Comedian Phil Evans is from Ammanford. He is known as the man who puts the ‘cwtsh’ into comedy. This column appears in the South Wales Evening Post, Carmarthen Journal and Llanelli Star. Website – www.philevans.co.uk

You know when you read a newspaper headline and it takes a moment for it to register?

Well, I read one the other day that took a full minute to sink in.

And this is it…

“Since 2011, 259 people have died while taking selfies!”

According to the American Journal Of Family Medicine, 159 of these selfie deaths occurred in India, followed by the United States (14 deaths) and Pakistan (11 deaths).

The most common selfie-induced death was from drowning and the second was . . . wait for it . . . while trying a take a selfie in front of a moving train!

Let me clarify for any of you in doubt.

The trains in question weren’t moving away from them; they were moving towardsthem!

The researchers admit the figure is probably much higher than 259 because many deaths aren’t linked to selfies.

For example, if someone falls from a great height or is swept out to sea by huge waves, their smart phones tend to go missing.

In our narcissistic selfie society everyone with a smart phone thinks they’re a star (It’s partly your faultMister Cowell!). Selfie-takers think the world hungers to know where they are andwhatthey’re doing 24/7.

Over a year ago I wrote an article about how a theatrical performance I attended was spoiled by a self-obsessed couple (don’t write and tell me a couplecan’t be self-obsessed because they definitely were).

They were sat in the row immediately in front of me. Before the show (and all through the intermission) they took selfie after selfie of themselves, in basically the same pose. 

No. I don’t know why, either.

Had they been upstairs in the balcony and stepped back a little too far in their eagerness to photograph themselves, there might have been two more added to the 259 in the headline.

But, at least, I would have enjoyed the show in peace.

The world has gone mad for sure. 

………………….

Questions:

I’m often asked, “How long does it take you to write these columns and where do the ideas come from?”

So, it’s about time I shared the secret, despite the fact that it’s not a secret. 

There are always ideas floating around in my head.

Sometimes I overhear a conversation and I instantly see this as an idea that can be expanded upon or developed into an article.

There are also other voices floating around my head, but I’m having therapy for those. 

Newspapers, magazines, radio and TV can and often be a source of material and inspiration. 

Often, my close friends share ideas with me and encourage me to write about certain topics. Most are thought-provoking and topical. Some I couldn’t possibly publish!

These ideas are scribbled down as rough notes in the first instance.

Sometimes, the notes remain there for months until the opportunity arises to turn them into a story good enough for you, the reader. 

After all, my main aim is to inform, entertain and sometimes stimulate or challenge your thinking. Yes, there is method in the madness. 

So, in general, the collation of ideas is an ongoing process. However, pulling it all together is where the hard work comes in. 

Like most things in life, perseverance through the doubts and insecurities is the key to success.

Not everything works all of the time. But, from the fantastic feedback I get, I think we might be getting it right most of the time.

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You can follow Phil Evans on Twitter @philevanswales and www.philevans.co.uk

From 31st October 2018 patients living across the Hywel Dda University Health Board region will be able to dial 111 to access their GP Out of Hours service and NHS Direct Wales – making it easy to get the advice, support or treatment that is right for them all in one place.

The free-to-call phone number, which was launched as a pilot in Carmarthenshire last year, will make it easy for Hywel Dda patients to get urgent healthcare support if they are feeling unwell or if their own surgery is closed.

The scheme, which is being run in partnership between the health board, Welsh Ambulance Service and Welsh Government, is aimed at bringing the NHS Direct Wales and GP Out of Hours services together under one number and recruiting additional clinical and non-clinical staff.

People calling 111 will firstly speak to a specially-trained call handler who will ask a series of questions.

This will allow the service’s experienced healthcare professionals – nurses and, during evenings, weekends and bank holidays, GPs and pharmacists – to prioritise calls so the most seriously ill are treated first.

Depending on the urgency of their condition, callers will get a call back from a nurse, doctor or pharmacist advising them what to do.

If they need to see a GP out of hours, they will be asked to attend one of the primary care centres within Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion or Pembrokeshire, depending on where they live.

