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Espère Healthcare upgrades DermaSilk underwear

Dec 5th, 2011
by Ultimedia.
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Espère Healthcare has announced changes to the range of DermaSilk men’s and children’s underwear which takes effect from December 1st 2011. DermaSilk underwear, a ‘Class 1 Medical Device’ approved for prescription use in the treatment of eczema, now has an ability to stretch to twice its size by an innovative process which overlays the DermaSilk fibroin silk completely around an elastane core. This means there is no longer any need for elasticated waist or legs, and the greater stretch and absence of side seams significantly increases patient comfort whilst retaining full clinical efficacy

BoxersMens boxer shorts now come in three sizes instead of the previous six, and the childrens’ briefs are now available in 2 sizes for each gender instead of 6 unisex sizes. The prices of the new DermaSilk underwear remains unchanged.

All DermaSilk garments are available through chemist wholesalers, but can also be ordered directly from Espère Healthcare by calling Sales on 01234 834614

More about Espère Healthcare
Established in 2006, Espère Healthcare Ltd was set up to create and develop a totally new market in medical treatment – biofunctional textiles. A wide range of garments has been developed that are manufactured from new materials specifically designed to produce therapeutic rather than just protective effects, either on their own or in conjunction with currently used conventional medication.

DermaSilk Therapeutic Clothing is manufactured from specially knitted medical grade fibroin. This is derived from silk which has been stripped of its outer coating to make it hypoallergenic, and is used widely for medical sutures. This fabric is specially bonded with AEM 5772/5, a patented antimicrobial shield which has been used in hospitals for over 30 years and has proven ability to inhibit bacterial and fungal growth on fabrics such as operating theatre gowns. It acts by electrostatically attracting and physically puncturing bacteria and fungi. There is no chemical released from the silk to poison the cells and no chemicals or nano-particles are released onto the skin.

DermaSilk Therapeutic Clothing has been approved as a Class 1 medical device for use by the medical profession on NHS prescription since 2007. DermaSilk garments are used in the treatment and management of eczema by consultant dermatologists, GPs and nurses. Further indications have been added to the DermaSilk prescription portfolio to cover other conditions such as gravitational eczema in the elderly and epidermolysis bullosa, a severe and debilitating skin condition. Further research for the therapeutic use of DermaSilk in other conditions has shown very promising results.

The company also supply DermaTherapy Bedding, developed from a patented specially designed synthetic fabric sourced from the USA. Proven useful for treating eczema, this bedding has additional applications in pressure sore management in the elderly and infirm, acne, night sweats and night terrors in children. The fabric has an antimicrobial finish bonded to it to help counter bacteria such as MRSA and Clostridium difficile.

DermaSilkIntimo is the newest product in the range. The inclusion of 4% elastane compliments the inherent stretch properties of the silk and has led to a new range of seamless designs. The latest clinical trials have shown the efficacy of these garments in relieving symptoms in women suffering from lichen sclerosus and candida infections.

Espère are also driving the development of these fabrics into new areas, and trials are in progress for the use of DermaSilk in lymphoedema, trench foot and end of life care. Other fabric technologies are also currently being investigated.

Espère Healthcare Ltd is the Distributor of DermaTherapy Bedding in the UK and Ireland.

DermaTherapy® is a registered trademark of Precision Fabrics Group Inc.

Contact details

For media information contact Colin Caldicott, Ultimedia PR
Tel: 01767 601470 e-mail: colin@ultimediapr.co.uk

For technical information contact Chris Steeples, joint managing director Espère Healthcare
Tel 01234 834614  email: chris@esperehealth.co.uk

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This isn’t Sweat Running Down my Legs When I Exercise!

Dec 3rd, 2011
by tammymchamberlain.
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Incontinence is the last taboo subject, but is nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about! Researchers have found that as many as 30 percent of women who run experience incontinence while running. Those figures are just based on runners – but we know that it’s not just runners who experience incontinence! Millions of people, individuals who exercise – from yoga, to Pilates, to spinning, to Latin Dance (Zumba is the rage right now!), weight lifting, running, power walking – experience incontinence.

