DR ROS ALTMANN, SAGA, COMMENTS ON LATEST CARE CRISIS RESEARCH

DR ROS ALTMANN 
DIRECTOR-GENERAL, SAGA 
PRESS RELEASE 

May 30, 2011.

DR ROS ALTMANN, SAGA, COMMENTS ON LATEST CARE CRISIS RESEARCH.

Dr Ros Altmann, Director-General, Saga, commenting on AgeUK research into the care crisis, said:

“Report after report flags up an impending cataclysm in social care. But while there appears to be a great deal going on, still nothing appears to be happening.  Local authorities keep cutting back, more and more people lose their homes to cover care costs and the numbers in need keep growing.  Even the £2billion extra that Government promised is not ring-fenced, nor is the £400million additional money for desperately needed respite care for carers.

“The figures speak for themselves - social care has been neglected and this leaves hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people at risk. 

"Short-sighted cutbacks, with the majority of local authorities taking away care from those with moderate needs, will ultimately cost far more in the long-run.

"By cutting back on care, we will see far more people needing expensive hospitalisation, instead of being supported at home.  This is absolutely unsustainable.

"As the population ages, with the numbers over age 90 set to treble in the next 20 years, the outlook is even worse.

"We as a nation and a culture seem to be dropping into a combined mindset that ‘it won’t happen to us’ and ‘it can’t possibly be that bad’.

“It is an enormously dangerous social and cultural mindset, perhaps compounded by the factor of the army of carers who choose not to complain, who simply get on with supporting their loved ones – unpaid, unheard and, in turn, unsupported themselves.

“Those voices should be raised.

“It is time for some serious reform of our system.  Policymakers are failing our elderly and frail: it is not just the financial strings that need to be pulled, so too should the heartstrings.”

Ends

Further information:

Dr. Ros Altmann
Director-General, Saga
ros.altmann@saga.co.uk
07545 504513
Twitter @SagaRosAltmann 

CARE QUALITY COMMISSION NHS REPORT: CARE APOCALYPSE IMMINENT SAYS OVER-50S GROUP SAGA.

DR ROS ALTMANN
DIRECTOR-GENERAL, SAGA
PRESS RELEASE

May 26, 2011.

CARE QUALITY COMMISSION NHS REPORT: CARE APOCALYPSE IMMINENT SAYS OVER-50S GROUP SAGA.

Commenting on the Care Quality Commission report on failures by NHS hospital staff to adequately look after basic needs of the elderly, Dr Ros Altmann, Director-General of over-50s lifestyle group Saga, said:

“How much more evidence is needed that the care system in the UK is about to collapse into a crisis?

“They do a fantastic job, but our nurses are not supermen and women: the truth is that nurses get little training in the care of frail elderly patients such as those with dementia, yet, because our system of care is so inadequate, far too many older people end up in acute beds on hospital wards, tended by nurses who are simply not trained to address their specific needs.

“Just because those in the frontline keep banging on about it, it does not mean the issue is any less potentially apocalyptic. This problem will only get worse as the population ages, compounded by local authority cutbacks and woefully inadequate numbers of care beds.

“While reforms of the NHS are being reconsidered, it is important that integration of health and care services is part of the picture.

“Specialist elderly care, more emphasis on preventative measures funded from NHS budgets, more domiciliary care and telehealth or telecare are all required, but there is hardly any money available for such investment.

“Without such measures it is inevitable that more older people will end up in hospital, blocking acute NHS beds and costing taxpayers a fortune.

“It's time for longer-term thinking on long term care.”

Ends

Further information:

Dr. Ros Altmann
Director-General, Saga
ros.altmann@saga.co.uk
07545 504513
Twitter @SagaRosAltmann

Iain Macauley
im@pressrelations.co.uk
07788 978800
Twitter @Press_Relations

TASTE OF SUCCESS AS RESTAURANT EXPANDS - AGAIN.

HOUSING UNITS

PRESS RELEASE

May 24, 2011.

TASTE OF SUCCESS AS RESTAURANT EXPANDS – AGAIN.

There’s a taste of success in one of the region’s leading home furnishings stores as a leading North West chef cooks up a massive demand.

