Here are a few things which have got me thinking over the last few days. Ranging from parliamentary inquiry into women in broadcast news, NHS accessible information and female staff at ASDA threatening legal action over equal pay amongst others.
House of Lords Select Committee Inquiry into women in new and current affairs broadcasting
Launched earlier this year the inquiry into women in news and current affairs broadcasting is now at the expert witness stage. This Guardian blog piece mainly focussing on older women alerted me to the inquiry at the weekend. Before I read the blog piece I was watching News 24 and thinking about the number of older women correspondents and news readers many of whom seem to be tucked away on the rolling news channels. I shall watch what happens with this inquiry with interest.
NHS Accessible Information Standard
You have a fortnight to have your say on the NHS England draft accessible information standard. The consultation closes on 9th November and you can find out everything you need to know about it here. In a nutshell the standard is a set of rules about providing accessible information to patients who have a visual impairment are deaf or have a learning disability. NHS and adult social care services in England will have to follow the standard by both recording who needs communication support or accessible information and then providing that support or information in an accessible way. Whilst I was at RNIB I sat on the advisory group for the standard and helped organise engagement events with blind and partially sighted people for the consultation. As a partially sighted patient I will be submitting my own response to the consultation and I would urge anyone with an interest in this to do the same. The actual consultation documents are really easy to understand and thorough, even if you are new to the standard, so please do have a look at them here.
Another reason to get your eyes checked regularly
Research is being funded into whether a computer programme can identify early stages of Alzheimer’s during an eye examination. The Guardian reports about this research at University of Dundee find out more here.
Equal pay for women workers at ASDA
It seems our supermarkets aren’t having a great time at the moment. Tesco is in all kinds of financial trouble and on Friday I saw this story about ASDA being threatened with legal action by many of its women workers. Interesting that the article notes that other supermarkets could be challenged.