Since 25 million Americans (75 percent of which are women) live with it, those estimates may actually quite a bit higher. With statistics like these, why aren’t we discussing more about incontinence? Because it’s the last taboo subject! But we shouldn’t be disconcerted about it – so lets talk about it – now! Lets get serious. Urinary incontinence (UI) is especially common in female runners, as well as those ladies participating in other kinds of workouts, such as; dance, aerobics, Zumba etc, and those who participate in other forms of exercise. It’s been said that one third of ladies have incontinence concerns as they age, some say that guesstimate could be as high as 60 percent! So again, why aren’t we talking about it?

Urinary incontinence (UI) is defined as an uncontrollable and unintentional loss or leakage of urine. Stress incontinence occurs when dancing (or other exercising). Stress incontinence means that that when stress is applied to the bladder, it leaks. In this situation, the stress is the physical exertion of dancing or exercise. While women who have given birth are more likely to verbalize they experience stress incontinence, ladies who have never experienced childbirthalso deal with this predicament.

What can ladies do to fix this problem? Well, that depends on the seriousness of the incontinence. First, find some beautiful incontinence panties. Incontinence undergarments will help you to fix the leaking predicaments until you can rejuvenate your pelvic floor. Tip: shop for incontinence panties that hold a minimum of 4 oz. Look for incontinence underwear that have a built in leakproof barrier and odor control. Some incontinence panties can hold as much as 12 oz! Also, shop for good quality incontinenence underwear that can be washed more than 200 times.

Second – strengthen your pelvic floor. Not that again! Yes – that again – kegel exercises! If you don’t know what muscles to toughen (after all – when was the last time anyone showed you where your kegel muscles were? Mirror please! Um, no thanks – but thanks for sharing!). Look for book Hold it Sista by Mary O’Dwyer – the ‘down under Dr.” from “Down Under”. She has a delightful way of telling you what you need to do to toughen your kegel muscles.

Third – shop for IncoStress. This medical device (do not let the designation medical device petrify you! IncoStress is made of medical grade silicone. It is inserted like a tampon and then held by your pelvic muscles for the span of your kegel exercises and then you can take it out). IncoStress is made by women – for women. It helps you designate your kegal muscles and gives you something physical to seize with your kegel muscles – which makes them stronger! The best time to do your kegel exercies is right before you go to sleep at night, or first thing before you get out of bed in the morning. These can’t be done effectively when you’re driving your car – and to know why – you need to read Hold it Sista by Mary O’Dwyer.

Incontinence is not a common part of getting on in years, and we don’t have to live with it. We need to become our own advocates, we need to educate ourselves and our mothers, our friends, our daughters, about the pelvic floor. Knowledge is power.

What about when these solutions for urinary incontinence aren’t enough. When urinary incontinence conspicuously alters your life, urinary incontinence surgery may be an option.

Before you go anywhere – visit DryDiapersPlus for the revolutionary super absorbent <a href=" adult diaper, based on NASA technology – with true savings on all of your incontinence supplies and ABDL needs. At DryDiapersPlus we provide world-class customer service, affordable pricing and discreet packaging.

Tammy Chamberlain is an incontinence products specialist at DryDiapersPlus,

Buy your adult diapers online at DryDiapersPlus. Serving the US and Canada (visit DryDiapersPlus.ca for Canada Shoppers)

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Keeping Your Pelvic Floor Tight

Nov 24th, 2011
by tammymchamberlain.
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The other day I read Hold It Sister, by Mary O’Dwyer. Mary is a ‘Down Under Physical Therapist’ from Down Under. She specializes in Women’s Health and has aided thousands of women reconnect with their pelvic floor function and control their continence, manage prolapse and regain their climax.

Mary can show you, your daughter, your friends, your mom – women of all ages – how to take control of possibly their most essential muscle system – their Pelvic Floor.

Within the first 10 minutes of reading this handbook – I realized that the 4 repair surgeries I went through (envision it, 6 episiotomies for 2 babies!) could have been eluded had I just had the knowledge from this book! Yes, you grasped that entirely right – I’ve had 4 ‘remodelling’ surgeries for my pelvic floor – thanks to prolapses.

How do you distinguish what muscles to manipulate? (that was always my inside issue when my Gyne would reveal “you need to do kegal exercies” – the one I at no time asked because I was too ill at ease.) Well – this booklet makes it very easy to grasp which muscles you should to use – especially when you combine the the goods from this book with IncoStress.

