St Stephens By Launceston Rural Parish Council

MISSION STATEMENT

Civility and respect should be at the heart of public life, and good governance is fundamental to ensuring an effective and well-functioning democracy at all levels.

The intimidation, abuse, bullying and harassment of councillors, clerks and council staff, in person or online, is unacceptable, whether by councillors, clerks, council staff, or public members.

This can prevent councils from functioning effectively, councillors from representing local people, discourage people from getting involved, including standing for election, and undermine public confidence and trust in local democracy.

NALC, county associations and OVW, as the membership organisations
representing the first tier of local government in England and Wales, and the SLCC, as the professional body for clerks, are committed to working together to promote civility and respect in public life, good governance, positive debate and supporting the well-being of councillors, professional officers and staff.

To that end, the Civility and Respect Working Group will be working to deliver tangible resources, actions and interventions in four main areas: providing councils with the tools to support good governance; lobbying to strengthen the standards regime and encouraging more people to get involved; training; and processes to intervene to provide support to struggling councils.

Adopted 5 January 2023

St Stephen by Launceston Rural Parish has 3 Defibrillators located at Langore Village Hall (on the outside wall to the front of the Village Hall), in Truscott close to the Noticeboard (signposted to the yard of Truscott Farm to the left of the Noticeboard) and in Dutson at the entrance to Homeleigh Garden Centre by the Disabled Parking.  All are monitored regularly by Parish Councillors and/or parishioners who then send their reports to The Circuit, the National Defibrillator Network.  Many thanks to the British Heart Foundation for supplying our Defibrillators and to our Divisional Member Cllr Paynter, the Parish Day Committee and Homeleigh Garden Centre for their generous donations.

May 2023

Cornwall Council has released a useful booklet with information to help you warm, well, happy and safe this winter.

You can download the Winter Wellbeing booklet by clicking on this link.

We want to reassure our patients that we recognise the difficulties many of you are experiencing in accessing services at the Medical Centre.  We appreciate how frustrating it is to either be waiting in a queue for your prescription or on the phonelines to get through to Reception. We would like to thank you for your patience during this difficult time.

As with other NHS organisations, demand has increased greatly and although this is out of our control, we continue to try to improve our services and would like to take this opportunity to let our patients know what we are doing to increase capacity, what we offer as a practice and alternative ways of accessing medical help:

• Paramedic and Nurse Practitioner – within the last 2 months we have taken on additional clinicians to help support the GPs and see more patients.
• GP Registrar – as a training practice we have the benefit of having a newly trained doctor with us who not only helps our patients but gets the experience necessary to hopefully increase GP numbers in the future.
• Advertising – we are currently advertising for new GPs to join the team.  This is an ongoing recruitment campaign.
• HR Manager – we have also created a new role within the practice to help with communication and the wellbeing of our staff.  She will assist with recruitment and retention of staff which will in turn help our patients with accessibility.
• Livi – this is a remote service which we have offered for some years now and can be accessed out of hours to help those who work long hours or who are unable to easily attend the Medical Centre.  Due to the success of the app, we have now expanded our Livi services and have daily (Mon-Fri) remote clinics bookable through the Medical Centre.  This has given us the equivalent of an additional GP every day to help take the pressure off the system.
• E-Consult – these have been re-enabled and can be accessed via our website.  Again, this is an electronic service for routine issues.  This frees up our GPs and support team to see more patients face to face or over the telephone including those who do not have access to a computer.
• NHS 111 – this organisation gives advice on where to get help for your symptoms if you are unsure what to do.  They also help you to find general health information and advice.
• Pharmacist – local pharmacists can give some medical advice and will recommend over the counter medication for many minor ailments.
• Action Plan for Dispensary – this is ongoing and is looking at all aspects of the department.  Most importantly we do not expect anyone to have to queue outside for their medication or wait more than 5 days from ordering for their prescription to be ready.  We are looking at ways of managing this and of course in reducing the queues altogether. Staff are working regular Saturdays to keep up to date with dispensing your medication.  We will shortly be releasing a patient information sheet to help patients understand the specific challenges we face and how we can all help to improve the situation.
• Action Plan for Reception – This week we have re-initiated an ‘all hands on deck’ approach to answering the calls into the practice.  Our busiest times are 8.30am-10.30am, particularly on a Monday.  All staff will be available to take calls and administration tasks will be done later in the day.  If you are ringing for results or have a routine enquiry, please avoid these busiest times.  Staff are also working extra Saturdays to clear administration tasks that were previously done during the working week to ensure phone lines are answered as quickly as possible.
• Delivery Service – this was introduced during the pandemic but we have continued to offer this service to those in most need in the outlying areas.  Currently we deliver to over 300 of our most vulnerable patients.
• Daily Sit and Wait Clinic (Mon-Fri) – we have reinstated this clinic in the past few months. The reception team will book you in if necessary – this is not a drop-in clinic.  It allows many patients with non-routine issues to be seen face to face and reduces the pressure on the Duty clinics at the end of the day.  We have several GPs, Paramedics, a Nurse Practitioner or Minor Illness Nurse involved in this clinic to ensure patients are seen by the most appropriate person.  If, as a result of your Sit and Wait appointment, a blood test/ECG is required, this can be done there and then as we have a Health Care Assistant available to avoid you having to make a return visit.
• Duty Team Clinics – these are there to ensure anyone with an urgent medical condition is seen that day.  Our reception team will signpost patients to the appropriate clinician.
• Flu and Covid Vaccinations – the practice made the decision to prioritise the roll-out of both vaccines again this year as we know how essential it is for some patients to be able to access the boosters locally.  We have currently given 2100 flu and covid vaccines and have clinics up until Christmas to try and cater for as many of our patients as possible.
• EPS (Electronic Prescribing Service) – This has not yet been enabled, our supplier has informed us this will be available shortly. When enabled this will allow all prescriptions to be sent electronically to our local chemists.
• PPG – we have a very supportive Patient Participation Group who are always on hand to pass on information and ask general questions at their regular meetings which are attended by our Practice Manager.  Please note however, they cannot ask specific questions regarding individual patients.
• Communication – we are aware that a small number of patients will regularly express their frustration and occasional anger on social media.  Unfortunately, often the messages they portray only serve to spread inaccurate information and can often upset or make many of our patients anxious about what is happening within their community, and especially their Medical Centre.  We would urge anyone with an issue to follow the correct channels and contact the Medical Centre direct.  We can then answer your query and often solve your issue very quickly.  We are always very willing to consider constructive ideas that may improve systems and encourage our service users to make contact if they think they can help. (ciosicb.letterslaunceston@nhs.net).