The Wickentree Restaurant in Housing Units’ retail park in Failsworth has benefitted from a £50,000 investment to expand its kitchens five-fold, is adding 15% capacity to cater for huge growth in the number of diners and people taking afternoon tea, and has introduced a pager system to allow customers to wander the store until their table is ready.

Rick Dunkley, head chef and restaurant manager, has been with Housing Units for two years, but in that time the restaurant has had to be expanded twice.

Nick Fox, director of Housing Units, said: “Frankly, people don’t expect a restaurant of such quality in a home furnishings store, but after they’ve eaten here once, they just keep coming back again and again.

“We realised we needed to act and expand when earlier this year we started to experience more and more days when we had a queue for tables – and the kitchens started to look like an episode of MasterChef running at triple speed.

“Rick has done a fantastic job with a new menu, a new approach, and a truly fantastic take on breakfasts, lunches, snacks, multi-course meals and afternoon teas.

“The standards are such that The Wickentree has become a destination restaurant, not simply somewhere to take a break during or after shopping. Two secrets: the food is fantastic, and the parking is free.”

Housing Units – known for its top-hatted doormen - was established in 1947. It is a family-owned furnishings retailer based in Wickentree Lane, Failsworth, Manchester M35 9BA, next to Junction 22 of the M60. It stocks 30,000 high-quality lines across a range of departments in two buildings and a crescent of specialist shops, and prides itself on its unique style of customer service, the value of its goods and the shopping experience it provides.

Ends

Further information:

Iain Macauley

0161 929 0446/07788 978800

im@pressrelations.co.uk

www.housingunits.co.uk

OECD CARE REPORT: A LOT GOING ON, BUT NOTHING ACTUALLY HAPPENING

DR ROS ALTMANN

DIRECTOR-GENERAL, SAGA

SAGA SOUNDBITE

May 23, 2011.

SAGA RESPONSE TO OECD CARE REPORT: A LOT GOING ON, BUT NOTHING ACTUALLY HAPPENING.

Commenting on the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report that says Britain faces one of the biggest elderly care bills in the industrialised world, the Dr Ros Altmann, Director-General of over-50s lifestyle group Saga, said:

“There are some big political and financial ‘told-you-so’s’ out there, but nobody wants care to be one of them.

“Saga deals with a sector of the population, the over-50s, which numbers 21 million people – many of whom are touched by the issue of later-life care, whether needing it or providing it. We work continuously with carers and the families of those who need care, and we have our finger firmly on the financial pulse of the country as it affects the elderly.

“We’ve been saying for years that there’s simply no money for care in later life. Families aren’t or can’t save for it, local authorities are slashing budgets for it, and so far as the government is concerned there seems to be an awful lot going on but nothing actually happening.

“Positive findings or recommendations from the Dilnot Commission into care funding cannot come soon enough.”

Ends

Further information:

Dr. Ros Altmann

Director-General, Saga

ros.altmann@saga.co.uk

07545 504513

Twitter @SagaRosAltmann

Iain Macauley

im@pressrelations.co.uk

07788 978800

Twitter @Press_Relations

SAGA COMMENTS ON WHICH? REPORT EXPOSING INSURERS' “AGEIST” ATTITUDES.

DR ROS ALTMANN

DIRECTOR-GENERAL, SAGA

PRESS RELEASE

May 22, 2011.

SAGA COMMENTS ON WHICH? REPORT EXPOSING INSURERS' “AGEIST” ATTITUDES.

 TRAVEL INSURANCE MUST BE AVAILABLE FOR OLDER PEOPLE TO ENJOY TRAVELLING AT ANY AGE

- SAGA NEVER USES AGE AS A BARRIER TO INSURANCE.

Responding to a Which? report which said pensioners face a struggle to get travel insurance - with 25% of insurers refusing to cover people who are over 65 - Dr Ros Altmann, Director-General of over-50s lifestyle group Saga, said:

“We believe the over 65s should not be denied travel insurance on the grounds of their age. Such ageist attitudes are often a product of sheer ignorance. Saga knows that older people have never been more adventurous, never been fitter, and are no more or less likely to make an insurance claim than somebody half their age. Our customers enjoy adventurous holidays in good health and with the peace of mind of insurance cover too.

