NORTH BEDFORDSHIRE BRANCH

NEWSLETTER

WINTER 2018-19

WHAT IS THE FELLOWSHIP?

The Fellowship is an association of staff who have retired from any of the

wide variety of professions and occupations in the NHS, their husbands and

wives and others who have been closely associated with the service.

WELFARE

If you require help, know of a member who is ill, admitted to hospital or

requiring help in any way please inform Mrs Rosemary Albon, the Welfare

Secretary, on 01234 407084.

What is the Fellowship? Welfare 1

North Bedfordshire Branch information. Editors’ Note 2

Life in the Diplomatic Service 3

Elizabeth Fry: Pride or Prejudice 4

Update: Tax, Care and Toy Boys 5

Christmas Charity Stalls 8

District Nursing before the NHS 8

Celebrating Women of Bedfordshire 9

Visit to Windsor 10

Harvest Festival Window 12

Christmas Lunch 13

Committee Members 14

Programme January 2019 to May 2019 16

Bedfordshire CCG Update on Local Health Services 16

Recipes 17

Retiring from the NHS? 19

2

NORTH BEDFORDSHIRE BRANCH

The North Bedfordshire Branch of the Fellowship

was formed in March 1981 and has a

membership of approximately 150. Meetings are

held on the last Wednesday of each month at

2.30 pm in St Andrew’s Church Hall, Kimbolton

Road, Bedford. Outings and talks are arranged at

other times.

EDITORS’ NOTE

Happy new year to you all and we hope that you enjoyed your Christmas. It

certainly looks like those of you who attended the Christmas lunch had a good

time.

The recipes in this edition may not help those of you who have planned to be

“good” during January, but they are certainly good cakes. Thanks to Janet and

Lesley for these and please don’t forget to keep sending in any favourites you

are happy to share.

We need to keep our membership growing to continue developing the

fellowship so should you bump into old friends who aren’t members, don’t

forget to tell them about the NHSRF, invite them to a meeting then introduce

them to Sue our new membership secretary.

We have had a number of other changes to the committee since the AGM so

thank you to those who did step up to join us. There is a list in the middle of

the newsletter but the key changes are Pam Day is now the secretary, Sue

Cobley is in charge of membership and Patsy and Trevor Gibson are

organising the programme.

As we have said before, this is your newsletter and we are keen to feature

members’ news, views and ideas so please keep them coming in. They can

be sent to either Jill at jill.stephen1@btinternet.com or to Linda at

hiscottlinda@gmail.com

Linda Hiscott and Jill Stephen

3

LIFE IN THE DIPLOMATIC SERVICE PART 2

Delia Walker

July 25th 2018

Delia’s second talk to us on her extraordinary life in the Diplomatic Service

covered her early twenties, when she became a ‘floater’. This is someone

who covers absences, leave, etc. and could result in her being sent to any

country with a diplomatic presence, covering any post. Quite daunting I

would think.

She decided that she would like to be posted to Latin America so put in her

request. To enable her to serve there she had to attend ‘language school’ to

learn Spanish. To this aim she was sent to live with a family in Mexico,

where she discovered that the best way of learning a language was to listen

and talk with the children of the family.

Having spent the time learning Spanish, she was sent to some very different

countries. Her first posting was Barbados, an English speaking island. Her

next posting was the Falkland Islands, where she was based in Stanley,

again English speaking. Then followed Jamaica, still no Spanish! At last she

was posted to Cuba, at least they spoke a form of Spanish. Then full circle,

she was at last posted to Mexico City - Spanish at last.

As she was required to live in the residences of those she was replacing, it

often included having to look after various dogs and cats. This gave Delia the

opportunity to regale us with some very amusing anecdotes, very often

involving the animals she was looking after. There was also a slide show

with maps of her destinations, and pictures of the houses and countryside

where she lived.

A most interesting talk, given in a very amusing way.

Pam Day

4

ELIZABETH FRY: PRIDE OR PREJUDICE

Amanda Goody

On 29th August 2018, Amanda Goody gave a very interesting account of the

life of Elizabeth Fry

Elizabeth Fry was known as the “angel of prisons” and has more recently

appeared on the back of £5 notes. She was born 1780 in Norwich into a

Quaker family of 7 girls and 4 boys. Her parents were very wealthy - her

father was associated with Gurney’s Bank and her mother was related to the

founders of Barclays Bank.

