Words Worth Reading Ltd.

Business degrees set to become more valuable in 2012

2012-01-26T03:00:00.000-08:00

A survey of employers conducted by the GraduateManagement Admission Council (GMAC) has found that graduates of MBA programmesand other Masters degrees related to business could find their job prospectsimprove in 2012.

Every year the Graduate Management AdmissionCouncil (GMAC) canvasses companies and organisations throughout the world aboutjob prospects and salaries for those with business-related degrees. The mostrecent study consulted 216 companies and organisations and found a notableincrease in those planning to hire recently graduated management students inthe coming year. Nearly three-quarters of the companies surveyed plan to hireMBAs in 2012, up from 58 per cent in 2011. Nearly four times as many companiesare planning to increase the number of MBAs they hire in 2012, while more thanhalf of employers expect to recruit people with a Masters in management oranother specialised subject. Overall, there may also be more jobs out there forbusiness school graduates. The survey reveals that companies plan to boost thenumber of positions available in 2012. The barometer is rising for remunerationtoo: 32 per cent of companies aim to increase salaries for MBAs joining them,and 65 per cent are planning to keep starting salaries at the same level as2011.

"These figures bear out the fact that, inrecessionary times, you can only cut costs so far," explains Dave Wilson,CEO of GMAC, talking from its headquarters in the USA. "What we are seeingin the marketplace here, and I suspect in Europe also, is that companies havecut as far as the bone and can go no further. As they start to grow and retool,they will need to bring in the best possible talent. That's where the MBA andMasters graduates become particularly attractive in providing exceptionalplayers who can come in hitting the ground running. If you can bring someone inon 3 January who starts being productive immediately, it makes sound economicsense. While much of the world grapples with economic uncertainty, our surveyshows there is cautious optimism in the market that we are starting to come outof the economic downturn. When that happens, you have to have players who aregoing to grow and thrive with that market. If hiring projections for thiscoming year remain robust, the class of 2012 can look forward to entering amarkedly improved job market when they graduate."

Although the majority of the companies respondingwere based in the USA, Wilson believes the survey still has value for graduatesapplying for jobs in Europe. "The jobless recovery in the US is startingto happen and companies are looking to grow. It's true that the US is a littlemore optimistic than Europe, yet many of the American companies surveyedrecruit worldwide. I also feel upbeat about the European job scene too."

The view from a major recruiter of graduates in theUK appears to support Wilson's level of optimism. Paul Stephenson, graduaterecruitment partner at the accountancy and professional services groupDeloitte, explains: "The 2011/12 recruitment season has been a positiveone for us and the firm's potential recruits. During the downturn, Deloitte'shiring targets for graduates stayed at approximately the same level and overthe past two years have increased to 1,200. We offer careers in 21 officesacross the UK and have seen an increase in applications."

Visit the Words Worth Reading Ltd website to see the comprehensive job seeker packages we offer.

Prepare to be scrutinised at university open days

2012-01-26T02:36:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the Guardianfor this informative article…

If you go to a university openday, be on your guard: the admissions tutors may be weighing you up already.

The approach of open day usedto mean it was time for Britain's campuses to be scrubbed until they shone,then plastered with information about course subjects and extracurricularactivities. Nowadays, it's just as likely to be potential students who dress upand gen up for open day. With demand for places on many courses remaining highdespite newly increased tuition fees, admissions tutors now see the open day asan early chance to hunt for undergraduates who stand out from the crowd.

That's why the first rule ofthe day for applicants is to censor mum and dad. "One of the things thatstands out about the prospective student is someone who comes up and chats toyou, where they do the talking, not their parents," says Linda Thompson,faculty director at Staffordshire University. "Too many students turn upat open days, pick up literature and attend presentations – but don't speak toanyone. Or they let their parents do all the talking."

Take a deep breath and speakto those scary-looking tutors: they're almost always very friendly. But workout what you're going to ask or discuss beforehand to avoid making a badimpression or – almost as bad – none at all. "Tutors don't remember peoplefrom open days unless they are particularly special," says Philip Davies,assistant director of higher education atBournemouth and Poole College. "To be memorable, make sure you really knowabout the place you are visiting. Standard students' questions address what thecourse is like, what the accommodation is like and what it's really like tostudy there. But unusual ones ask interesting questions about the subjectitself."

Save those questions about howmany lectures there are and how much face-time each student receives for theundergraduate taking you on a tour – they are just as likely to know the answer.Save the few minutes you might secure with academics to ask snappy questionsabout things you're learning at school that you're looking forward toinvestigating at university, or subject-related ideas you've seen on anintellectual TV programme or read about in a newspaper or book.

The best time to speak to atutor may be at the end of the mini lectures that many open days now include.But remember, Davies adds: "If you definitely want to go to a particularuniversity and want to make an impression, you need to find the right person –the admissions tutor who will be making the offers. Ask who does that – it willnot be obvious – and don't waste your time on anyone else."

Your next task is to "getthe tutor to remember your name so that they can relate to you when they readyour Ucas application later on," says Davies. "As an admissionstutor, I want to hear that a student is particularly interested in coming to myinstitution, and that I would be top of their list of choices. Ucas forms don'tlet you know this information, so being able to convey your very stronginterest to a tutor is one of the advantages of going to an open day."

Other admissions experts saythat students who take a couple of trips to the campus can boost their chancesof getting a place. Thompson at Staffordshire explains: "I remember onestudent specifically from last year because she attended several open days –first a year earlier than most, then again a year later."

Dress-wise, while it's a goodidea to look presentable at open days, academics point out that course interestwill always be more important.

"For me, the key thing isto have a clear reason why you want to study the course," says MalcolmWhitworth, admissions tutor at the University of Portsmouth. "I'm mostimpressed with students who have a clear career plan, which the course formspart of. I always ask them, 'why this course and what are your plans?'"

Nowadays many students arefollowing up on open days with tweets, emails or even videos to make surethey're not forgotten before admissions decision day. "One recentcandidate for a performing arts course emailed me the day after the open day togive me a link to a YouTube video he had made of himself dancing," saysNigel Ward, admissions tutor in performing arts at Anglia Ruskin University.That's probably less relevant for scientists or psychologists, but Ward adds:"Body popping is not quickly forgotten..."

His colleague, IT admissionstutor Tony Carter, agrees that post-open day contact is becoming a trend."We certainly do remember applicants from open days and are often incommunication with them after the event to answer any questions they may nothave thought of during the day," he says. The students who are likely tobenefit most from making a splash at open days are, according to Pauline Start,admissions tutor for courses in built environment at Anglia Ruskin, those whomight not get into a course 'on paper' alone. "The memorable students canbe those who do not meet the requirements but [at open day] ask about alternativeroutes to the degrees, and then return to us, having met the requirements inother ways," she says.

With tutor expectations sohigh, it's little surprise that today's students are putting in extensiveeffort before open days. "Of course," Start adds, "I wouldexpect them to ask the usual questions about the course such as content, accreditation,employability and accommodation – but it's also good to see that they have donesome 'homework', too."

VisitWords Worth Reading Ltd’s website to see how we can help you create anattention grabbing application!

The Waterstones 11

2012-01-25T01:51:00.000-08:00

Waterstones have released a list of their 11 most promising youngnovelists, coining them ‘the literary ones to watch’. The list champions debut authorswho are expected to make an impact over the next 12 months.

Writers featured in last year’s list went on to win awards and featurein the best-seller charts: Tea Obrecht (The Tiger’s Wife), StephenKelman (Pigeon English) and Sarah Winman (When God Was A Rabbit)all featured.

The list is open to debut authors whose books are published in English,and is not restricted to British-based writers. Eowyn Ivey, author of TheSnow Child, works in a bookshop in Alaska.

Janine Cook, chair of the Waterstones 11 selection committee, said: “Isthis a golden age of female writing? The presence of eight female writers outof 11 on our list might indicate so. Whatever their gender, this year’sWaterstones 11 have a lot to live up to given the success, both critically andcommercially, of last year’s list. But I have no worries on that count - theseare all truly wonderful novels.”

The Waterstones 11

Jenni Fagan - The Panopticon

Patrick Falnery - Absolution

Frances Greenslade - Shelter

Chad Harbach - The Art of Fielding

Eowyn Ivey - The Snow Child

Rachel Joyce - The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

Grace McCleen - The Land of Decoration

Anna Raverat - Signs of Life

Charlotte Rogan - The Lifeboat

Karen Thompson Walker - The Age of Miracles

Will Wiles - Care of Wooden Floors

Are you a budding novelist? Check out the Words Worth Reading Ltd website to find out how we can help you write your debut book!

Sri Lankan writer wins $50,000 for his debut book

2012-01-25T01:28:00.000-08:00

Shehan Karunatilaka’s debut book, Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew, wascelebrated in an award ceremony at the DSC Jaipur Literature Festival. Shehan'swin was the result of a unanimous decision by the jury.

Ira Pande an member of the jury said “The speech rhythms of smaller towns andindigent characters, so seldom seen and heard, are brought alive by a writerwho handles character and speech with consummate ease. That world has longneeded a suitable metaphor and he has discovered it: Cricket. Set in Sri Lanka,as an epic search for a lost player, Chinaman by Shehan Karunatilake is both aportrait of a lost way of life and a glimpse into the future this vast and vividregion is fated to occupy.”

Looking to write your debut book? Have a look at thecomprehensive and supportive writer’s packages Words Worth Reading offer on ourwebsite.

CQC fee consultation begins

2012-01-25T01:01:00.000-08:00

The Care Quality Commission have launched a consultation on propose changes to fee for 2012-2013. The changes would affect NHS primary care trusts, the Health ProtectionAgency, NHS Blood and Transplant and NHS Direct.

The CQC state "The services provided by NHS primary care trusts have reducedsignificantly over the last year, and fees for the other three organisationswere disproportionately affected by changes we made to our last fees scheme."

"Our aim in consulting is to ensure that the fees these providers pay areproportionate to the services they deliver and the costs of their regulation."

Members of the public, organisations affected and other stakeholders areinvited to take part in the consultation online.

The consultation will run from 23 January to 20 February 2012.

For support and advice on any part of your CQC registration contact a member of the Words Worth Reading Ltd team

January 2012 newsletter available online now!

2012-01-22T00:45:00.000-08:00

Words Worth Reading Ltd's January Newsletter is now available for free download!

Salman Rushdie steps out of Jaipur Literary Event

2012-01-22T00:40:00.000-08:00

Threats of an assassination plan by Mumbai gangsters have forced the writer to confirm that he will withdraw from the festival

In a statement, he said: 'For the last several days I have made no public comment about my proposed trip to the Jaipur Literary Festival at the request of the local authorities in Rajasthan, hoping that they would put in place such precautions as might be necessary to allow me to come and address the Festival audience in circumstances that were comfortable and safe for all.

'I have now been informed by intelligence sources in Maharashtra and Rajasthan that paid assassins from the Mumbai underworld may be on their way to Jaipur to 'eliminate' me. While I have some doubts about the accuracy of this intelligence, it would be irresponsible of me to come to the Festival in such circumstances; irresponsible to my family, to the festival audience,and to my fellow writers. I will therefore not travel to Jaipur as planned.'

The Satantic Verses, Salman Rushdie's controversial 1988 novel that sparked a fatwa against the author by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, is banned in India.

Mr Rushdie is hoping to address the festival via video link.

Thanks to writers-online.co.uk for this story!

