One of the best in the country!

Tomorrow (as I do every three months) I will be chairing the Maternity Services Liaison Committee for Cornwall. I am particularly looking forward to this one because the Healthcare Commission has identified Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust as having one of the very best Maternity Services in the UK.

I was interviewed by the Healthcare Commission as part of their study last year along with various members of staff and alongside a survey of mothers themselves. It was a nerve racking experience as maternity services in Cornwall have undergone major changes in the 12-18 months. The service that women receive has been transformed, enabling women to have continuous care from their local team from booking in right through to delivery, but also changing practices that have been in place for over 15 years.

Not only that but the building in which the maternity wing is based is barely fit for purpose. When I began sitting on the MSLC nearly three years ago we were talking about plans for a new wing. Sadly, with the crippling debt RCHT is under those plans were shelved sometime ago and a re-vamp of the current building is now underway with wards being juggled around the building to allow for the work to be done.

When the Healthcare commission came down it was in the midst of such a shuffle. It is a testament to the staff of our maternity services that we have done so well. The commitment that I see, both through the MSLC and through my daily work with midwives is unquestionable and whilst the changes to working practice were difficult, the teams around the county and at the hospital have obviously come through with flying colours.

One area of the report was not so brilliant however, when marking post-natal care of women we scored only 1 out of 5 (5 being the highest). For my project, Real Baby Milk, this is cause for concern as those early days post-birth are the most critical for breastfeeding.

That said, it is always good to have an area for improvement but my sincere congratulations to Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust will be conveyed at the Committee meeting tomorrow.

The Cornish Lib Dem Family

I know the title is a bit twee, but all the emails of thanks I am receiving from people who attended Saturday's Cornwall Conference are using the expression themselves so it obviously fits!

Saturday saw over 120 Lib Dems from right across the county gathering for the Cornwall Conference which took place to debate and discuss the manifesto for the elections in 2009. Everyone of Cornwall's five MP's were there along with our Lords (Tyler and Teverson) and our PPC's. Graham Watson MEP and Kay Barnard also came down much to the delight of the members who attended the Euro Lunch.

We were joined by the great and good from outside of the county too and I am delighted that so many came along - in particular, Vince Cable MP, Ming Campbell MP, Hilary Stephenson, Gerald Vernon-Jackson, Cathy Bakewell, Mark Alcock and Richard Pinnock.

The day - and this is backed up by the feedback forms that have come in - was a resounding success. So many people asked when the next would be, and once Annette and I have recovered properly we will be making sure we keep this up. The Cornwall Committee is re-energised and ready to take an active role in the cohesion of our Lib Dems across the county.

We were particularly pleased that there was no dominance of councillors v members. In fact the split was roughly 50/50 and this meant that we were able to debate fully the issues of devolution to local communities, reducing the carbon footprint of the county and of course, the biggy for us, Affordable Housing.

It was an excellent day, full of training, speakers and debate ... I think we all know we have a lot of work ahead to prepare for Unitary Elections next year, but I think this may have marked the crucial point and I am so chuffed to be able to play my role in it all. I can't really go into any more detail as to the future plans just yet - but it's all looking rather exciting ... and most importantly a lot of fun!!

Of course there are umpteen people to thank ... so in fear of not leaving anyone out I will just say a massive THANKYOU to everyone involved in pulling the day off.

It's time to vote!

Many of us in Cornwall are supporting The Eden Project in its quest to secure £50million to build "The Edge". This phase of the project promises to be a fresh and inspiring look at how communities can take control of their own futures. read more here.

I have just voted online (here) and am delighted to have my support also published on their website (here). The Eden Project has been so good for Cornwall in so many ways and it is a project that has put us on the map and given us a world-class attraction.

I was working at the Cornwall Tourist Board when the pit was first dug and I was among the first visitors, in our hard-hats, to look at what was going on. I remember looking at the grey lifeless pit and even in the Cornish rain it was clear to see that this was a vision becoming reality and it has not disappointed.

My children call it the "eco-domes" and we visit regularly. The place really is thought provoking and knowing the energy that the team have down there I am absolutely sure The Edge will prove to be even more so.

When Tim Smit visited our council a few months ago to talk about The Edge it was so good to see the fact that his energy and vision are as strong as they were when Eden first began. It gives you faith in their ability to aim so high ... and succeed!