When Elizabeth was18 she became aware of the plight of prisoners, the poor,

and the sick and set up a Sunday school. In 1800, she married Joseph Fry,

part of the Fry’s chocolate making family and he supported her work.

She visited Newgate Prison and decided something must be done to improve

conditions for the women and children prisoners so she helped to set up the

‘Association for the Reformation of the Female Prisoners’ in Newgate. Some

of the prisoners were transported abroad and Elizabeth arranged for the

women on the transportation ships to be given material and sewing tools so

they had a skill and something to sell when they arrived at their destination.

She also set up the Brighton District Visiting Society whose members visited

poor families to offer support and charity. In 1840 she started a nursing

school which later inspired Florence Nightingale.

Elizabeth Fry died on 12th October 1845 of a stroke.

The audience really enjoyed the talk about this compassionate and

determined woman who played an

important role in later legislation to

improve prison conditions.

Kathy Aston and Linda Hiscott

5

UPDATE: TAX, CARE AND TOY BOYS

Roderick Barr

On 26 September 2018 Roderick Barr gave a very interesting talk which

prompted lots of questions and gave us all much to think about.

Tax

Your Estate is considered to be your property, savings and any possessions of value .Each individual can pass on up to £325,000 to their heirs tax-free. Above that amount, a tax charge of 40% is applied. But any allowance you haven’t used up before you die can be inherited by your spouse or civil partner, along with your assets. Added to your partner’s inheritance tax allowance, this means a married couple can pass on £650,000 inheritance tax-free. If your estate includes your home, you get an additional allowance, which is £125,000 this tax year.

People you give gifts to will be charged Inheritance Tax if you give away more than £325,000 in the 7 years before your death. A gift can be anything that has a value, such as money, property, possessions. Gifts are not counted towards the value of your estate after 7 years. You can also give away £3,000 worth of gifts each tax year (6 April to 5 April) without them being added to the value of your estate. This is known as your ‘annual exemption’.

Inheritance tax must be paid before any money can go to beneficiaries of a will.

Care

Paying for residential care in a care home is expensive. It costs £1,000 and more per week in this geographical area. If your local council carries out a care needs assessment and finds you need a care home place, they will do a means test. This may take into account the value of your property, if you own one, as well as your income and savings.

Over £23,250 You must pay full fees (known as being self-funding).

Between £14,250 and £23,250

The local council will fund some of your care and you'll contribute to the rest.

Less than £14,250

This will be ignored and won't be included in the means test – the local council will pay for your care. However, they will still take your eligible income into account.

6

Toy Boys

Remarrying or entering a new civil partnership invalidates any existing will you have, On remarrying, your children (and any grandchildren) will not automatically receive any of your assets. Ordinarily your assets will automatically pass to your new spouse and their children rather than any children you might have. If you leave your estate to your surviving spouse, it automatically becomes part of their assets on your death.

When you remarry, any existing Will you have written will become null and void. It is therefore important to write a new Will with a solicitor as soon as possible to ensure that your wishes will be honoured. You should consider what assets you want your new spouse to receive as well as any children you may have. You can also use Trusts to help provide for both your surviving spouse and your children / beneficiaries in the event of your death. Power of Attorney gives you more control over what happens to you if you have an accident or an illness and can’t make your own decisions (you ‘lack mental capacity’). A lasting power of attorney (LPA) is a legal document that lets you (the ‘donor’) appoint one or more people (known as ‘attorneys’) to help you make decisions or to make decisions on your behalf. There are 2 types of LPA:

1) health and welfare 2) property and financial affairs

You can choose to make one type or both. Enduring Power of Attorney: your appointed “attorney” can help make or make decisions about your property and money. Only EPAs made and signed before October 1, 2007 can still be used. After that date donors had to make a lasting power of attorney (LPA) instead. If you have an EPA (which is for finance only) you may wish to change it to an LPA. Register it with the Office of the Public Guardian and then it is there should it be needed. Things to think about 1.Make a Will: Your will says what will happen to your money, property and possessions after you die. Change and update it as needed . 2.You could leave gifts to charity in your will. Your donation will either: be taken off the value of your estate before Inheritance Tax is calculated reduce your Inheritance Tax rate, if more than 10% of your estate is left to charity.

