Children with autism to get quality standard

NICE has been asked to produce a quality standard for children with autism.
 
Following last week's fantastic news that the Department of Health has asked the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to publish a quality standard for adults with autism, we are delighted that NICE has also now been asked to produce a quality standard for children with autism.

NICE quality standards are a set of specific, concise statements that set out markers of high-quality, cost-effective patient care. Quality standards for children were a key demand of our You Need To Know campaign, which aimed to improve mental health services for children with autism. As part of the campaign, over 1,000 NAS campaigners emailed Andrew Lansley, the Secretary of State for Health.

Research has found that over 70 per cent of children with autism also experience mental health issues, so it is vital that Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) are able to fully meet the needs of children with autism. As details about the content of the quality standards emerge, the NAS will be pushing hard to ensure that they have a strong focus on mental health support. We hope that they will help to fully entrench the needs of children and young people with autism into the health and social care system in England.

Sarah Lambert, the NAS's Head of Policy, says:

After two years of campaigning, the decision to include autism as a topic for NICE's quality standards work programme is great news for over 100,000 children living with autism in England.

Children with autism have a distinct set of needs and with 71 per cent experiencing mental health issues along with their autism, support from local services is vital. These standards should set out clearly what's expected from local services and go a long way towards improving the experiences of children with autism.

We'd like to see quicker access to diagnosis for those with suspected autism, good follow-up so that there is proper understanding of what diagnosis means, and appropriate ongoing support, which would make all the difference in the lives of children and their families up and down the country.

The Government has got the ball rolling; it's now up to NICE to ensure they get it right.

 Article taken from National Autistic Society

Dementia: Britain's hidden army of 'unsupported' carers

Most are looking after husbands, wives, mothers, fathers or friends on a one-to-one basis, many with little support from elsewhere.

According to the survey, by The Alzheimer's Society, Britain's unseen army of 670,000 dementia carers is saving the country £8 billion a year.

But half of dementia sufferers thought their carers did not receive adequate support, found the charity.

It launched the report, Dementia 2012, as the Prime Minister promised to double annual research funding into the condition to £66 million by 2015.

The disease is thought to affect around 800,000 people across the UK, but only four in 10 people with dementia ever receive a formal diagnosis meaning many of them - and their carers - struggle on with no official support.

Full Article on Telegraph

Carers UK looks to new technology to improve care services

Carers UK has launched a new partnership with technology companies to look at ways to improve care services.

The charity has set up 'Connect: Toolkits for Assisted Living' through the government's Technology Strategy Board’s Assisted Living Innovation Platform, which launched in 2007 to support research in health and care technologies. The Connect project will develop a number of new tools and explore how these could be scaled up and delivered.

Tools being tested include:

• Rallyround - a Microsoft web-based solution that enables carers to set up a network for the people involved in the care of a vulnerable person
• JabloPhone – a phone which connects a vulnerable person to a care network to provide a response in emergencies
• Docobo Home Hub – a home telehealth monitoring service for long-term conditions
• Warm Neighbourhoods - an environment monitoring system providing reassurance 

Full Article on Civil Society

HEALS: Help, Encouragement & Local Support in Malmesbury

HEALS is a community group in Malmesbury supporting families, single parents, and people on low incomes. They hold weekly coffee mornings which offer people a chance to make friends, to come together, and to help each other with tips and advice about living on a low income.

Theywork with community partners to help people find the help and support they need. If you are new to Malmesbury HEALS coffee mornings can offer a place to meet new people and find out about what is available locally. 

 

Drop in to HEALS coffee mornings every Monday morning from 10am to 12pm in the Town Hall (Market Room) in Malmesbury. They have a relaxed cafe style environment where people can meet and have a tea, coffee or hot chocolate. They offer crafts, toys, and activities for younger children to keep them busy while you relax.

Nationwide dementia screening to tackle 'crisis' among elderly

Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary, said there was a “moral imperative” to diagnose sufferers earlier so they could receive better treatment.

The announcement comes as David Cameron warns today that the dementia crisis facing the country is on a par with high rates of HIV and cancer in previous decades.

The Prime Minister is expected o argue that dementia is a “scandal” being ignored, as he unveils a doubling in funding for research into the illness to £66 million by 2015.

