Hands Art Project on tour!

If you didn't get chance to visit our wonderful hands artwork during Carers Week in Chippenham there's good news...

It's going on tour around some libraries in Wiltshire!

Here's where you'll find it and when:

8 - 13 July: Amesbury Library
22 - 27 July: Warminster Library
5 - 10 August: Royal Wootton Bassett Library
19 - 24 August: Calne Library
2 - 7 September: Salisbury Library
16 - 21 September: Devizes Library

If it's coming to a library near you please stop by and have a look.

 

For those of you who don't already know; the artwork features fabric hands based on a Carer's own and holds over 100 examples from Carers all over Wiltshire. Each has been decorated individually and displays the number of years that they have been a Carer.

 

 

Accolade for work with carers

The head of patient experience at the Royal United Hospital has won an award for her work with families and carers.

Theresa Hegarty was presented with the 2013 Health and Social Care Partner Award at the Carers' Centre's first annual awards ceremony. Awards are given in recognition of the role that carers play in society, and bring together young people, volunteers and partner organisations.

Read more: http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Accolade-work-carers/story-19409021-detail/story.html#ixzz2XUziI03F

Join our 200 Club - Far better odds than the National Lottery!

For £12 - just £1 per month - you can enter four draws and have the chance to win £60, £40 or £20.

The chances of winning the national lottery are 1 in 13 million, but we offer far better odds at just 1 in 200!

The prizes aren’t as life-changing, but all your money will be used to support our work for Carers in Wiltshire.

To take part, simply visit the fundraising page on our website and download a form - fill it in, post it back with your cheque and get your fingers crossed for a cash prize!

Welfare to set overall cap to rein in benefits bill

George Osborne announced today that the total spent on a range of welfare payments including housing benefit, tax credits, disability and pensioner benefits will be subject to a limit.

The actual amount of the limit will be set next year.

Last year, taxpayers funded £112 billion in benefits, which all rose sharply in the decade before the economic crisis.

Next year, the Chancellor will receive a forecast from the Office for Budget Responsibility on how much the Government is expected to pay in benefits in 2015, taking into account inflation and other factors.

Full Article on Telegraph

Mental health drop-in to reopen in Melksham

A Melksham-based mental health charity will be reopening its doors next Wednesday, less than a year after it was forced to close.

Wiltshire Mind closed its Melksham drop-in centre last year when it lost a major council contract, and was only saved from bankruptcy by a £50,000 donation by an anonymous Wiltshire Times reader.

Now, after fundraising from the community, the three-hour drop in group will run every week at the St Anthony of Padua Church on West End from 1pm to 4pm, offering advice and support. For further details call 01225 706532.

Article from Wiltshire Times

Carers walk the cancer journey with patients but need more support

When Fiona O'Kelly's widowed mum was diagnosed with leukaemia two years ago, her life changed overnight. "It's like our roles suddenly flipped," she recalls. "Mum used to help me look after my two boys but now I look after her. She was independent up to then but her cancer and the treatment have left her frail and affected her memory.

"There are times when I think I can't cope but I know staying in her own home and being cared for by family is the best thing for Mum."

O'Kelly, whose sons are 10 and 16, negotiated a year off work following the diagnosis, and has since dropped her hours from four to two days a week. Her husband has also changed his working hours to minimise childcare costs.

Full Article on Guardian Society

Protecting older people with a disability from living in poverty

Attendance allowance (AA) is a weekly cash payment to older people with disabilities by the Department for Work and Pensions, worth between £59 and £73. It is a contribution to the extra costs of living with a disability and rarely, if ever, receives any discussion in policy debate. This is odd given the scale of the AA – it is paid to around 1.5 million older people in the UK at a cost of around £5bn each year.

To bolster the evidence base on AA and explore how we can make better use of it, the Strategic Society Centre and Independent Age recently published some new research and policy analysis.

Full Article on Guardian Social Care Network

Help shape the future of healthcare

PEOPLE are being given a chance to help shape healthcare services at a meeting of the newly formed Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group.

GPs and commissioning staff will explain how healthcare in Wiltshire could look in the future and invite people to join in discussions about developing the services.

The Salisbury event takes place on Thursday, July 18 from 10am to 12.30pm at the Guildhall.

To attend email the communications department at Wiltshire CCG at communications.wiltshireccg@nhs.net or call 01380 736010 by Wednesday, July 10 for an attendance form to reserve a place.

Article from Salisbury Journal

INFO: Summer Holiday Swim Therapy Sessions

Summer holidays are approaching and, thanks to the generous support of the Norie Trust and the Bramble Charitable Trust, Bath Swim Therapy are able to run Holiday Swim Therapy sessions from July 22nd to August 8th - this may be before the holiday start for some but different counties have different start dates!

They will run on

·         Mondays, Wednesdays & Thursdays 10.00 - 1.00 in the hydrotherapy pool at Three Ways School, Odd Down, Bath BA2 5RF and

·         Tuesdays 1.30 - 4.00 in the Learner Pool at Longwell Green Leisure Centre, BS15 9LA

These sessions are open to any family with a disabled or special needs child or young person (0 - 25yrs) who would benefit from hydrotherapy or specialist swimming instruction in a small warm water pool during the summer holidays. Each session gives them a 20 min individual time with the physiotherapist to focus on hydrotherapy or learning to swim or a combination or both.  They are also an opportunity for parents/carers to learn how to work with their children in the water and become more confident when taking them swimming

Other members of the family are also welcome (provided there is room in the pool) but siblings will need to be accompanied by an additional adult unless they are confident swimmers. Alternatively, families can just book to come for a swim without any therapy time if, because of the level of their child's disability, they need the fully accessible facilities .

