Trowbridge dementia support group expands

A Trowbridge dementia day club is to open on Saturdays for the first time.

Demand for places at Alzheimer’s Support’s Polebarn House club has increased steadily and the club, which has been running for 17 years, has decided to open at the weekend to help people on the waiting list.

Manager Jenny Mayne said: “We are very pleased to be able to offer the extra day. We will split the Saturday into morning and afternoon sessions and people can transfer to a full weekday as spaces arise.”

Full Article on This is Wiltshire

Wiltshire's first mobile chemo unit set to take to road

Hope for Tomorrow, the charity which put the world’s first mobile chemotherapy unit on the road, is to launch its first vehicle in Wiltshire this week.

The launch on Thursday will be performed by former motor racing commentator Murray Walker who has supported the charity over a number of years.

The new Wiltshire unit is named in memory of Kayleigh Louise Wicks from Christian Malford who lost her battle against cancer last year, aged 23.

Her parents Angie and Kev Wicks said: “We are delighted that Hope for Tomorrow have named the new unit in memory of our beloved daughter Kayleigh. We are inspired by the work of the charity bringing cancer care for patients closer to home.

Full Article on Wiltshire Times

Must spend money on crumbling care system

In a letter to The Daily Telegraph, the alliance tells of an “urgent and deepening crisis” affecting some of the most vulnerable people.

It appeals to the Government to overhaul the system and commit extra money to it. The plea comes days after council leaders warned that the cost of paying for social care was threatening to swallow funds for other important services.

The Care and Support Alliance, which includes charities and support groups working with the elderly and disabled, is increasing pressure on the Government to commit to a new system of funding care.

The Government is finalising a White Paper on how care services could work more closely with the NHS.

Full Article on Telegraph

INFO: Summary Care Records

From 30th April, 2012, residents across Wiltshire, Bath and North East Somerset will receive a letter outlining a new emergency healthcare record.

It’s called the Summary Care Record or SCR for short. It’s an extract of GP records for use in emergency and out of hours care settings. It’s designed to help clinicians make decisions about our health when the GP surgery is closed and records cannot be retrieved.

Download Information and FAQs about Summary Care Records: Word - PDF

Wiltshire Investors in Carers: GP Surgery Speaker

In April, four roadshow events took place to officially launch the GP Accreditation scheme in Wiltshire. 

The roadshows were held across the County in Calne, Devizes, Salisbury and Trowbridge and staff from GP Practices, including, GPs, Practice Managers, Practice Nurses and frontline Practice staff, were invited to attend, along with Carers and members of other statutory and voluntary organisations.

The roadshows were incredibly successful with many practices agreeing to undertake the GP Accreditation Scheme. The roadshows involved speakers from Carer Support Wiltshire, from various GP Practices and a short DVD from a Carer.

Emmy Butcher, Practice Manager at Beversbrook Medical Centre in Calne, was filmed at the Trowbridge event where she spoke about why it is so vital that GP surgeries offer their support to Carers in Wiltshire through sharing good practice used at Beversbrook surgery in Calne.

Watch the video of Emmy

Five innovative solutions to help people with dementia to live well

Five innovative solutions have been developed to help people living with dementia. The teams behind these solutions include designers, entrepreneurs and service providers, as well as experts in nutrition, dog training and olfaction.

The concepts are focused on and around the point of diagnosis, aiming to be preventative measures that improve quality of life in the early stages of dementia for the increasing numbers of people being diagnosed. The five solutions demonstrate the vast potential of innovative ideas in an under-served market and show how design can play a key role in confronting a major social challenge.

The five solutions that have been put forward are:

- Trading Times: An online service that matches Carers with local businesses for flexible paid work.

- Grouple: A secure, private online social network helping people share the responsibilities of caring for someone with dementia.

- ode: A fragrance-release system designed to stimulate appetite among people with dementia.

- Dementia Dog: A service providing assistance dogs to people with dementia.

- buddi: A wristband personal alarm that people will be happy to wear and can send alerts from anywhere to buddi’s support services.

