westerleigh Rd mini-roundabout to Yate Common - on hold until January 2018 because of railway embankment work near Chedworth

Once the section from Westerleigh Road to Cornerways is done, there will be a continuous link from the Railway Path to opposite Wot Not at the north end of Westerleigh. We are pressing for any outstanding maintenance to be carried out between Broad Lane and Wot Not - it tends to get overgrown from time to time.

Early warning of train delays

On Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 September Network Rail will be testing the overhead wires in the Reading area, which will have an impact on all Thames Valley and High Speed Services. What that means for people travelling from our area is that services will operate hourly from Bristol Temple Meads and London Paddington with amended calling patterns and some extended journey times.  You can find out more at https://www.gwr.com/travel-updates/planned-engineering/reading2017

Have your say on services for sexual assault victims

The Police and Crime Commissioners, the Police service and NHS England are working together to plan and buy Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) services in the South West of England. SARCs are a special service where victims and survivors of rape or sexual assault can receive immediate help and support. These services will go live on 1st October 2018 and replace existing services.

If you would like to have your say on the new SARC service, you can find out more here. Ideally, they would like comments by the end of July, but they will continue to consider comments until third week in August.

Libraries to close temporarily for updates

Yate, Thornbury and Winterbourne Libraries will be closing for 2 weeks each to install the equipment for users to access them during unstaffed hour sunder the new seven-day-a-week opening arrangements, due to start in October. Borrowers will be able to gain access with an upgraded library card.

If your local library is closed for a few days, you will be able to access another library relatively close by. You can still make reservations and renew books online and you won’t get a fine if your book is due back while the library is closed.

The project has been designed so that neighbouring libraries will not be closed at the same time.

The closing dates are:

• Winterbourne Aug 3 - Aug 18 
• Thornbury Aug 9 - Aug 23 
• Yate Aug 21 - Sep 5 

Click here for more information about library services in South Gloucestershire.

Temporary speed limit on A46 at Tormarton

South Glos Council is temporarily introducing a 40mph speed limit on the A46 for 450m north of the junction 18 roundabout from 24 July for the duration of the Bromley Heath viaduct works. They have already installed traffic lights to control the B4465 junction during that period.

Bromley Heath viaduct works latest

We've previously reported on the works to the Bromley Heath viaduct on the Ring Road, which will have major travel implications across our area. Although the Government was not prepared to stump up any more cash, the West of England Joint Committee did recently agree funding from the Local Enterprise Partnership Economic Development Fund (EDF) to reduce the work from 52 weeks to 33 weeks.

At the Frampton Cotterell drop-in officers confirmed that while they are not now planning to do many of the road closures they’d originally considered, they will be keeping the situation under review and have done the legal paperwork so they can put closures in place quickly should the need arise. If you missed that drop-in, there are two still to be held:

Longwell Primary School, Monday 10th July, 6:00pm – 8:00pm Dodington Parish Council Hall, Finch Road, Tuesday 11th July, 5:00pm – 7:00pm

Traffic management will be put in over the weekend of Saturday 22 to Sunday 23 July, and the actual maintenance work will start on Monday 24 July.

For more information please visit www.southglos.gov.uk/bhviaduct.

No decision on Woodlands Farm this month

There will be no decision on the "Blackberry Park" application on Woodlands Farm this month. The next DC (East) planning committee meeting was due to take place next week. Given the issues raised by members of the committee following last week’s site visits, all the applications have been deferred to a later date.

Help Frampton Cotterell in Bloom

Frampton Cotterell is being judged for the Britain in Bloom competition on Monday 10th July. In 2015 the village was awarded silver gilt pennant and Floral Friends of Frampton (FFF) have been busy re-potting planters & hanging baskets for the summer. They would like people to try to keep the village free of litter and check the frontage of their properties for things like weeds along the edge of the pavement or road over the coming weekend.

Fire safety advice

South Glos Council has published some fire safety advice on its website, along with links to more comprehensive advice on the Avon Fire Service website.