Health checks for carers in QOF from 2014/15

Annual health checks for carers could be added to the QOF from 2014/15 after provisional targets were approved by a NICE expert panel.

The move would see GPs earn points for keeping a register of patients who care for people with dementia and for assessing their health annually.

The panel also backed ambulatory BP monitoring for hypertension diagnosis, as revealed by GP (GP, 6 June). But proposals to screen for alcohol abuse were put on hold as GP experts warned about workload impact and lack of clinical evidence.

Full Article on GP Online

 

EVENT: Welfare Reforms Information

Wiltshire & Swindon Users Network are hosting a...

Welfare Reforms – Information Event

Are you of working age, in receipt of benefits such as Housing, Disability / Employment Support Allowance etc. or you would just like to know more about the change to Universal Credit?

Please join us on:

Monday 2nd July

10.45am-2.30pm

Devizes Sports Club

This event includes presentations by Citizens Advice Bureau and the Department of Work and Pensions.

Topics include:
Welfare Reforms, Personal Independence Payments and Work Capability Assessments

Places are limited and you must book a place if you would like to attend this free event 
Call 01380 871800 or Fax 01380 871507 or email assistant.wsun@btconnect.com

GPs set for QOF indicators to support dementia carers

GPs will be required to assess the emotional and psychological needs of carers for people with dementia under a trio of indicators proposed for the 2014/15 QOF, NICE decided yesterday.

NICE is piloting the indicators – which are designed to better support the carers of people with dementia - in practices in the Midlands this year, with a view of including them in the 2014/15 QOF.

The QOF currently requires that practices create a register of patients diagnosed with dementia and address their health needs, but this will be extended to carers of those patients.

Full Article on Pulse

Almost half of unpaid carers risking their health, survey shows

Nearly half of unpaid carers in the UK are jeopardising their health due to a lack of support, according to a survey.

Carried out by Carers Week, a group of eight charities including Age UK, Carers UK and Macmillan Cancer Support, the survey found that 40% of carers had put off receiving medical treatment because of the pressures of their role.

In addition, 87% of the 3,400 carers surveyed said caring had been detrimental to their mental health, while 83% said they had suffered physical health problems. Another 36% said they had sustained injuries such as back pain and insomnia while caring for sick or disabled friends or family.

Helen Clarke, Carers Week manager, said the government had to do more to support Britain's 6.4 million carers – both practically and financially. She called for more sustainable social care funding, better signposting for support services and regular health checks for carers.

Full Article on Guardian

Carers to be given a free break

A breaks scheme is being launched at GP surgeries across Wiltshire during Carers Week this year to give unpaid carers who are suffering ill health as a result of their role, or who have a long term health condition, the chance to have a free break.

GPs and Practice Nurses will be able to ‘prescribe’ a social, leisure or health break to those that they identify as a carer in order to give them an opportunity to take some time out from looking after a relative or friend who, due to illness, disability, age, eating disorder or substance misuse, is unable to mange without their help.

Each break will be worth up to the value of £50 and will cover something like a gym membership, a sports activity, complementary therapy, hair and beauty appointment, or, if circumstances allow, a day out. 

The scheme is being hosted by Carer Support Wiltshire and is being financially supported by funding from Wiltshire Council and NHS Wiltshire.

Fiona Hunter, Communications Officer at Carer Support Wiltshire, said: “The method of ‘prescribing’ a carer a break aims to help ensure that carers in Wiltshire can take care of their own health in order to be able to carry on caring for their partner, child, parent, friend or neighbour.

“GPs are often the first person a carer will think of going to when they need help and if they are able to offer them a means of having a break it will also mean they will find out about the other free services and support that they can get from Carer Support Wiltshire.”

The breaks prescription scheme will run for one year and, depending on how successful it is, will be reviewed next year.

Paul Burstow, Minister of State for Care Services, recently gave a speech at the RCGP Carers Conference and said: “With the right help, information and support, carers can care better. They can stay healthy – physically and mentally.