To find out more about each of these solutions, visit the Design Council website.

Bid to improve support for county's young people with mental health issues

A major initiative to improve the support provided to young people in the South of England with mental health issues will be launched today (Tuesday).

More young people in Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Bath and North East Somerset, Dorset and Gloucestershire are set to benefit from ‘Children and Young People’s IAPT’ (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies) which enables clinicians to be trained to provide therapies that address depression, anxiety and other behavioural problems.

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, which provides young people’s mental health services to a number of counties in the South, and The Charlie Waller Institute at the University of Reading, are jointly involved in a three-year pilot project that began last November.

Full Article on Gazette and Herald

SURVEY: Help Alzheimer's Support campaign for better diagnosis

Alzheimer's Support Wiltshire have put together a survey to look into people's experience of dementia diagnosis in Wiltshire.
 
The more responses they get, the more they will be able to make a difference so please do help them by filling in a survey form.

If you have not received one in the post, click here (pdf 173.5 KB) to download a form. The survey is for everyone who is concerned about memory loss, whether they have a diagnosis of dementia or not. It can be filled in by a family member or friend on behalf of someone with dementia.

This survey is part of a three-year project to boost diagnosis in Wiltshire, where just 33 per cent of people with dementia officially know what is wrong with them. The project is funded by Comic Relief.  See their latest news page for more details.

Management change at Avon and Wiltshire Health Partnership

The chair of the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership has resigned and its chief executive is "taking a period of leave".

Felicity Longshaw's position is to be taken by deputy chair, Anthony Gallagher, while her job is advertised.

Paul Miller, who is currently executive director of finance, has been appointed acting chief executive replacing Laura McMurtrie.

It comes at a time the trust is seeking to achieve foundation trust status.

Ms Longshaw, who has been in the role for five years, said she was leaving because she believed the time was right to hand over to a new chair.

Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Trust is a provider of specialist mental health services operating across Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire.

Article taken from BBC News

Website to put carers in touch

COMMUNICATIONS manager Neil Burgess is poised to launch a website to help people caring for friends or family to connect with each other.

Mr Burgess, of Bolts Croft, Chippenham, was awarded £4,000 by social enterprise charity Unltd to create website Cura after being inspired on his honeymoon.

The website, which is free to use, is now almost ready to launch, and Mr Burgess said he hopes it will be a hit with carers.

Full Article on Gazette & Herald

Wiltshire drug treatment agencies to be reduced

The number of main agencies that provide drug and alcohol treatment programmes in Wiltshire is to be reduced from four to one.

The plans were approved by Wiltshire Council's cabinet this week and will come into force from April next year.

The council and the NHS hope to make savings by using just one organisation to lead the project.

The current main providers are SWADS, New Highway, Cranstoun and the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership.

Wiltshire Council and the NHS said one organisation, which could be a consortium, could look after drug and alcohol treatment programmes.

The four providers currently occupy six buildings which the authorities hope to reduce to three hubs around the county, with additional premises at places like doctors' surgeries.

Article from BBC News Wiltshire

DLA reform and Personal Independence Payment - completing the detailed design

This consultation seeks views on the Government’s proposals on some of the benefit rules underpinning Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance, Carer’s Allowance and Attendance Allowance. These rules will inform the development of secondary legislation. It also provides further information on policy decisions that have now been made.

Deadline for responding to the consultation: 30 June 2012

Link to the consultation and how to have your say

Support for carers must be central to social care white paper

We will all need care or provide care for loved ones at some point in our lives – it is an issue for all of society and all parts of government.

As care and support for older and disabled people rises up the political agenda, decision-makers and the public are confronted with an array of stark statistics on the rising demand for care – with the number of people over 80 to double by 2020, 11 million people alive today expected to live to 100, the number of adults with learning disabilities to rise by a third by 2030 and the number of carers by 50% in the next 25 years to 9 million.

But these statistics do little to shed light on what this care challenge means in practical terms or what solutions might look like. They also fail to truly reflect how demographic change is bringing about significant shifts in all of our lives – not just the lives of people using social care services.

