London Olympics legacy: defining success
23.05.2012, 06:27:00
The post-games regeneration vision has remained steady over time but its true tests still lie in the future I've been trawling YouTube for regeneration aspiration clips down the ages. Here's a punchy CNN summary from June 2009: Thanks Jim. See how we've moved on - and maybe slightly back again - with the stadium. Note that promise about "affordable" homes and how the meaning of the word "affordable" has, well, gone upmarket since David Cameron moved into Number 10. Now fast forward to last February and a short speech by Andrew Altman, chief executive of what was then called the Olympic Park Legacy Company. It's now called the London Legacy Development Corporation and will have overall control of the evolution of the Olympic Park and its immediate surroundings after the Games themselves have been and gone. I've seen Altman deliver several versions of this speech. He sets out the big, future picture: a long-term shift in the focus of London's growth towards the east; accelerating and unifying the regeneration process; "unlocking potential" in the form of 500 catalysing acres with fab amenities in an incredible, transport-linked location; fuelling the dynamics of place-making, and so on. That's what the long game looked like 15 months ago. Now, we have four contenders to become tenants of the stadium , two to transform the press and broadcast centres into a thriving commercial hub in the post-Games era and a blueprint for providing up to 8,000 homes. The park will begin to re-open from July 2013, and the LLDC promises that it will be "for all of London." The Olympic Park is, perhaps, the ultimate test case for grand scale urban regeneration. I hope it passes. But how, I wonder, should we define success? Regeneration Dave Hill guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Ninety-one-year-old athlete takes gold - video
23.05.2012, 06:00:00
Mary Wixey, 91, a former school PE teacher from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, competes at an athletics meeting in Tipton, near Wolverhampton
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Perspectives from On Purpose : Scaling up - The "people" challenge
23.05.2012, 05:30:02
Social enterprises will only scale successfully by focusing on people: building the right skills, bringing in talent from other sectors, and learning from failure Social enterprise has been described as "a more ethical form of capitalism" and "the business model of the 21st century", but it is still difficult to name more than a handful of social enterprises that have become household names. Why have so few businesses with a social or environmental purpose managed to grow and reach scale? Alastair Wilson, chief executive of the School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE), recognises that a lack of access to equity finance is one of the challenges, but explains that "a shortage of skills is also a major issue". Patrick Shine, lead partner at The Shaftesbury Partnership , a social business which creates and launches high-growth social ventures tackling entrenched disadvantage agrees: "There are not enough capable people in the voluntary sector to manage scale." Bringing more talent into the sector Shine argues that one way of addressing the gap in managers and leaders who can build and scale organisations is to bring in people from other sectors where they are more likely to have had this type of experience. He highlights the rapid scaling of the Challenge Network , an organisation which has shown extraordinary growth in its first three years, and is expected to work with 10,000 young people this summer. As its founding chairman, he believes that one of the essential features of its success is the quality and skill set of the senior leadership team, who had extensive business experience from leading organisations that have a strong talent development focus, such as McKinsey, Google and Procter & Gamble. The Shaftesbury Partnership and SSE both work with On Purpose , offering placements to young professionals looking to make the transition from other sectors into social enterprise. Learning relentlessly Importing skills from the private sector may be one solution, but Wilson feels that learning is the key for leaders of social enterprises, whatever their background. "People need support, learning programmes and mentoring to help them develop as leaders, and to develop the skills required to make that step up to larger, scaled organisations." He points out that SSE's 'action learning' approach gives students "the opportunity to work with their peers and hear from some amazing social entrepreneurs that have managed to scale their venture." Successful social enterprise leaders need to overcome a series of soft skills challenges as well as hard skills challenges. SSE has recently launched the Lloyds Banking Group Social Entrepreneurs Programme , which includes a 'scale-Up' programme, providing support in "everything from confidence, attitude, legitimacy, mindset, behaviour, right through to accessing finance, business planning, and methods of scaling." Shine also stresses the importance of learning, arguing that social entrepreneurs should stretch themselves to 'fail fast' and embed learning "to ensure a strong model and great quality delivery at scale. The Shaftesbury Partnership takes a rigorous approach to learning, doing it relentlessly, fixing issues fast and turning them into strengths." Partnering and franchising Both Shine and Wilson recognise that partnerships and franchising offer other opportunities to tap into people with the