How it is – studies shows 30% of ladies who are surgically reconstructed prolapse again requiring added surgery with even less chance of a favorable outcome (and I’m walking evidence since I’ve had 4 reconstructive surgeries and was just getting ready to go see a Gyne about having added surgery done – but not now – now that I’ve read this book – and am using IncoStress!).

It’s hard to believe that a booklet concerning pelvic control can be so captivating, but it is. This publication is easy to read, well illustrated and is a practical guide to regaining control and keeping it. After all – it’s not just about avoiding prolapse – but it’s also about a fantastic sex life! This book also pointed out to me why the “aaahhh” had been lost from my climaxes! I knew it had nothing to do with my groom (previous to children – there was no problem getting the “WOW!” times 2 or 3! I knew I was supposed to be in my prime – but thought that maybe there was something to the story about lovemaking after marriage and kids. After reading Hold It Sister, I can’t wait to rejuvenate my pelvic floor up again – and I just hope the damage isn’t too critical that it can’t be put in order (and unquestionably, that may be my plight since I’ve had my pelvic floor remedied 4 times now to patch up prolapses).

This handbook covers all ages, from sportive younger women, through pregnancy and post-birth recovery and into menopause and the eldest pelvic floor (humor here – my Gyne advised me that she’s witnessed better vaginas on 80 year old women that mine – and I was only 38 at the time!).

Hold It Sister is commonsensical and written for everyday women . It’s based on prevailing studies and explains undoubtedly the what, why and how of this necessary facet of women’s body knowledge.

If you don’t know the lifestyle behaviours that abuse your pelvic floor and the 10 Healthy Habits for the pelvic floor, it’s crucial that you buy this publication – so do your girlfriends, your daughters and your mother. This book goes way beyond Kegel exercises and will give you a new conception of pelvic floor health and maintenance. You might even avoid expensive and avoidable surgery by following the Hold It Sister program! Take it from me – you don’t want the surgery!

Before you go anywhere – visit DryDiapersPlus for the revolutionary super absorbent <a href=" adult diaper, based on NASA technology – with sizable deals on all of your incontinence products and ABDL needs. At DryDiapersPlus we offer top-notch customer service, affordable pricing and discreet packaging.

Tammy Chamberlain is an incontinence products specialist at DryDiapersPlus,

Buy your adult diapers online at DryDiapersPlus. Serving the US and Canada (visit DryDiapersPlus.ca for Canada Shoppers)

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Managing Incontinence with Style

Oct 22nd, 2011
by tammymchamberlain.
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Even with the information that an estimated 25 Million Americans are living with incontinence, there is still a social stigma placed on incontinence that can terrorize your spark for life if you put up with incontinence .

Many Americans who are incontinent also live with some sort of depression issue because of the social stigma attached to incontinence issues. Incontinence issues affect all walks of life – baby boomers and everyday people like you and me, not just seniors as is the common misconception. So the bias that it affects predominantly seniors is fading!

While adult briefs (aka adult diapers) have been available to consumers for many years, it was only recently that incontinence issues were boosted to break room chitchat. In a much talked about recent tv tv commercial, Whoopi Goldberg exposed the truth – to the relief of millions. It was Whoopi’s larger than life character that unconditionally made it acceptable to talk about the issue of incontinence. Of course, the timing for that tv advertisement was slotted for maximum exposure – becase the ad aired immediately in front of the Oscars.

Many of those who know incontinence struggle with locating excellent incontinence products from adult briefs (aka adult diapers), to bladder control liners (absorbent liners) and many don’t discern that there is another alternative – good ‘ole fashioned underwear! But we’re not talking granny panties! We’re talking about gorgeous, complimentary, beautiful, stylish skivvies!

To help do away with the stigma of incontinence, Eversures Incontinence Underwear fashioned a line of incontinence unmentionables that are not only effective, but classy, too. Comprehensive consumer research disclosed that people coping with incontinence are wishing for products that are more like real underwear. Products that help make them feel more normal and positive. Eversures Incontinence Underwear were manufactured to meet end users’ emotional and psychological needs as well, with a product that looks more like regular unmentionables, because they are real underwear!