“What makes 25% of insurers believe that at 64 years of age somebody is a reasonable insurance risk, and at 65 they’re uninsurable? If insurers are refusing to cover the over 65s, they are missing a business opportunity. Saga is happy to provide travel insurance, without using age as a barrier, and our customers can enjoy great cover and peace of mind for their travel, at all ages.

“We routinely provide cover for people in their 80s and 90s, and we didn’t hesitate to provide cover for a mature and adventurous lady who went to Italy to celebrate her 100th birthday."

Ends

Further information:

Iain Macauley

im@pressrelations.co.uk

07788 978800

Twitter @SagaRosAltmann

Twitter @Press_Relations

MCBAINS COOPER TO LEAD LANDMARK PUBLIC SECTOR JV PROPERTY PROJECT IN JORDAN

MCBAINS COOPER

PROPERTY & CONSTRUCTION CONSULTANCY

PRESS RELEASE

May 19, 2011.

MCBAINS COOPER TO LEAD LANDMARK PUBLIC SECTOR JV PROPERTY PROJECT IN JORDAN.

The Jordanian government has appointed London-based property and construction consultancies McBains Cooper and EC Harris to help in the delivery of a public sector facility management review and rationalisation.

The project involves installing a property and facilities management information system, supporting the Directorate of Government Buildings (DGB) to develop an organisational structure that incorporates a property and facilities management capability, providing FM procurement guidelines, and identifying of possible PPP projects that can be used to pilot the new approach to managing a government building.

McBains Cooper is leading the project - which involves a number of consortium partners - working with the Privatisation Commission of the Jordanian Government.

Funded by the World Bank, the Commission is planning to rationalise its property department - and the management of up to 10,000 public buildings. The Jordanian government’s initiative will be seen as a pioneering and cutting edge move in the region.

The project will help the Jordanian government to drive efficiencies in the operations of buildings.

“It’s a tribute to the experience of the McBains Cooper team, the esteem in which UK-based property and construction expertise in general is held, and to the ability of the consortium to work together that such a big and complex project should be awarded,” said Anthony Coumidis, director of McBains Cooper, and overall project leader.

“This is a crucial project, and will drive significant change and efficiencies in the way government-owned buildings are managed, operated and maintained.

“It also underpins McBains Cooper’s decision to develop an Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East hub in Athens; our presence so relatively close to Jordan was a big influencing factor in the decision of the Jordanian government.”

The full scope of work will include advice on the creation and implementation of a comprehensive property database to enable the department to realise the value of its assets, as well as a comprehensive property maintenance strategy, including identification of the best procurement route.

It will also include identification of potential maintenance projects to be financed through PPP, ways to make such projects attractive to investors, and an overall review of the property department and its resourcing.

The opportunity was secured via a competitive bidding process that the McBains Cooper-led consortium won thanks to the high quality of submission, and, crucially, a strong technical score.

McBains Cooper will be in joint venture with EC Harris, supported by legal advisers K&L Gates and Jordan-based Darat Consulting.

Ends

Further information:

Iain Macauley

07788 978800 im@pressrelations.co.uk

www.mcbainscooper.com

Notes.

McBains Cooper

McBains Cooper is an inter-discipline consultancy, specialising in property, infrastructure and construction, offering a wide range of consulting and design services including architectural, aesthetic or technical design, problem solving, budget management, facilities management, health and safety, sustainability consultancy and on-the-ground civil engineering. Driving and supporting projects ranging from minor works to major contracts worth more than £100 million, McBains Cooper operates across a variety of sectors throughout the UK, Europe and Latin America. McBains Cooper is committed to environmental, social and economic sustainable development and their integrated approach means they deliver effective, award-winning solutions to their clients. The Group employs 150 people. McBains Cooper has regional headquarters in London (head office), Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Oxford, Windsor, Athens, Lima (Peru), Miami and Mexico, with associate offices in Belfast and Dublin. www.mcbainscooper.com

ASTRAEUS PLACES NINE AIRCRAFT ON FOUR CONTRACTS FOR SUMMER 2011.

