Discounted Gym Membership Available for UK Healthcare Policyholders

UK Healthcare has announced that selected individual health insurance policy-holders are entitled to discounted membership at thousands of gyms and health clubs across the UK and Ireland.

The special offer provides UK Healthcare customers with access to the Incorpore Gym Network, which covers around 2,300 major club operators, local leisure centres, hotel health clubs and independent gyms, spread right across the country.

As well as discounted gym membership, UK Healthcare policy-holders are also entitled to special rates and discounts at a whole host of other services and attractions across Britain, including Virgin Experience Days, Tesco Diets, Halfords bikes, Superbreak mini holidays, and many more.

All eligible policy-holders can visit the UK Healthcare website to download their special UK Healthcare discount voucher, and to find their nearest participating gym or health club.

A subsidiary of Bolton and District Hospital Saturday Council, UK Healthcare Limited provide affordablehealthcare plans for both individuals and companies. With a UK Healthcare cash plan, you can claim back expenses paid at the pharmacy, dentist and opticians, as well as being covered for consultant referrals and hospital stays.

For more information about the UK Healthcare services and special offers, including the discounted gym membership and other health benefits, visit the UK Healthcare website at http://www.ukhealthcare.org.uk/.

Ref: UKH-HS-201010

 

NHC Mobility Scooters Featured at Care Show Birmingham 2010 Available at Mobility Masters

The 2010 Care Show Birmingham was recently held in the city’s NEC exhibition centre, making it the largest display of care home products and services in Britain.

A number of leading brands in the care and mobility sector were present at the Care Show Birmingham, held over two days on 10^th and 11^th November, to showcase their products to potential customers and industry professionals.

Along with thousands of brands exhibiting their products, the trade show included a range of seminars, training demonstrations and active debates, covering some of the big issues affecting the care and mobility industry today.

If you’re looking for a great deal on a top quality mobility scooter, from a market-leading brand as showcased at The Care Show Birmingham, then look no further than the extensive range of quality mobility scooters from Mobility Masters.

One of the brand exhibiting at the Care Show Birmingham 2010 was NHC Mobility, and their Zen S11 portable mobility scooter is currently available for a starting price of just £999 at Mobility Masters, available in two colours (blue and salmon) and is the first mobility scooter of its kind to feature true rear wheel suspension, providing a much smoother drive.

Based in the North West, Mobility Masters is a family-run business that has been providing top quality mobility scooters and electric wheelchairs for the last 18 years. NHS credited, and a member of the British Health Association, Mobility Masters supply mobility products from the leading UK manufacturers, offering excellent after-sales support and 12 months’ warranty on all of their products. Mobility Masters also sell a wide range of associated mobility products including scooter accessories & wheelchair accessories and a range of walking aids, including walking frames, rollators and walking sticks.

For more information about Mobility Masters and their wide range of mobility scooters and electric wheelchairs, visit the Mobility Masters website at http://www.electricmobilityscooters.co.uk/.

Ref: MOB-HS-101110

 

Preventing slips on snow and ice

Cold mornings, frost and the possibility of snow all come with UK winter months. Last year we saw parts of the UK come to a standstill when heavy snow fall and ice made roads unsafe to use and pavements too dangerous to set foot on.

When it comes to health & safety whose responsibility is it to reduce the risks brought by snow and ice?

The Approved Code of Practice to the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations, relating to traffic routes and pedestrian walkways, states: -

"Arrangements should be made to minimise risks from snow and ice. This may involve gritting, snow clearing and closure of some routes, particularly outside stairs, ladders and walkways on roofs".

Therefore, organisations should minimise injury from slips on snow and ice by taking the following steps: -

Planning

• identify the external areas of your premises where slippery conditions are most likely to occur for both vehicles and pedestrians, e.g. on path-ways, car parks, access roads, steps, sloped surfaces, unofficial routes regularly used as short-cuts
• monitor local weather forecasts to anticipate poor weather conditions
• keep a stock of gritting material for your premises and suitable equipment to carry out the gritting process
• where staff work out doors, make sure they have suitable footwear to reduce the risk of slipping
• where practicable, prevent access to non-essential areas where there is a higher risk of slipping and designate safer alternative routes for vehicles and pedestrians, e.g. use of barriers, cones and signs
• enforce low speed limits to reduce the risk of vehicles skidding
• provide adequate segregation between vehicles and pedestrians.

Remember, it is important to clear areas of snow and ice leading from external fire exit doors/stairs for people to use safely in an emergency.