* No inserts or disposable pads required
* Available in different absorbencies from light to moderate – or heavy.
* Sewn-in, super absorbent Unique-Dri pad traps liquid for built-in protection all day
* Waterproof outer layer prevents leakage for double protection
* Antimicrobial fibers eliminate the bacteria that cause odor
* Easy-care machine wash and dry
* More economical than disposables because they are good for 200-250 washes
* Available in sizes from SMA to 10X (depending on the style).
* Available in different colors (depending on the style).

Incontinence is a medical infirmity – so it’s important to shop for the right products you want to deal with it and allow you to get on with your life, feeling collected and in control.

So now you have no reason to sit at home and stare at those 4 walls because you’re ashamed of your medical problem! Go on, get out and enjoy life again – wearing real underwear. Eversures Incontinence Underwear are well made and in-vogue undergarments for men or women!

Before you go anywhere – visit DryDiapersPlus for the revolutionary super absorbent <a href=" adult diaper, based on NASA technology – with true deals on all of your incontinence supplies and ABDL needs. At DryDiapersPlus we provide great customer service, affordable pricing and discreet packaging.

Tammy Chamberlain is an incontinence products specialist at DryDiapersPlus,

Buy your adult diapers online at DryDiapersPlus. Serving the US and Canada (visit DryDiapersPlus.ca for Canada Shoppers)

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Determining Which is Best? Cloth Adult Briefs or Disposable Adult Diapers

Oct 16th, 2011
by tammymchamberlain.
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Adult Diapers, that are relatable to each other to those for youngsters are available in two designs, disposable or reusable. As the names indicates, disposables are fabricated to be worn once then tossed away while the reusable type is designed to be put on, laundered and dried, then put on again – a routine that is repeated approximately 100-150 times per adult diaper. The style picked out is definitely up to the consumers of these products – but both of these offer similar solutions.

Disposable diapers are constructed of a super absorptive component designed with several layers to help more completely protect skin and to keep the skin dry. Some disposable diapers hold the urine that the body can’t put a lock on in a gel or another type of ‘core’ – which pulls the moisture away from the body and keeps clothes, bed linen and furniture dry.

Reusable cloth diapers are made from fibers such as cotton or fleece and so are less absorbent. Also, because cloth diapers don’t confine urine in a gel or other substance, cloth diapers more often than not leak and supplementary protective wear is crucial when donning reusable cloth diapers.

Regardless of whether they are reusable or disposable, adult briefs are a certain and user-friendly solution for the millions of adults struggling with medical or other concerns that make
using or accessing a restroom an impossible or difficult task. For the bed bound or those with medical problems that change the bladder’s operation, diapers are an effortless and painless alternative. The price is marginal and there are no medications required.

Disposable diapers for grownups are the more in demand of the two varieties when making your mind up between disposable or cloth. Practically 90 % of grownups using adult diapers utilize disposable briefs. The notion most mentioned the disposable diapers popularity is convenience. With disposable adult diapers, no washing required, you simply use afterwards toss. The complementary benefit of disposable adult diapers is the health of the skin. If you use a superior adult diaper, they wick the moisture away from your skin that results in healthier skin – less skin inflammations
(diaper rash, bacterial and yeast infections).

For a few people, disposable adult diapers are impossible to utilize. These individuals may experience allergic reactions to thetextiles from which disposable adult diapers are fashioned. Eruptions of rashes and skin irritation are popular conditions for these few consumers. The good news is there is the alternative of using cloth diapers. These give similar coverage when ever used along with other insulating garments like plastic underpants and padded inserts. All the same, for these people, it is important that they practice utmost personal cleaning. With cloth diapers, the moister does not get pulled away from the skin – and the skin is consistently exposed to high loads of ammonia, bacterial and other organisms (especially if the wearer is also bowel incontinent). Often times though, many people who wear cloth diapers do have drastically more issues with diaper rash, bacterial and yeast infections.

In today’s world – we are all more appreciative of how what we use influences our surroundings. There is debate on whether or not the damage to the environment is much higher with disposable adult diapers, or greater with cloth adult diapers. The point is that the disposable adult diapers take years to biodegrade. However, there are those who impart that all of process that goes into making the fibers for the adult cloth diapers (with the chlorine for bleaching the cottons, etc, the processing), plus the soaps, phosphates and fabric softeners, plus the electricity to launder and dry the cloth adult diapers are more detrimental to the environment.

Either way – you have an option – make the one that best suits your way of life. Disposable or cloth?

