Media interest– week ending 15th May2015

National news

  1. ‘Fat Club’ story. Negative coverage of the Broxbourne healthy weight scheme, as parents from Cheshunt express their ‘outrage’ after receiving a letter from HCT that advised them that their son is overweight. He is five years of age and weighs 3 stone, 3 lbs. A number of photos are included in the coverage. The boy’s BMI was calculated after he was weighed and measured at school under the National Child Measurement Programme. Coverage includes quote from the letter received and a quote from an HCT spokesperson.

Daily Mail - Parents outraged as NHS tells them five-year-old Max - who weighs just three stone - is overweight and says they should go to 'fat club'

Daily Mirror - Boy aged 5 weighing just three stone sent to ‘fat club’ by health chiefs

  1. Murder of Hatfield child.Extensive national coverage, including television reports, of the court case regarding Alexa-Marie Quinn who was murderedin Hatfield by her father, shortly after being removed from foster care to live with him. Herts County Council has expressed its condolences to the young girl’s family. Jenny Coles, Director of Children’s Services at HCC has said, "There will be an independent review of all the agencies involved in looking after Alexa-Marie by the Hertfordshire Safeguarding Children Board.We are keen to see its results and will welcome any recommendations about any improvements to our services and in our work with vulnerable children and their families."

See more of quote

The father has been found guilty of murdering his daughter, and has been sentenced to 22 years.

Regional news – local newspapers

Welwyn Hatfield Times

  1. Hospice is a big lottery winner…

Isabel Hospice has been awarded almost £500,000 by the big Lottery Fund to put towards its Hospice at Home Service. This money will be rolled out over the next 5 years and will allow for increased improvements in the care that patients in Easter Hertfordshire receive. The director of the Hospice expresses her delight and explains how the funds will help provide carers with the skills to care for their loved ones with increased confidence and hence reduce associated feelings of isolated. (Picture, page 2)

  1. Killer Carl Wheatley ‘has autism’ expert witness tells courtroom

An expert defence witness declared in court that Alexa-Marie Quinn’s father had autism, and blamed the condition for his actions (page 5, multiple pictures and sub stories)

Comet (Stevenage edition)

  1. Call out to be a friend to dementia patients

Promotion of Dementia Awareness Week. Mention of HCC’s director of Health and Community Services, Iain MacBeath who will lead a session increasing awareness of the roles people can play to support dementia sufferers within their community. (Page 7)

  1. Hospital hero’s playroom pledge

Roaring Meg’s Community Hero of the month has been awarded to a Stevenage woman who has been working at the QEII for the last 22 years and who is now the senior play specialist. (Page 7, picture)

  1. Yes, blue badge system needs reviewing

Two members of the public support last week’s Comet article regarding the issuing of Blue Badges, commenting on more specific issues that need to be addressed, including fraudulent badge users, use of spaces by people who do not have a badge and apparent lack of enforcement by authorities. (Page 18, opinions).

Reference to previous article

  1. I’d gladly pay more for our NHS stars

Member of public tells readers about their very positive experience at the Lister, and comments how they would ‘…happily pay more tax to ensure everyone in our community had an experience like that when they needed it”. (Page 18, opinions)

  1. Ceilidh crew’s gearing up for night for Crossroads

Attendees of the Hitchin Carers’ Café have organised a summer charity ceilidh on 6th June to support Crossroads Care in Hertfordshire North. (Page 29)

Hertfordshire Mercury (Hertford and Ware edition)

  1. Hospice’s delight at lottery windfall

(Same as point 1)

  1. Stroke survivor in new campaign

A young Welwyn stroke survivor has been modelling for the clothing company Boohoo as part of the Style For Stroke campaign. The aim of this is to raise awareness for the younger generations about how strokes can affect a lot of people (Page 2, picture)

  1. Sir Oliver makes roads and cancer care his priority

Sir Oliver Heald, conservative MP,has outlined his plans for the next 5 years, with his top priorities highlighted as cancer care and road safety. He does not approve of the long distance cancer patients have to travel to receive radiotherapy. He has pledged to have facilities installed at the Lister. (Page 9, picture)

  1. Carers in a bid to win fund’s 10k offer

Article encourages readers to vote for Carers in Hertfordshire who support over 750 8-18 year olds looking after relatives. Each vote puts the charity a step closer to winning a portion of the Aviva community fund. (Page 17).

Hertfordshire Mercury (Cheshunt, Waltham Cross and Waltham Abbey edition)

  1. Emotional family thank ‘remarkable’ GP

A gentleman has thanked his wife’s doctor Dr Wood from Park Lane Surgery, Hoddesdon, after giving evidence at the inquest into her death. The man said that the doctor was ‘genuinely caring and thoughtful… [a] remarkable man’. (Page 2)

BOB FM (online)

  1. Emergency Services to test serious accident response on M25

The Emergency Services closed off a section of the M25 on the 16th May to test how they respond to serious accidents.

  1. Hertfordshire students train as ‘Health Champions’ to support their peers

HCC are training students to become ‘health champions’ to help their peers suffering from stress and depression in schools in Herts.

@ENHerts Twitter report 10-16 May 2015:

Total followers: 1,900

New followers this week: 4

Tweets sent this week: 9
Total number of views of our tweets: 1,594
Retweets this week: 6
Total number of ‘follows’ or tweets ‘favourited’ or ‘re-tweeted’ : 28

Tweet of the week (see right)