text: The finance director of one of the UK’s worst-performing train companies could receive a #0.5m pre-tax windfall in the latest ‘fat cat’ pay row.
  The deal with construction company John Laing could net Chiltern Railways’ FD Tony Allen #544,000. Laing plans to increase its share of Chiltern’s holding company, M40 Trains, from 26% to 84%.
  Only 6 of the 25 train companies had a worse punctuality record than Chiltern in 1998’s performance tables, published by the Office of Passenger Rail Franchising.
  M40 Trains took over ownership of Chiltern’s seven-year franchise on 21 July 1996. At that time 294,118 shares were issued, at #1 each.
  Chiltern’s managing director Adrian Shooter said: ‘The deal will provide us with greater financial muscle to invest in improving services for our growing numbers of passengers.’
  Shooter was reported to have invested #50,000 of his personal funds into the franchise – money he would have lost if the company failed.
  The arrangements are still subject to approval by OPRAF, the rail regulator and the Office of Fair Trading.
  ‘I want to ensure that the proposed deal is in the best interests of passengers before giving my approval. In similar cases, this has meant negotiating a satisfactory passenger dividend,’ he said.
  The Association of Train Operating Companies said: ‘The only real issue is the balance to be struck between deterring potential investors at the outset and the ability for the taxpayer to recoup later profits generated – which is attractive in principle.’
  Accessing a vein is not always as easy as patients and their caregivers want it to be. That's because veins are not always readily identified. Frequently the physician, nurse, or phlebotomist has to press on the skin to feel for the vein's location, and then make an educated guess based solely on the tactile sensitivity of the finger and raw instinct. It's like trying to find a vein while blindfolded.
  Let’s try this scenario with the nurse performing the venipuncture with the AccuVein’s device. On your next trip to the physician, the nurse holds the device over your skin to aid in locating the veins. This can improve chances that the procedure will be done right the first time.
  The AccuVein Vein Illumination System was designed with safety in mind and the goal of minimizing venipuncture complications. The light projected by the device can detect veins without the need for physical contact with skin.
  The device looks like a cordless phone. It’s small enough to hold in the hand or put in a pocket. It can be attached to a bed, table, or chair or set on its own stand so the user has both hands free to draw blood or start the IV.
  The device is easy to use because it runs on a battery and the room doesn’t need to be darkened to use it. Because of its portability, there’s no need for the patient to be transported to the device. It may be useful even for those patients who have been told they have “difficult veins.”
  Let’s face it, most patients don’t find needles fun. But the AccuVein device can make them less stressful. When physicians, nurses, and phlebotomists use it to help find a vein for a blood draw or to start an IV , patients may feel more confident in the skill of their caregiver. What’s more, for most patients seeing a “map” of their veins is a WOW! moment.