ASTRAEUS AIRLINES

COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT SOURCING AND MANAGEMENT

PRESS RELEASE

May 18, 2011.

ASTRAEUS PLACES NINE AIRCRAFT ON FOUR CONTRACTS FOR SUMMER 2011.

Gatwick-based aircraft management and leasing company Astraeus Airlines Limited has landed four contracts involving nine aircraft for summer 2011.

Two Boeing 757s and four Boeing 737s will be based in Reykjavik, flying in Iceland Express colours, while individual Boeing 757s will also be based in Edinburgh and Newcastle, with an Airbus A320 in Croatia, all on holiday charter duty.

The Iceland Express routes, from June 1, 2011, will include Newark daily, Boston five times a week and Chicago and Winnipeg as weekly schedules. The charter routes will be determined by the various operators.

“It’s well known that we changed our business model and moved out of charter and scheduled routes back in 2008, and three years on the rewards are really gathering a momentum: we have an established a year-round portfolio of clients, including several flag carriers, and our entire fleet – bar one ad hoc aircraft - is committed on dry, damp or wet lease to airlines around the world, and we’re sourcing more to address further opportunities,” said Mario Fulgoni, Chief Executive of Astraeus.

“We’ve established a process and approach that enables us to move and place our fleet internationally and seasonally to satisfy demand from airlines and operators, and we’re enjoying a consistent cycle of business through the seasons and around the world. As soon as the summer contracts are completed, we move the aircraft into winter contracts and schedules.”

Astraeus Airlines commenced operations in 2002, employs 250 people and operates a fleet of eleven Boeing 737 and 757 aircraft and one Airbus A320, primarily on contract with a number of airlines, including ACMI (aircraft, crew, maintenance, insurance). Astraeus has a worldwide Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) 180 ETOPS and is IOSA accredited. Astraeus is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Eignarhaldsfelagid Fengur HF which also owns Iceland Express.

Ends

Further information:

Iain Macauley

+44 (0)7788 978800 / im@pressrelations.co.uk / www.flystar.com

Twitter @AEU_Astraeus

Twitter @Press-Relations

SAGA: PHASE OUT “PENSION” AND ENCOURAGE SAVERS TO SAVE LIKE NEVER BEFORE.

DR ROS ALTMANN

DIRECTOR-GENERAL, SAGA

PRESS RELEASE

May 12, 2011.

SAGA: PHASE OUT “PENSION” AND ENCOURAGE SAVERS TO SAVE LIKE NEVER BEFORE.

The introduction of a “savers National Lottery” and phasing out the word “pension” from commercial products could re-invigorate long-term savings trends and help head off what seems otherwise to be an almost-certain pensions and care crisis.

Economist Dr Ros Altmann, Director-General of over-50s lifestyle organisation Saga, who is also a former government pensions adviser, says the financial services sector should phase the word “pension” out of all current and future commercial later-life savings products, and start to seriously address decades of mistrust in the whole pensions concept.

“People are wary of saving just at the time when we need savers to save like never before. Long-term saving must be made attractive, possibly even exciting, and certainly be given greater clarity and simplicity. It’s time for savers to have their cake - and eat it,” said Dr Altmann.

“It’s simple. There is not enough money to cover the basic lifestyle aspirations of a population with ever-increasing life expectancy. There is nothing like enough money to cover the cost of care that one-in-three women and one-in-five men will need, and the word ‘pension’ has become so negative that people simply don’t believe there’s any great benefit to be had by paying into one.

“The National Lottery – which probably has more perceived integrity than the personal pension system - yields occasional prize benefits to the lucky few, but with no savings element. Premium Bonds have a savings element but do not accrue interest, so actually lose value.

“But combining the two ideas – winning prizes and accruing interest, having your cake and eating it – is not inconceivable. The more somebody saves, the more likely they are to win, say, a monthly £1 million prize – an evolution of Premium Bonds. The key is legislating such that the investment is ring-fenced and secured in the same way as payments into current personal pension funds, with similarly defined periods before funds could be accessed.”