Protest 'blackout' in response to US piracy laws

2012-01-22T00:34:00.000-08:00

Websites including Wikipedia and Wordpress went offline this week in a 24-hour protest against two bills about copyright infringement being considered by Congress

The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) have been designed to combat sites using unauthorised copyright material. If they became law, content owners would have the power to request court orders to shut down sites associated with piracy.

Opponents of the anti-piracy legislation include major sites including Google, Yahoo, Facebook, eBay and LinkedIn. President Obama's technology advisors went on record at the weekend as saying that they would not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cyber security risks and 'undermines the dynamic, innovative global internet.' The White House will not be backing aspects of both SOPA and PIPA.

Wordpress and Wikipedia are encouraging users to support the protest.

Thanks to writers-online.co.uk for this story!

Morecambe Bay Foundation Trust under CQC investigation

2012-01-22T00:27:00.000-08:00

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) are currently investigating the delivery of emergency care at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust.

The investigation will look at what happens to patients when they arrive at an accident and emergency department and the subsequent care they receive. It will explore whether there are problems with the trust’s procedures and what it should do to achieve sustainable improvements.

The investigation comes after an inspection of accident and emergency services in December 2011 which revealed concerns about the trust’s ability to proactively identify and mitigate risks.

During the investigation, the CQC will be seeking the views of staff, patients, members of the public and stakeholders. They will also be working with Monitor and the Strategic Health Authority to ensure that their findings are addressed with appropriate action.

Debbie Westhead, CQC North West Regional Lead said: “This investigation will allow us to take an in-depth look at the care patients receive as they enter the hospitals for emergency care, and at what happens to them subsequently. It aims to help the trust make sure it is providing sustainable good quality care.”

Ms Westhead also stressed that local people should continue to use accident and emergency services if they need to. If CQC felt there were immediate threats to the safety of patients, it would take immediate action.

For support with CQC registration and compliance, take a look at the Words Worth Reading Ltd healthcare services.

Haringey care home closes

2012-01-22T00:23:00.000-08:00

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has annouced that 36 Roseberry Gardens, a care home in Haringey, North London has closed after falling short of the essential standards of quality and safety.

During two unannounced inspections last year, our inspectors found that the home was failing to meet 11 of the essential standards that people are legally entitled to expect.

Key findings

During the inspections, we witnessed:

one of the providers loudly reprimanding a person living at the home for assisting us with our inspection.
poor standards of cleanliness.
a lack of safety precautions around potential fire risks.

For support with CQC registration and compliance, speak to one of Words Worth Reading Ltd's Healthcare Experts

An architecture graduate who has discovered a new career in Moray could provide motivation and advice for many others in difficult times.

2012-01-17T07:40:00.000-08:00

Thanks to STV for this story...

An architecture graduate who has discovered a new career in Moray could provide motivation and advice for many others in difficult times. Adam James, 23, completed his University studies earlier this year alongside partner Nikki Robinson. While Nikki obtained a job as a teacher at New Elgin Primary School, that in itself provided a dilemma for the young couple as they took their first tentative steps into working life in Moray.

In the face of a struggling economy, Adam set about trying to find work when the couple arrived last summer but he quickly had to accept that there were simply no posts available in Architecture.
Alongside all of his compatriots during four years of University study Adam had been unable to obtain any kind of work experience and that merely made finding a job all the more unlikely. Undaunted he got to work in getting his name around likely employers and refused to give in even when only one, CM Design, invited him in for a chat. They did not have a job available either, but were intrigued enough by the clear determination of the young job seeker to chat with him about his future options.

After talking with managing director Craig Mackay, Adam said that he would rather gain work experience than sit at home waiting for the phone to ring, and so asked if CM Design might help him. A desk was found and Adam set out learning the skills and practices of the industry in the hope that this would help when the market turned for the better and jobs again became available. Fortunately for Adam, the wait ended after just a month. Staff at CM Design were so impressed that when new work came into the office they immediately offered Adam a job.

Craig Mackay said: “I think that others looking for work at the moment can perhaps take some encouragement from Adam’s story, and what they can do to get a foot in the door wherever they can.
“These are tough times that require determination and imagination to get ahead. We are delighted that Adam persevered in our case.”

The story got even better for the young couple, as bolstered by the confidence of having a new job Adam proposed to his partner Nikki, and the couple are now engaged to be married and setting down strong roots for a long-term future in Moray

For help and support with job seeking, contact the Words Worth Reading Ltd team.

Winning student blogger suggests pay as you go lectures

2012-01-17T07:28:00.000-08:00

The winner of a student writing competition,Luke Braidwood, says that “Pay-as-you-go lectures would give us realchoice. Turn us into consumers if you must, but at least give us the right todecide what we pay for.”

The writing competition launched by the EducationGuardian and Ones to Watch, the website that showcases the best UK student journalism, asked thequestion:

"With fees tripling to £9,000 a year atmost universities, is it inevitable that the student will become aconsumer?"

What to see your writing published too? Check out our good value, comprehensive writing packages on the Words Worth Reading website.

Click here to read Luke’s entry.

Cosmetic surgery clinics to register with CQC

2012-01-17T07:13:00.000-08:00

Ithas been announced that all independent clinics andhospitals that provide cosmetic surgery must be licensed with the Care Quality Commissionto provide services.

The CQCreleased the following statement:

To help ensure that patients are treated safely, and to reduce the riskof poor practice, anyone who provides any of the following cosmetic proceduresmust be registered with us by law.

Any type of cosmetic surgery involving full or local anesthetic.

Treatments that use lasers, such as refractive eye surgery.

Laser lipolysis (such as Smart Lipo).

We only license and regulate cosmetic treatments that involve surgicalprocedures. We do not regulate the following services.

Muscle relaxing injections, for example Botox®.

Remodelling techniques using cells, tissue or synthetic products (dermal fillers).

Chemical peels.

Non-surgical laser and intense light treatments (such as hair removal).

Contact the Words Worth Reading Ltd team for support withany aspect of your CQC registration.

2012-01-17T06:52:00.000-08:00

MichaelJackson's Robert Burns songs to be released

Singer's collection of showtunes inspired by Burns's poetry could bedonated to a Scottish museum

A Scottish museum may soon be home to one of Michael Jackson'sunreleased albums. More than a decade after Jackson and David Gest recordedsongs based on the poetryof Robert Burns, Gest reportedlyintends to donate the recordings to the poet's official museum in Ayrshire.

In a career of peculiar projects, it remains one of the singer'sstrangest: a collection of showtunes inspired by Burns's life and work. Thesongs have never been made public – it was either overlooked or forgotten inthe Jackson estate's search for unreleased material.

Now, after a visit to the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum,Gest has reportedly agreed to donate Jackson's most Scottish songs."[David] offered to look them out and provide copies [for us],"museum director Nat Edwards told the List. The museum hopes to "producesome sort of CD", as a fundraiser. "[It would] be a way of gettingaudiences interested in Burns and illustrating his international, enduringartistic legacy," Edwards said.

Gest explained in a recent TV documentary for BBC Alba that he andJackson were Burns fanatics. "I said to Michael, let's do a play [basedon] Burns's life and he said he would help me with the music." Jacksonended up hiring musicians and borrowing the studio at the Jackson family homein Encino, California. "Michael believed in the project so much,"Gest said. "We took about eight or 10 of Burns's poems and put them tocontemporary music, such as A Red Red Rose, Ae Fond Kiss and the story of TamO'Shanter."

Although the collaboration was first revealed in 2008, it seemsto have taken place in the late 80s. They originally intended to stage amusical, Gest said, produced by actor Anthony Perkins and directed by GeneKelly. Plans were scuppered after Perkins's death in 1992. Kelly died in 1996.That year, Gest premiered a play based on Burns's life, Red Red Rose.

Are you a ‘budding Burns’? Contact the Words Worth Reading Ltd team tofind out how we can support you with your poetry writing.

Thanks to the Guardian for this story.

2012-01-17T06:40:00.000-08:00

Detective writer ReginaldHill dies

The author of the Dalzieland Pascoe detective books, Reginald Hills has died at the age of 75. A teacher before becoming a full-time writer,Hill won the Crime Writers Association's Golden Dagger in 1990 for Bones andSilence, and five years later the Diamond Dagger for the series.

Hill's first book, AClubable Woman, was published in 1970 and in 2010 it was shortlisted for theLost Man Booker Prize.

Hill’s detective seriesabout Andrew Dalziel and Peter Pascoe, was turned into a popular televisionseries in 1996 and starred Warren Clarke and Colin Buchanan.

Hill was hailed as a"fine writer and a great wit" by fellow crime author Ian Rankin.

Crime writer MarkBillingham also paid tribute to Hill, a writer he said he admired and looked upto. He described him as "one of the most lovely men you could evermeet" and "an amazing writer" still at the height of his powers.

CQC publishes 10 reports following review of services for individuals with learning disabilities

2012-01-11T12:30:00.000-08:00

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) today publishes ten reports from a targeted programme of 150 unannounced inspections of hospitals and care homes that care for people with learning disabilities. The first five reports were published in December.

The programme is looking at whether people experience safe and appropriate care, treatment and support and whether they are protected from abuse. A national report into the findings of the programme will be published in the Spring.

The ten inspections were of hospitals that provide assessment and treatment services.

Inspections were focused on two outcomes relating to the government’s essential standards of quality and safety: the care and welfare of people who use services, and safeguarding people who use services from abuse. Of the ten locations inspected:

four locations were compliant with both outcomes (although two have been told to make improvements to make sure they continue to comply)
two locations had moderate concerns with both outcomes
no major concerns were found at any of the locations.

Specifically, in relation to the care and welfare of people who use services, four locations were compliant, one had minor concerns and five had moderate concerns.

In relation to safeguarding, eight locations were compliant and two had moderate concerns.

CQC inspectors were joined by ‘experts by experience’ – people who have first hand experience of care or as a family carer and who can provide the patient or carer perspective as well as professional experts in our learning disability inspections.

Where inspectors identified concerns, they raised these immediately with the providers and managers of services.

All the services where concerns are identified must tell the CQC how and when they will improve. Those failing to meet essential standards could face enforcement action by the regulator if improvements are not made.

The national report will be based on the findings from all the 150 inspections and will make conclusions about the overall state of this type of service.

For more information head to cqc.org.uk!

Ingenious things to do with old books in the digital age

2012-01-11T12:23:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Writer's News for this story!

As more and more people turn to e-readers, old books are being increasingly repurposed into art works

An interesting piece in the Sydney Morning Herald looks at different ways in which artists and craftspeople are using books in their work. Not only are old books are being turned into furniture, jewellery and handbags, but also sculpture and fine art.

For those who would like to recycle old books into something useful and beautiful, American artist Lisa Occhipinti has published a book called The Repurposed Library, which includes projects for turning old books into boxes, clocks and even an attractive cover for an e-reader.

Alternatively, you could stick to the tried-and-tested route, and simply read them.

The Sydney Morning Herald piece is here: www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/homestyle/extended-shelf-life-20120105-1plm7.html

McDonalds' big book give away!

2012-01-11T12:19:00.000-08:00

Titles by the War Horse author will be handed out as part of the fast food chain's Happy Meal deal from today to 7 February

The books will be six titles from Michael Morpurgo's Mudpuddle Farm series. Each book will come with a free finger puppet.

The promotion follows research released by the National Literacy Trust last year that revealed that one in three children in the UK do not own a book.