Launceston Medical Centre

The Devon and Cornwall police rural affairs team highlight rural issues throughout the year to focus problem solving activity for police, partners and public.

We have produced a series of short videos with key messages and prevention activity and in April we are looking at farm machinery, plant and vehicle theft.

You can find the latest video in the series at the following link.

https://www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/advice/your-community/rural-crime/

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has joined the Local Government Association (LGA) in endorsing a statement from the political leadership of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), which strongly condemns the multiple attacks and violations of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. The statement also expresses full support and solidarity to the Ukrainian people and their peers in local and regional government.

The statement reads as follows:

European local and regional governments strongly support their peers in Ukraine

We, local and regional leaders across Europe, strongly condemn the multiple attacks and violations of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. We express our full support and solidarity to the Ukrainian people and our peers in local and regional government. We will not accept that our European values and integrity be attacked again by the Russian Federation after the violation of Georgian territories by Russia in 2008. We are firmly opposed to the dismemberment of a free and democratic state in Europe.

The escalation of violence, repeated bombings and attacks on Ukrainian cities and territories are a serious threat to the preservation of peace and democracy across Europe. We call on the Federation of Russia to cease its attack, to leave the national territory of Ukraine, to respect all international treaties and fundamental principles of international law and to recognise the full sovereignty of Ukraine over all its territories, including Donbas and Crimea.

Firmly convinced of local democracy and city diplomacy, based on the values of peace that unite our municipalities across Europe since 1951, we stand by the Ukrainian municipalities, cities, hromadas, districts, raions and their representative associations. They are in the front line to protect the population and provide basic services to offer them good quality living conditions and daily survival. The destruction of infrastructure by the belligerents jeopardises the efficient and safe maintenance of basic public services provided by Ukrainian local and regional governments to their citizens.

As European local and regional governments, representing 60 national associations across 40 European countries, including Ukraine, we will continue to work to support them in their efforts. Not only are we ready to support our peers in the country with the materials and expertise they may need in the days and weeks to come. Municipalities and regions will probably have to face soon the human consequences of such a tragedy for Europe, probably resulting in a flow of humanitarian refugees. Coordination with our national governments will be essential.

As the European section of UCLG, let us hope that city diplomacy will soon unite us all again!

The register of interests for St Stephen by Launceston Rural Parish Councillors can be viewed on the Cornwall Council Website by following the link below.

St Stephen by Launceston Rural Parish Council – Register of Interests of Parish Councillors

St Stephens by Launceston Rural Parish Council

Statement of facts re Langore Village Green VG630

• This land was allotted to the Churchwardens and Overseers of the Poor and their successors (the Parish Council) in trust as a place of Exercise and Recreation for the inhabitants of the Parish under an Inclosure Award of 1849.  The area has since been registered as a Village Green.  Recreation Allotments, such as this one, may not be encroached upon, in any way, and even if they so wished the Parish Council is not empowered to grant any sort of vehicular right of way over the area of the Green.  Only the Secretary of State for the Environment has such authority.

• St Stephens by Launceston Recreation Grounds Trustees have responsibility to manage the Village Green; the Parish Council holds the Land and is Custodian Trustee. As such they are responsible for upholding the laws regarding the Village Green.

• Motor vehicles are crossing the Green to access Virginia Cottage

• This is not covered by the insurance policy for the Village Green or vehicle driver’s road insurance

• Village Green legislation prohibits the use of motor vehicles on them without specific authority

• Land Registry for Village Green title does not show any vehicular rights on the Village Green

• Land Registry documents for Virginia Cottage title do not show any vehicular rights over the Village Green

• It is reasonable, therefore, to assume there are currently no vehicular rights over the Green to Virginia Cottage, despite unsubstantiated assertions to the contrary by the residents of Virginia Cottage.

Possible solutions

• Erect signage indicating that vehicles cannot drive on the village green

• Take legal action against the owners of Virginia Cottage to stop driving over the Green.
• Problem: probably very expensive

• Owners of Virginia Cottage obtain an easement from Secretary of State
• Problem: despite support from Parish Council, owner not prepared to seek easement

• Block access with a physical barrier
• Problem: if barrier is removed remover can be prosecuted for criminal damage. Any legal action taken to remove barrier will need defending; this should be a police matter.

Valued Lives Pop Up Hubs and Support Groups

Valued Lives are hosting Mini Pop Up Hubs and Support Groups for people who are currently experiencing mental health challenges. You can find information on these events by downloading the document below.