Bristol family fund new ventilator

Bristol family fund new ventilator at Southmead in memory of dad who died from coronavirus

The family of a man from Hanham who died from coronavirus last year have raised over £7,250 towards a new ventilator for the Intensive Care Unit at North Bristol NHS Trust.

Steve Gay, 64, died on 12 May after five weeks at Southmead Hospital. Although his wife was able to be by his side when he passed, his children had to say goodbye over FaceTime.

Last month, he would have celebrated his 65th birthday.

His family say he was a healthy man with no underlying health conditions but were told by doctors he had one of the worst cases of the virus they’d seen.

Since losing Steve, his loved ones have been determined to raise money through donations from the public to help provide a piece of life-saving equipment for other patients admitted to the same unit, where he spent the last few weeks of his life. 16

In a socially distanced and emotive ceremony, his children were able to return to North Bristol NHS Trust to hand over a £7,250 cheque to Southmead Hospital Charity, which supports patients, staff and families at the Trust’s hospitals.

Philippa Carey, who works as an administrator for local community healthcare provider Sirona care & health, said her father would be so proud of them: “We are so grateful to all the staff at Southmead Hospital who cared for our dad during the last few weeks of his life and this is our small way of saying thank you. The money donated in Steve’s memory will help provide an MRI-compatible ventilator that will make it easier for patients in an induced coma to have an MRI scan.

“Our dad was the life and soul of the party and we miss him every single day however, fundraising in his memory has given us something to focus on whilst we continue to grieve and we know he would have been so proud of us.” Hannah Jones from Southmead Hospital Charity said: “We know that coming back today was difficult for Philippa and her family. The generosity shown by those who knew and loved Steve

Carrot and stick needed to get burglary down in Avon and Somerset

Independent PCC candidate says ‘carrot and stick’ needed to get burglary down in Avon and Somerset

Independent candidate for Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner, John Smith, announces his plans for cutting burglary in Avon and Somerset if he is elected on 6 May.

Avon and Somerset has followed the national trend of increases in burglary since the beginning of central Government police funding cuts in 2010. With a 20% reduction in officer numbers in Avon and Somerset as a result, burglary numbers have been on the increase. However, action taken by John and the current PCC in partnership with Avon and Somerset Police has begun to see a reversal in this trend. If elected, John pledges to reinvest in this team to ensure that prolific burglars are targeted.

On the importance of taking burglary seriously, John said: “Burglary is a terrible crime that leads to fear and trauma for victims as well as loss of property. As a victim of burglary myself, I know how important it is for police to target these criminals and to bring to overall number of burglaries down. If elected, I have a five point plan to help them do this.” If elected on 6 May, John will ask Avon and Somerset police to prioritise preventing burglary and catching burglars in five ways: Continue Operation Remedy, a proactive team dedicated to burglary established in 2019. In the first 6 months of the operation there were 661 fewer burglaries than the previous year – a reduction of 9% - and there were 100 additional burglaries solved. John would ask the force to increase investment in this successful team and set up local proactive teams in each local authority area to target prolific burglars; Offender management – Avon and Somerset previously had an award-winning Integrated Offender Management programme which targeted known prolific offenders with a ‘carrot and stick’ approach – rehabilitation or tougher penalties. This team has been reduced as a result of Government funding cuts. Drug treatment and improved partnership working – Government funding cuts since 2010 meant significant reductions in drug treatment services and today a third of the current prison population are there for drug-related crimes, including burglary. John believes there urgently needs to be more investment in drug treatment and better programmes for agencies to work together to reduce reoffending.

Other preventative work – John believes that community engagement and ownership of this issue is important and sees a raft of preventative measures which can be very effective in reducing burglaries, for example Avon and Somerset Watch, a thriving local Neighbourhood Watch scheme; the Safer Homes scheme to provide security advice to homeowners; or expanding the Safer Streets fund to tackle burglary and Anti-Social Behaviour in North Bristol.

Restorative Justice - Some burglars don’t like to think about their victims, but making them face this can help prevent re-offending. The Police and Crime Commissioner funds Resolve West who provide a restorative justice service across Avon and Somerset and this can be very effective in reducing reoffending as well as helping victims to cope and recover.

Further commenting, John said: “My experience means I know what will and won’t work to bring terrible crimes like burglary down. A carrot and stick approach gets tough on prolific offenders while giving those who want to turn their lives around a chance. As the only independent candidate for Avon and Somerset PCC, I can work with anyone from any political background to tackle burglary and I would answer only to local residents on this aim.”

Elections for the Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner are being held on Thursday May 6. John’s full manifesto can be viewed on https://www.johnsmith4pcc.com/.