Full Article on Guardian Social Care

Carers may benefit from stress-relieving techniques

People who care for a relative who is disabled or in poor health may benefit from relaxation techniques to help relieve any tension or stress, an expert has claimed.

Research shows that many unpaid carers feel stressed out, either as a direct result of their caring role or because of related financial difficulties.

A spokesperson for the Princess Royal Trust for Carers revealed that people with this type of responsibility may benefit from taking regular exercise, as this can help to relieve stress and promote healthy sleep patterns and overall wellbeing.

The expert also recommended self-massage which, unlike a professional massage, is free but can still help to relieve tension.

"Sitting quietly in a chair and placing your hands on either side of your forehead and rotating them gently can soothe a stressful headache," the spokesperson advised.

Yoga and other exercises with a focus on breathing can also be beneficial, while "simply learning how to remain still for ten or 15 minutes can bring a sense of peace and calm", they added.

A recent report by the Alzheimer's Society revealed that 47 percent of people with a carer do not believe that person gets the support they need to carry out their role.

Full Article

As a carers charity we offer free complementary therapies, including massage and indian head massage. To find out more, please visit our website.

New guide aims to help people with learning disabilities get NHS care

A new guide has been launched that should help people with learning disabilities to get the most out of the NHS.

Published by the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities, the booklet tells people what to expect from the NHS, provides tips on how to get help and gives contact details if they need more information.

It is designed to be of use to people with learning disabilities, their family carers and other people who provide support.

Full Article on Net Doctor

SURVEY: Dad and Me

Netbuddy and Scope have joined forces to find out more about caring for a disabled child from a Father’s point of view. They really appreciate your help and completing the survey should take around 2 minutes.

At the end, you’ll receive a £40 wine voucher to spend at Naked Wines, and have the opportunity to enter their draw to win £100 to spend at Amazon.

Take the Survey

"Army of invisible carers" failing to access available respite care

A study by care sector charity Vitalise has estimated there to be millions of family carers in the UK who are entitled to source respite care services but are failing to do so.


Collated from the findings of several organisations over the last five years, the Vitalise report finds that many people fail to realise they qualify for carers’ benefits because they are unpaid.

Older people in particular are found to be missing out, with a failure to access care services leading to unnecessary retirement and a decline in lifestyle choice.

Full Article

Just 12% of GPs back NHS shake-up, says poll

Family doctors are at the heart of the reforms but only 12% agreed that they would make things “noticeably” better, down from 23% when a similar survey was taken in September 2010.

Under the changes, GP-led groups will take control of about £60 billion of the NHS budget in England from April next year. They will be expected to plan and buy most routine healthcare within their community.

Yet the poll of 814 GPs for the BBC showed 55% did not agree that the changes would improve care, while 33% said they did not know whether it would or not.

The vast majority, 83%, also predicted that there would be an increase in rationing in their area, because of financial pressures.

Some 87% agreed the changes would lead to private companies having a bigger role in the health service.

Full Article on Telegraph

SURVEY: Neurology User Experience

An online Neurology User Survey for people living in Swindon and Wiltshire has been launched and is available via the Swindon & Wiltshire Neurological Alliance website.

The first of its kind in the country, the survey’s results will be presented to interested parties across the county to demonstrate where improvements can be made.

There are two versions: one for those living or mainly using services in Swindon and another for Wiltshire. The surveys will close at the end of April.

Take the survey

Urgent information for working age couples with children who get Working Tax Credit

Urgent information for working age couples with children who get Working Tax Credit