In a speech in central London, he will describe dementia as a “quiet crisis that steals lives and tears at the hearts of families”.

Full Article on Telegraph

£1.8 million for fairer funding for end of life care

More people should be able to spend their final days in a place of their choice and new Government funding will help to make this happen, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley announced today.

The current system of end of life care does not work well enough. Some patients and their families receive excellent care and excellent support while others miss out.  NHS funding for palliative care services is often poorly distributed and varies greatly around the country.

A new fairer funding system is needed but essential information needed to develop a system doesn’t exist. Eight pilots sites – with a share of £1.8 million will collect this vital information and help the Government meet its aim of having a new per-patient funding system for both adult and children’s palliative care services.

Seven new adult pilot sites will each receive an extra £200,000 and a children and young persons pilot will receive £400,000.

Full Press Release on Department of Health

Safeguarding threshold 'risks leaving adults unprotected'

Adult protection legislation risks leaving people unprotected by setting too high a threshold for intervention, a safeguarding expert has warned.

Lower-level incidents risk being missed by government plans to provide statutory protection to people who may need care, are unable to safeguard themselves and are at risk of "significant harm", as opposed to "harm", said Shirley Williams.

Williams, a consultant and independent chair of Blackburn with Darwen Safeguarding Adults Board, was speaking at a Community Care adult safeguarding conference yesterday. Earlier, Department of Health official Robert Parsons had revealed that forthcoming legislation was likely to set a significant harm threshold for adult protection proceedings – in line with child protection and the current No Secrets guidance on safeguarding adults.

Parsons, the DH's policy lead on safeguarding legislation, stressed the plan was provisional and subject to further discussions around the government's forthcoming adult social care White Paper, which would itself be subject to consultation before a parliamentary bill is published.

Full Article on Community Care

ASDA Supermarkets - Nominate a Cause

ASDA Supermakets have just launched their 'Nominate a Cause' which allows members of the public to nominate a charity to receive support from their local ASDA branch.

For Wiltshire residents there are two eligible branches in Melksham and Trowbridge but you don't necessarily have to live in those towns, it just has to be your closest.

If you would like to nominate a charity you need to do the following:

1) Go to either the Melksham or Trowbridge store page
2) Scroll down until you see the 'nominate' box with flowers beside it on the right hand side
3) Click and fill in all the details

If you choose to nominate Carer Support Wiltshire, then thank you, but the choice is obviously entirely up to you. There are many great causes out there.

The Undiscovered Workforce

The National Autistic Society have launched a new campaign 'The Undiscovered Workforce'...

We believe that everyone with autism should have as full and independent a life as possible. That’s why our new campaign, The undiscovered workforce, is about supporting people with autism (including Asperger syndrome) into sustainable employment. 
 
The campaign asks MPs to take the lead in creating employment opportunities for their constituents with autism, by bringing together local employers, people with autism, the local authority and other services in the community. The aim is to raise awareness of the difficulties facing people with autism who are looking for work and to ensure there is specialist support available for employers, as well as employees, to help people with autism succeed in the workplace.

Our research shows only 15% of people with autism are in full-time employment and 9% are in part-time employment, while 79% of people with autism on out-of-work benefits say they would like to work, with the right support. What's more, 26% of graduates with autism are unemployed; around twice the proportion of any other disability group, according to the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services.

The undiscovered workforce already has the backing of Lord Freud, Minister for Welfare Reform; Stephen Timms MP, Shadow Employment Minister; and the British Chambers of Commerce, as well as local MPs. 

To find out more, and to download resources, please visit their website.