'We are very supportive of McDonald’s decision to give families access to popular books, as its size and scale will be a huge leap towards encouraging more families to read together,' said National Literacy Trust director Jonathan Douglas.

The McDonalds promotion is supported by TV presenter and father-of-two Jeff Brazier, who said: 'Reading was a big part of my childhood. A real treat for me was sitting down with football annuals and comic books that I'd bought with my granddad. Knowing what a head start it gave me, I now try to read as much as I can with my boys. Reading to them at bedtime is the perfect end to their day.'

Michael Morpurgo's War Horse made headline news this week when Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, was reduced to tears during the premiere of Steven Spielberg's film version.

Jobs boost for Dublin and Limerick

2012-01-11T12:16:00.000-08:00

As reported on rte.ie...

Cloud computing company Workday has announced plans to expand its presence in Europe and the Middle East by creating 100 jobs over the next three years in Dublin.

The expansion of the company is backed by IDA Ireland.

Workday, headquartered in the US, currently employs over 950 people worldwide. It provides enterprise solutions for global human resources and financial managament

The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton, said one of the key aspects of the Government's plan to get jobs and growth into the economy again is by targeting sectors where Ireland has the potential to be a world leader.

''Cloud computing is one such sector. Over the past year we have seen several very significant announcements in this sector and the Tovernment is working hard to ensure that the right policies are in place to ensure that we can take full advantage of that potential,'' he added.
IDA Ireland's chief executive Barry O'Leary said that the country's growing reputation as a leading location for cloud computing is enhanced by today's announcement.

Meanwhile, US-based translation company CETRA is establishing its European Service Centre in Limerick in an investment backed by IDA Ireland. CETRA plans to create 20 jobs in Limerick as a result.

The company will initially set up in the Limerick Institute of Technology Acceleration Centre. CETRA offers translation, localisation and interpretation services to the market research, legal, and life science industries using a global network of professional linguists.

Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation Minister Richard Bruton welcomed the news. "This is a high-growth international company which has chosen to locate in Ireland with the creation of jobs due to the graduate output of one of our universities," he said.

The Minister also said today that Cook Medical, the largest privately owned medical device company in the world, is to invest up to €16.5m over four years creating highly skilled positions in R&D activities at its Limerick site.

Established in Limerick in 1996, Cook Medical's operations here has grown from eight employees to over 630.

''The complexity of the project is a key endorsement of the calibre of personnel working in the Limerick site and further solidifies the company in Ireland. Cook is a significant employer in the Mid-West region and is an important player within the Medical device cluster in Ireland," said IDA Ireland's Barry O'Leary.

Allergan to create 200 Mayo jobs

2012-01-11T12:11:00.000-08:00

As reported on irishtimes.com...

Pharmaceutical giant Allergan is to create 200 new jobs in a €350 million investment at its plant in Westport, Co Mayo.

The US multinational, which employs 900 people in Ireland, is expanding to meet growing demand for its Botox product in treatment of migraines and incontinence.

It will take on 200 new staff over the next four years.

It is estimated another 250 jobs will be created indirectly locally during the construction period.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny described the jobs boost as a significant vote of confidence in Ireland. “Developments like this will help us on the path to economic recovery,” he said.

“Allergan’s Westport facility is an important strategic site in their network and contributes more than 50 per cent of global revenues from a range of products manufactured here,” added Mr Kenny, who is a TD for Mayo.

“The expansion of this facility is a much needed boost for the region and will bring further high quality jobs to the west of Ireland.”

Allergan have purchased the technology park next to its Westport facility to allow for the expansion.

Allergan Pharmaceuticals Ireland managing director Pat O’Donnell said the company expected the demand for Botox to continue to grow.

2012-01-10T07:19:00.000-08:00

Time is up for temporary staff, say third of bosses

Taken from The Telegraph online…

A third of employers will sacktemporary workers to avoid having to pay them at the same level as permanentstaff under new European legislation, research suggests. The first round of job losses isexpected to hit workers this month, after the new rules came into force inOctober 2011.

Many short-term workers will have their employmentterminated before completing 12-week trial periods, according to a survey. Under the new EU Agency Worker directive, after this time employers would beforced to give them the same rights and pay as permanent staff.

The survey of 42 recruitment agencies by the Association of ProfessionalStaffing Companies (Apsco) showed that 29 per cent intended to terminateshort-term contracts before the trial period was up. Ann Swain, chief executive of Apsco, said “tens of thousands” of workerswould be affected. “At a time when unemployment among young people hassurpassed one million, any barrier to securing work has to be questioned,” sheadded. Phil Hutchinson, operations manager at g2 recruitment, said: “Some clientshave already begun the process of terminating contracts.”

The law comes into force despite a pledge by George Osborne, theChancellor, to boost the UKeconomy by cutting red tape and removing obstacles that stand in the way ofgrowth. The directive was first introduced by the Labour government, thenreassessed by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) afterthe election. Liberal Democrat ministers later announced that it would beimplemented as planned. The Government has conceded that it has effectively been forced tointroduce the “disappointing” regulations following pressure from trade unions.

Since the decision was taken the economic situation has deterioratedsignificantly and senior Conservatives are understood to be angered by thechange. An analysis of the new laws by BIS revealed that it will cost firms morethan £1.8 billiona year, leading to warnings from big employers that they will have to cut jobs. A typical small business will have to pay an extra £2,493 a year,increasing to £73,188 for larger firms. Public sector employers, meanwhile, will have to pay an additional £259 million ayear, although the Treasury expects to generate up to £332 million intaxes paid by workers earning more.

Analysts said that if ministers had refused to implement the new regulationthey would have faced legal challenges from agency workers.

If you are ajob seeker,check out the services that will benefit you on the Words Worth Reading Ltd website.

2012-01-10T06:53:00.000-08:00

Care home in Haringey closes after CQC takes action to protect the welfare of people

A care home in Haringey, north London, has closed after enforcement action by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The providers, Mrs Angelina Espino and Mr Jessie Espino, had been registered to provide accommodation and nursing or personal care for up to three people at 36 Roseberry Gardens.

In unannounced inspections in January and July 2011, inspectors found that the home was failing to meet 11 of the essential standards that people are legally entitled to expect. During the second visit, inspectors witnessed one of the providers loudly reprimanding a person living at the home for assisting them with their inspection.

Inspectors were concerned that people were being left unattended by staff despite their being funded for 24 hour care, and there were concerns over lack of safety precautions around potential fire risks, poor medicines management and poor standards of cleanliness.
On 15 November 2011, CQC served a Notice of Decision under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 to remove 36 Roseberry Gardens from the providers' conditions of registration. Mr and Mrs Espino are no longer registered to operate a care home at 36 Roseberry Gardens.
CQC has worked closely with social services at the London Borough of Haringey to ensure the safety and welfare of the two people who were living at the home. The building is now empty.

Matthew Trainer, Deputy Director of Operations (London) of CQC said: “We have acted quickly to ensure the welfare of people living at 36 Roseberry Gardens. Taking action which could lead to the closure of a home is something that we never take lightly, but when we find care as poor as we did in this case we have no choice but to take action to protect the safety and welfare of people.

“It is never acceptable for a provider to raise their voice in an aggressive manner to vulnerable people in their care. We have worked closely with Haringey Social Services to ensure the safety and welfare of the people living at the home. Both have now moved to new accommodation which better meets their needs and we are told this has really improved their quality of life.

“This sends a strong public message that we will not hesitate to take tough action if a provider continually fails to meet the standards for care that everyone has the right to expect.”

Source: Public

For support with CQC registration and compliance, visit the Words Worth Reading Ltd website.

2012-01-10T06:28:00.000-08:00

Annual vote of words to be banned

According to the Lake Superior State University's annual survey "Babybump", "man cave" and "amazing" should all be banishedfrom the English language. The Michiganuniversity receives submissions from around the world and collates a list ofthe year's worst cases of word abuse.

"Amazing" toped the poll this year with suggestions that it was over-usedon television. LSSU said "It seemed to bother people everywhere, asnominations were sent from around the USand Canada and some fromoverseas, including Israel, England and

Scotland

.

Gitel Hesselberg, writing in from Haifa,was concerned that "people use 'amazing' for anything that is nice orheartwarming. In other words, for things that are not amazing". Acorrespondent from British Columbiaagreed, saying that "the word which once aptly described the process ofbirth is now used to describe such trivial things as toast, or the colour of ashirt".

The "word banishment" list has been running since 1975, when itwas dreamed up by former LSSU public relations director Bill Rabe at a NewYear's Eve party. Although LSSU has received tens of thousands of nominationsover the years, its attempt to banish words has, had little effect: that very firstlist attempted to outlaw the use of "at this point in time","meaningful", "dialogue", "meaningful dialogue","implement" and "viable".

Don’t forget to take advantage of Words Worth Reading’sEditorial services, we can help you make your work amazing!

2012-01-10T05:53:00.000-08:00

WriterMaggie Gee shows support for libraries

With morethan 400 libraries under threat of closure due to budget cuts, author Maggie Gee has vowed not to give up the fight to savethem.

The63-year-old, who was the first female chair of the Royal Society of Literatureand was short-listed for the 2003 Orange Prize for her seventh novel, The WhiteFamily, was awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours list.

Dr Geewho is a member of the Brent SOS libraries campaign said: "Librariesmatter because they are the seedbed of literature. They are where people readour books, it's where children find out they can read."

2012-01-09T03:25:00.000-08:00

World's most expensive book,Birds of America,set to fetch $10m
Taken from the Guardian online...

A copy of the world's mostexpensive book, John James Audubon's 19th-century masterpiece Birds of America, is set for auction later this month and isexpected to sell for up to $10m (£6.5m).

Only 120 complete sets ofAudubon's 435 hand-coloured, life-sized engravings of America's birdsare believed to exist today, with the majority (107) owned by institutions. Thelast full edition of The Birds of America, which went up for auction in 2010, sold for £7.3m at Sotheby's, breaking the world record for asingle book. The new set was bought by the fourth Duke of Portland at somepoint after 1838 and is in "excellent" condition, said Christie's, throughwhom it is being sold.

The auction house has given theedition a guide price of $7m-$10m, leaving experts to wonder if it will break2010's record when it opens to bids on 20 January in New York.

"Birds of America is mostsignificant for its sheer beauty. It's a masterpiece of illustration,"said Richard Davies of rare and used book specialist AbeBooks. "Aside frombeing famous in the rare book world, Birds of America has also immensehistorical and ornithological importance. Some of the birds John James Audubonpainted are extinct and he also discovered new species."

Davies said that while theestimated value of the Duke of Portland set is "sky high ... [it] is inexcellent condition [and] if the record does fall, then no one should be overlysurprised because a rare book like this is recession-proof".

Measuring over three feet inheight and running to four volumes, The Birds of America was created by Audubonbetween 1827 and 1838. The illegitimate son of a French sea captain and hiscreole mistress, Audubon was an itinerant artist who travelled America'swilderness drawing the birds he loved. He was insistent that The Birds ofAmerica was made up of life-size illustrations, and that it showed all theknown species of north America, making the finished volume "the greatestof all bird books, [and] arguably the highest achievement of ornithologicalart", said Christie's.

Whatever Birds of America is,said rare book dealer and author Rick Gekoski, "it isn't a book, not inany normal sense of the term". In fact, the volumes consist of "alarge number of works of art – original hand-coloured engravings – boundtogether for ease of storage and reference," he said. "The format waschosen not out of any grandiosity but because it was Audubon's remarkable desire– and ability – to produce life-sized engravings of each bird. Thus the finchesand cardinals have plenty of space in which to flit about, while the flamingoand trumpeter swan tilt their necks graciously inward and arrange themselveswith some care. The effect of this is just terrific."

