Cllr Roy Gerstner – Community Activist

Within, Student suffers seizure – Lots to read.

I am a full member of the CAB in my own right – not as a council representative.
The CAB provides a fantastic resource and help to our residents.
WTC make a contribution annually and at present have 4 timed slots on a Tuesday.
Next weeks slots have all been taken.

Peterborough & Cambridgeshire (Fenland) still hanging in the balance.
Promises it will be decided by ‘early’ next year.

Last week, one of the wards we inspected/audited – failed.
The other three passed.

For a number of years, I join a very small team – who carry out an assessment
(none- clinical) of our hospital(s) (Peterborough & Stamford).
This year I will be doing 3 x 1 day sessions.

No we do not get paid for this – it is purely volunteer based

Good environments matter. Every NHS patient should be cared for with compassion and dignity in a clean, safe environment.
Where standards fall short, they should be able to draw it to the attention of managers and hold the service to account.
PLACE assessments will provide motivation for improvement by providing a clear message, directly from patients, about how the environment or services might be enhanced.

The assessments involve local people (known as patient assessors) going into hospitals as part of teams to assess how the environment supports the provision of clinical care, assessing such things as privacy and dignity, food, cleanliness and general building maintenance and, more recently, the extent to which the environment is able to support the care of those with dementia or with a disability.

Recruitment and training of patient assessors is the responsibility of those organisations undertaking assessments.

The assessments take place every year, and results are published to help drive improvements in the care environment. The results show how hospitals are performing both nationally and in relation to other hospitals providing similar services.

Note that PLACE assessments focus exclusively on the environment in which care is delivered and do not cover clinical care provision or how well staff are doing their job.

Again, I am very proud and privileged to be of help and member of this group.

Our annual “Postathon” is set to return today (29 October) as part of International Control Room Week.
The event will offer you an insight into the pressures faced by control room staff who deal, on average, with 1164 calls, 78 web chats and 436 incidents every day.

We will use the event to shine a spotlight on the often-hidden work of call handlers, dispatchers, and IMU operators who work from the force control room – described as “the beating heart” of policing operations.
In previous years, social media users have shared their thoughts on the Postathon, with one saying, “these updates are an amazing insight into life in the control room”, and another describing the Postathon as “absolutely incredible”.

Another user said: “I don’t think it’s recognised how many emergency calls just one police force gets in half an hour! Thank you to all emergency call handlers”.
Superintendent Nick Church, head of demand, said: “When someone contacts us for help, it is a member of our control room team who is there at the other end of the phone.
“They deal with an incredible variety of situations, often supporting people at some of the most difficult moments of their lives, while ensuring our officers have all the information they need to respond.

“The Postathon gives people a rare glimpse into this vital work, and Control Room Week is a great opportunity to say a huge thank you to the dedicated team of control room staff working around the clock to help keep Cambridgeshire safe.
“I want to thank everyone working behind the scenes for the professionalism, resilience and dedication they show, day in, day out. The role they play in keeping our communities safe should not be underestimated.”

To follow the Postathon, visit @CambsCops on Facebook and Instagram, where updates will be shared every 30 minutes between 2pm and 8pm on 29 October.

If you think you could be the calm voice on the end of the 999 phone line, the force is currently recruiting for control room staff, with opportunities for both call handlers and dispatchers. To find out more or to apply, visit the force’s website.

Tonight two meetings…
Whittlesey Business Community @ The Falcon 18:00 for start @18:30
Whittlesey Street Pride @ The Manor Centre for 19:30

The following are planned suspensions to navigation in 2026 and 2027.

Once date windows are confirmed a suspension notice will be published and distributed.

• Ashline Lock – Closure likely during Autumn/Winter 2026/27 to de-water the lock and inspect the structure to inform future gas replacement and associated works. This would suspend the Nene – Great Ouse link route.There will be a closure in place on the Kings Dyke navigation between Stanground Lock and Ashline Lock from Monday 2^nd November 2026 to Monday 22^nd January 2027.

  This is to allow for the dewatering and inspection for Ashline and the replacement of the Bower footbridge.

A few trees were blown down over the weekend, all reported and as far as I am aware FDC have address all…..

Tree reported across Bower Towpath – has been removed.