right skills to support scaling. Strategic partnerships are essential to FranchisingWorks , a Shaftesbury Partnership venture which supports unemployed people back into work through starting their own franchise business. RBS, a leading bank in the franchising sector, provided not only financial support but also a senior leader for the venture's advisory board, and subsequently a secondment of another member of staff to work alongside the venture team on franchisor relations. This enables the FranchisingWorks team to benefit from additional expertise and capacity. SSE has itself scaled using social franchising, and now has eight schools in the UK, two in Australia and one in Canada. "It was very evident that our programmes had a positive, transformational effect on our students," says Wilson, "and we knew it was worth sharing. We know social change comes through empowerment and people on the ground who understand local issues driving the solutions." Founder role in scaling Shine and Wilson have different opinions, however, when it comes to the role of the founder in scaling the organisation. For Shine, "the skills and experience of a founder are not always fit for scale. A strong appetite for financial risk, a focus on moving forward fast while sometimes forgetting about careful planning and attention to details, and a personality-driven management style, which are assets for a start-up, can become weaknesses which are magnified as the organisation scales." For example, investors might be less willing to invest if the risk profile of a social enterprise is too high. Shine believes that the founder needs to think early of the people needed on the team, and to be prepared to share power. Wilson, meanwhile, argues that as a founder, "you need to focus and work out what your organisation's USP (unique selling point) is and zoom in on it. It's your baby, and locked inside you somewhere is what is unique about it, and you need to be at the centre of it to ensure it remains authentic." As the social enterprise movement develops, it will have to work out how to attract top people, train them with the right skills, and use these skills in the best way to drive scale. But the question of when to hold on, as a founder, and when to let go seems to be one of the most crucial "people" challenges; and probably one of the most difficult to solve. Andy Daly and Isabelle de Morlhon are 2012 On Purpose associates placed at the School for Social Entrepreneurs and at The Shaftesbury Partnership respectively. Andy's background is in in teaching and management within the EFL (English as a Foreign Language) sector. Isabelle's experience is in brand management for the consumer goods company Procter & Gamble. On Purpose is a one-year leadership programme for professionals who want to transition into a social enterprise career. It involves two six-month work placements in socially-driven organisations, intensive 1:1 support and a world-class programme of weekly training sessions. This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. To join the social enterprise network, click here Social enterprise blog Start up & scale up Social enterprises Small business guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Health agency says hospital staff must be trained to combat pneumonia
23.05.2012, 05:00:01
All hospitals recommended to publish their data on the use of antibiotic and anti-fungal medicines so as to cut unecessary use Hospitals in England have been warned they must sharpen their training of ward staff on reducing pneumonia and lower respiratory tract infections in patients. Less sedation, more physiotherapy, more careful use of antacids and appropriate mouth hygiene should be encouraged to minimise the risks of the infection in severely ill patients, including those intubated for fluids or air, says the government's Health Protection Agency. Many are in intensive care units. The agency also recommend all hospitals should publish data on their use of antibiotic and antifungal medicines, an attempt to ensure that moves to cut their unnecessary use are not forgotten as the incidence of MRSA and C difficile infections tumble. The prevalence of MRSA soared until recently because of the development of antibiotic resistance. Similar problems emerged with C difficile, which can also develop because antibiotics have destroyed too many 'good' bacteria. Antacids used to prevent or treat mouth ulcers can also have the same effect, meaning 'bad' bacteria are more likely to transfer from the gut , via the stomach, to the respiratory system. Experts warn that it is important to target infections with the right antibiotics, rather than using so-called 'broad spectrum' drugs. Staff should remove catheters to drain or administer fluids as soon as possible since they too are liable to cause infections. The key messages, which Department of Health policy advisers will now consider how to take further, emerge from a 2011 snapshot survey of infections linked to people's healthcare before and during hospital and covering almost 52,500 patients. Although direct comparisons cannot be made with previous surveys, such infections dropped from 8.2% in 2006 to 6.4%. More than one in five (22.8%) were respiratory, with urinary tract infections (17.1%) and on parts of the body where there has been surgery (15.7%) the next most prevalent. Since the 2006 check, there has been an 18-fold reduction in MRSA bloodstream infections (1.3% to less than 0.1%) and a five-fold reduction in C difficile(2% to 0.4%). Professor Anthony Kessel, director of public health strategy and medical director at the HPA, said: "There have been great results achieved in reducing the levels of MRSA and C difficile over the last five years in the NHS and these can be seen in the figures reported today. These have been accomplished through national policies and guidelines and changes to infection control. There are now new challenges to meet and I am sure that hospitals will be equally as vigilant in addressing these." Hygiene Infectious diseases Health policy James Meikle guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Gay superheroes soar into comic book battle
