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