7

3.Look at your property ownership: Joint tenants. As joint tenants (sometimes called ‘beneficial joint tenants’):

• you have equal rights to the whole property

• the property automatically goes to the other owners if you die, you cannot pass on your ownership of the property in your Will

Tenants in common. As tenants in common:

• you can own different shares of the property

• the property does not automatically go to the other owners if you die

• you can pass on your share of the property in your will to other beneficiaries

4. You could set up a Trust A trust is a way of managing assets (money, investments, land or buildings) for people. There are different types of trusts and they are taxed differently. Trusts are set up for a number of reasons, including:

• to control and protect family assets

• when someone cannot handle their affairs because they’re incapacitated

• to pass on assets while you’re still alive (Lifetime/Family Trust)

• to pass on assets when you die (a ‘Will trust’)

5. You may decide to take out a pre-paid funeral plan Funerals cost on average about £5,000 and the cost goes up on average 5%

each year. Plans tend to cost £3,000-£4,000 and are typically paid for via

monthly instalments or a lump sum.

However:

• Check that the Plan has got an independently managed Trust Fund/Whole of Life Insurance Bond to safeguard it.

• Look at the Disbursements (i.e. third party costs such as burial/clergy fees) to check everything is covered

There's currently no statutory regulator for the funeral plan sector, only a voluntary regulator called the Funeral Planning Authority (FPA), which covers 95% of providers. There have been reports of rogue practices among providers not registered with the FPA, so it's best to only buy from a registered provider as you're more likely to get the funeral you paid for.

Jill Stephen

8

OCTOBER CHRISTMAS CHARITY STALLS

At our 31 October meeting, we held our Annual Christmas Charity stall fair which included some local Charities. The fair was well attended and members were very generous in both the donating and making of items to sell for our stall. Our members were also most generous in buying the varied items for sale.

The RNLI and MS Centre received about £200 each, Fair Trade £185 and our two stalls made a total of £193.57.

We held a raffle at our November meeting to determine which charity would get our proceeds. The winning Charity was Tibbs Dementia as a consequence of this we were able to send a cheque for £200.

On behalf of the Committee I also would like to thank you all for your generosity.

Mike Tuffnell, Treasurer

DISTRICT NURSING BEFORE THE NHS

Jean Fullerton

November 2018

We often find ourselves reminiscing about our times in the

post-1948 NHS but on this occasion we were taken further

back to pre-NHS days and in particular the development of

the District Nursing Service. Our speaker was Queen’s

Nurse, ex-District Nurse and now author Jean Fullerton, who

shared with us facts, memories and pictures gleaned from

her researches.

Jean traced the development of District Nursing (the ‘Jill of all

trades’ job, as she described it) from early forms of informal familial care in

the Middle Ages, through key figures notably Elizabeth Fry, Ellen Ranyard

and William Rathbone VI in the 19th century to the founding of the District

Nurse Association. The first professional body came into being in 1887 with

Queen Victoria’s founding of the Queen’s Nursing Institute which established

district nursing as the multi-faceted base of the many and varied aspects of

non-hospital care, both health and social, in the days before the

specialisation of more recent times. Both World Wars, but especially the

Second, saw the services move into a different gear and state of organisation

as demands increased, leading to the advent of the NHS as we know it in

1948 and the eventual incorporation of the district nursing service into it.

9

CELEBRATING WOMEN OF BEDFORDSHIRE

This year, The Higgins Art Gallery and Museum mounted an exhibition celebrating the achievements of Bedfordshire women and one of our members, Veta Hudson- Rae was featured as seen below.

Veta Hudson-Rae (born 1944)

Midwife, Health Visitor, Manager, Magistrate

In November 1959 Veta arrived in London with her

family, to be re-united with her father who they hadn’t

seen for 5 years. She started her nurses training in 1963

at Ashford Hospital, Middlesex. After completing her

general training in 1967 she trained in midwifery in

Surrey. In 1968 she joined Bedford Health Authority as

a Community Midwife, which she found rewarding.

In 1975 her manager advised her to train as a Health

Visitor. Veta had 2 young children and the hours for

this role were a great deal easier. She qualified in 1976

and worked with many GP practices, later as a

community practice teacher. In 1989 she became a

manager for health visitors, district nurses, school

nurses and other community staff. In 2000 Veta retired,

but since then has been a magistrate for 13 years, and

volunteered for many local organisations. In 2014 she

received an award from the High Sherriff of

Bedfordshire in recognition of great and valuable

services in the community’.