Picking up a copy of the"book" is a two-person job, said the dealer, who examined an editionat Sotheby's once prior to an auction. "The (very nervous) resident expertand I (gingerly) turned the pages together, him at the top and me at thebottom, and peeled them back (respectfully) into just the right conjunctionwith the rest of the plates," said Gekoski. "You have to be carefulhow you handle a gargantuan book worth more than 10 million dollars."

Feeling inspired to get writing? Words Worth Reading have some excellent Publisher Packs for Writers and are always willing to help.

2012-01-04T17:32:00.000-08:00

The Literary Year 2012

Taken from the Telegraphonline…

JANUARY The year in books begins with theultimate English legend: The Death of King Arthur: A New Verse Translation(Faber), in which Simon Armitage follows his interpretation of Sir Gawainand the Green Knight with a reshaping of the 15th-century AlliterativeMorte Arthure for modern ears. As quintessentially American as Arthur isEnglish is The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach (Fourth Estate), thedoor-stopping debut novel about baseball that has had its young author hailedas the new voice of his nation. Harbach’s equivalent in non-fiction is surelyJodi Kantor, the celebrated New York Times reporter whose unique WhiteHouse access resulted in The Obamas: A Mission,A Marriage (Allen Lane).And what would her subjects think of Roger Scruton’s conservative programme forconservation, Green Philosophy: How to Think Seriously About the Planet(Atlantic)?

FEBRUARY There’s much gritty wilderness inBooker-nominated Kate Grenville’s new novel Sarah Thornhill (Canongate),a dark love story which returns to the early Australia of her celebrated TheSecret River. Another hotly anticipated novel is Hope: A Tragedy (Picador),a mordant look at the burdens of history – and mothers – by the cult memoiristShalom Auslander, who surely deserves a place in Colm Tóibín’s essays onwriters and families, New Ways to Kill Your Mother (Viking). In Religionfor Atheists (Hamish Hamilton) Alain de Botton chooses what best to stealfrom religion to feel good. The ultimate in literary non-fiction comes fromGranta in the form of Joseph Roth: A Life in Letters, translated byMichael Hofmann. From the big dog of Austro-Hungarian letters to Hollywood’smost famous canine star: Susan Orlean has written the definitive biography ofRin Tin Tin (Atlantic); and a more esoteric cinematic history comes from thegenre-busting Geoff Dyer, whose study of the Russian film Stalker, Zona(Canongate), spirals off into unexpected directions. Traditionalists who prefertheir history linear, human and unashamedly British will appreciate All theKing’s Men: The British Soldier from the Restoration to Waterloo by thecelebrated historian Saul David (Viking).

MARCH At last, the long-awaited personalhistory from an extraordinary former Bishop of Edinburgh, Richard Holloway. LeavingAlexandria: AMemoir is published, of course, by Canongate. Also set in the Scottishcapital is a novel by Jennie Erdal, Naim Attallah’s one-time ghostwriter: TheMissing Shade of Blue is a tale of philosophy and friendship. Capitalis both title and subject of John Lanchester’s hefty new novel from Faber aboutthe state of the nation post-financial crisis; William Boyd turns his attentionto the many crises in wartime Europe with Waiting For Sunrise (Bloomsbury);and, after a seven year wait, Tim Lott is to publish a new novel, Under theSame Stars (Simon & Schuster) about two brothers driving acrossAmerica’s Deep South. Travels of a more fantastical hue are to be found in Gulliver’sTravels, illustrated and updated by cartoonist Martin Rowson (Atlantic). In another homage to a past writer, PeterAckroyd tackles his hero in Wilkie Collins (Vintage). Masha Gessen’s newbook, The Man Without a Face (Granta), tells the story of VladimirPutin’s rise to power. Another big book in world affairs will be Pakistan on the Brink: The Future of Pakistan, Afghanistan and the West byAhmed Rashid (Allen Lane).After which serious business you can cheer yourself up with Various PetsDead and Alive, a wry comedy about the offspring of hippy parents by MarinaLewycka.

APRIL Spring is heralded by two novels of theEighties, Skagboys (Jonathan Cape) by Irvine Welsh, a prequel to Trainspotting,and Can We Still Be Friends?, the debut by Vogue editor AlexandraShulman (Fig Tree) about a group of young women in the age of big hair andpixie boots. Another literary look at past relationships is The Beginner’sGoodbye (Chatto) by that faultless veteran Anne Tyler, a bittersweet ghoststory about what happens to a marriage when a dead spouse reappears. Bound tobe every bit as moving is The Chemistry of Tears by Peter Carey (Faber),in which a museum, a grieving lover and a 200-year-old automaton teach lessonsabout the science of love. For the same subject in non-fiction form try TheScience of Love and Betrayal by Robin Dunbar (Faber): the Oxford Professorof Evolutionary Anthropology shows what new discoveries in psychology andethology tell us about falling in love. One man who knew a thing or two aboutlove was Tolstoy, the subject of a new biography by AN Wilson (Atlantic). Savage Continent sounds like it toocould be a book about the rocky terrain of the heart but is in fact an incisivenew portrait of Europe after the Second WorldWar by Keith Lowe (Viking). An alternative version of post-war history can befound in the book of poems edited by Carol Ann Duffy on the occasion of a veryspecial anniversary: in Jubilee Lines (Faber), 60 poets each write aboutone of the years of Her Majesty’s reign. Another permutation of biography byproxy is offered by Philip Hensher, whose Scenes from Early Life (FourthEstate) is a fictionalised memoir of his husband’s Bengali family in war-tornSeventies Pakistan.

MAY May promises rich pickings for historybuffs, kicking off with What, When, How and Why (Weidenfeld), a memoirby Bernard Lewis, aka “the White House’s favourite historian”. The Spectreof Vichy by Allan Massie (JonathanCape) undertakes to remind us of thenoble aims of Vichy France; and Just Send Me Word: AStory of Love and Survival in the Gulag by Orlando Figes (Allen Lane) tellsof a huge and extraordinary set of letters sent between lovers separated by warand gulag. Major current affairs titles to beef up your armchair pontificatingare This Is Not The Way: Jews, Judaism and the State of Israel by DavidGoldberg (Faber), a liberal London rabbi’s controversial take on Jews and theMiddle East, and Islamism and Islam by Bassam Tibi (Yale), whichelucidates some crucial differences between the religion and its attendant“-ism”. Sure to be a hit is Mrs Robinson’s Disgrace: The Private Diary of aVictorian Lady (Bloomsbury) by Kate “Mr Whicher” Summerscale, aspicy tale of romantic intrigue in 19th-century Edinburgh. But 2012’s two most importantbooks by and about women are Are You My Mother? by Alison Bechdel(Jonathan Cape), the genius American artist and writer’s follow-up to heraward-winning memoir Fun Home, this time concentrating on the women shehas loved; and Hilary Mantel’s Bring Up the Bodies (Fourth Estate) anovelisation of the downfall of Anne Boleyn, that pivotal event in Tudorhistory. Roads to our past don’t come much richer than The A303: Highway tothe Sun by Tom Fort (Simon & Schuster) a meditation on the great routeto the west and its ancient origins. Further unexpected treats are to be foundin Hedge Britannia by Hugh Barker (Bloomsbury), a look at how hedgescontribute to national identity; and if you like that, you’ll love the completehistory of wayfaring, Ramble On by Sinclair McKay (Fourth Estate).

JUNE Still rambling on (in the most sensitiveand intelligent way possible) is Robert Macfarlane, whose The Old Ways: AJourney on Foot (Hamish Hamilton) charts his walks along the byways ofCambridgeshire. Also keeping their eyes to the ground are the heroes of Readingthe Rocks: How a Club of Gentleman Geologists Changed the World by BrendaMaddox (Bodley Head), an introduction to the major figures of Victorian geologywhose discoveries redefined life on Earth. That unique chronicler of houses andstreets, Gillian Tindall, focuses on Three Houses, Many Lives (Chatto)to evoke four centuries of social change in England. Or for a fictional look atthe lives behind the facades of pretty houses, Faber is publishing MichaelFrayn’s Skios, a story of mistaken identity on the sun-baked Greekisland. Less sunny but equally insightful will be Canadaby the Pulitzer-winning Richard Ford (Bloomsbury),the tale of one boy’s road-trip with his fugitive parents. Another much-admiredAmerican writer and thinker, Siri Hustvedt, has a collection of essays about Living,Thinking, Looking – ie being human – coming from Sceptre, and two titles onYale’s list complement it nicely: The Woman Reader, a history by BelindaJack and My Dear Governess: The Letters of Edith Wharton to Anna Bahlmann,the proceeds of 2009’s discovery of the correspondence between the novelist andher German teacher-turned-assistant.

JULY Wharton would surely have approved of HowMuch is Enough? Money and the Good Life by Robert and Edward Skidelsky (Allen Lane), aradical new assessment of what we really want from life. And what is and isn’tworth wanting is the theme of the new novel by Stuart Evers, the supercoolwinner of last year’s London Book Award: If This is Home (Picador)follows a confused Englishman who runs away to Las Vegas. Similarly hip and pacy isBooker-nominated James Kelman’s Mo Said She Was Quirky (HamishHamilton), a race through 24 hours in the life of an ordinary young woman. Anddon’t forget the latest offering by Lionel Shriver, The New Republic(HarperCollins). Expect political satire, journalists and terrorism.

AUGUST August, typically a spare month forfiction, nevertheless has two strong contenders for the prize of top summerread. Picador is buzzing with excitement after securing the rights to Tigersin Red Weather by Liza Klaussmann, the debut novel by thegreat-great-great-granddaughter of Herman Melville, which takes us on ajazz-imbued tour of the glossy East Coast lives of a wealthy Fifties family. Bycontrast, Enid Shomer’s The Twelve Rooms of the Nile (Simon &Schuster) promises little glitz or glamour but heat and mud aplenty in anatmospheric imagining of the friendship that grew between Florence Nightingaleand Gustave Flaubert on their 1849 Nilejourney.

SEPTEMBER Egypt and its neighbours arethoroughly analysed by Jeremy Bowen in Anatomy of a Revolution (Simon& Schuster), the BBC correspondent’s view of the Arab Spring. Sonke Neitzeland Harald Welzer’s Soldaten (Simon & Schuster) is a selection oftranscripts from secretly-recorded conversations between German soldiers in theSecond World War. Already a bestseller on the Continent, it promises anunsanitised glimpse into the Nazi barracks. It’s the English Civil War thatprovides the setting for Lawrence Norfolk’s keenly anticipated novel JohnSaturnall’s Feast (Bloomsbury), whose herois a 17th-century orphan who becomes the greatest cook of his generation. A lessjolly but no doubt equally rewarding read will be Zoo Time by HowardJacobson (Bloomsbury), a literary attack onthe internet. The internet – and celebrity cooks – are sure to feature in ModernityBritain, the follow-up to Austerity Britain by David Kynaston (also Bloomsbury).