Too many children with Special Educational Needs excluded from school says new report

A report published by the Children’s Commissioner for England today says that far too many children with special educational needs are excluded from school. The report confirms that children with special educational needs (SEN) and disabled children are still over eight times more likely to be permanently excluded than their peers

The report makes a number of recommendations which Contact a Family agrees with to help reduce the number of children with SEN who are excluded from school. These include:

• ensuring teachers receive much better initial teacher training in special education needs - currently, most teachers receive very little initial training or continuing professional development in how to engage children with specific types of SEN or disability
• if a child with statement is at risk of exclusion then a review of the child’s statement should be triggered

The report also shows that Academies continue to have a significantly higher permanent exclusion rates than maintained schools. Academies currently have control of the exclusion appeal process in a way that maintained schools do not. Although Academies are accountable to the Secretary of State through their funding agreement, no mechanisms exist to ensure they are meeting their contractual obligations in relation to exclusions. This is something that Contact a Family would like to see addressed and agrees with the Office of the Children’s Commissioner’s report when it argues that clarity is urgently needed about the role of the Education Funding Agency, the Department for Education and the Secretary of State in relation to Academy complaints if parents or their children have a grievance.

Contact a Family has recently launched a service supporting families to resolve education issues for children with special educational or additional needs. The SEN National Advice Service provides parents with advice and information on any aspect of their child’s education – including exclusion. Help is available through our helpline 0808 808 3555, or post a query on Facebook or Twitter and a SEN adviser will get back to you. Alternatively drop us an email: helpline@cafamily.org.uk

Article taken from Contact A Family

How can health and social care be encouraged to integrate?

Older people are the biggest users of the NHS, accounting for 75% of activity. They occupy 60% of hospital beds, according to figures from the charity Age UK, and it is estimated that their health and social care needs alone account for most of the £70bn spent each year on patients with long-term conditions.

With the number of people aged over 85 expected to double in the next 25 years, it is crucial that the NHS of the future has the capacity to cope with the increased demands that this group of patients will bring. But do the planned changes for England outlined in the government's health and social care reforms offer older people the prospect of improved services in the new-look NHS? And will the reforms produce a more integrated health and social care landscape, which encourages more holistic and seamless care for these elderly and vulnerable patients?

These were some of the issues at the heart of a roundtable debate hosted by the Guardian and sponsored by the independent care home provider Barchester Healthcare, which looks after more than 10,000 older people across England, Scotland and Wales. The event was held under the Chatham House rule, which allows comments to be reported without attribution to encourage free debate.

Full Article on Guardian Social Care Network

Carers free from tax credit cuts

Plans to change tax credit entitlement that would have cost couples with disabled children up to £3,870 a year have been altered.

Millions of working low-income families can claim tax credits, in addition to some benefits.

Changes in April mean couples with children will have to work for 24 hours a week between them, not 16, in order to qualify for working tax credit.

However, the government has now made carers exempt from this change.

Full Article on BBC News

Overhaul personal budgets for older people, says Adass

Personal budgets must be overhauled to ensure older people, particularly those with dementia, can benefit from them, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services said today.

With councils working to a government target of having all eligible service users on personal budgets by April 2013, Adass warned that the current system was not flexible enough to give older people choice and control over their care and said safeguarding concerns needed to be addressed.

“We’ve done well to get a third of service users using them but those people have tended to be younger adults as there tends to be resistance and anxiety about personal budgets among older people," said Adass president Peter Hay.

Full Article on Community Care

Doctors to challenge coalition MPs

A group of doctors has threatened to put up candidates to oppose coalition MPs at the next election in protest at proposed changes to the NHS in England. 

In a letter to the Independent on Sunday, signed by 240 doctors, the group claims the Health and Social Care Bill "fundamentally undermines the founding principles" of the NHS.

GPs would play a key role in managing the NHS budget under the plans.

Ministers insist the changes will make the NHS more efficient.

In the letter, the doctors wrote: "It is our view that coalition MPs and peers have placed the political survival of the coalition government above professional opinion, patient safety and the will of the citizens of this country.

Full Article on BBC News

NHS hospital parking fee rises criticised

More than a quarter of hospital trusts in England increased car parking charges for patients and visitors in the year to last April, figures show.

While some cut prices, others more than doubled them, according to data from 197 hospital and mental health trusts.

A patients' group branded the fees a "tax on the sick" and called for NHS parking to be free, as in most of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Ministers say making parking free would mean taking £100m from the care budget.

The figures, analysed by data company SSentif, were provided to the NHS Information Centre by the trusts.

Full Article on BBC Health

Elderly 'should be cared for at home on NHS'

Spending more NHS money on community health programmes and social care would reduce the burden placed on hospitals by patients including dementia sufferers, according to a new report.