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Effectively Controlling the …ahem…Odor… in Adult Diapers When the Heatwave Hits

Oct 13th, 2011
by tammymchamberlain.
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If you live with bowel control issues, you know first hand the humiliation that odor can cause.

Now and then life happens and you can not get away to change your adult diaper. You’re at the mall, on in a plane, you’re at work, or maybe you are at school and you have forgotten your extra supplies, or you can’t get away to change for the reason that there’s no where to change. The scene is worse if it is a hot, maybe even muggy, summer day, and odors are aggravated.

The self-abasement as people around you start to smell the air, and you’re keeping your eyes pointed ahead praying, hopeful, that no one realizes that it’s you. Or, preferably, you are putting on as you’re sniffing the air too – trying to divert the long hard look away from you.

Generally people don’t choose to sit in a grungy adult diaper – but when life happens and you can’t get to a washroom – what can you do to cover up the… ahem… fragrance?

When you’re desperate, you’ll employ anything to try and cover up the odors radiating from the adult diaper. Track down a gasoline station and stock up on those air freshners and wear them shoved down your adult diaper. That is a game plan for you!

But it doesn’t have to be that way…the cure is easier than you think – and quite wallet friendly! A travel sized spritzer container filled with water and a drop or two of essential oils. Stick around – men – before we lose your attention — not all essential oils are flowery smelling. So, utilizing essential oils will not make you ‘smell like a girl’.

You will need a normal and a small (pocket-sized), spray bottle, essential oils and water. Essential oils can be acquired as a single oil or a blended oil. Many big market stores and your local drugstore carry these oils and they can also easily be found online. Many malls have specialty shops stocking only soaps and oils. You can find “feminine” oils (floral scents like Jasmine, Lavendar, Geranium) or masculine (earthscents like Sandalwood, Oakmoss, Cedarwood, Black Pepper, most citrus scents, etc).

While some of the more masculine scents are not automatically regularly accessible (like Black Pepper) at your local commercial stores, if you look for masculine blends – you will find that many blends incorporate several essential oils into a blend.

Take your spray bottles, drop in1-3 drops of the essential oil (3 drops for the typical spray bottle, 1 drop for the small (purse-sized) spray bottle – and fill with water.

When getting ready for the day – take your standard-sized spray bottle and casually spritz your adult diaper – one quick spray will do it. Pack the small (travel-sized) spray bottle in your supply bag, in easy reach. This will help cover any disagreeable odors. And, because the smaller spray bottle is purse-sized, it fits quickly into a pocket or pocketbook – knapsack, laptop bag – you guessed it – no one has to know. Then, if you perceive in the heat of the day that you’re not smelling as fresh – you can discreetly bring out your bottle and add another spray. All people will know is the scent of your selection of essential oil.

An added nugget to this cost effective way of handling odor, is that you and anybody around you benefits from the properties of the essential oil. As we all know, Lavender has a soothing affect, Grapefruit promotes concentration, eases tension and revives the spirit, Peppermint helps relieve headaches.

You can even have a little bit of fun during Christmas season – by applying holiday scents – so everyone thinks you’re genuinely in the Christmas spirit!

Before you go anywhere – visit DryDiapersPlus Canada for IncoStress and Hold it Sister incontinence aids, terrific deals on all of your disposable adult diapers and ABDL needs. At DryDiapersPlus Canada we provide excellent customer service, affordable pricing and discreet packaging.

Tammy Chamberlain is an incontinence products specialist at DryDiapersPlus,

Buy your adult diapers online at DryDiapersPlus. Serving the US and Canada (visit DryDiapersPlus.ca for Canada Shoppers)

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ADHD Motability scheme exposes serious potential for abuse

Oct 11th, 2011
by Tom Welsh.
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It’s been revealed that parents of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can qualify for a free car under the £1.5 billion taxpayer-funded Motability scheme. Paid for by the mobility component of the £12 billion-a-year Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Motability is meant to help people with severe walking difficulties, and allows claimants to directly channel their mobility payments into a new car purchase.

So why are ADHD kids eligible? Creative interpretation of the eligibility requirements might mean they need ‘supervision most of the time from another person when walking out of doors in unfamiliar places’. Or perhaps they would ‘be at risk if they tried to walk’? Taxpayers will be outraged that a condition like ADHD, behavioural rather than physical, is being used to justify mobility grants.