OCTOBER-DECEMBER One of the most talked-about books ofautumn will be Empire of the Mind: The Dawn of the Techno-Political Age(John Murray) by Eric Schmidt, the former Google CEO, and Jared Cohen, a USgovernment adviser. With insights from politics and industry, it claims to bethe first comprehensive study of the interplay between technology and worldaffairs. It’s the role of new technologies in music that concerns TalkingHeads’ David Byrne in How Music Works (Canongate), apparently theclosest he’ll ever get to writing an autobiography. And finally, there’s a truebiographical treat in store with the long-awaited arrival of Patrick LeighFermor by Antony Beevor and Artemis Cooper (John Murray), the sure-to-be-gloriouslife of the 20th century’s greatest Hellenic traveller. What more civilised wayto round off a varied and inspiring year in books?

Will this year be the year you write that book? Why not contact a member ofthe Words Worth Reading Ltd team and find out how they can help you make ithappen!

2012-01-04T17:18:00.000-08:00

‘Studentsare more than just consumers’, according to new university group chair

Takenfrom the Nationalstudent.com…

New Chairman of the 1994 Group Michael Farthing has hit out against thegovernment’s WhitePaper, suggesting it promotes universities as ‘warehouses that sell off theshelf qualifications’.

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Sussex saidthat the government’s higher education reforms were not ‘ambitious’ enough andneeded to place more emphasis on student experience in his first speech asChairman of the group this week.

He added, ‘Students are more than consumerspurchasing degree certificates.

‘We cannot fall into the trap of reducing highereducation to a set of simple transactions. We are promised proposals to supportresearch soon, but the government has failed to recognise the experienceuniversities strive to create for students.

‘Universities are communities where people cometogether to create and share knowledge.

‘We do students a disservice if we value them asanything other than active participants in these communities.’

The 1994 Grouprepresents 19 of the UK’sleading research intensive universities, and aims to ‘secure widespread recognitionand a position of strength to influence decision and policy-making groups.’

A spokesperson for the Department for Business,Innovation and Skills toldthe BBC that the changes in funding, information and places would helpstudents.

‘Up to now, the number of places at each universityhas been set centrally. That is not in the interests of students.

‘So, in 2012-13, one quarter of all places will befreed from number controls, with greater liberalisation in later years. Thatmeans more diverse provision, more student choice and more accountableinstitutions.

‘People have a range of reasons for going touniversity but it is vital that they have the information at their fingertipsto make well-informed decisions about what and where to study. We want to seethe best possible match between universities and students.’

Visit the Words Worth Reading Ltd website for lots of student services.

2012-01-04T11:15:00.000-08:00

National Literacy Trusthighlights book-free millions

Almost four million children in the UK do not own abook, according to a report by the National Literacy Trust. The proportion ofchildren without books is increasing, the charity said. It is now one in three,compared with one in 10 in 2005.

The survey was carried out in September with school-agedchildren from 111 schools across the UK. It suggested that a third(33.2%) did not have books of their own. That translates to 3.8m childrenUK-wide.

The trust said that children who owned books were morelikely than others to read every day, and that book ownership had a clear linkwith reading ability. Of the children and young people with books of their own,more than half read above the level expected for their age, with fewer than onein 10 reading below the level. By contrast, among those without books of theirown, nearly a fifth were failing to meet the expected reading level, with onlya third reading above that level.

But the survey also showed that reading any type ofmaterial, for example magazines, outside class at least once a month was alsoassociated with greater reading attainment.

Trust director Jonathan Douglas said the steep rise inthe number of children without their own books was of particular concern. Hesaid: "We know there is a direct correlation between book ownership andchildren's reading abilities. With one in 6 in the

struggling with literacy it isvery worrying that many children could be missing out on opportunities todevelop these essential skills."

Thinking of giving children’s book writing a go? Words WorthReading Ltd's editorial,proofreading,mentoringand ghost writingservices can all help!

2012-01-04T10:42:00.000-08:00

Literacy successes recognised inthe New Year honours

The arts awards in the honourslist have a distinctly literary feel, with the poet Geoffrey Hill given aknighthood, the Booker Prize winning author Penelope Lively made a dame and thewriter Clive James awarded CBEs.

Hill, 79, who had an academiccareer, has been described greatest living poet in the English language,earning comparisons with Thomas Hardy and TS Eliot. He previously said:"Difficult poetry is the most democratic because you are doing youraudience the honour of supposing they are intelligent human beings. So much ofthe popular poetry of today treats people as if they were fools."

The 79-year-old, born inBromsgrove, Worcs, studied at Keble College, Oxford,before following an academic career with posts in Leeds and Cambridgebefore crossing the Atlantic to BostonUniversity in the US. Last yearhe was voted to the post of Oxford Professor of Poetry.

Penelope Lively, a prolificwriter of fiction, has the rare distinction of being as highly regarded for herbooks for children – such The Ghost of Thomas Kempe – as for her adult output.

Elsewhere in the honours list theauthors Rachel Billington and Maggie Gee are made OBEs and the 88-year-oldWelsh poet and playwright Dannie Abse becomes a CBE.

Thinking of getting your writing published? Contact a member of the Words Worth Reading Ltd team for advice and support.

2012-01-04T10:22:00.000-08:00

Moira Young's Blood Red Road leads Costa book winners

Moira Young won the children'sbook prize for her thrilling story of a girl searching for her kidnapped twinbrother. Blood Red Roadis the debut novel for the former chorus girl.

Young found out a little whileago and had to keep it secret. "I think I shrieked," she said."I was in a crowded shopping street and yes, I screamed and had to sitdown. I attracted a few looks from Christmas shoppers but there you go."

Literary acclaim is just thelatest chapter in Young's striking career, which began as an actor – "theheight of it was being a tap dancing chorus girl in High Society in the WestEnd" – before she became an opera singer for 10 years, which had its upsand downs. One rejection letter read simply: "Dear Ms Young, There isnothing for you at Glyndebourne. Yours sincerely."

More recently Young has been PAto the editor of the Bath Chronicle, the city where she now lives. "I seemto have reinvented myself around every 10 years, I'm hoping I'll stay here fora bit. I think this is where I was meant to be heading."

Young said much of herinspiration came from the epic movies she grew up with, from Gone with the Windto The Searchers to The Wizard of Oz. Her novel has been optioned by Scott andscreenwriter Jack Thorne is in the process of adapting it for film.

Thinking about writing your own children's book? Why not visit the Words Worth Reading Ltd website or all the help and support you need.

2011-12-28T07:46:00.000-08:00

Book deal shows scribbler on the roof's lofty ambition

Taken from the Independent online...

Once, you would have had to scale buildings to read his scribblings, hidden among slates and beams. Now William Letford, a roofer who pens poetry on joists and tiles, has brought his work down to earth.

Letford – who has hidden 30 of his poems in roofs in his hometown of Stirling, central Scotland – will have a wider audience after signing a book deal.

Explaining why he chose roofs for his work, he said: "I love the idea of it not being seen for so long, then discovered along with the measurements and the pencil marks. "I don't sign them and don't take note of where they are. I didn't plan any of them and and apart from the people I was working with, nobody knew they were up there.

"Many of them are on the joists, where builders traditionally leave their measurements, so I know they will survive. Others are between tiles in the roof voids. I wouldn't imagine any of the poems have been found. You would have to be taking apart the slates or roof to reach them. In 100 years or so it will be incredible if somebody stumbles across them."

He started writing poems as a youngster, his confidence boosted after a teacher forwarded his work to poet Roger McGough. "In primary school my teacher asked the class to write poems and liked mine so much that she sent it to him," Letford said. "He wrote back and at the bottom of his letter wrote, 'Keep writing' in capital letters and with exclamation marks. That moment tied me to it. It told me I could do this."

His first book, Bevel, out next November, has a building theme. The Scottish Book Trust, which gave him a new writer's award in 2008, has called him "one of the most striking and original voices in modern Scottish writing".

2011-12-28T07:00:00.000-08:00

Chef scores Christmas No 1

The final gifts under the tree have been unwrapped and it seems the nation is preparing to cook up a storm in 2012 with Jamie Oliver’s ‘Jamie’s Great Britain’ securing the number one on the Christmas Book Chart.

The collection of recipes celebrating "the essence of British food, done properly", sold 59,156 copies in the seven days until 20 December, making it this year's Christmas No 1 and giving Oliver his now traditional yuletide spot on top of the UK's book charts. The celebrity chef also took the slot last year with Jamie's 30-Minute Meals, a title that spent 32 weeks at number one, as well as in 2001 with Happy Days with the Naked Chef and in 2005 with Jamie's Italy.

But Oliver's offering wasn't enough to sate the nation's appetite for food this Christmas: Jamie's Great Britain was one of three cookery titles in the Christmas top 10, book sales monitor Nielsen BookScan has revealed, along with fellow television chefs Lorraine Pascale's Home Cooking Made Easy in fourth and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage Veg Every Day in eighth.

"Being No 1 two years on the run is an incredible achievement," said Jon Howells of Waterstone's on Oliver's securing of the top spot. "Jamie has had a lot of competition this year, but ultimately he's a tough act to beat. Of course, this week's sales are likely to be higher than last week's, so it will be interesting to see which title dominates. It may be some time before we know which title really sold the most over Christmas."

Why not write your own best selling cookery book with the help of Words Worth Reading Ltd?

2011-12-28T05:54:00.000-08:00

Words Worth Reading launch CQC Training Services

The Care Quality Commission independently regulates all health and social care services in England, ensuring that care provided by hospitals, dentists, ambulances, care homes and services in people’s own homes meet government standards of quality and safety. The Care Quality Commission began operating on 1 April 2009, replacing three earlier commissions: the Healthcare Commission, the Commission for Social Care Inspection and the Mental Health Act Commission. Words Worth Reading are launching a new comprehensive training service that covers all the required areas specified by the CQC. These include Equality and Diversity, Consent, Safeguarding, Information Governance and Records Management.

For more information, training co-ordinators can contact Catherina Dunphy on 01245 707580 or email catherina@wordsworthreading.co.uk.

In addition to this complete training service Words Worth Reading are also extending their CQC Registration and Compliance services to incorporate General Practice (GPs) and Home Care Providers.

For support with CQC registration and compliance, visit the Words Worth Reading Ltd website.

Jo Shapcott wins Queen's gold medal for poetry

2011-12-27T22:36:00.000-08:00

As published by the Guardian online...

The poet Jo Shapcott, who began the year by winning the Costa book of the year award for her collection Of Mutability, has ended 2011 by being named the latest recipient of the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry.

Decided by a committee of "eminent men and women of letters" selected by poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy, the medal is given for either a body of work or for an individual poem, and counts among its previous recipients WH Auden, who took it in 1936, Siegfried Sassoon and John Betjeman. Shapcott was chosen for her body of work, including Of Mutability, which traced the poet's experience of breast cancer, Buckingham Palace has announced.

Duffy called the award "the true crowning" of a career which has seen Shapcott take the National Poetry Competition twice, the Commonwealth poetry award and the Forward prize. The poet laureate praised the "calm but sparkling Englishness" of Shapcott's poetry, which she said "manages to combine accessibility with a deeply cerebral engagement with all the facets of being human – alert to art and science, life and death".

"Her peers will be very proud and happy for her today," added Duffy. The medal was established in 1933 by George V at the suggestion of John Masefield, then poet laureate. It shows the crowned effigy of the queen on one side, and on the reverse an image of Truth holding the flame of inspiration. Shapcott, who turned down a CBE in 2003 over her concerns about the Iraq war, will be presented with the medal by the Queen next year, said Buckingham Palace.

Financial cuts deny students valuable career advice

2011-12-27T22:30:00.000-08:00

Taken from the Guardian online...

