In this faintly disquieting New Year greeting, shown in cinemas towards the end of 1949, Father Time meets a sticky end as the New Year beckons.

It’s snowing, people are getting into the festive spirit and it’s almost Christmas. So here are a few top tips from NHS Suffolk on how you can take care of yourself and your family over the festive period to ensure you have a safe and happy time.

Take care and be prepared
Take extra care not to slip, trip and fall, stock-up on common medicines such as paracetamol, and if weather conditions are severe, only travel if it’s essential.

Know where to go
If you do have any injuries over Christmas or New Year, be sure you know where to go to get treatment. The NHS Suffolk region has three minor injuries units that are a faster alternative to A&E departments for minor injuries and ailments, in Felixstowe, Ipswich and Haverhill – all three opening seven days a week, including public holidays. No appointment is necessary and most patients are seen within an hour. Many GP surgeries also offer a minor injury service during their normal opening hours. See www.suffolk.nhs.uk for more details.

NHS Direct

Unless your condition is serious the first port of call should always be NHS Direct, in confidence on 0845 46 47, and local pharmacies across Suffolk can offer expert advice on common ailments and the use of medicines.


Know your limits
When it comes to alcohol – most of us enjoy a drink or two but those glasses can add up – and regularly exceeding your recommended daily alcohol limit can increase the risk of long term health harms. The Department of Health recommends that men should not regularly drink more than three to four units of alcohol daily and that women should not regularly drink more than two to three units daily. Try alternating soft drinks with alcoholic ones and don’t get into buying rounds to avoid drinking more than you intended.

Alastair McWhirter, chairman of NHS Suffolk, said: “As we look forward to the festive season, we would urge everyone across the county to be sensible and make sure that they take care of themselves, and know where to go to get the right treatment if it’s needed – especially in this icy weather.

“We’d also like to thank all the NHS staff who will be working over the festive period in our hospitals, minor injuries units, GP practices, pharmacies and in the ambulance service, for the great work they do to provide the best possible healthcare for Suffolk people, all year round.”

Where to go for treatment over Christmas and New Year

Self-care 

For people to treat minor illnesses or injuries themselves

Calling NHS Direct 

For round the clock health queries and information about local services on 0845 46 47.

Local pharmacist

Advice for treating common winter illnesses and the best medicines to use.

Visiting their GP 

For medical advice, examinations or an illness or injury that require prescriptions.

NHS walk-in centre

For treating minor illnesses and injuries that do not require an A&E visit and without needing an appointment. There are three MIUs in the NHS Suffolk region, in Felixstowe, Ipswich and Haverhill – all three opening seven days a week, including public holidays.

A&E or dialling 999

For serious illness or injuries considered to be critical or life threatening.

Issued by the NHS Suffolk Communications Team on 01473 770014
For more information about NHS Suffolk visit www.suffolk.nhs.uk

On JANUARY 23rd 2010 I am making one of my rare appearances in the area with my 'One Man Show'

Funding award to speed health provision for Norfolk and Waveney’s elderly

Most towns have switched on their colourful street-lights and the count down to Christmas has started in earnest. The shops have been decorated and offering all sorts of bargains for what seems like months. Conversation between customers is now concentrated on things like the price of turkeys or the number of cards they have to send before the postal deadline.

Every year the number of greeting cards, particularly those sent overseas, seem to increase. As does the cost of the postage! The celebration only really lasts for just two days and yet it is always the main topic of conversation for several weeks leading up to it.

Christmas has always been a time for celebration when families get together. It is a time when we remember those who have befriended and helped us as well as those who might need a helping hand themselves. As it becomes more commercialised, the way people observe it seems to change almost year by year.

Nevertheless, Christmas day and Boxing day are still generally set aside for family and close friends but the partying usually starts well before that and often goes on for some weeks after. Unfortunately, there are many people who now look on it just as an excuse to have a good time going out to eat, drink and party.

Did You Know?

In the past Christmas was very much a religious celebration and as each year has slipped by more emphasis seems to have been put on ensuring that it is primarily a time for indulging the children. Nevertheless, there has always been plenty of entertainment arranged for the grown ups when the youngsters, worn out and tired, are tucked up in bed.

On Christmas Eve, when the younger members of the family had seen their stockings put up ready for their presents, mother would get out a mince pie and perhaps a sausage roll and place them with a glass of wine somewhere Santa couldn’t fail to see them. Of course, in the final days leading up to Christmas it wasn’t only Santa who was given a glass of something to warm him up.

Tradesmen, like the milkman, baker, oilman, coal-man and almost anyone calling at the door were given a mince pie with a drink of wine or spirits to wash it down. This was often very apparent with the milkman who, as the day went on, found it more and more difficult to carry his heavy can from door to door and transfer the milk safely into the customers jug using pint and half-pint measures. Fortunately he could always depend on the horse that was pulling the float knowing the round well enough to move on and stop where he had to without any instruction. Later, as the rounds-men became motorised an Xmas ‘Tip’ slowly replaced the traditional festive ‘Nip’.

Of course children have always loved Christmas. No matter what position a family held in society they all put up trimmings and most had a tree of some sort. A short cycle ride out into the countryside to a known location was necessary to gather holly and it had to have berries on every sprig. Everyone put up paper-chains and trimmings, some made from crepe paper that came in many colours. These were often kept from year to year, as were the tree decorations.

