 Rebecca Evans AM, Assembly Member for Gower, has teamed up with Community Pharmacy Wales to highlight the unnecessary NHS overspend on medicines. Rebecca Evans said: “Wasted medicine in Wales is estimated to amount to £50 million a year. “We have a fantastic NHS, but it is no secret that money is tight, with continual cuts being made to our budget by the Westminster Conservative Government. To maximise what funding there is, it is important that patients and practitioners both work to tackle medicine waste." There are some 700 community pharmacies across Wales, and these can be at the forefront of assisting in tackling the problem, encouraging patients to take to review their own medicines usage with their pharmacist or GP.  Gower Assembly Member, Rebecca Evans AM, has taken part in the Poppy Ride in the Senedd. She joined colleagues, Veterans, Legion beneficiaries and Legion members and staff in trying to collectively cycle 300miles on a static bike - the distance from the National Assembly for Wales in Cardiff Bay to Passchendaele - to mark the Remembrance period. Rebecca Evans AM said: “I welcomed the opportunity to be part of the of the Poppy Ride 2017 as another way of showing support to people who have served and continue to serve in our armed forces, and to show my backing for the work of the Royal British Legion.” Everyone who took part in the Poppy Ride in the Senedd rode a static bike for 5 minutes, trying to get the best distance and win the Poppy ‘Yellow Jersey’. This brought out the competitive side in the riders! Rebecca Evans added: “I certainly rode with the aim of bringing the Poppy ‘Yellow Jersey’ to Gower, but sadly that wasn’t to be this year!"  Rebecca Evans AM, Assembly Member for Gower, will be holding an advice surgery on Friday October 27th, between 10am-11am, at Canolfan Gorseinon. If you have any problems or concerns, please come along to explore how Rebecca may be able to help. No appointment necessary.  Gower’s local Assembly Member, Rebecca Evans AM has welcomed the extension of the Welsh Labour Governments innovative and successful GP recruitment campaign. The Welsh Labour Government this week launched the refreshed - This is Wales: Train. Work. Live campaign. The campaign has already proved a success in the last year promoting Wales as an excellent place for doctors - including GPs - to train, work and live, The international and UK-wide campaign is aimed at medical students, foundation doctors considering the next stage in their career, as well as trainees coming to the end of their training, to encourage them train, work and live in Wales. It also appeals to recently qualified GPs, those in the early stages of their career and experienced GPs who may wish to work differently, or return to the workforce in Wales. A second incentive of a one-off payment for all GP specialty programme trainees to cover the first sitting of their final exams will also be continuing. This year, an incentive is also being offered to encourage psychiatrists to train in Wales. This consists of a one off-payment of up to £1,900 for psychiatry core trainees to cover the cost of one sitting of the MRCPsych membership exams. Rebecca Evans AM said: “I am pleased that this successful Welsh Labour Government campaign has been refreshed and extended. “I have been impressed by the success of this campaign, but there’s more work to do to ensure all of our GP training places are filled for the future. “Ultimately, we have a great offer here in Wales - it is amazing place to live and work.”  Macmillan’s first dedicated all-Wales mobile information support service bus, called “Bronwen”, will be visiting Asda Superstore, Gorseinon, on Monday October 23rd between 10am and 4pm. “Bronwen” was launched at the Gower MacMarathon last month. This mobile service has on-board a team of highly-qualified information specialists. Rebecca Evans AM, Assembly Member for Gower, said: “The mobile service is a service for everyone - whether you or a loved one has a diagnosis of cancer, or you are worried about cancer and want to know more about signs and symptoms. "The bus has professionals aboard to address your concerns and questions, whether they be financial, emotional or physical. Just pop in, no appointment is needed, and speak in confidence with a member of the team or pick up information pamphlets to take away with you.” More information can be found on the Macmillan Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/macmillan.cymruwales/  The Welsh Government has launched a consultation exploring how best to promote bus travel amongst young people so that they choose to travel by bus to access education, training work and leisure, and this is a chance to have your say. Economy Secretary, Ken Skates, said: “I’ve been particularly keen to explore what appetite there is for extending the age of discounted travel up to 24 year olds, potentially allowing us to help more young people make the most of bus travel across Wales." Rebecca Evans, Assembly Member for Gower, said: "Travelling by bus has a whole host of benefits. It is a greener, more sustainable choice, which helps reduce congestion and keep our communities moving. It is vital that young people themselves take this chance to tell us what would make them more likely to travel by bus." The consultation will run until January 4th 2018, and is available on the Welsh Government website.  