Jean is now a prolific author and we benefited from some of her extensive

research for her various books. Signed copies were quite in demand after

her talk and if her books are as informative and entertaining as she was,

they will surely make a good read. (see more on www.jeanfullerton.com).

David Brownridge

10

VISIT TO WINDSOR

4 October 2018

On a chilly October morning thirty buoyant NHS Retirement Fellowship members set of for a day at Windsor. We were met by our tour guide Carol who took us up to the imposing castle which sits high above the Thames. We approached the castle via the fascinating railway station where we took a welcome

comfort and coffee break before we began our day in earnest. We were informed how William the Conqueror began the building of the castle in 1070, completing it 16 years later. The site was chosen as it is strategically placed to protect the western approach to London; it was close to the capital and provided easy access to the royal hunting forest. This made it an ideal location for a royal residence. As with many stately homes it has altered vastly over the years from its original wooden state to the impressive building we see today. We entered the stunning St. George’s Chapel which we were told is under the direct jurisdiction of the monarch; it is also the Chapel of the Order of the Garter. Many of us recognised it from the recent royal wedding, and preparations were in progress for yet another! The College of St George was founded by Edward III in 1348 as a self-governing community of priests and laymen dedicated to daily prayer for the Sovereign and the faithful, and so it remains. It is a self-supporting organisation therefore receives no funding from the Church or State. The present impressive building was begun by Edward IV in 1475 and finished 50 years later by Henry VIII.

11

Our group were then given the opportunity to view the luxurious state apartments which is the centre piece of the castle with its grand stair case, its many painted ceilings, works of art and fine furniture. The Semi-State Rooms have now been completely restored to their 19

th century appearance after the

devastating fire in 1992 when they were severely damaged. The afternoon was spent touring the countryside around Windsor where we saw the famous Long Walk and Ascot Race Course, finishing at the Windsor Farm Shop where many of us sampled their delicious cakes and purchased a

few early Christmas presents! Our sincere thanks go to Val for organising another lovely day out for everyone to enjoy.

Hilary Ashley

12

ST ANDREW’S CHURCH HARVEST FESTIVAL WINDOW

The window in St Andrew’s church, Kimbolton Road, which comprises of the

Ascension, 11 disciples and Mary was decorated for the harvest festival this

year by Val Hemmings, Barbara Davies and Teresa Treacy on 6th October

2018. This window was given to the Chapel of Bedford County Hospital by

John Frederick Nutter in 1892 as a memorial for Margaret Nutter who died

aged 53 years in April 1892. John

Frederick Nutter was chair of the

Hospital Management Board.

Bedford County Hospital is now

Bedford General Hospital, South

Wing. When the chapel at South

Wing was knocked down the

window was transferred to St

Andrew’s church by the Bedford

General Hospital Nurses League

in 1978.

Val Hemmings

13

CHRISTMAS LUNCH 2018

68 members attended the Christmas lunch at the Sharnbrook Hotel on the 5th

December 2018. The restaurant at the Sharnbrook Hotel looked beautiful.

The special decorations made by Rosemary for each of the tables were

lovely. The food and service were excellent, and the atmosphere was relaxed

and friendly. After the lunch and raffle the people on each table decided who

should take Rosemary’s decoration home and, on the table, where I sat, I

was very pleased to be selected. Thank you to everyone for making the

Christmas lunch such a lovely and very enjoyable affair.