But the coalition has failed to remove barriers which prevent health and social care from being more closely integrated, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) said.

The controversial Health and Social Care Bill – which is currently being debated in parliament – could further "undermine" efforts to link NHS and care services by failing to break down existing barriers to co-operation, the report warns.

The number of people aged 90 and over in England is forecast to increase by 146 per cent in the next 20 years, putting a greater demand on the NHS and care services while reducing the proportion of younger people able to provide paid and unpaid care.

Full Article on Telegraph

NHS bill: GPs offer to help with health changes

The Royal College of GPs has indicated it is willing to work again with the government on implementing changes to the NHS in England, it has emerged.

The body had been omitted from talks since declaring its opposition to the Health and Social Care Bill last month.

Its head, Clare Gerada, said members had not changed opinion but were willing to help "find a way forward".

She said the royal college still wanted the bill withdrawn but it was time to "stop polarising" the debate.

Full Article on BBC News

Monthly Parkinson's Café

Drop-in - Parkinson's Café at Palmer Gardens Centre Café in Trowbridge

 

Drop-in anytime between 2pm - 3:30pm on the 4th Tuesday of each month for a drink and a chat (starts 24th April 2012). 

 

A monthly session for people who have Parkinson's, their families and friends to access support and information.

Each month you will be joined by different health professionals for an informal chat.

For more details, contact Virgina Rolfe (Information Support Worker) on 0844 225 3696 or Jane Henderson (Branch & Volunteer Support Officer) on 0844 225 3694

Cancer Survival Guide - Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

A diagnosis of cancer can have an impact on many areas of your life, both during and after treatment.  Getting the right information and practical advice at the right time can help you cope with the impact of living with and after cancer.

A new Survival Guide has been developed in a joint collaboration with GWH, Macmillian Cancer Support and patients at various stages of cancer treatment.

This booklet is designed to give you basic information about local services and agencies as well as some national organisations that may be of help to you.

You can contact the agencies and services listed in the booklet yourself.  Many of the services will be able to help you immediatley or refer you to another organisation that is more appropriate for your needs.

Click here to download the Survival Guide.

The guide will also be made available to patients and their families at the hospital.

Summary Care Records: FAQs

NHS Swindon have produced a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) sheet about the introduction of summary care records.

To see the FAQ sheet, please go here.

'10p per day' spent on dementia patients

Three quarters of health trusts have refused to increase their funding for dementia care, despite government calls to make it a priority.

One in every ten of the trusts investigated has even reduced their level of spending, in a situation condemned by a leading campaign group as an "embarrassment”.

One primary care trust, Nottinghamshire County, has admitted spending just £38 a year for each patient with the illness.

The figures, revealed under the Freedom of Information Act, have been described as a "recipe for disaster” by charity the Alzheimer’s Society.

Full Article on Telegraph

INFO: Senior Moves: making the move smooth and stress-free

Senior Moves provides a relocation service for the elderly.

Moving can be an upheaval at any time in life, however for an elderly person the experience can be overwhelming. Moving later in life inevitably means downsizing, leaving a home where a life time of memories have been built, and a life time of possessions that will not fit in the new smaller home.

Senior Moves Ltd, is a member of NASMM, National Association of Senior Move Managers, we are CRB checked and committed to continual training in Move Management for the Elderly, and work to Code of Conduct to ensure all the elderly people we work with are supported fully.

The services they provide are as follows:

New home finding service
Assisted viewings of the new home
Downsizing
* What to keep (what will fit in the new home)
* What to give to members of the family
* What to give to charity shops
* What to throw away
Preparing the existing home for sale, to ensure maximum value including clearing garages and attics
Preparing floor plans for the new home to ensure what belongings are taken will fit
Packing, working with removers to ensure everything ends up at the correct destination.
Preparing the new home, decorating, cleaning, arranging connection of washing machines, gas cookers etc
Unpacking, putting together furniture, making up the beds, hanging pictures, fill the refrigerator, ensure the television is connected.
Deal with change of address notifications

Please contact them for further information, or visit their web site at www.seniormoves.co.uk
Tel: 0771 283 4064

- This service covers Wiltshire.