Ends

Further information:

Iain Macauley

im@pressrelations.co.uk

07788 978800

www.saga.co.uk

RETAILERS: LOOK TO THE FIRST FLOOR, NOT THE HEAVENS, FOR THAT REVENUE GODSEND.

MCBAINS COOPER

PROPERTY & CONSTRUCTION CONSULTANCY

PRESS RELEASE

May 12, 2011.

RETAILERS: LOOK TO THE FIRST FLOOR, NOT THE HEAVENS, FOR THAT REVENUE GODSEND.

The hardest hit sector of retail - high streets in secondary and satellite towns and cities – are sitting on, or under, a potential revenue windfall.

McBains Cooper, the property and construction consultancy, says independent retailers and owners of small chains might be looking to the heavens for revenue generation inspiration, but they actually need look nothing like so far.

“Stand in any satellite town shopping high street, look up to the first floor and above, and there are the tell-tales of opportunity: dusty windows, half-closed net curtains - empty rooms,” said Allan Davies.

“Then walk to the closest residential estate agency, and they’ll tell you they’re screaming for reasonably-priced town centre flats and apartments to satisfy a fast-growing demand.

“The answer: convert that empty above-shop space to flats or apartments. There are strong markets for flats ranging from corporate crashpads to people who love living in the heart of things, and conversion costs are nothing like as much as newbuild.

“The average three-storey building in a shopping high street will accommodate the existing retail space on the ground floor, and four flats above, which would typically generate a total rental revenue of £24,000 per annum, all managed by a residential lettings or management company.

“And we’re actually speaking from experience: one of our clients specialises in satellite town high street retail – and our feasibility study says many of their shops have empty space on upper floors ripe for residential conversion, whether from financial, practical or planning perspectives.

“I counted around 30 shops with empty first and second floors in one high street, and, judging by the size, each could accommodate at least four flats: in one high street, even just 40 flats at £24,000 a year would generate just short of £1 million a year – and then there’s the bonus of increased disposable income literally on top of the shops too.

“The key, though, is establishing feasibility based on local market conditions, weighed up with the cost of conversion. Some towns have a high demand for regular residential accommodation, others might be home to big and established businesses or organisations nearby whose staff need weekday crashpads, such as Media City in Greater Manchester and the BBC media centre in Cardiff.”

Ends

Further information:

Iain Macauley

07788 978800 im@pressrelations.co.uk

www.mcbainscooper.com

Notes.

McBains Cooper

McBains Cooper is an inter-discipline consultancy, specialising in property, infrastructure and construction, offering a wide range of consulting and design services including architectural, aesthetic or technical design, problem solving, budget management, facilities management, health and safety, sustainability consultancy and on-the-ground civil engineering. Driving and supporting projects ranging from minor works to major contracts worth more than £100 million, McBains Cooper operates across a variety of sectors throughout the UK, Europe and Latin America. McBains Cooper is committed to environmental, social and economic sustainable development and their integrated approach means they deliver effective, award-winning solutions to their clients. The Group employs 150 people. McBains Cooper has regional headquarters in London (head office), Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Oxford, Windsor, Athens, Lima (Peru), Miami and Mexico, with associate offices in Belfast and Dublin. www.mcbainscooper.com

SAGA DIRECTOR-GENERAL DR ROS ALTMANN COMMENTS ON PENSIONS ISSUE.

DR ROS ALTMANN

DIRECTOR-GENERAL, SAGA

PRESS RELEASE

 May 12, 2011.

SAGA DIRECTOR-GENERAL DR ROS ALTMANN COMMENTS ON PENSIONS ISSUE.

Dr Ros Altmann, commenting on the latest developments in the issue of state pension age for women said:

“Saga continues to believe that the Government's proposals to increase the State Pension Age for a group of women in their late fifties, who have already accepted a rise in their pension age of four or five years, is unfair and needs to be reconsidered.  

“Many of the women affected have no way of making up for the lost pension income they were expecting and the proposals run directly against the commitments made in the Coalition Agreement just one year ago.  