Val Hemmings

14

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Chairperson Pauline Panter

Vice Chairperson Vacant

Treasurer Mike Tuffnell

Newsletter co-editor Linda Hiscott

Newsletter co-

Editor Jill Stephen

Programme

Secretary Patsy & Trevor Gibson

15

Welfare Secretary Rosemary Albon

Database Lesley Hutchings

Social Secretary Val Hemmings

Group Secretary Pam Day

Tea Rota Teresa Treacy

Membership Sec Sue Cobley

16

PROGRAMME JANUARY 2019 TO MAY 2019

Date Time Activity Speaker

30 January 14.30 My South African Holiday

Rita Beaumont

27 February 14.30 Shackleton's forgotten men

Debby Horsman

27 March 14.30 It's a long way to Bendigo

Pam Garner

24 April 14.30 Easter Tea and

Meet a New Friend

29 May 14.30 Motor Neurone Disease

BEDFORDSHIRE CCG UPDATE ON LOCAL HEALTH SERVICES

A new Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) opened on the Bedford Hospital south wing site (next to A&E) on 1 October 2018. The centre is open from 11am - 11pm, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and offers same day access to GP and Nurse appointments. The UTC is for when patients need urgent medical treatment but it is not an emergency. The UTC is open to all those living in and visiting Bedfordshire. Appointments can be booked by calling NHS 111. When calling NHS 111 call handlers supported by a clinical team will assess the patient and if the UTC is the right place for the patient to be treated, they will make them an appointment, in most cases, on the same day. An booked appointment is not required, however it is recommended to reduce waiting times. The UTC will treat all ages, including babies and children with:

• Minor eye injuries

• Minor illness

• Urine infections

• Abdominal pain / back pain

• Minor cuts and grazes, scalds and burns

17

RECIPES

Bara Brith

There are many versions of this traditional teabread. In Welsh, ‘bara brith’

means ‘speckled bread’. Similar breads are made in different parts of Britain,

such as Bara Brack in Ireland and Selkirk Bannock in Scotland.

Measure the fruit and sugar into a bowl, pour over the hot tea, cover and

leave overnight.

Pre-heat the oven to 150°/Fan 130°C/Gas 2. Lightly grease a 900 g (2 lb)

loaf tin and then line the base with baking parchment.

Stir the flour and egg into the fruit mixture, mix thoroughly then turn into the

prepared tin and level the surface.

Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 1½ hours or until well risen and firm to

the touch. A skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean. Leave to

cool in the tin for 10 minutes then turn out, peel off the parchment and finish

cooling on a wire rack. Serve sliced and buttered.

Lesley Hutchings

175 g (6 oz) currants

175 g (6 oz) sultanas

225 g (8 oz) light muscovado sugar

300 ml (½pint) strong hot tea

275 g (10 oz) self-raising flour

1 large egg, beaten

18

Burbeth Powell Rum Cake

Grease and line 12" cake tin .Cooking time: 2 hours

Ingredients

1 lb 8oz Self-Raising flour

1 lb Butter

1 lb Caster sugar

18 Medium Eggs

1 lb Dried Fruits (Sultanas and Raisins)

1 tsp Mixed spice

1 tsp Vanilla essence

2 Oranges juiced (medium size)

½ tsp Lime juice

½ tsp Ground nutmeg

3 tbsp Rum

Method

Put on oven : 160 C /300 F/ Gas mark 3.Grease one 12" round cake tin. Line

the base with parchment paper.

Weigh sugar and put it in the mixer, add the butter and mix until light and

fluffy. In a separate bowl add the eggs, Rum, fresh orange juice and lime

juice and beat together. Add the eggs to the sugar mixture and beat together.

Add vanilla essence to the mixture. Weigh flour, add mixed spice and grated

nutmeg, add this to the mixture and mix well together. Add fruit and mix it in.

Put mixture in tin. Put in oven. Don't open the oven for 2 hours. Test with a

tooth pick. If it comes out wet, it's not done yet. Cover loosely with foil. Test

again in 25 mins. When the skewer comes out dry, take the cake out of the

oven. Let it stand in the tin until cool.

Janet Powell

19

Retiring

from the NHS?

Keep in touch with friends and colleagues by joining

THE NHS RETIREMENT FELLOWSHIP

North Bedfordshire Branch

Registered Charity 287936

We meet at

St Andrew’s Church Hall

Kimbolton Road, Bedford

on the

last Wednesday

of each month at 2.30 pm

Just Turn Up

We look forward to seeing you -

- -

- -

- -

- -

- -

- -

- -

- -

- -

Cu

t h

ere

to g

ive

this

flye

r to

a f

rien

d

- -

- -

- -

- -

- -

- -

- -

- -

- -

- -

--

- -

- -

- -

- -

- -

- -

-

20

NHS RETIREMENT FELLOWSHIP

BENEFITS and ACTVITIES for MEMBERS

Full details are available from

www.nhsrf.org.uk

However the main benefits of our branch are:

Meeting and keeping contact with friends

and ex colleagues

Outings that are well organised and affordable

Listening to interesting topics and speakers

Helping with charity through our annual charity stall

The book stall

Prizes to be won at the raffle

And many more ….. so come and enjoy!!

www.nhsrfnorthbeds.btck.co.uk