But this story illustrates far broader problems with the administration of DLA.

The 3,000 cars that people with various behavioural conditions in the family are eligible for are a tiny percentage of the 575,000 being paid for under the Motability higher-rate mobility scheme. This is 200,000 more vehicles on the road than a decade ago. Why has this figure risen so quickly? There cannot be 200,000 more immobile disabled people than in 2001. The evidence points to a serious lack of oversight by the relevant authorities.

No medical assessment is required to qualify for mobility money. An assessment can be bypassed if the ‘decision-maker’ is happy with the application, and a medical exam ‘may be to check you are receiving the full amount of benefit you are entitled to’, rather than a comprehensive medical examination of the condition itself.

Given that diagnosis of ADHD has been criticised for often resting on parental evidence alone, there is substantial potential for abuse by parents looking to cash in on generous hand-outs.

There’s also no means-testing. The Motability website allows claimants to explore topping-up their £2,500 annual payments with their own cash, with tempting images of BMWs and Audis likely to provoke envy even in the most scrupulous. Taxpayers shouldn’t have to subsidise new cars for wealthy families.

Most seriously, little effort is made to tackle abuse and fraud. Motability released a statement in June telling of the 800 claimants removed from the scheme in 2010/11. But its annual report mentions 7,144 allegations of fraud or abuse, including uninsured driving, unauthorised use, criminal activity, and drink driving. Just 2,139 of these were pursued, with only 829 resulting in punitive action – the figure quoted in the press statement. Given that an estimated 200,000 are regularly used by the disabled person’s friends or relatives, these figures are worrying small.

Motability relies on the public reporting misuse of these cars. A scheme costing £1.5 billion a year ought to have far more rigorous methods of preventing abuse than the odd tip-off from neighbours. Questions should also be raised about the necessary burden of proof – success rates in pursuing allegations are shockingly low. Given how easy it is to get a car, it seems incredibly difficult to take one away.

The Work and Pensions Secretary is right to take action on the ADHD car scheme, but the entire DLA mobility component should be re-examined. Investigating 3,000 cars out of 575,000 will do little to change the fundamental problems that allow uncontrolled spending of taxpayers’ money, with insufficient investigation of whether that spending is working or needed. The disabled must be supported, but the DWP must ensure the money goes to the right people and for the right reasons.

[Update: We have edited the post above to clarify that the figure of 3,000 is an estimation of the number eligible for the cars, rather than those who received them, and that this refers to a broader spectrum of behavioural disorders, in line with this article.  This strengthens the argument in the original post that this is a small part of the overall cost of the scheme.]

 

Fat taxes won’t solve the problem they are designed to

Oct 7th, 2011
by Tom Welsh.
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Does Britain need a fat tax? David Cameron hasn’t ruled it out. In Manchester he called for Britain to ‘wake-up’ to rising obesity levels and, with Denmark now the first country to tax foods high in saturated fat, said a fat tax ‘is something we should look at’.

But is a tax levied on fatty foods the best way to tackle obesity? Certainly, obesity costs the NHS money. In 2001, the National Audit Office conservatively estimated that the NHS would spend £3.6 billion treating obesity and related illnesses by 2010. As people get fatter, ambulance trusts are forking out £90,000 on “bariatric” ambulances with reinforced tail-lifts and inflatable lifting cushions.

Some argue that the obese should contribute towards this expenditure. Smokers pay £9.3 billion annually in cigarette taxes, drinkers pay £8.3 billion, but there is no specific levy on obesity. Sin taxes, however, are about more than raising revenue. They are a means of controlling bad behaviour. Cigarette duty raises far more than the £2.7 billion the NHS spends treating smoking-related diseases annually. Intended as polite nudges, they more often crudely shove us towards healthier lifestyles.

A fat tax along the Danish line wouldn’t just target the obese, but anyone who bought foods high in saturated fats. Butter, milk, cheese, pizza, meat and oil would be affected, and with British food prices already some of the highest in Europe, average taxpayers, struggling to buy household staples, would be penalised for eating the food they enjoy.

Sin taxes also disproportionately hit those on lower incomes – not because what they eat is more fatty, but because they spend a higher proportion of their income on food. A fat tax would be regressive, according to a 2004 report by the Institute of Fiscal Studies. It would burden the poorest households seven times more, as a proportion of income, than the richest households.