Pupils are being denied careers advice at a time of record youth unemployment, schools are scrapping projects to help the neediest children catch up on their reading, and teachers of music, art and sport are losing their jobs, a Guardian investigation into the impact of cuts on education reveals.

The education secretary, Michael Gove, claimed last year that the government was "protecting the frontline", and the coalition says schools and colleges will manage to save £1bn between now and 2014 just by trimming back-office functions.

However, research by the Guardian indicates that shrinking budgets are already significantly reducing the range and quality of education on offer to all pupils across England, from toddlers to teenagers. Even schools in deprived neighbourhoods are having to make swingeing cuts, despite receiving the pupil premium, which this year has equated to an extra £488 for each child who receives free school meals.

The Guardian spoke to scores of associations representing education workers and requested figures from councils through the Freedom of Information Act. In schools, colleges and neighbourhoods, the Guardian found cases illustrating what the associations said was happening. The investigation shows:

• At a time of record youth unemployment, thousands of school careers advisers are being laid off and many others are having their hours cut, leaving teenagers to finish school and college without official guidance on their next move.

• Headteachers are cutting music, art and sports teachers and the hours pupils spend in these lessons. At some schools, budgets for these subjects have been slashed by up to 80%.

• Schools are ending or cutting funds for an initiative lauded by researchers that offered one-to-one tuition for pupils falling behind in reading, writing and maths.

• A grant that pays for sixth formers to receive help with their university and college choices and take part in debating and drama clubs has been severely cut, with some institutions receiving a quarter of what they got last year.

• After-school clubs and school holiday play schemes are closing or under threat, creating havoc for working parents and those with limited budgets for childcare.

• Millions of pounds have been stripped from funds needed by local authorities to repair school buildings, just when the number of children starting school is due to rise by 10%. In some parts of the country, councils have just over a quarter of what they had to spend last year.

• A poll for the Guardian showed 43% of schools had to cut one or more subjects, courses or services. The Key, a national education support service, questioned 1,516 teachers and headteachers. Just over a quarter said they had closed a school club, while 11% said they had reduced their sports budgets. A further 8% had cut music classes.

The Institute of Career Guidance is warning that careers advice for young people is "becoming extinct". Unison, the trade union that represents careers advisers in education, has found that thousands have been made redundant and many others have had their hours cut.

Constrained school budgets and the end of the Connexions service mean pupils are being denied face-to-face help and instead being directed towards websites. At one secondary school in Kent that the Guardian spoke to, only teenagers with special needs are to be given careers advice. One in five 16- to 24-year-olds are out of work in the UK, and advisers fear a further rise in the number of young people not in education, employment or training.

Art, music and sports teachers are losing their jobs or having their teaching hours and budgets cut. The National Society for Education in Art & Design, which represents art teachers in the UK, said the subject was "staring into the abyss".

Langdon Park school in Tower Hamlets, east London, a specialist sports college, had its sports grant cut by 80% this year. Music services in Hounslow, west London, and Bolton have been hit by 10% cuts to central government grants this year. The services provide teachers, instruments and free tuition.

At one secondary school in Cheshire, the head of music has been made redundant and the two youngest year groups are, as of this year, taught music for only one hour every fortnight, rather than every week.

Teenagers from low-income homes are likely to suffer the most from a 75% cut to the entitlement funding grant, which helps sixth-formers to receive pastoral care, take part in debating and drama clubs and receive help with their university and college choices. Yet headteachers argue that the grant gives sixth-formers a more rounded education and something to discuss on their university applications.

The Guardian's analysis shows schools are ending or reducing one-to-one tuition for pupils falling behind in reading, writing and maths. Researchers have proved that the initiative accelerates pupils' progress and gives them confidence. A survey for the Guardian showed 91 of 1,516 teachers and headteachers had ended or cut the scheme. Hertfordshire county council said fewer schools in its area were now giving one-to-one tuition. They were concentrating on smaller group work instead.

The Department for Education says schools still receive their grant for one-to-one tuition, but it is no longer ringfenced and can be spent on other areas.

Thousands of nurseries, children's centres, after-school clubs and holiday play schemes are closing. The manager of a play scheme for children from Peckham and Dulwich in south London said she was finding it nearly impossible to secure a grant to continue. After-school clubs are having to close because parents can no longer afford the fees.

Funds to repair school buildings have been dramatically cut, despite the fact that the construction firm Laing O'Rourke says the condition of most schools has deteriorated in the last five years and many buildings are past their life expectancy.

Responses to a Freedom of Information Act request made by the Guardian reveal that Warrington council's funds for repairs to its children's services buildings have dropped to £4.6m from £17.2m last year. Stockport's funds have fallen to £8.7m from £20m between 2009-10 and 2010-11. In some parts of the country, such as Stockton-on-Tees, more than a third of the school estate is in urgent need of repair.

The government says it is now focusing on addressing "urgent maintenance needs and meeting demographic pressures". The chancellor, George Osborne, has allocated an additional £600m for school buildings.

Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, warned that the cuts uncovered by the Guardian would lead to "England's long tail of under-achievement getting longer". She feared the most vulnerable would suffer the most and fall further behind. Gove had been disingenuous in assuming the frontline would be protected, she said.

An education department spokeswoman said spending on schools had been "relatively protected". She said it was up to headteachers to make the decisions they think are best for their pupils. "It is important that schools should be able to make savings on procurement and back-office spending in order to invest resources in teaching and learning." Schools with the most deprived intakes were likely to see real-terms increases in funding, she said.

However, a report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies found just 5% of primary schools and 2% of secondary schools would see a real-terms increase.

If you're a student or a job seeker, check out the services that will benefit you on the Words Worth Reading Ltd website.

Millhouse care home told to improve services

2011-12-27T22:25:00.000-08:00

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has told Mr and Mrs N Frances that they must take immediate action to improve services at Millhouse care home in Faversham, Kent.

When they visited the home in October,inspectors found that the provider was failing to meet 13 of the essential standards of quality and safety, covering dignity and rights, care and welfare, consent, nutrition, cross agency working, safeguarding, cleanliness and infection control, management of medicines, safe surroundings and equipment, staffing, risk management and record keeping. By law, providers of care services must ensure that they are meeting all the essential standards.

Millhouse provides care and support to up to 24 older adults with dementia. The report, which is published today by CQC, follows an unannounced inspection of the home. CQC has been working with Kent County Council to ensure people living at the home are not at risk of immediate harm.

Among CQC’s concerns were:

Respecting people’s rights: Inspectors found that some people were not supported in making choices, such as what they ate and when they rose in the morning, and that their privacy was not always respected.
Consent to care and treatment: Inspectors found that there was no evidence that people living in the home had been consulted on, or assessed as to whether they had mental capacity to make decisions regarding their care. Inspectors found that people living in the home were having their movements restricted; for example, the lift was wedged open on the ground floor at night to prevent its use.
Cross agency working: Professionals from other agencies told inspectors that the home did not always co-operate well with them. People living in the home were not supported to receive safe and co-ordinated care.
Management of medicines: Inspectors found that the administration of medicines was poorly managed. Medication had been prepared and placed into unlabelled pots before it was dispensed, leading to serious risk of people being harmed by being given the wrong medication.
Safeguarding people from abuse: Inspectors identified little recognition within the home of how to support people with diminished capacity or how to deal with issues around deprivation of liberty. There had been a significant number of accidents in the home, primarily falls, and there was no formal system for monitoring these or for looking at ways to reduce risk.
Staffing: Inspectors found that appropriately trained staff were not always on duty to meet the needs of people living in the home. Staff told inspectors that there were not enough people working in the home, especially in the mornings and evenings.
Monitoring of service provision: Inspectors found a lack of processes to monitor care quality. Safety checks took place, but the extent to which actions identified were taken was not apparent. There was no monitoring and management of risk of falls.

Ian Biggs, Deputy Director of CQC in the South, said:

“When our inspectors visited Millhouse in October, they found that 13 of the essential standards were not being met. This is completely unacceptable, and could not be allowed to continue.

“Staff at the home told our inspectors that there were simply not enough people working there to complete all the tasks that needed to be done. Management of medicines was of serious concern, as was the level of appropriately skilled staff available at certain times. These aspects were so worrying that we told the providers that they must take immediate action to remedy them.

“We also told the home to provide us with a written action plan showing how they will comply with the standards, which they have done. Inspectors will return to the home to check on progress in the near future.

“We will continue to monitor Millhouse closely, and will not hesitate to use our legal powers to ensure the safety and welfare of the people living there if we need to.”

If you need support with your CQC registration or demonstration of ongoing compliance, why not speak to a Words Worth Reading Ltd expert today?

SQS creates 20 new jobs in Dublin

2011-12-27T03:26:00.000-08:00

Software testing and quality consultancy SQS Software Quality Systems is creating 20 new jobs in Dublin. This latest expansion will see its workforce increase by almost 20pc to more than 120 employees.

The firm, which has established offices in Dublin and Belfast, is now looking to fill positions for experienced software quality engineers, software testing managers, performance engineers and software test analysts. In addition, SQS also runs a graduate recruitment programme involving overseas training at its South Africa training centre in Durban.

Operating in Ireland since 2002, SQS Ireland has continued its organic growth in Ireland due to increasing demand for independent, outsourced managed testing services with specialist skills.

There is now widespread acceptance that quality testing is a necessary strategic investment in any IT project and choosing the right people to carry out the work is critical.

SQS delivers software quality services to a range of customers in Ireland, including major financial institutions, telecommunications companies, Government bodies, high-tech and gaming.

“It is very much driven by the business needs and pipeline of activity that we are gearing up for in 2012," SQS Ireland managing director Phil Codd said about the expansion plans.

“These latest jobs being created by SQS Ireland are high-end specialist roles and will ideally suit professionals already working in the sector or those looking to transfer their relevant skill sets into a growth industry," Codd said.

For the 2010 financial year ended, SQS Software Quality Systems AG generated sales of €162.9m.

Thanks to Silicon Republic for this news story!

Children's poetry 'grows up'

2011-12-27T03:14:00.000-08:00

As published by Writer's Forum...

Cambridge University has appointed Morag Styles to what is thought to be the first Children's Poetry Professorship. 'Poetry is an intense form of language', says Styles. 'It can be simultaneously personal and universal. It enlarges the sympathies, helps us understand ourselves better, gives us the pleasure of vicarious experience and offers us insights about being human.'

The teaching of poetry in primary schools has been in decline in recent years, and Styles hopes to redress the balance. 'I'll continue to promote this special field in every way that I can by campaigning for it as an excellent subject for academic research, by helping teachers gain confidence in teaching it in school, by working alongside children as they read, write and perform poetry, and by striving to improve poetry's status internationally by recognising it as a rich source of nourishment and amusement for the young, something that will last them all their lives.'

Why not give poetry writing a go? Words Worth Reading Ltd's editorial, proofreading, mentoring and ghost writing services can all help!

New collection of short stories to be produced

2011-12-27T03:07:00.000-08:00

A group of writers have joined together to create a collection of short stories. Tears and Laughter and Happy Ever After is a varied collection of stories from writers who between them have had hundreds of short stories published in women's magazines in the UK and around the world.

The idea for the book came from the successful 'A Story A Fortnight' writing group which brought the writers involved together in a project that has inspired and supported them in their short story writing.

For more information see www.tearsandlaughter.co.uk
Why not use the support services offered by Words Worth Reading Ltd to help you create your own collection of short stories?