“It’s the small things that can make a world of difference.”

Carer Support Wiltshire would encourage any carers who need some time out to go along to their local GP surgery and enquire about getting a prescribed break. They are also available to carers who are already known to Carer Support Wiltshire.

They can also find out more about it by contacting Leonie Jarvill, GP Liaison Worker at Carer Support Wiltshire, on 0800 181 4118 or leonie@carersinwiltshire.co.uk

Notes

For more information on the Carers Breaks Prescription Scheme please contact Leonie Jarvill (GP Liaison Worker) at Carer Support Wiltshire on 0800 181 4118 or email leonie@carersinwiltshire.co.uk

A carer is someone of any age who provides unpaid support to family or friends who could not manage without this help. This could be caring for a relative, partner or friend who is ill, frail, disabled or has mental health or substance misuse issues.

In the 2001 census it showed that there were 39,886 carers who provide unpaid care in Wiltshire.

Carer Support Wiltshire is a registered charity that offers support, information, advice and break opportunities to people looking after family members and friends across Wiltshire.

Carers Week takes place from 18-24 June. The theme this year is ‘In Sickness and in Health’. It is one of the UK’s largest awareness weeks and is about recognising and celebrating the contribution made by unpaid carers to the people they care for and their communities.

Former Defence Secretary launches charity Give Us Time to help injured forces

Former Defence Secretary Liam Fox will today launch a charity aimed at helping injured Forces heroes and their families.

The North Somerset Conservative MP is setting up Give Us Time, which will provide holiday homes to those who have been hurt serving their country.

Dr Fox said when he resigned from the Cabinet last autumn that he wanted to get involved in charitable projects.

During his time as Defence Secretary he made it a priority to rebuild the military covenant – the nation’s obligations to the Armed Forces.

Full Article on This is Somerset 

We are aiming to emotionally support military families through the military covenant money we have just secured.

Carers of relatives in England to get legal rights

Ministers are planning to grant legal rights for the first time to people in England who spend hours caring for elderly or disabled relatives.

Under the proposals, local authorities would be legally obliged to offer support to such carers.

Some 1.25 million people spend 50 hours a week or more caring for family members who are unable to cope alone.

Proposals are due to be published "within the next few weeks" after recommendations by the Law Commission.

It has been suggested these could include carers' rights to respite breaks and to education and training.

Full Article on BBC News

Carers to be given respite holidays

The “sandwich generation”, who care for their elderly parents while supporting children, are expected to gain a new entitlement to services to help them look after their families. Under government plans, councils will be required to arrange support such as short “respite” holidays, assistance with transport or training in care techniques.

Ministers are concerned that people of all ages who have to care for frail or disabled family members are currently treated as “second-class citizens”. A White Paper on reforming care for the elderly and disabled adults is due to be published later this month and will detail the new arrangements.

Paul Burstow, the care services minister, told The Daily Telegraph that the current arrangements were leaving people to struggle on their own.

Full Article on Telegraph

Free online e-learning for Carers Week!

Embrace-learning will be showing their support for this year's Carers Week (18-24 June) by giving away 1000 free courses during Carers Week 2012!

To support this year's 'In Sickness and in Health' theme embrace-learning are offering these courses to try and aid carers in their self-less occupation.

Our courses cover a huge range of training around caring for and safeguarding others. With many carers unpaid or underpaid this is our way of trying to help out the people who ALWAYS help out!

The course titles available are:

• Acquired Brain Injury Awareness
• Caring for People with Dementia - The Fundamentals
• Compassion and Dignity in Care
• Epilepsy Awareness
• Mental Capacity Act 2005 - the Fundamentals
• Safer Handling of Medicines
• Supporting People with Aspergers Syndrome
• Supporting People with Autism
• Supporting People with Cerebral Palsy
• Supporting People with Down Syndrome
• Supporting People with Learning Disabilities and Mental Health Needs
• Understanding the Role of the Personal Assistant

 To find out more, or to register for a free course, visit their website.

Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust gets military surgery funding

A Wiltshire NHS trust has been given more funding to carry out complex plastic surgery on injured servicemen at Salisbury District Hospital.

Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust wrote to the Department of Health to ask for additional funding for the work, which it has carried out for some time.

NHS South of England has now agreed to cover the excess costs for 2012/13.

A spokesman said the trust would negotiate with the NHS Commissioning Board for funding the following year.
He did not say how much funding was granted.

An NHS South of England spokeswoman said the funding had been allocated "in recognition of this exceptional and very specialist work for those injured in serving their country".

Article from BBC News

GP surgeries to be ranked out of 10

Surgeries will be rated on four points: opening hours, ease of getting an appointment, length of time spent waiting in reception and whether or not doctors listen.

The scores will then be used to calculate an overall rating for each surgery which will be be published on the internet by the NHS.

Lord Howe, the Health Minister, said the government wanted “to make it easier for patients to find the best NHS care for them”.

It is part of a drive by ministers to give people more choice over their health care and enable them to register at GP surgeries wherever they want.

However, the Royal College of GPs and the British Medical Association both criticised the 10-point scale as a blunt tool that will do little to help patients make informed decisions.

Full Article on Telegraph

Good News! We have secured funding to support military families in Wiltshire...

Carer Support Wiltshire has been successful in accessing funding for a project working with carers in military families in Wiltshire through the Wiltshire Council and the Wiltshire Military Covenant. 

The funding is for one year and it will be a targetted piece of work identifying and supporting adult carers within the military – these may be parent carers of disabled children or carers of an adult with a physical, emotional, mental or learning disability. Many will be ‘younger’ adults (aged 18-30). 

Carer Support Wiltshire will be:

Working with ‘HIVE centres’, chaplains, Medical Centres, GP surgeries, and Welfare Officers and ongoing work with Tedworth House, Royal British Legion and SAFFA., we will also publicise through a range of media (local radio stations, newspapers, newsletters, targetted posters, flyers etc)

Offering Specialist free and confidential advice, information & support: 1:1, through home visits or in peer groups, accessing our more specialist Support Workers when appropriate (Mental Health, Parent Carers, Learning Disabilities), supporting access to other specialist services e.g. Headway (Acquired brain injury), Voluntary, Wiltshire Council and NHS services. We will work closely with Tedworth House and ensure that if families are relocated we will signpost to agencies local to their new location.

Undertaking Carer Assessments (on behalf of Wiltshire Council): this is a statutory entitlement for all carers identifying their needs and access to Carers Direct Payments, Carers Emergency Card etc.

Delivering Training: We have a programme of training courses planned to sustain carers in their caring role including a range aimed at improving carers health -Mental Health 1^st Aid, Nutrition, ‘When the caring role begins’ (including financial, health, looking after yourself) and preparing for when the caring role ends – this may be through breaking up of a relationship, when the cared-for goes in to a placement or moves away, or when there is a bereavement.

Facilitating Support groups: Initially offering specialist support groups (including younger adult carers aged 18-30) in 5 locations, we aim to encourage participants, in due course, to join our more specialist groups we facilitate countywide for Carers such as mental health, physical or learning disabilities or parent carers.

Giving carers the opportunity to take Time Out: Breaks from caring role (outings, craft groups, Carers Cafes, walking groups, book clubs etc) and opportunities for volunteering with CSW, further integrating military carers into the wider community including Befriending service, assisting at Time Out events.

To find out more about us, please visit our website.

People offer attitudes on Alzheimer's

CHARITIES in Wiltshire are joining forces in a major survey of people’s attitudes towards dementia.

Alzheimer’s Support is asking people how they might react to symptoms of memory loss in their own families and what they think can be done to improve the quality of life for people with dementia.

The survey, aimed at over-65s, is part of a Comic Relief-funded project to find out why so few people in the county with dementia have a diagnosis.

Currently, just 33 per cent of those with the condition are officially diagnosed.

Full Article on Wiltshire Times