New book launched to guide bereaved families

WHAT do I do if someone close to me dies?

Answers to this question are what many people search for at the most difficult of times.

'Vital for families': Gary Fox, end-of-life project manager for Care Plus Group, and Lisa Revell, strategic lead for palliative and end-of-life care, with the new booklet.

And help is now available in the style of a 32-page booklet launched to guide bereaved families.

Inappropriate visits prompt urge to only use A&E if it's an accident or emergency

THE dog weeing on a plaster cast, toothache for a week, a sore throat and earache, are just some of the inappropriate reasons people have visited A&E.

And now Accident and Emergency staff at Grimsby's Diana, Princess Of Wales Hospital, are urging people to stop and think before they dash off there as a first port of call – especially with the Easter Bank Holiday weekend coming up.

THINK FIRST: The Diana, Princess Of Wales Hospital, Grimsby.

Clinical director for A&E at Grimsby, Oltunde Ashaolu said: "I would ask people to think very carefully whether their injury or illness really is an accident or an emergency. There are many alternatives to A&E which will see people get the right treatment, if needed, easily and quickly.

"We see a lot of people come to A&E who have dental pain, who have forgotten to renew their prescription from their GP, or who want the morning after pill.

Closure of autism centre in Grimsby delayed for four months

THE closure of a schooling centre for autistic children in Grimsby has been delayed until at least July.

North East Lincolnshire Council leader Chris Shaw yesterday told parents that the Asdrel service would continue in its current form until the end of the academic year.

SAVED: Parents and children celebrate after the proposed closure of Asdrel, an outreach centre for autistic children, has been saved until at least July. From left, Guy Hunt,15, Mandy Hunt, Louise Osborne, Thomas Portus, 11, and Denise Portus. Picture: Michelle Adamson

The news was welcomed by parents who had feared the centre was going to close at the end of this month.

And although Mr Shaw said it was likely that Asdrel would close in July, he added that the four-month extension would allow for a smoother transition to whatever service replaces it.

Humber Bridge pledge for hospital patients forced to pay for crossings

THOUSANDS of patients travelling across the Humber Bridge for hospital treatment will no longer have to pay tolls, council leaders have pledged.

When the plans are officially approved they will mark a major victory for campaigners who have backed the Grimsby Telegraph's Axe The Toll On Health campaign over the past ten years.

Leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, councillor Chris Shaw celebrates as thousands of patients travelling across the Humber Bridge for hospital treatment will no longer have to pay tolls

The free crossings will apply to all patients who have to travel to Hull Royal Infirmary or Castle Hill Hospital for treatments which are not available in Grimsby – including thousands of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.