Don't let us down on care funding reform, alliance tells Andrew Lansley

Pressure is being piled upon the beleaguered health secretary, Andrew Lansley with a blunt warning from groups representing millions of elderly and disabled people that they will not stand for "empty promises" on reform of care funding.

In a joint letter to Lansley, the biggest ever alliance of charities, care home organisations and housing providers says the government must not duck its commitment to deliver reform when it publishes a social care white paper later this year. The warning comes amid reports that Downing Street fears the white paper could turn into a repetition of the government's NHS shake-up, the poor presentation of which is widely blamed on Lansley. Officials at No 10 are said to have stepped in to influence the policy process.

Ministers are believed to have some political cover as a consequence of all-party talks on care funding reform, which have begun behind the scenes in parallel with preparation of the white paper.

Full Article on Guardian Society

What are your views on the state of care?

THE Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Trust is inviting its users to take part in a survey and say what they think about the care and treatment they received.

The feedback will be used to highlight the areas where the trust performs well and to identify areas where there is room for improvement.

The questionnaires are being sent out now to anyone who received care between July 1 and September 20.

It forms part of the National Patient Survey Programme, involving NHS trusts across the country, and is co-ordinated by the Care Quality Commission – the independent body that regulates health and adult care services in England.

Full Article on Swindon Advertiser

X-rays up and running at Devizes Hospital

The X-ray service at Devizes Hospital re-opened yesterday after four months of being out of action.
The facility closed on October 17 because a tank had to be re-sealed.

The Royal United Hospital, Bath, runs the service on behalf of NHS Wiltshire and an RUH spokesman confirmed the equipment was now working.

An RUH spokesman said the waste tank had been replaced and a new pump installed at a cost of around £18,000.

The service was due to resume on Wednesday last week but was delayed after final safety checks resulted in more work having to be carried out.

The spokesman said: “While this essential work was being carried out we made alternative X-ray facilities for Devizes residents available at other nearby sites.”

The X-ray service at Devizes Hospital is available by appointment for patients who are referred by their GP.

Article taken from Gazette & Herald

More help with benefit claims

PEOPLE in south Wiltshire who need specialist benefits guidance will soon be able to get more help and advice.

New advisers are to be appointed by Wiltshire Citizens Advice (WCA) after it was awarded a £38,000 grant by Wiltshire Council through the Action for Wiltshire partnership.

The scheme sees organisations working together with the council to tackle the effects of the recession in the county, to prepare for the economic recovery, and to build a sustainable future for the county.

In the past Action for Wiltshire has supported a benefit take up campaign, with two full time caseworkers. This project successfully helped people claim £897,000 in unclaimed benefits.

WCA saw a 21 percent increase in the number of people seeking advice about benefits and by December 10, 2011 advice had been given on 17,368 benefit issues compared with 19,957 issues for the whole of the previous financial year.

The caseworkers will work across south Wiltshire, and will advise a minimum of five clients a week, meaning about 260 people should benefit from the project.

Article taken from Salisbury Journal

EVENT: More Choices - Larger Voices: Information Day

for carers of disabled and special needs children and adults

Wednesday 21st March 2012, 10am to 5pm
STEAM, The Great Western Hall, Kemble Drive, Swindon SN2 2TA

Please drop in at any time and stay for as long as you like.
Refreshments served throughout the day.

Information stands
Over 70 stands on services, providers, help groups & organisations, special needs
schools & colleges, wheelchairs & motability and the ‘Carers Journey’

Information presentations
in the Sir Daniel Gooch Room
10:15 – 11am Parents & Carers Advisory Group working together with Swindon Carers Centre + Q&As
11:30am – 12:30pm Understanding how children’s short breaks & carer’s breaks work
in Swindon + Q&As
12:45 – 1:30pm Transitions – life changes + Q&As
2 – 2:45pm Family life and managing stress + Q&As

Fully accessible •Free parking tickets from desk •Children and family members are welcome

www.swindoncarers.org.uk
www.swindonparentsandcarers.org.uk

We really hope to see you there.

For any information please contact Lisa Barrett on:
tel: 01793 531133 email: lisa.barrett@prtc-swindon.org