Sales Of Second-Hand Child Car Seats Raises Safety Fears

Cash strapped parents could be putting their children’s safety at risk by buying second hand infant car seats, industry experts have warned.

New figures show that purchases of pre-owned child travel seats are rising, as families struggle to cope with today’s difficult economic conditions.

Car accessories retailer Halfords reports that 7% of its customers admit they have recently bought second hand car seats for their children, a rise of 2% compared to figures from its 2009 customer survey.

This is despite the fact that it can be virtually impossible to tell how old a second hand child seat is, if it has been involved in an accident, or even how to fit it, as most are rarely sold with the original fitting instructions or safety manuals.

“A lot of wear-and-tear on a pre-owned child car seat may not be visible to the untrained eye and buckles and straps that look fine at first glance may actually be so damaged that they could fail during an accident,” warned Halfords Child Travel Expert Samantha Preece.

“We know from our own research that 51% of parents do not know how to check if their child seat is correctly fitted, so it is a big worry that some people may buy a second hand car seat that doesn’t even come with instructions.”

Statistics on car accidents involving children are stark: every year 30 children between the ages of 0 to 11 years are killed, 400 seriously injured and over 7,000 slightly injured while travelling in cars 1. A correctly fitted car seat can help prevent some of these injuries.

Robert Anslow, managing director of the Baby Products Association, explained: “Generally a car seat will be used numerous times each day for many years and the BPA can’t stress enough the importance of buying new from a retailer who can provide expert product advice and the correct fitting instructions, which in the event of an accident, could save their child’s life.”

Samantha Preece added: “Some child seats will last for around 12 years, so given the added protection to the child and the peace of mind for the parent, a new child seat, correctly fitted, is an investment worth making.”

Via EPR Network
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Mums Look To Non-Surgical Treatments To Achieve School Gate Confidence

With celebrity school mums like Elle McPherson and Claudia Schiffer providing inspiration from their perfectly groomed school gate snaps, The Harley Medical Group has seen a rise in mums booking in for rejuvenating treatments to achieve that same enviable yummy mummy look, in time for the new school term.

The Group reports a huge 26% rise in the past two months, from female patients booking in for treatments such as Botox, dermal fillers, skin peels and medical microdermabrasions, citing competition at the school gates as their reason.

Says Lisa Littlehales, Specialist Nurse Counsellor at The Harley Medical Group: “Lots of mums come in for non-surgical treatments before their children start school again.

“Most of these women have minimal spare time and don’t have time to put on makeup every day, so non-surgical treatments which are quick and with minimal pain mean that with busy term times, they are a great option. Most last up to a minimum of three months, which means that mums will stay looking great and feeling confident at the school gates all term.”

Jenny Powell, 43, UK television presenter, mother and patient at The Harley Medical Group, comments on her reasons for looking to non-surgical options: “I have a busy lifestyle and often find that the challenges and strain of juggling work and family take its toll on my appearance, as I don’t always have the time to pay too much attention to the way I look.

“Once the school term starts again I feel especially conscious about my appearance in front of the other mums at the school gate – especially as so many celebs in the media are seen looking amazing when they drop off their kids. In order to make sure I look and feel my best before the new term I tend to have a medical microdermabrasion treatment. The treatment always rejuvenates my skin and makes it look amazing even if I don’t have time for my makeup, which is perfect for those very busy days.”

Top five school gate treatments
1. Botox
2. Dermal fillers
3. Skin peels
4. Microdermabrasion
5. Non-surgical facelift

Via EPR Network
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Varicose Vein Treatment Offers Multi-Million Savings For Hard-Pressed NHS

As the pressure on the NHS to find efficiency savings increases, several trusts are looking to adopt a pioneering approach to varicose vein treatment that saves resources, while improving patient outcomes.

If adopted by all hospitals, The VNUS Closure procedure for the treatment of varicose veins, endorsed by the NHS National Innovation Centre, could save the health service around £17million.

The major benefits for the NHS lie in the fact that this procedure is much less resource-intensive than surgery. Conventional varicose vein stripping is a common operation, and one that takes up a great deal of operating theatre time.

The VNUS Closure procedure, however, can be carried-out in a treatment room, freeing up surgical theatres, enabling the NHS to treat other serious conditions more quickly and so reduce waiting-times.

It is said that as many as one in three adults in the UK suffers from venous reflux or varicose veins at some point in their life, and varicose vein treatment is one of the most common hospital procedures.

Almost 90,000 varicose vein operations were carried-out by the NHS in 2005-06, while approximately 20,000 similar operations were conducted privately, producing a total of around 110,000 procedures per year.

As long ago as 1999, a study conducted by the University of Edinburgh, put the total cost to the NHS at between £400m and £600m.

It is difficult to compare accurately the direct costs of conventional surgery and VNUS Closure. However, as the procedure is carried out under local anaesthetic without an overnight stay, and performed with minimal staff in a simple treatment room, this technique offers significant benefits for the NHS.

Cost savings are estimated to be between £40 and £450 per patient, depending on whether or not the patient requires an overnight stay.

The VNUS Closure is also expected to bring benefits to the wider economy, with patients being able to return to work almost immediately after their procedure with little or no pain.

Via EPR Network
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