A good sprig of mistletoe was also essential, especially if you were having a party when it would be hung over the door frames ready to catch that certain someone. It was well used for such games as ‘postman’s knock’, ‘sardines’ and many others.

Adults exchanged gifts but the children always came first. Dad was quite satisfied when he found mum had wrapped up a packet of Woodbines or a jar of ‘Brylcreem’ for him to open. While he might manage a box of handkerchiefs or a bottle of ‘Evening in Paris’ scent in return.

All children got presents of some sort. The richer the family the bigger and more expensive the presents would be but even the poorest got something. Sometimes it was only a stocking with an apple, orange, a few nuts and perhaps some crayons and a colouring book or a tin box of Reeves paints. Often a home-made toy was included. The more affluent families had a pillowcase instead of a stocking that would be filled with board games like snakes and ladders or draughts, jigsaw puzzles and Children’s Annuals or books of nursery rhymes.

There was often something special hidden at the bottom. It could be boxes of lead soldiers painted in bright colours with guns and flags and some with their horses. It might be a farmyard set with the animals, buildings and carts etc. or a train set with stations, signal boxes, bridges and crossings. Then there were sailing boats in many shapes and sizes and lots more toys to choose from.

Girls had just as wide a choice from skipping ropes to dolls with prams and all the accessories associated with attending to a baby. They also enjoyed receiving copies of uniforms like nurses with all the necessary bandages etc. to make it realistic. Those with even richer parents probably had their wrapped presents put under a large tree in the drawing room and at a given time they all gathered round for them to be handed out.

It is good that we retain as many of the old ways and traditions as we can at this time. Let us not forget that all families got together on Christmas day to enjoy the special food and luxuries they had often had to save for all the year. After tea everyone joined in games.

The fact it was the only day in the year when all public houses and off-licences were closed at 2.30pm ensured father would be there. There was nowhere else for him to go! Everyone joined in the activities and the younger children were amused with their new presents until bedtime. It was then the adults could settle down to a quiet game of cards while they sipped their port and sherry and munched mince pies.

They were good days to remember!!


valley lad - [SEVENTYSIX]

Well the weather experts were correct the snow arrived, the news reports told of big hold ups and drivers finding it hard to make progress.

The local Radio stations received calls asking why such small amounts of snow was causing so much trouble, is a enough done within our driving training programmes, should we see skid control given to all drivers?

But would costs be a major problem, one caller to the radio station said why bother, how often do we get snow, take your chance and if the car skids it skids.

But surely this could be a situation between life and death (wonder how many skid control courses are sold this year as Christmas presents).

The snow looking really lovely just like a Christmas card scene, but what happens when it melts turning into water and laying on roadside in the camber of the road. We never know how deep this can be, there are many potholes which need repair, steering on vehicles can get damaged, tyres cut.

As a driver our ability to stop the vehicle on wet roads is heavily reduced, with these conditions the stopping distance increases by a factor of two or even more.

On a dry road in good conditions we talk of a two second gap between you and the vehicle ahead of you.

So back onto the wet road we must try to compensate this, we must reduce the speed and increase the distance between us and any vehicle in front.

We are also controlled by falling rain, even with the wipers on, our visibility will be reduced, and the windscreen gets misted up

Keep all windows clean.

Use quality windscreen washer fluid.

Clean windows as soon as they start to mist over.

Replace worn wiper blades.

Water from the sky is not the only problem, the water forced up from the road by vehicles driving over it causes a major hazard, in a split second spray hitting the screen thrown up by other vehicles reduces vision
quickly.

To minimise this risk as we said keep a good distance from vehicle in front, if you see a heavy vehicle coming towards you, switch the wipers on to a full speed and be ready for lots of water hitting your windscreen as it passes. Reduce speed at night time when in heavy rain as there will be lots of glare from vehicle lights and the wet road can cause reflection.

The rains causes pools on the road surface and this in turns lead to aquaplaning.

Aquaplaning is when the tyres surf over the pools of water and by doing this they lose contact with the road,
at this point your steering feels very light, so gently release the accelerator this slows the vehicle allowing the tyres to regain traction on the road, while aquaplaning you must avoid braking and trying to steer, as this
can cause you to lose control.

Water on road is not enough to cause aquaplaning but your speed and the depth of the water will, therefore travelling at safe speed according to the conditions will reduce the circumstances for aquaplaning to take place.

Remember going through puddles can cause a drag and you feel a tug at your wheels, this may make you swerve, at the same time a heavy amount of water can lift over your windscreen.

We are seeing more flooded roads nowadays, the terrible scenes in Cumbria last month could take place anywhere, so we must all check depths of water before ever attempting driving through. If deciding to go, make sure its slowly as speeding will cause a wave which can result with water going up into the engine bay and exhaust systems, which nowadays are not cheap to replace.

By using first gear keeping the revs of engine high and slipping the clutch would reduce this, keep to crown of road if possible and not going through same time as on coming traffic.

With the sudden down pours we get now we must be more aware, snow reports say don't go out on the roads, I'm sure this should also be the warning given in heavy rain falls. Times are changing.