Crucially, there’s little evidence a fat tax would even change behaviour. Obesity may be a growing problem, an ever heavier burden on the NHS, but indiscriminate taxation of fatty foods is not its panacea. It would not be an innovative response to an unsolved problem, but more-of-the-same intervention.

The Government must leave people to directly face the consequences of their own unhealthy actions. If someone like Paul Mason, formerly the world’s fattest man, has cost the NHS £1 million over 15 years, he should contribute towards the direct costs of his care. A fat tax would not provide this direct link between action and consequence. It would penalise the poor, increase food prices for ordinary taxpayers and stand as an unacceptable intervention into the eating habits of everyone.

Non-job of the week

Aug 3rd, 2011
by Andrew Allison.
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Everywhere you look in local government these days you seem to find change managers. This week is no exception, and once again a recruitment agency is masking the identity of an unnamed London borough council wishing to appoint a Temporary Change Manager paying between £281-£350 a day.

Another London council, meanwhile, is looking to appoint an Interim Programme Manager who will take the lead and get a grip of the Parking Commissioning project. Once again we don’t know which council it is, but we do know the successful candidate will be paid between £400-£450 a day.

Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust (CLCH) is looking for a Head of Communications and Engagement. Here’s part of the job description:

Reporting to the Director of Strategy and Business Development the Head of Communications and Engagement will be an expert in communications and engagement. You will lead on the development and implementation of the corporate internal and external communications and involvement activities including development of long term strategy and policy, reputation management, media and community liaison.

Non-Job of the WeekI suppose it would be useful for the Head of Communications and Engagement to be an expert in communications and engagement, otherwise what would be the point of appointing them to a role paying between £60,671-£73,351 a year?

Of course I accept there has to be people employed to handle media enquiries and contact with the public, but the primary role of the NHS is to heal the sick. If this Trust has a head of communications earning over £70K a year, how large is the team beneath them? How many communications officers are there in London? How many are there in the UK? During the last general election campaign, Nick Clegg stated we now have more bureaucrats and administrators in the NHS than we have hospital beds!

It strikes me that the NHS is over-reaching itself, employing people on large salaries to put a good spin on the work of the Trust. What I want is to be able to visit my GP, and if I need to see a specialist to get an appointment in good time, and if there are any problems for my complaint to be handled promptly. This does not require the services of a Head of Communications and Engagement earning over £70K to fob me off with excuses when things go wrong.

New TPA Research: Shocking disparity in number of bins

Feb 17th, 2011
by The TaxPayers' Alliance.
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We’ve today released the first full survey of the number of bins that each council asks residents to sort their rubbish into.

The research reveals that those in Newcastle-under-Lyme have the biggest job, being asked to sort their waste into NINE separate receptacles. Some other councils collect recycling from a single bin.

Click here to read the full report

Click here for the complete press release

Local authorities are under increasing pressure to collect materials separately because of the EU Landfill Directive. This burden has been passed on to taxpayers, who are now required to sort a range of materials individually. Household rubbish collection is often strictly enforced by council “bin police”, who can impose fines up to £100.

This research paper is the first to provide a direct comparison between local councils and the number of bins each collects.

The key findings of this research are:

  • The council with the most bins for collection is Newcastle-under-Lyme with 9
  • The average number of bins into which residents in the UK are required to sort their waste is 4
  • 21 councils collect 7 or more bins
  • 58 councils collect 6 or more bins
  • 136 councils collect 5 or more bins, whereas 161 councils collect 3 or fewer
  • The councils that collect the fewest bins are Dumfries and Galloway and Isles of Scilly with 1. In addition, just 17 councils collect 2 bins
  • The average number of bins collected in England is 4, Scotland is 4, Wales is 5 and Northern Ireland is 3

Click here to read the full report

Click here for the complete press release

Chris Daniel, Policy Analyst at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said:

“Having to sort rubbish into numerous bins often frustrates taxpayers, even if they want to recycle. It’s ridiculous that some councils ask for waste to be sorted into seven bins or more; this places needless pressure on households and isn’t a good way of encouraging recycling. Meddling EU rules mean that councils can’t send too much to landfill, but plenty of local authorities cope with three bins, so there’s no reason others can’t too. We need to reject EU rules like this when they go too far and aren’t in the interests of ordinary families.”

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