Bord na Móna to create clean technology jobs

2011-12-22T02:17:00.000-08:00

Bord na Móna is to create 91 jobs as part of a €6m research and development investment over the next three years with the support of Enterprise Ireland.

The new jobs are part of the company's ongoing innovation programme, which has also seen the creation of 20 jobs for high-tech positions in Bord na Móna.

Enterprise Ireland is supporting the work of the company's innovation division in a number of number of high technology growth areas such as clean technology, carbon reduction and growing media.

Bord na Móna today also announced a new strategy to collaborate with and mentor start-ups and small and medium sized enterprises in the Midlands region and have appointed an outreach development manager.

'The R&D strategy will help this important company to transition from a domestically focused traditional company into a significant internationally focussed, innovative business. Its success will contribute to our broader aim of enhancing Ireland's innovation profile and creating high-value jobs," commented Enterprise Ireland's chief executive Frank Ryan.

Thanks to rte.ie for this story!

Prometric create jobs in Dundalk

2011-12-22T02:13:00.000-08:00

Test development and delivery solutions provider Prometric has announced 32 jobs at its new headquarters in Dundalk, Co Louth.

The new jobs are to begin in January at the company's test development solutions operational headquarters in the Finnabair Industrial Estate in Dundalk.

“Last month we announced our decision to locate in Ireland, and now we look forward to opening our facility with a new team who will be instrumental to our growth strategies for innovation,” said Prometric’s president and CEO Michael Brannick.

“Partnering with local companies and suppliers, including Lafferty, Structure Tone and Bushells, has helped us achieve our aggressive deadlines to establish a base for our test development global operations.”

Prometric now employees 50 people in Ireland and expects that number to increase to 150 over the next two to three years. The company plans to focus on bringing new methodologies, technologies and standards to improve test development economics.

For support with CVs, Resumes, Cover Letters, Application Forms and Interview Prep, head to the Words Worth Reading Ltd website.

Brought to us by Silicon Republic.com

First Fictions festival launched

2011-12-22T02:07:00.000-08:00

Starting on 20 January, the independent, Sussex-based publisher's new festival celebrates first novels

A weekend of events taking place at the University of Sussex, First Fictions will look at various aspects of first novels from Jane Austen to those as yet unwritten. Participating writers include Nicholas Royle and Ian Rankin. The festival will also include the announcement of the winner of Myraid Editions' first-ever compettion for a first graphic novel in progress. The winning author or team will have their work published by Myriad Editions in 2013.

Website: http://myriadeditions.com/first-fictions-home

'Women in Publishing' Winner Announced

2011-12-22T02:04:00.000-08:00

Leila Dewji, who set up Acorn Independent Press with her brother Ali just over a year ago, has won Women in Publishing's New Venture Award

Acorn is a digital-age self-publishing company which provides editorial, design and publication services including ebook conversion, marketing and PR. Acorn also launched the first Bromley Literature Festival, a community event which innovatively showcased Acorn authors.

'This has been a crazy year,' said Leila. 'We've worked very hard to get Acorn off the ground. When you start a new business you never quite know how your first year is going to go, especially in an emerging market, but we've had lots of lovely surprises and built relationships with some amazing authors and agents alike. This is the perfect way to round off our first year.'

CQC looks for improvements at Sheffield Hospital

2011-12-22T01:59:00.000-08:00

Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors have told Alpha Hospitals (NW) Limited in Sheffield that it is not meeting essential standards and that it must improve.

Inspectors have found that the psychiatric hospital is failing to comply with seven of the government’s standards of quality and safety. By law, providers of health and care services must ensure that they are meeting all standards.

CQC has given the provider, Alpha Hospitals (NW) Limited, 14 days to produce plans to show how it intends to achieve compliance.

Inspectors visited the hospital in November as part of their routine schedule of planned reviews. They spoke to staff and patients on all three wards.

The report, published on the CQC website, highlights two main areas of concern:

Care and welfare of people who use services:

Inspectors concluded that patients were not always receiving safe and effective care, and their needs were not always met. One patient had been prescribed a particular medication - but it was not available when she needed it.

Inspectors said that there were some rules in place within the hospital that appeared to be unnecessarily restrictive. All patients were subject to a physical search when leaving and returning to a rehabilitation ward, and each patient's room was routinely searched on a monthly basis. Some patients had complained about the search procedures.

Safeguarding people who use services from abuse:

Inspectors found that patients were not always safeguarded from abuse or the risk of abuse. There was evidence that some incidents and allegations within the hospital had not been referred to the local authority safeguarding team as required. Staff lacked accurate knowledge and understanding of safeguarding referral procedures.

CQC has also indentified concerns with five other standards:

The provider does not have adequate arrangements in place for patients to practise their faith.
Patient's health and welfare needs are not always met as there are not sufficient numbers of the right staff.
Patients do not always benefit from safe, quality care because effective assessment and monitoring of care does not take place.
Patients do not always have their comments and complaints listened to or addressed effectively.
Patients's personal records are not always accurate or fit for purpose.

Jo Dent, Regional Director of CQC for Yorkshire and Humberside, said:

"Patient's views about the treatment they received at Alpha Sheffield were mixed. While some patients told us that they liked the staff and felt that they did a good job, others found there were too many rules in place.

“We have particular concerns about the hospital's arrangements for dealing with safeguarding concerns. None of the staff that we spoke with understood the procedure for referring safeguarding concerns to the local authority.

“When we checked records relating to incidents of restraint, we were told of two occasions where the patient had been administered rapid tranquilisation, but a doctor had not been called in. No one could explain why. Patients' complaints were investigated by the provider, but they were not referred to the local authority as they should have been.

"We have asked the hospital to provide a report that says what action they are going to take. We will continue to monitor Alpha Hospitals (NW) closely and will return to check that improvements have been made."

For support with CQC registration and compliance, visit the Words Worth Reading Ltd website.

Information Governance Transition Guidance

2011-12-19T06:35:00.000-08:00

A series of documents forming transition guidance for NHS bodies has emerged from discussions at Board meetings about the proposals in the Health and Social Care Bill and feedback to the NIGB (National Information Governance Board) from healthcare and information governance professionals about the changes that were being implemented in anticipation of legislative changes.

The guidance is intended to support organisations in maintaining good information governance during the transition to new organisational structures. Its purpose is to identify information governance issues and risks, understand their potential impact and provide guidance on how they can be addressed.

The NIGB recognises the need to be responsive in times of change and therefore welcomes feedback.

The guidance can be downloaded from www.nigb.nhs.uk

Latest WWRL newsletter out now

2011-12-19T01:01:00.000-08:00

Fancy a little read this chilly Monday morning?

Take a look at the December edition of the Words Worth Reading Ltd Newsletter! This month we look at the Guardian versus the Care Quality Commission, and the latest from the Costa Book Awards...

Find us at wordsworthreading.co.uk!

Animation company to create 30 new jobs in Ireland

2011-12-19T00:56:00.000-08:00

An award-winning Irish animation production company is to create 30 new jobs.

Kavaleer Animations said they needed to create the new positions "to keep up with their international workload".

The jobs will be added throughout 2012.

Kavaleer has worked with Sesame Street, Houghton Mifflin, Harcourt and Disney.

CEO and Founder Andrew Kavanagh said: "It’s amazing to think that what started out in 1998 as a hobby has developed into something this big over the past decade."

Kavaleer is twice nominated for an Irish Film and Television Award, a British Animation Award and has won four Digital Media Awards. Their film work has been selected by over 100 international festivals over the past 10 years.

Kavaleer co-produced (with Belfast’s Straandlooper Productions) a preschool series called 'Lifeboat Luke' which was set in and around the small fictional seaside community of Donaghadoo.

This was followed by their own pre-school series aired on RTÉ Junior 'Garth and Bev', a cartoon about time-travelling siblings who lived long ago in harmony with nature.

The series has been sold to a number of territories including the UK (CBeebies), China, Portugal, America and Australia.
Fancy applying? Take a look at Words Worth Reading Ltd's Resume, Application Form, Cover Letter, and Interview Support services

Thanks to irishexaminer.com for this little story!

CQC releases guide on whistleblowing

2011-12-18T06:20:00.000-08:00

The Care Quality Commission's quick guide has been written for health and care professionals that need to raise a concern about their workplace. It gives helpful advice on speaking out about poor care and what protection individuals will have from the law if they do.

Download the quick guide from www.cqc.org.uk to find out more about whistleblowing and what happens after you contact the CCQ.

The Care Quality Commission's had support from various organisations including the General Medical Council, the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges in developing the guide and telling NHS staff about it. They will be working with the whistleblowing charity Public Concern at Work to target social care providers and their staff.

More about whistleblowing

If you have a concern about your place of work, the first thing you should do is speak to your line manager or other management. If however, you feel unable to, then you can follow your own organisation’s whistleblowing policy or contact the Care Quality Commission instead.

All whistleblowing concerns are logged and tracked by the CQC's trained team in their Customer Services Centre. Your information will be passed to the local inspector for your service who will decide what to do next.

You can raise concerns anonymously but this means that the CQC won’t be able to get in touch or give you any feedback about the action they have taken.

Cynthia Bower, Chief Executive of CQC, says, "Health and care professionals have a responsibility to raise concerns if they believe that patients or people who use services are being put at risk. The first course of action should be to raise these concerns within your organisation - but if you feel unable to, or if your voice is not being heard, there are other options open to you."

Second Mental Health Act Report is published by the CQC

2011-12-18T02:20:00.000-08:00

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) have published their second annual report on the use of the Mental Health Act (MHA). The report, which covers the year up to March 2011, puts a strong emphasis on a renewed call for better care for patients whose rights have been restricted under the MHA.

Since the CQC's formation in April 2009, they have been responsible for monitoring the use of the MHA in relation to those patients detained in hospital or receiving supervised community treatment. They publish a report every year using the findings of their MHA Commissioners, who visit wards and meet with patients to ensure that the legal powers are being used correctly.

This year’s report highlights:

Lack of patient involvement in the care planning process
Patients' capacity to consent was, in some cases, assumed too readily by doctors
Community Treatment Orders (CTOs) and the legal powers available to providers are widely misunderstood, even among mental health professionals
Examples of unnecessary restrictions placed on patients such as denying access to the internet or their rooms and listening to their phone calls.

The report, along with summaries of key findings, is available now on the CQC's website (www.cqc.org.uk).

Young writer looks set to break a world record

2011-12-18T01:53:00.000-08:00

Eleven-year-old author Talal Al Zaber has not only achieved publication with his book Anthony's Adventures but he's also looking to earn a place in the Guinness Book of Records as the 'youngest science-fiction writer in the world'.

Anthony's Adventures follows a young boy on his travels in space, and involves meetings with aliens and a mission to save the Earth. The book was published in 2010 by the Saki Publishing Club in his native Bangladesh. The young writer now lives in Luton and was inspired to write by his passion for science, sci-fi and reading books from his local library.

The book ends with a cliff-hanger and Talal already has plans for Anthony's Adventures to become a series.

Why not write your own science fiction story? Words Worth Reading Ltd can help you every step of the way!

Patient Surveys: Intrinsically linked to CQC compliance

2011-12-16T13:31:00.000-08:00

The Secretary of State for Health has asserted that ‘nobody wants to be in a position where they treat patients but don’t know what results they achieve’. In response the NHS outcomes framework puts patient surveys at the centre of how quality of care will be measured in the NHS.