23.05.2012, 00:16:03
Marvel plans same-sex marriage while DC comics says established character is to come out Comic book crime-fighters the X-Men are taking a break from saving the day in order to attend the first same-sex marriage in the superhero world, set for June. Publishers Marvel said on Tuesday that Jean-Paul Beaubier, aka Northstar, a Canadian with piercing blue eyes and silver-streaked black hair who can move and fly at superhuman speeds, will propose to his longtime boyfriend Kyle Jinadu in the issue, Astonishing X-Men #50, due on sale this week in the US. Also on Tuesday, the spotlight on homosexual heroes was turned up a further notch after a publisher at Marvel's rival, DC comics, let slip at the Kapow comic convention in London that one of its established characters would be revealed as gay. The comments by Dan DiDio sparked speculation that a character previously thought to be straight would reveal themselves to be gay, with Batman and Wonder Woman among those under scrutiny. Openly gay superheroes already exist in the form of the lesbian, flame-haired crime fighter Batwoman and the gay male couple Apollo and Midnighter. More than a year ago, DiDio was interviewed in the Advocate talking about gay characters and the need to reflect society as it is. Then, the intention was to introduce new characters, who were gay. He said: "One of the things we're very focused on doing for these types of stories is rather than [change an existing] character, we want to make sure that this is the basis of who that character is right from the start." Marvel's editor-in-chief, Axel Alonso said in a statement on Tuesday: "The Marvel Universe has always reflected the world outside your window, so we strive to make sure our characters, relationships and stories are grounded in that reality. "We've been working on this story for over a year to ensure Northstar and Kyle's wedding reflects Marvel's 'world outside your window' tradition." The pair will marry in the next issue of Astonishing X-Men #51, on sale in the US on 20 June, and some comic book retailers will be hosting wedding parties on that day, Marvel said. Northstar and Kyle have been a couple since 2009, but Marvel is not promising the pair will live happily ever after. In fact, Marvel asks in its wedding announcement: "Will their path to wedded matrimony in New York City be smooth or are there hidden dangers around the corner?" Comics and graphic novels Gay rights Sexuality United States Ben Quinn Mark Brown guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Welfare-to-work fraud whistleblowers gagged by Tory MPs, Labour claims
22.05.2012, 23:45:54
Insiders linked to A4e and Working Links were only allowed to speak to parliament in private Whistleblowers due to give public evidence of widespread fraud in welfare to work companies were gagged following the intervention of Tory MPs, it was claimed on Tuesday. Former insiders who worked with or for the companies A4e and Working Links were told they could only speak to parliament in private, following confrontational scenes between Labour and Conservative MPs. The disclosure comes as pressure mounts on Chris Grayling, the employment minister, to clean up the £5bn sector. The public accounts committee was supposed to hear accounts of four people in public, allowing the proceedings to be publicised and televised. A Labour source said Conservative MPs led by Matthew Hancock decided to call for the session to be held in private. "This meeting was supposed to give insiders from the industry an opportunity to describe for the committee and the public the way in which fraud is being committed. Instead, it was turned into an ambush, and it was done to stop the government from being embarrassed. It was a shame because this committee has been very effective in chasing down public money - until now," the source said. One of the whistleblowers said: "It has taken a lot for us to come and speak in public about what we see as fraud. We have been silenced." Hancock insisted the committee had reached a consensus about how the evidence would be taken. "We didn't know what was going to be in the evidence. The evidence had not been presented to the Department for Work and Pensions," he said. During the public session held later, Labour MP Austin Mitchell called for an investigation into the claims made in private. He said: "We have just sat through a long closed session which produced some fairly damning indictments of the structures and the practices in A4e and in Working Links and gave several indications of possible fraud." The department's top civil servant, Robert Devereux, said he would look into the claims if they were put before him. Earlier this month, ministers were accused of leaving glaring holes in fraud controls on A4e. The National Audit Office said vital evidence was missed in risk assessments of the company, which holds government contracts worth more than £70m a year. The department did not request internal audit reports. The Guardian disclosed on Monday that one witness due to give evidence before the committee was the head of a forensic services department in an accountancy firm. He alleges that he was asked in 2008 by Working Links to investigate allegations by whistleblowers and employees who were concerned about fraud. A spokesman for Working Links said the company took allegations of impropriety seriously and would examine them as a matter of urgency once they had appeared before the committee. Another witness, a senior figure in A4e's risk and audit department in 2011, claims there was evidence of fraudulent activity in many of the firm's offices. A4e denies any fraudulent activity. Welfare Unemployment Public services policy Rajeev Syal guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Beating heart muscle cells created from skin cells - video