“In that Agreement the Coalition partners promised that the state pension age for women would not start to rise again before 2020.  Yet, within a few weeks, it had announced that women's pension age will start increasing again in 2016.  

“The proposal is particularly unfair for women.  Men's state pension age will not start rising until 2018 and then only by a maximum of one year, whereas the Government's plans will see the pension age for over 500,000 women increase by over one year, with 300,000 of them facing an increase of more than a year and half.   

“The most vulnerable women are already on low incomes, some are unwell or caring for others and were relying on the state pension to be paid, as promised, to avoid penury.  Now the Government is proposing to force them onto unemployment benefits or means-testing at a much less generous level than for pensioners.  There is huge anger among the women affected, who feel desperately let down by the Government. 

“It is, therefore, heartening to see that some LibDem MPs are willing to defy the Coalition and call for a rethink.  Annette Brooke and Alan Reid have asked Ministers to rethink. 

“Saga has 15,000 over 50's who believe this is wrong. “

Ends

Further information:

Iain Macauley

im@pressrelations.co.uk

07788 978800

www.saga.co.uk

LAW COMMISSION AND SOCIAL CARE: THERE’S ONLY SO MANY WAYS TO SAY “THERE’S NO MONEY FOR CARE”.

DR ROS ALTMANN

DIRECTOR-GENERAL, SAGA

PRESS RELEASE

May 12, 2011.

LAW COMMISSION AND SOCIAL CARE: THERE’S ONLY SO MANY WAYS TO SAY “THERE’S NO MONEY FOR CARE”.

A Law Commission report that says the social care system is “out-dated and flawed” has been welcomed by over-50s lifestyle organisation Saga, but labelled as simply highlighting a mess that everybody in care already knows about.

Dr Ros Altmann, Director-General of over-50s lifestyle organisation Saga, said the key is better quality of care in the home not “a home” – but adds the big issue is still the cost.

“There’s only so many ways we can say ‘there’s no money for care’. Savers aren’t saving for it, families aren’t planning for it, local authorities have next to no budget for it, and Government seems blind to it.

“The number of people in their 90s will treble in the next 20 years. Care will become a huge crisis. It will hobble families, cripple the economy and embarrass the Government of the time. The report is simply highlighting a mess that everybody in care already knows about.

“Sure, heads will roll in 20 or 25 years’ time, but by then literally millions of older people, their families and carers will have been forced to endure a final few years of no quality of life.

“The answer is simple and obvious: drive good quality domiciliary care, keep hospital beds available for the sick not the elderly, incentivise saving for later years. The findings and recommendations of the Dilnot Commission on the funding of care will be a vital influence upon the outcome, and the quality of life of millions.”

Ends

Further information:

Iain Macauley

im@pressrelations.co.uk

07788 978800

www.saga.co.uk

GOVERNMENT’S FIRST YEAR, THE BONUS YEARS AND BRITAIN’S BORN-AGAIN WORKFORCE.

DR ROS ALTMANN

DIRECTOR-GENERAL, SAGA

PRESS RELEASE

May 10, 2011.

GOVERNMENT’S FIRST YEAR, THE BONUS YEARS AND BRITAIN’S BORN-AGAIN WORKFORCE.

The coalition government can guarantee bonus years beyond its current term if it continues providing bonus years for Britain’s older generations, and gets big buy-in from the most powerful group of voters.

That’s the message from Dr Ros Altmann, Director-General of over-50s lifestyle organisation Saga, who says that a year into government, the coalition has done a brilliant job of ditching the Default Retirement Age – but now she wants to see the same effort put into other proposals and policies affecting older people.

“There’s definitely an improvement for older people on some fronts, but the coalition’s young front-bench frontline team hasn’t quite got the required appreciation and vice-like grip on all the issues, and what the most powerful group of voters – older people, who are twice as likely to vote as younger generations – want and need,” said Dr Altmann.

“They want ‘bonus years’ – years beyond their 60s when they can carry on working part-time and earning. The legislation is there, as is the potential for legal enforcement of questionable employer tactics, but perhaps not quite the focus of support and creativity to ensure current or prospective employers embrace the concept of part-time work as enthusiastically as the born-again workforce.