Crucially, call takers are trained to recognise when there is a threat to life. So people who dial 111 but really need an ambulance will be put straight through to the emergency ambulance service.

The 999 number should only be called in the event of a life-threatening emergency. If it isn’t an emergency but is nevertheless urgent, then patients will be able to call 111 instead.

Project director Richard Bowen said: “Currently within the NHS, access to urgent care services is really quite confusing.

“You don’t know what services are open when and, depending on your condition, you don’t know which healthcare professional would be the best person for you.

“What we want to do within Hywel Dda is to simplify all of that. So from now on you only have to dial 111 and you will be signposted to one of a range of different options.”

The 111 service has been operating successfully in Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board (ABMU) since October 2016, in Powys since October 3^rd 2018 and the Hywel Dda launch is the next stage of what is planned to eventually be an all-Wales service.

Dr Richard Archer, Hywel Dda’s GP Out of Hours Lead for 111, said the out-of-hours service had traditionally not just been led, but also delivered by enthusiastic and committed local GPs.

He added: “In a time of increasing workload that is becoming challenging, it’s fantastic to be able to work with a wider group of professional colleagues including nurses and pharmacists. This will ensure our patients get the help they need as effectively and efficiently as possible.”

Chris Powell, the Welsh Ambulance Service’s Area Manager for 111/NHS Direct Wales, added: “We’re so pleased that patients in Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire will soon have access to this service, which residents in Carmarthenshire, Powys and the Abertawe Bro Morgannwg area are already benefitting from. This is another step towards a more modern approach to delivering urgent care and we look forward to building on the success of 111 and providing this service for everyone in Wales.”

For more information about NHS 111 visit: www.hywelddahb.wales.nhs.uk/OutofHours

The Hywel Dda University Health Board is adding to the ways that we communicate by introducing new SMS text messaging services to improve the patient experience and reduce the chances of you missing a scheduled appointment.

We are constantly working to reduce waiting times for our patients and have this week launched a text messaging service for anyone who has registered their mobile phone with us and who is currently on a waiting list, to ask whether they wish to remain on it or not.  Patients are able to opt-out of text messaging at any time. 

The health board will also be launching a new Outpatients SMS Reminder service soon to ensure that patients are aware of any pending appointments, and to cut down on the number of missed appointments which currently cost the health board around £4 million a year.

Anthony Tracey, Assistant Director of Informatics said “We recognise that in the digital age a large number of our population will benefit from receiving text messages if they are on a waiting list for an appointment, particularly if they no longer need to be, as this will help us to free up space in the system and ensure that we can run our services much more effectively.”

Stephanie Hire, General Manager Scheduled Care said “While demand for hospital outpatient services are high, we know that every year 30,000 appointments are missed in Hywel Dda which comes at a high cost to the health board and has a significant impact not just on the person missing that appointment, on waiting times, other patients and our clinicians too.   Therefore we are pleased to be able to introduce these new services for the benefit of all.”

More information on text messaging can be found on our website:  www.hywelddahb.wales.nhs.uk/text

Bronglais Hospital in Aberystwyth hosted a successful Genomics Partnership Wales event.

More than 70 people attended the event, including biomedical scientists from Public Health Wales, diabetes clinical nurse specialists, radiographers, nursing staff, as well as a representative from Aberystwyth University and a number of A-Level biology and science students from Penglais Secondary School.

Dr Mark Rogers, Macmillan Consultant Clinical Geneticist and Honorary Senior Research Fellow, All Wales Medical Genetics Service, together with Angela Burgess, Education & Engagement Project Manager and Rhian Morgan, Education and Engagement Officer, both from Wales Gene Park, presented an overview of genomics and the potential it has to transform medicine and public health in Wales.

Genomics Partnership Wales was established to ensure a united approach to genomics in Wales across several disciplines including medicine and public health, to deliver a programme of work that will enable the ambition and commitment laid out in the Welsh Government’s Genomics for Precision Medicine Strategy to be realised.

Peter Skitt, Hywel Dda University Health Board’s County Director for Ceredigion said: “Thank you to everyone who came together for this important event. To ensure success in the future, it’s vital that we engage with health professionals and the public about genomics and the potential benefits it can bring for many Welsh patients and clinical services. We look forward to hosting future events about this exciting and fast-moving area of science with Genomics Partnerships Wales at Bronglais Hospital.”