Patient surveys provide feedback which enables providers of health care to evaluate patient views, learn from them and improve the levels of satisfaction and experience that their services deliver and the reputation they build. In its early publications on the authorisation process for the emerging GP led Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) the department of health has identified the ‘meaningful engagement with patients, carers and their communities’ as a key assessment area. This should include ‘mechanisms for gaining a broad range of views then analysing and acting on these. It should be evident how the views of individual patients and how the voice of each practice population will be sought and acted on’.

Patient surveys are not new. They have been used in the health service sector for many years. However the NHS outcomes framework emphasis is on how the surveys can be used to improve future performance in the delivery of quality of care. This in turn directly impacts on the levels of patient satisfaction and experience.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC), in its role of improving the standards of health and social care, approves and regulates individual providers – both new and existing – against a set of core standards. This includes ensuring that the views of patients, their carers and others are sought and taken into account in designing, planning, delivering and improving healthcare services. The vehicle of choice in this and other area of the core standards, as emphasised in the operating framework, is the patient survey.

On its own the use of the patient survey is insufficient to demonstrate compliance. The survey gathers the data. The analysis and subsequent actions that result from the analysis is what demonstrates compliance to the CQC and other regulatory bodies. This involves an in depth knowledge and practical hands on experience in the management and manipulation of data and the ability to produce well structured, articulated and meaningful reports.

With its has many years of analytical and report creation for health care services and a proven track record in working with organisations to help them achieve CQC and other regulatory compliance status, Words Worth Reading is well placed to provide a survey to solution service for all would be and current providers of health care.

Job expansion for airline staff in Ireland

2011-12-15T02:41:00.000-08:00

ABU Dhabi-based airline Etihad has recorded its strongest-ever forward bookings for its service from Ireland -- even as rival Emirates gears up to compete with it in January.

Etihad's head of HR, Ray Gammell, said the airline competes with Dubai-based Emirates "all over the world" and said he believed Etihad's presence here over the past four years has embedded the brand in Ireland, particularly via its GAA sponsorship.

Mr Gammell was speaking as Etihad holds an open recruitment day in Dublin today. The airline will hold further recruitment days in Cork and Belfast early next year and reckons it could hire as many as 200 staff as a result. It's seeking to fill vacancies for pilots, cabin crew and management roles

Most of the positions will be based in Abu Dhabi and the airline already employs 90 people in Dublin, in ground crew and line maintenance. Etihad flies 10 times a week between Dublin and Abu Dhabi.

It expects between 65pc and 75pc of its passengers to be transiting onwards to Asia and Australia. About 70pc of Etihad's traffic from Dublin is transiting to those destinations. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are just an hour's drive apart.

Story taken from independent.ie

Knitwear company announces new jobs in Ireland

2011-12-15T02:30:00.000-08:00

A craft and knitwear company has announced the creation of 150 jobs in Westport, Co Mayo.

Carraig Donn Ltd says it has been able to expand its operations due to the growth of its export markets and the development of its online retail sales.

The family-run craft business started in 1965, when the late Padraic and Maire Hughes and their 13 children began producing knitwear for the tourist market.

Now the company is a market leader in the field employing 300 people.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny described Carraig Donn as an outstanding example of an indigenous Irish family business which has become a major international success story.

He said it was particularly significant because it married traditional skills with the growing online market for Irish fashion and craftwear.

Director Vincent Hughes said the traditional market, which had shrunk in recent times, has begun to grow again especially in the US and there is a big demand for handmade craft and fashion wear.

For support with your application forms, CVs, cover letters and interview preparation, visit the Words Worth Reading Ltd website.

Thanks to rte.ie for this story.

Information on London GPs now available

2011-12-15T02:27:00.000-08:00

The public and patients in London are now able to access information about how their GP are performing against a set of agreed standards. The 22 standards, developed by NHS London, with London wide Local Medical Committees working with doctors, nurses, GP staff, NHS managers and the public, include such things as childhood immunisations, cervical screening and patient satisfaction.

London is the first city to bring a set of standards for GP practices that represent the minimum patients should expect from their GPs. The transparency the system provides will enable patients to find out how their GPs are performing against the standards and for GPs to be able to see how they compare with their colleagues in order to drive continual improvements in primary care.

Each GP practice will have its own webpage which can be customised to showcase their work and keep the public informed of clinics and services, as well as enabling patients to provide feedback. Patient groups can also get involved by providing information about support groups and services which can be publicised on the webpages. Practices which already have websites can create a link to the page.

For help and support with your performance analysis, speak to the Words Worth Reading Ltd healthcare team today.

World Book Night 2012

2011-12-13T10:16:00.000-08:00

After the success of the first World Book Night in 2011, organisers have announced the date for the next event - 23rd April 2012 - and the final list of 25 books that will be given away. Organisers are also pleased to announce that for 2012, World Book Night will be celebrated in both the USA and the UK.

In the UK, the organisers are looking for 20,000 volunteers, who will each distribute 24 copies of their chosen books to 'non or light readers' on the night of the 23rd April 2012, with the aim of getting more people reading.

To register as a 'giver', head to www.worldbooknight.org

Why not write your own best seller with the help of Words Worth Reading Ltd?

Faber to teach self-publishing

2011-12-13T10:00:00.000-08:00

As reported in Writers' Forum...

Faber's new writing academy has launched a three-day self-publishing course titled 'Bring Your Book to Market' with author and social media champion Ben Johncock and blogger and digital self publishing exponent Catherine Ryan Howard. Faber publishing director Hannah Griffiths will also give a workshop called 'Rules for authors'.

Faber Academy's director Jason Cooper told The Bookseller that there was no conflict of interest with the publisher's core business, saying; 'I think, as a publisher; if we are worried about self-publishing, the solution is to publish people. I think we can see that there are people in different situations and with different ambitions who will go down different routes.'

The course will take place on 17th - 19th February at Bloomsbury House, London, and costs £425.
Need to get your manuscript proofread in preparation for self publishing? Visit the Words Worth Reading Ltd website to see how we could help.

Protecting patient data - essential for you...and your organisation

2011-12-09T02:06:00.000-08:00

With changes planned to the way in which health care commissioning is undertaken and with an increasing diversity of health care providers, the Department of Health (DoH) have signalled the intention that the NHS and the Information Commissioning Office (ICO) will work together to ensure delivery of good information governance.

The ICO is clear that health care staff should be more aware of data security, particularly as it is central to what they do. They report a disconnect between the awareness of staff to protect the patient information that is entrusted to them and the number of breaches that occur. An example of such a disconnect is illustrated by the Dartford and Gravesham trust which inadvertently destroyed 10 000 health care records which had been stored in a destruction room because the archive room had been full. Acton was taken against the trust.

According to the ICO, human error is not an excuse for the loss of data. It is a systemic problem. Too often people rely on technical solutions for their data security. It is much more, extending to the organisations themselves, how they operate, and the standards they set.

The IG toolkit is acknowledged as the bench mark standard for assuring good information and data security management. The Information Governance Board - which is set to become part of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in 2013 under proposals in the health and social care bill - acknowledges that people have difficulties with some of the complexities of the tool kit and it was working on transitional guidance to help healthcare professionals with the changes to the NHS.

With the ICO now able to impose penalties of up to £500 000 for serious breaches of the Data Protection Act and against a background of more than 800 reported data breaches over 3 years attributable to nhs staff - 1 in 8 breaches reported by health care service organisations resulted in staff dismissals - then it is worth making sure that you have robust data security systems built around a sound information governance structure in place.

And so if you need support with your information governance framework? Speak to one of WWR's IG experts today.

The importance of Data Sharing codes of practice

2011-12-09T02:04:00.000-08:00

Whilst data sharing contributes effectively to providing efficient services to both private and public sector users it is not appropriate for companies and public bodies to do this without due attention to the need of the public right to remain in control of who is using their information and for what purpose the information is being used. As a consequence of this public right and in order to help businesses and public bodies share people’s personal information the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) have provided a code of conduct that includes good practice on how best to achieve this.

Data sharing, in terms of the ICO’s code of conduct, refers to the disclosure of personal data between or within organisations. This should be carried out with due regard to the Data Protection Act and other considerations such as statutory prohibitions on sharing or a duty of confidence. In circumstances where a duty of confidence applies or is expected - for example medical or banking information - then legal advice will need to be taken. Examples of the sharing of personal data includes;

· a GP sending information about a patient to a local hospital

· a local authority disclosing personal information about its employees to an anti – fraud body

· a retailer providing customer details to a payment processing company

It is important to note that there are differences in the rules that apply to the sharing of data in public sector organisations – which have common law powers to share information – and private organisations which must comply fully with the data protection principles and any specific legal constraints. However, in genera,l these are found not to be too restrictive.

Regardless of whether the sharing of personal data is relevant to a public or private organisation it is important to have strong governance rules which are fully transparent and understood by all parties. A key governance control in achieving this is the data sharing agreement (some times referred to as a data sharing protocol). This sets out a common set of rules binding all the organisations involved in the data sharing agreement and should typically address issues such as :

· purpose of the data sharing initiative

· the organisations that will be involved in the data sharing

· the data items to be shared

· the basis of sharing

· information governance compliance

With the changes to the commissioning of health care provision and the increase in complexity and diversity of health care providers then the need to share personal data between and within the commissioning and provider communities will undoubtedly offer significant challenges. Essential to meeting these challenges is the existence of good information governance framework.

If you need support in achieving this then speak to one of the WWRL information governance experts today.

The Care Quality Commission - is it as bad as it seems?

2011-12-09T01:50:00.000-08:00

Does the Care Quality Commission (CQC) deserve all its recent criticisms? Does it actually perform against its own regulatory targets? Well, not according to the National Audit Office (NAO) which asserts that “there is a gap between what the public and providers expect of the CQC and what it can achieve as a regulator”.

Whilst a value for money debate, linked to under spends against a reduced budget target ensues, can the CQC claim any successes? It certainly has had an uphill struggle bringing together 3 existing regulators and implementing a new regulatory approach which for the first time integrates health and social care services. However as the CQC points out it has over 700 inspectors actively speaking to patients and staff and observing care. When necessary it forces providers to take action if they are not meeting essential standards of quality and care whilst registering over 40, 000 provider locations against tight timescales.

In evidencing its improving performance the CQC points out that “In October alone, we conducted more than 1,400 unannounced inspections. In the last three months we have recruited and trained over 100 additional inspectors. Our national report on our Dignity and Nutrition inspection programme – looking at the care older people receive in 100 acute hospitals – was published in October. The response it received from the public and the NHS demonstrates just how effective our regulatory system can be”

Further evidence of the CQC’s influence in improving standards of care can be seen in its report against a dental practice not meeting essential standards of care - the first dental provider to have been identified as such following the recent introduction of this group of providers to fall under the CQC regulatory system. Similarly, the investigations into the Barking, Havering and Redbridge hospital has identified serious failings across the organisation, whilst the CQCs second report into the use of the Mental Health Act has found that care for people treated under the Act needs to improve further.

With further inspections and unplanned visits throughout 2012 planned the CQC recognises that whilst everything may have not gone smoothly , lessons have been learned and changes made following the inevitable reviews. This has led it to assert that ‘we are now firmly on the right track and making rapid progress’

As its Chief Executive says, the CQC “are absolutely dedicated to protecting those who use health and social care services” – 2012 may well be the year when the CQC gains some yearned for credit and positive acknowledgment.