“So, in my assessment of the government’s first year, my report would be littered with opposites: the government has delivered some brilliant reforms in its first year, but I’ve also scribbled ‘disaster’, ‘unpopular’, ‘too slow’ and ‘no help’ in the comment boxes too.

“The coalition promised it would 'reinvigorate pensions and retirement'. It certainly can’t be accused of pushing pensions into the long grass - it has been a struggle to keep up with the pace of new proposals. But, overall, it has done more to potentially reinvigorate retirement years than pension plans.

“Older people want to work longer – ideally part-time, whether for pleasure, keeping active, lifestyle, stimulation or money – and to enjoy those bonus years.

“I’m being realistic, not negative, when I say the real downers are around women’s state pension age - but that is part of a bigger picture of raising pension ages being a necessary policy because of ongoing economic issues. We do welcome public sector pension reforms, but there is a deep concern over the unions’ reactions to even these mild proposals. I’m also concerned about the impact of pensions being linked to CPI, and that rock-bottom interest rates and rising inflation may also cause older people problems.

“My final report comment? It would be ‘must try just a little harder – and respect your elders’,” said Dr Altmann.

Ends

Further information:

Iain Macauley

im@pressrelations.co.uk

07788 978800

Twitter: @Press_Relations

www.saga.co.uk

ONE WEARS A CRASH HELMET, ONE LOOKS LIKE ONE - AS GREENHITHE AMBULANCE TECHNICIAN GOES HAIRLESS TO HIGHLIGHT TESTICULAR CANCER.

SAVOY VENTURES LTD.

NHS PATIENT TRANSPORT

PRESS RELEASE

May 10, 2011.

ONE WEARS A CRASH HELMET, ONE LOOKS LIKE ONE - AS GREENHITHE AMBULANCE TECHNICIAN GOES HAIRLESS TO HIGHLIGHT TESTICULAR CANCER.

Video 1

Video 2

Photos.

One wears a crash helmet, one looks like one – that’s racing driver stepson Dean Stoneman and ambulance technician stepfather Richard Cross.

And while Greenhithe-based Richard has a smile on his face when he says that, he’s actually putting a brave face on a very serious situation.

Reigning F2 Champion Dean Stoneman is holder of the John Cobb Trophy for outstanding achievement in 2010, but Dean is tackling an altogether more dangerous challenge in 2011: testicular cancer.

Dean, 21, was diagnosed with testicular cancer earlier this year – and while his career is on hold for 2011 as he undergoes treatment, his family is racing ahead to raise cash for the Wessex Cancer Trust.

And in pole position as fundraiser is Greenhithe-based ambulance technician Richard Cross, his step father, who works for NHS transport provider Savoy Ventures Limited.

“Dean wears a crash helmet – I look like one,” said Richard after completing his contribution to fund raising: a sponsored head shave.

“The speed with which things developed was shocking – Dean was diagnosed with testicular cancer in January this year, but he has undergone chemotherapy and is making good progress.

“Because we want to highlight the importance of young men checking themselves for the signs of testicular cancer, we’re doing what we can to highlight the message, and raising cash for the Wessex Cancer Trust which supports patients and their families affected by Cancer.”

Dean has recently been made Youth Ambassador for The Wessex Cancer Trust http://www.wessexcancer.org/folders/homepage/ as this is a cause very close to his heart.

Richard had his head shaved by his wife Julie, Dean’s mother.

“I couldn’t stop smiling, but I think it’s important that we try to bring the fun into highlighting the dangers of a very serious disease,” said Julie.

Savoy Ventures Limited is a private company providing patient transport and transfer services to NHS Trusts in the South East of England. Established in 2006, Savoy makes more than 240,000 patient transfer journeys a year. Savoy Ventures Limited is engaged by a number of NHS Trusts to carry out blue-light transfers, specialist wheelchair, incubator, bariatric chair or stretcher transport, notes/X-ray transfer, and movement of tissue between hospitals. Many staff are trained and qualified to Ambulance Technician level.

Ends

Further information:

Iain Macauley

im@pressrelations.co.uk

07788 978800

www.savoyventures.com