Côr Meibion Llanelli Male Voice Choir members are looking forward to Christmas.

‘Christmas With The Choir’ will be held at 7pm on Saturday, December 1, at Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli.

The choir’s special guests will be Burry Port Town Band and the St John Lloyd School Choir.

They are pictured above rehearsing one of the songs from the Christmas show – Can You Feel The Love Tonight from The Lion King.

More than 30 eco-friendly homes could be built in Burry Port as early as next Spring following a £4million funding package secured by Cartrefi Croeso, Carmarthenshire County Council’s new housing company.

The Welsh Government included the ambitious Burry Port Garden Village development in its £43million Innovative Housing Programme grant, announced by Housing and Regeneration Minister Rebecca Evans yesterday (October 16, 2018).

The proposed scheme – subject to planning approval – will create 22 two-bedroom family homes and 10 one-bedroom apartments on land next to the existing Plas Y Mor Extra Care Scheme in the town.

Exciting designs have been drawn up with environmentally-friendly features including solar panels and Welsh timber, both sourced and manufactured locally, that will help residents save up to £1,000 a year on energy bills.

They will be low maintenance by design, with open plan living space that can be easily adapted to reflect the changing needs of residents.

Pre-planning consultations have already begun, and subject to planning approval, the build could start as early as next Spring.

Cartrefi Croeso was established by Carmarthenshire Council last year to open up new opportunities for hundreds of affordable homes to be built outside the boundaries of the Housing Revenue Account (HRA), which limits investment to social housing.

Providing greater freedom to build homes, the company’s main aim is to help local people get a foot on the property ladder and to support the local construction industry.

Cartrefi Croeso has entered into partnership with Coleg Sir Gâr and local construction apprenticeship training schemes to secure training opportunities and jobs during the build of the Burry Port Garden Village, which will be developed by Tŷ Solar and TRJ Construction Ltd.

A large proportion of the homes will be manufactured in a newly established factory in Ammanford, which will also create new jobs, and 80 per cent of the raw materials and the labour will be locally sourced to help sustain local businesses.

Robin Staines, Managing Director of Cartrefi Croeso, said: “We are delighted to have secured funding for the Burry Port Garden Village scheme. This will be the first development delivered by Cartrefi Croeso and sets the bar for the future of new, affordable homes in Carmarthenshire.”

Cllr Linda Evans, Carmarthenshire County Council’s Executive Board Member for Housing, added: “This is fantastic news, and will mean local families can benefit from fully adaptable, low-cost homes. We established Cartrefi Croeso to offer families an alternative to social housing and to take advantage of the skills of local companies. This development is a fantastic start, and demonstrates our commitment to supporting local people, communities and businesses.”

Burry Port Garden Village, in detail…

Maximising the use of the land, there will be a mix of homes, including apartments built over two storeys with lift access, and bungalows.

Located adjacent to an existing extra care facility, residents with particular support needs can access local care support services.  

The design of the homes will also be easily adaptable to changing housing and health needs. The two-bedroom homes can accommodate future lift provision and a wet room on the ground floor, if required; the first floor apartments are accessed by stairs with the provision for easy lift installation, if required; and the one-bedroom accommodation can be adapted into two bedrooms, should the need arise for a live-in carer.  

The design, together with the location, will help promote independent living, creating sustainable communities and promoting good physical and mental well-being.

The homes will be created from wood, external larch cladding and spruce core timbers from locally sourced trees to provide warm, comfortable, and affordable homes.
The homes will be south-facing to maximise solar gain. Integrated PV roof panels will generate 7,000KwH of energy per annum per home, and lithium ion batteries will store, on site, up to 150KwH of energy per day during periods of low energy usage.

The walls will be insulated with recycled newspaper, and the wooden windows will achieve Passive House standard.

The innovatively designed homes will achieve a SAP rating of 104, and will consume 12 per cent less energy than traditionally-built homes, meaning energy savings for residents of up to £1,000 a year. They will be designed to encourage low energy life styles, improve health and well-being and mitigate fuel poverty.