Prevention/treatment of icy surfaces

The most common method to prevent external surfaces becoming icy is to apply rock salt early at night before a frost. This technique can be used even at very low temperatures.

Alternatively, snow or ice can be melted by applying rock salt directly after a snow fall or ice formation. However, fresh or compacted snow should be cleared before treating surfaces, in order to enable the rock salt to work most effectively. Ensure the snow removed does not create a risk elsewhere or block drainage channels.

Gritting should not be carried out during heavy rain as this will wash the rock salt away.

Rock salt is not expensive and can be obtained from most builders merchants. Where supplies of rock salt are not available then consider other sources of materials, e.g. grit, table salt.

Citation’s compliance solutions in health & safety and employment law provide SMEs with 24/7 advice and ongoing support to deal with situations like these enabling employers to easily demonstrate they have followed the necessary procedures.

For more information about Citation and the services they provide, visit the Citation website at http://www.citation.co.uk/.

ref:CHS-HS-171110

 

JMC Managing Director to Compete in 24-Hour Strathpuffer Mountain Bike Race for Help for Heroes

Andrew Burgess, managing director of IT support partner JMC, is preparing to compete in the 2011 Strathpuffer mountain bike race in order to raise money for Help for Heroes.

This extreme 24hr event, held just north of Inverness in Scotland, is open to solo riders, duos and teams of four, and annually attracts around 450 competitors from all over the world.

Andrew is no stranger to the gruelling Strathpuffer circuit, having entered the 2010 race as a duo with another rider. As part of Team JMC Andrew and his partner finished 4th having completed 23 laps of the circuit in just under 24hrs. This year however, Andrew will be taking on the ultimate challenge of racing in the gruelling event as a solo rider, with the target of raising £2,000 for Help for Heroes.

Andrew commented: “Whilst I have a fair amount of experience of racing mountain bikes I have stepped well outside my comfort zone by entering this year’s event solo! Riding for the best part of 24hrs is tough but snow, ice, freezing conditions, a challenging course with lots of climbing and some heart in the mouth descents, plus 17hrs of darkness means this is my toughest event yet. What will keep me going though is knowing that my efforts will raise a substantial amount of money for an awesome charity. All donations are greatly appreciated.”

The sixth annual Strathpuffer race will take place on 15th and 16th January 2011. Andrew has set up a fundraising website for his Strathpuffer race, where donations big or small can be made: http://www.justgiving.com/Team-JMC-Budge/.

For more information about JMC and its services, visit the JMC website at http://www.jmc.co.uk/.

 

JMC IT Support: Pegasus Releases New Opera 3 Solution

Pegasus Software has released its next generation of its key IT solution, Opera.

Opera 3 is the much-anticipated upgrade of the popular Opera II solution, and this new generation of Opera software comes with a whole host of new features and applications.  Opera 3 has a fresh new interface, introducing a “ribbon bar” which has been based on Office 2010, and has brand new icons that help to easily identify application functions.

Other new features of Opera 3 include: upgraded reports to allow direct output to Microsoft Excel; a scheduler application to allow scheduling of tasks and structures; online filing of VAT100 Vat Return to HRMC and a brand new feature Open Period Accounting, which allows posting to prior and future periods within the Nominal Ledger.

The Opera 3 solution from Pegasus is now available. If you’re interested in implementing the new Opera 3 solution for your business, then IT support partners JMC could help.

JMC is one of the largest IT support partners in the North, and a leading Pegasus Strategic Partner. With an annual turnover of over £8million, the average client has worked with them for over 10 years, and 94 per cent of clients would be happy to recommend its services to others.

As you would expect from a company of JMC’s calibre, it possesses a host of industry accreditations including Microsoft Gold Certified Partner with Nine Competencies, Cisco Premier Partner, Citrix Silver Solutions Network Member, Dell Certified Partner, HP systems reseller, and of course, a Pegasus Strategic Partner; JMC has been named Pegasus’ Northern Partner of the Year award for four years running at their Partner Excellence Awards.

JMC work with over 200 companies across the North of England, and ensure that they achieve optimum results from their Pegasus Opera implementations. They do this via a range of services, including annual strategy reviews, client newsletters that highlight important developments in the industry, surveys and questionnaires to monitor client satisfaction and feedback, and regular communications with clients to highlight upcoming promotions and upgrades.