Come along on Friday 20th October between 9.30am and 3.30pm to pick up some early festive bargains the Canolfan y Bont's Christmas Sale. There will be brand new clothes and toys for children, as well as bath and shower smellies and lots of other treats. Rebecca Evans AM said: "Canolfan y Bont is a wonderful resource in the middle of Pontarddulais, and this is a chance to support the centre whilst also snapping up some great bargains and taking the chance to have a cuppa and and some cake in their lovely coffee shop." Any money raised will go to support the work of the centre.  Gower's Assembly Member, Rebecca Evans AM, has welcomed a commitment by the Welsh Government to continue its Council Tax Reduction Scheme in 2018-19. Last year, a result of the scheme, almost 300,000 vulnerable and low income households in Wales received a reduction in their council tax. Of these, 220,000 households paid no council tax at all. Cabinet Secretary for Local Government, Mark Drakeford, said: “Despite the UK Government cutting our funding for the scheme by 10%, the Welsh Government has worked with local authorities to secure reductions in council tax for vulnerable and low income households. This has been supported by the £244m we have provided through our local government settlement each year." Rebecca Evans AM, Assembly Member for Gower said: “The Welsh Government doesn't have to do this. It is making a deliberate and positive choice to support and assist people living in vulnerable and low income households who are struggling to make ends meet, and I welcome that approach. "Across the border it's a different story. Low-income families in England are now paying on average £191 a year more in council tax than they would have if the UK Government hadn't made the choices that it has made there." As autumn begins, making informed choices about your home energy usage is one of the best ways to save money on your bills. A warm home is so important, but sadly many people struggle to heat their homes, facing difficult choices between turning the heating on and buying food or paying other bills.
That is why, on October 20th, I am jointly hosting an energy advice drop-in surgery with Tonia Antoniazzi MP, at Forge Fach Community Resource Centre in Clydach. The event is free to attend and will run from 11am – 1pm. Please come along and find out about the range of assistance and support that is available to help you pay, and reduce, your bills – as well as taking the opportunity to arrange a free gas safety check which can detect issues such as boiler faults, gas and carbon monoxide leaks. We have teamed up with British Gas for this event, and their advisors will be on hand with lots of good advice. Tackling fuel poverty is one of the top priorities for the Welsh Government, and we are committed to doing all we can. This is not easy, as Wales has some of the oldest and least thermally-efficient homes in Europe. We are working to improve the energy efficiency of homes, as we know this is an important way to tackle fuel poverty in the long term by making homes easier to heat and keep warm, and reducing household energy bills. We are also investing to make sure that impartial advice and support is available to help people keep warm and save money. Since 2011, over £217 million has been invested in Warm Homes, and this funding has had a significant impact on vulnerable households across Wales. It has provided advice to over 85,000 households and improved the energy efficiency of over 39,000 homes. Over 1,190 households have claimed new or additional benefits following a benefit entitlement check, averaging over £1,900 per household. In addition to this, over 1,000 households have benefited from a referral for a Warm Homes Discount rebate on their electricity bill, equating to over £140,000. The benefits aren’t just limited to cost savings. Warm Homes is also designed to ensure economic benefits for Wales in terms of employment and business opportunities. All of the energy efficiency improvements installed under our schemes have been delivered by Wales-based small and medium size businesses. If you would like to find out whether you are eligible for help to keep warm this winter, please come along or get in touch with my office by calling 01792 899081 or e-mailing me via [email protected]  Across the UK, every day of the year, thousands of community transport staff and volunteers are helping people to stay independent, participate in their communities and to access vital services and employment. Rebecca Evans AM, Assembly Member for Gower, met the team at Gower Voluntary Transport to see first-hand the positive impact the service is having on residents in the constituency. Rebecca Evans AM said: “Community transport is about providing flexible and accessible community-led solutions in response to the needs of the local community. "I was highly impressed by the service offered by Gower Voluntary Transport, which is a lifeline for many people. I would like to express my thanks to the volunteers for the incredible work they do providing people with transport to crucial appointments and to social events, for example." Gower Voluntary Transport provides accessible transport for people in the Gower peninsula who cannot access public transport, including people who are older, disabled or otherwise housebound. |