The cost this year will be £5 per session but we are able to offer concessions if this amount is difficult. There is no additional charge at Longwell Green

For more information, visit http://www.bathswimtherapy.org.uk/holidayswimtherapy/index.html

Mural showcases 1,400 years of caring

A mural representing 1,400 years of care by Wiltshire residents will go on tour around the county this month.

Each of the 100 hands in the artwork represents someone from the area who gives up their time, unpaid, to care for others.

The hands are embroidered with the number of years they have been a carer, including one 76-year-old woman who has dedicated herself to looking after other people since she was nine.

Full Article on Gazette & Herald

Discounts for carers on the new O2 Health Help at Hand product mobile care service

Carers Trust has recently launched a partnership with O2 Health, one of the UK's largest providers of mobile care services. The partnership forms part of Carer's Trust's aim to improve support, services and recognition for anyone living with the challenges of caring.

Carers can get exclusive discounts on the new help at hand service by visiting the Carers enterprises website www.carersenterprises.org

Help at Hand is ideally suited to carer who want to support the person they care for to live as independently as possible, or for people with long term or temporary care needs who wish to be more independent, like Helen who has dyspraxia and often suffers with falls, or Sharon a mum with epilepsy or Stella who is recovering from a stroke As Helen says, "its like a little piece of freedom in my pocket."

Find out more about how the product works and whether it might help you at www.carersenterprises.org

Avon and Wiltshire mental health trust makes 'positive' changes

A mental health trust criticised over the care of two patients involved in killings in 2007 has made key improvements, according to an independent report.

A review last year found Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership to be "bureaucratic and controlling".

But, the same review team said its feedback had now been acted upon.

Full Article on BBC News

Disability Living Allowance changes begin

A new system of disability benefits has begun to take effect across England, Scotland and Wales.

Personal Independence Payments (PIPs) are replacing Disability Living Allowance (DLA) as part of the government's welfare reforms.

The government claims PIPs will target resources more effectively towards those who need it most.

Full Article on BBC News

Carers face growing financial hardship

Almost a third of people who simultaneously care for both young and older family members say they struggle to cover basic living costs, according to research from the Money Advice Service to coincide with Carers Week.

One in 10 of the UK adult population are so-called "sandwich carers" – about 4.7 million adults – and that number is expected to rise as people live longer and costs of care rise, the advice service says.

Its research highlights the financial pressures on sandwich carers with a quarter reporting they have had to cut their working hours and a further 25% saying they have had to give up work altogether. It found around half of the carers (48%) earn less than £31,200 a year.

Full Article on Guardian Money

Carers are being let down by Government, says report

Carers are being “woefully let down” when they start out and are often left with no help in their first few years in the role, research out today says.


Three quarters of carers say they were left unprepared for their caring role and eight in ten were not aware of the support available, according to a study by ten major national charities. The research into 2,100 British carers was commissioned by charities including Age UK, Carers Trust, Carers UK and Macmillan Cancer Support, to mark today’s start of Carers Week.

Full Article on Independent

Carers struggle to exercise lasting power of attorney

The number of unpaid carers in the UK, who shoulder the responsibility of looking after a frail, ill or disabled friend or relative, stands at 6.5 million, and is set to rocket in the next couple of decades, according to figures from Carers UK.

"We estimate that it will hit 9 million by 2037 as a result of our ageing population, and the fact that people are living longer with disabilities and long-term health conditions," says Steve McIntosh, policy manager for Carers UK. "More and more of us will need help and advice to cope with the pressures caring puts on our careers and on family finances."

The number of carers providing free support has already climbed by 600,000, or around 11%, in the past decade. This hidden army, which saves the nation a staggering £119bn each year, is the focus of Carers Week, starting on 10 June, which is a partnership of nine charities aimed at increasing awareness of the emotional, physical and financial impact of taking on this role.

Full Article on Guardian Money

Specialised Health Services Clinical Reference Groups: Patient and Carer Member Recruitment

NHS England has opened the second wave of recruitment for patient and carer members of its Clinical Reference Groups for 2013/14. For a full list of CRGs who are still recruiting members please follow the link below.  Voluntary sector organisations are well placed to suggest clients and carers they know about with relevant expertise who would be keen to influence development of these groups. Information below (and on https://www.engage.england.nhs.uk/application/crg-patient) about involvement in the clinical reference groups, from NHS England:

CRGs are responsible for providing NHS England with clinical advice regarding specialised services, and for promoting equity of access to high quality services for all patients, regardless of where they live. CRGs are also at the forefront of the drive to spearhead innovation, working with clinical leaders, patients and suppliers to identify and promote best practice; scanning the horizon for new treatment approaches; and taking action to improve patient experience and outcomes in the NHS.

This is an exciting time to join a CRG, as they take their place within the new commissioning structures of the NHS. The accompanying Guide to CRGs and Information Pack for Patients and Carers will provide you with more, detailed information about their work; where they sit within NHS England, and what it means to be a patient and carer member of a CRG. If you are interested in applying to be a patient or carer member, you will also find an application form which you can complete online. The closing date for applications for membership is 13 June 2013.

To find out more about becoming a patient or carer member of one of these groups, please go to the following link https://www.engage.england.nhs.uk/application/crg-patient where you will find the list of CRGs we are still recruiting to, a Guide to CRGs, an Information Pack and application form.

Carer Support open day

AN open day for carers is being held at Carer Support Wiltshire’s centre in New Street, Salisbury, on Tuesday, June 11.

The event is part of Carers Week 2013 and will offer people the chance to drop in and chat with a support worker to get help and advice about their caring role.

There will also be an opportunity to buy plants and books at the charity’s fundraising stall at the centre.

As part of Carers Week, there will also be a Wiltshire Council road show visiting the Old George Mall on the same day.

Article from Salisbury Journal