For more information about JMC and the services they provide, call on 0161 925 7777, or visit http://www.jmc.co.uk

------------------- Company Description
JMC has been providing businesses in the North of England with market leading IT solutions since 1981.  JMC makes IT make sense by delivering the necessary experience, resource and commitment to help its clients face their challenges and achieve their ambitions.
http://www.jmc.co.uk

------------------- Hit Search Contact
Press release produced and promoted by Hit Search. Find out more about us and our services at http://www.hitsearchlimited.com. Tel: 0845 643 9289
-------------------- Unique reference
JMC-HS-031110

 

Great Deals on the Hyundai ix35 Available from Car Dealership Hatfields

A new car is a big investment, and so it is important that you make the right decision with the car you buy. If you’re looking for a car that is the perfect blend of beauty and efficiency, then look no further than the Hyundai ix35 from Hatfields.

The ix35 Style model comes with a range of outstanding features, including 17-inch alloy wheels, air conditioning, reversing sensors, Bluetooth connectivity and heated front and rear seats. The Premium model also includes keyless entry, panoramic sunroof and dual zone climate control.

The Hyundai ix35 is now available from Hatfields’ Hyundai dealers from just £16,195 for a limited time only, while stocks lasts. All Hyundai models from Hatfields also come with a five-year warranty as standard.

Hatfields is an independent, family-run business, operating dealerships across the North of England and the West Midlands, specialising in brand new and second-hand Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo and Hyundai vehicles.

Hatfields also provide service, warranty and repair services for many other car manufacturers, including Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Mercedes-Benz and Mitsubishi.

One of the largest independent dealer groups in the UK for Jaguar and Hyundai, Hatfields has acquired a reputation for excellence in all areas, winning awards and accolades from many car manufacturers and automotive media.

For more information about Hatfields and their wide range of cars, visit the Hatfields website at http://www.hatfields.co.uk/.

Ref: HFS-HS-08910

UK Healthcare: Advice on How to Tackle Stress in the Workplace on National Stress Awareness Day

This week, on 3rd November, is the 12th annual National Stress Awareness Day in Britain, with companies and organisations across the country set to mark the day with events and stress awareness campaigns.

According to a recent survey1, stress levels in Britain have doubled in the last four years, so it has never been more important to address the issue of stress, particularly amongst employees in the workplace.

According to the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS), which promotes employment relations and HR excellence, stress in the workplace can have many different triggers. For example, a change in the working environment can lead to insecurity or additional responsibilities can put too much pressure on employees and make them anxious about whether they can live up to expectations.

The theme of the 2010 National Stress Awareness Day is “Start Living – Stop Stressing”, and as part of their commitment to this year’s event, here are a list of useful hints and tips of how you can tackle incidences of stress in your workplace3:

• Make sure your employees understand what they have to do, and how they have to do it. Keep them informed about what is going on within the company, and plan ahead so that any changes can be clearly signposted, and all employees are prepared for it.
• Consult your employees about important decisions and prospective changes within the company, so as to give them an input and enable them to work with you to solve problems. Consider ways in which to make employees’ demands more manageable, such as flexible working hours.
• Carry out a thorough induction with new employees, with a checklist of all the important thing they need to know. Provide them with a written statement of the particulars of their employment, make sure their job descriptions are clear and concise, and be prepared to meet their training needs.
• Have clear procedures for handling misconduct and poor performance, and for employees to raise grievances. Tackle all incidences of bullying and harassment, and make it perfectly clear that such behaviour will not be tolerated in your workplace.
• Review your employees’ performances regularly, in order to identify their strengths and weaknesses. Build effective teams within your employee base, awarding each team its own set of responsibilities, while at the same time maintaining a close link between individual objectives and company goals.

Mental distress and ill health affect every organisation in Britain. At any one time, one worker in six will be experiencing depression, anxiety or problems relating to stress, costing the UK economy £26 billion each year2. In order to keep your employees healthy and motivated, it pays to take care of their health interests. A corporate cash plan from UK Healthcare is an affordable solution that can easily be introduced across the workforce. With a 24-hour confidential counselling helpline included within the plan this can help form part of an employee assistance programme (EAP) for the prevention and early identification of problems.

A subsidiary of Bolton and District Hospital Saturday Council, UK Healthcare Limited provide affordable healthcare insurance for companies from £1 per employee per week. With a UK Healthcare cash plan, costs incurred by a visit to the pharmacy, dentist or opticians, as well as cover for consultant referrals and hospital stays can be claimed back up to policy limits.

For more information about UK Healthcare and their range of group health insurance plans and services, and how these make great employee benefits visit the UK Healthcare website at http://www.ukhealthcare.org.uk/for-companies.

Ref: UKH-HS-291010

1 AXA Money Sickness Syndrome Report
2 The Sainsbury Medical Centre for Mental Health Policy Paper 8
3 www.acas.org.uk - October 2010