Please vote for The Edge in the People's Millions ... and then come and visit it when it's complete!

Lunch with Nick and Chris ...

... and 84 other Liberal Democrats in Cornwall!

It was leadership contest day in Cornwall yesterday. I am so pleased as I hadn't made it to the South West conference hustings so being able to meet them both at the North Cornwall Christmas lunch and then again at the hustings in Porthtowan has been very useful!

For the last few weeks I have been keeping very quiet, reading the papers, the blogs and of course listening to the candidates themselves on the tv and radio. I have been finding it very difficult to settle on just one candidate - Question Time swung me one way, three days later the Politics Show swung me a different way. Reading the different view points here on the blogs has been enlightening and led me to ask myself what I was really looking for in a leader.

Well, whilst Chris was impressively slick and more polished in his answers I really felt that Nick offers the future for the party. When Nick gets going his passion is undoubtable and I do think he genuinely has what it takes to reach people. There wasn't much in their answers to divide them really and as a party that democratically decides its policy matters, I felt that wasn't really the most important matter for me.

One of my concerns about Nick had been his commitment to political reform but he spoke strongly and convincingly about reform of the whole system yesterday and I was convinced. I am more convinced that Nick will not retreat into a bunker once leader and that his experience in Sheffield has given him a real understanding of the need to reach beyond Westminster Village in the long-term.

What did it for me in the end was the realisation that Chris is very good but I think as good as he is going to get. Nick on the other hand has bags of potential and that is very exciting - Nick is good now but he is going to get even better and as he grows I think the party will be right behind him. I can imagine working with Nick - I find it harder to imagine being part of a team being led by Chris.

So that's it - Nick Clegg for leader. Bringing a voice for the voiceless and power to the powerless as he said. Nick Clegg for leader and Nick Clegg for winning more seats in Parliament.

Time now to offer my help to the Clegg campaign and I really hope he wins.

Today I am lost in the post

This morning I am assuming I am one of the 25million people whose details have been carelessly lost by the government. As a family in receipt of Child Benefit, I am completely outraged at the news that two disks have been lost that contained the names, addresses and bank details of people who are in receipt of child benefit.

Who has the authority to download such details to two disks?

Who has the authority but not the sense to send them recorded delivery?

"The chancellor said the official had broken the rules by downloading the data to disc and sending it by unrecorded delivery. But he reassured those affected that police had no reason to believe the discs had found their way into the wrong hands, nor did they have any evidence of it being used for "fraudulent purposes or criminal activity."

How on earth can they be sure that the discs are not in the "wrong hands"? As someone who frequently has to sent data (to the printers) on disc, I know that if they were to be lost there is no way of knowing who has got them or what they are doing with them. If the information I am sending is sensitive I send it recorded delivery.

Incompetence of the highest order and heads should roll for this.

What's the worst that can happen?

The most logical argument for action on the environment.

Worryingly this has only been viewed just under two million times and it really needs to be much more widely seen than that. Watch and then please forward - especially to any "eco-doubters" you might know!

Shaping Cornwalls Future

I am absolutely delighted to be helping organise the first Liberal Democrat Conference in Cornwall for ten years ... considering we are the gold county, it is surprising that we have not "congregated" in all that time.

The conference is going to be a mixture of policy/ manifesto debate, hopefully engaging the wide membership in the direction that Lib Dems should be taking for Unitary and I am delighted that the conference is going to be held in my own ward, here in Bodmin.

Notices will be going out to every member in Cornwall at the end of November and I now need to get busy organising speakers, stands etc. If you are a member in Cornwall put January 19th in your diary and if you are interested in having a stand (LD organisations) then do drop me a line.

Change of plan ...

I wasn't going to be blogging right now, but a change of heart has changed the plan for now.

Sometimes my to-do list is just plain daunting - especially when intermixed with the juggling of being Mum/Toddler taxi and it gets very difficult to keep it all under control. The T&F selection this summer turned the house, to-do list and family upside down and we have just now got back on track. It seemed unrealistic to expect the family and my businesses to endure it all again so soon - plus my eldest son, Milo, starts school in January and maternal instinct has made me really want to be there for him .... I imagine regretting not being there for him would be far harder to bear than regretting not going for a seat!

I have plenty to be getting on with and being a ppc may not be my best way of contributing right now ... hopefully there will be another opportunity at a more opportune time.