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Couples with children who are receiving Working Tax Credit where one partner is receiving Carer’s Allowance are at risk of losing their full tax credits unless they contact the Tax Credit Office by 6th April. From the 6th of April the Government is increasing the number of hours a couple with children has to work in order to receive Working Tax Credit (lone parents are not affected). Instead of needing to work for 16 hours or more a week couples with children will have to work 24 hours a week or more. If they are unable to find the extra hours they will lose their entitlement to Working Tax Credit. However, following campaigning from Carers UK and other groups including the Low Incomes Tax Reform Group and USDAW the union, the Government has announced that couples including someone on Carer’s Allowance will be exempt from this increase from 16 to 24 hours. This means that a couple with at least one dependent child and where one partner is entitled to Carer’s Allowance, will continue to be able to receive Working Tax Credit if one parent is working for at least 16 hours a week. This includes people with an ‘underlying entitlement’ to Carer’s Allowance - where you are entitled to the benefit but it is not being paid to you because you receive other benefits which are seen to ‘overlap’ with Carer’s Allowance. The Tax Credits Office should already know that someone in your household is receiving Carer’s Allowance if you informed them of this when you claimed Working Tax Credit. However if you are not sure, and particularly if you have started to receive Carer’s Allowance since you claimed Working Tax Credit, you should contact the Tax Credit Office to tell them you are entitled to Carer’s Allowance. To contact the Tax Credit Office, you can call 0345 300 3900, email via www.hmrc.gov.uk/contactus/email.htm or write to: Tax Credit Office Preston PR1 4AT You should provide your full name, date of birth, National Insurance Number and email address (if you have one) and inform them that you fulfil one of these exceptions. New entitlement to childcare costs As well as protecting carers from this change, the Government has announced that couples receiving Working Tax Credit which include someone receiving Carer’s Allowance will now be able to claim extra tax credits for childcare if they pay for registered/approved childcare. Again, if this applies to you, you should inform the Tax Credits Office to ensure you receive the extra amount. You can do this from 6th April, but should do it by 6th May 2012. For more information on the Government’s other changes to the benefits system, read our Welfare Reform Frequently Asked Questions at: http://www.carersuk.org/help-and-advice/focus-on/item/2479-welfare-reform-your-questions-answered

NHS prescription fee rise to £7.65 comes into effect

An increase in NHS prescription charges in England of 25p to £7.65 has come into effect.

Health Minister Simon Burns outlined the changes earlier this year, and the government says exemptions mean 90% of prescription items are dispensed free.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society campaigned for a freeze and says the rises are completely unacceptable.

Dental treatment costs will also rise. There are no prescription charges in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

Full Article on BBC News

Wiltshire health services to merge

The three organisations that were due to take over from NHS Wiltshire in organising and buying health services are to merge.

After months of working as three separate Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG) GPs have decided it would be better to have one CCG serving the county.

Dr Steve Rowlands, NHS Wiltshire’s medical director and a GP in Trowbridge, said: "There was a reality check about the volume of work coming through to the CCGs and the population base wasn’t big enough."
Dr Helen Osborn, joint chairman of the West Wiltshire, Yatton Keynell and Devizes CCG and a GP in West Lavington, said: "It's not a good use of our resources to duplicate the work among three CCGs. Having one CCG will save a huge amount of time and adminstration.

Full Article on Wiltshire Times

Thousands to be sent for scans as GPs paid to spot brittle bones

Under the pay for performance part of the GP contract, family doctors have to earn a proportion of their practice income by hitting targets to pick up problems among their patients.

From today GPs will be paid for every patient they diagnose with osteoporosis and begin treating with drugs to prevent further bone deterioration and fractures.

Once a patient has suffered a fracture the doctor should assess them, send them for a bone density scan and begin treatment where necessary in order to receive the payment.

It is expected that the average GP practice will earn about £1,500 a year in this way.

Full Article on Telegraph

Website launched to assist carers

A WEBSITE which will transform the way patients, carers and professionals access information was launched in Swindon this week.

The website, which has received support from Prime Minister David Cameron, focuses initially on dementia and stroke services and has been pioneered by the NHS across the south west, along with social care partners, voluntary groups and with key input from patients and carers.

The website, called Our Health, was highlighted with the launch of the PM’s Challenge on Dementia. It is the first of its kind in England and will eventually be rolled out across the whole country.

The project has been in the making since June and it is hoped that it will help patients and their families make informed decisions about their care.

For more information visit www.ourhealth.southwest.nhs.uk

Article taken from This is Wiltshire