22.05.2012, 23:10:01
Scientists took skin tissue from men who had suffered a heart attack and transformed it into fresh heart cells
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Skin from heart attack patients transformed into beating heart cells
22.05.2012, 23:06:12
The heart cells created from patients' skin were at the same stage of development as those of a newborn baby Scientists have turned skin tissue from heart attack patients into fresh, beating heart cells in a first step towards a new therapy for the condition. The procedure may eventually help scores of people who survive heart attacks but are severely debilitated by damage to the organ. By creating new heart cells from a patient's own tissues, doctors avoid the risk of the cells being rejected by the immune system once they are transplanted. Though the cells were not considered safe enough to put back into patients, they appeared healthy in the laboratory and beat in time with other cells when implanted into rats. "We have shown that it's possible to take skin cells from an elderly patient with advanced heart failure and end up with his own beating cells in a laboratory dish that are healthy and young - the equivalent to the stage his heart cells were in when he was just born," said Lior Gepstein , a cardiologist at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa. The technique was first demonstrated with human cells in 2007, when two teams of scientists, Shinya Yamanaka in Japan, and James Thomson in the US, identified "pluripotency" genes that could wind back the clock for adult cells to a younger stage of development. In the new study, researchers led by Gepstein took skin cells from two men, aged 51 and 61, who had survived heart attacks, and reprogrammed them into an immature state by infecting them with a virus that carried three pluripotency genes. The scientists then grew these "induced pluripotent stem cells" into fresh heart muscle, and removed the virus and extra genes used in the procedure. The cells looked healthy in a Petri dish and crucially, when injected into rat hearts, were woven into the organ and worked alongside the muscle cells already there. "What was interesting was the cells could integrate with the rat tissue and contract in synchrony. If you put the cells in and they beat with a completely different timing, you wouldn't see any improvement in heart function and may even cause a dangerous arrhythmia," Gepstein told the Guardian. The work appears in the European Heart Journal . The technique must overcome major hurdles before doctors can begin clinical trials, but the latest work has boosted confidence that it has potential to help patients. Further experiments to investigate whether the procedure is safe and effective are expected to take up to 10 years, the team said. One concern is that reprogrammed cells might grow into tumours when implanted in patients, unless they are carefully screened beforehand. A further complication is that heart attacks cause the growth of scar tissue that might have to be removed for replacement cells to improve heart function. Making enough cells quickly enough will be another hurdle. In the latest study, researchers injected a few million cells into rats, but a heart attack kills off around a quarter of the four billion muscle cells in the human heart. It took two weeks to make heart cells from skin tissue, so patients could not be treated soon after suffering an attack, Gepstein said. "More people are surviving following a heart attack than ever before and therefore the number of people living with a damaged heart and heart failure is increasing," said Nicholas Mills, a consultant cardiologist at Edinburgh University. "Unfortunately, the body has only very limited capacity to repair the heart following a heart attack. There is therefore an urgent need to develop effective and safe treatments to regenerate the heart." "This technology needs to be refined before it can be used for the treatment of patients with heart failure, but these findings are encouraging and take us a step closer to our goal of identifying an effective means of repairing the heart and limiting the consequences of heart failure," he added. Tim Nelson , who works on regenerative medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, said the work improved scientists' understanding of how induced pluripotent stem cells might be used to treat humans with heart disease. "These bioengineered cells have been demonstrated to integrate into the host heart tissue and not disrupt normal electrical activity. This is an important feature required to translate this technology towards clinical applications," he said. Stem cells Medical research Human biology Heart attack Health Ian Sample guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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