Tedworth House to offer mental health support for veterans

A new service to help Armed Forces veterans with mental health problems will be launched by Help for Heroes at its recovery centre in Tidworth.

The charity is setting up a psychological support programme called Hidden Wounds, which is an early intervention service to help veterans and their families suffering from stress, depression and anxiety before they develop into more serious conditions.

Full Article on Gazette & Herald

Lloyds Banking Group leads the way for finance sector to become more dementia-friendly

A landmark guide for banks and insurers to help improve the everyday lives of people affected by dementia is being launched by Lloyds Banking Group and Alzheimer's Society today (30 October).

The 'Dementia Friendly Financial Services Charter' has been designed to help financial services organisations recognise, understand and respond to the needs of customersliving with dementia and their carers.

Full Article on Alzheimer's Society

We are heading for a crisis in cancer care

How we as a society provide care for those in need has been hogging the headlines recently. And it's not just hospital scandals that have been in the spotlight. In June, new research released during Carers Week showed that three in four people who care for a family member or friend were not fully prepared for caring. Last month, we heard that 240,000 people who care for someone with cancer are performing difficult clinical duties – often without any information, instructions, or training from a health professional.

What carers do is remarkable. Their selflessness not only means the world to those they care for, it also saves the UK economy an incredible amount of money. For far too long they have been left to cope on their own. It's high time they are given the attention and support they deserve.

Full Article on Guardian Society

'24-hour' complaint process needed

Patients, carers and relatives should be able to raise concerns over NHS care 24 hours a day, suggests Health Ombudsman Julie Mellor. 

In this week's Scrubbing Up - she explains how she hopes the Clwyd-Hart Review of hospital complaints will help tackle the "toxic cocktail" of reluctance by patients to complain and defensiveness of NHS organisations when addressing complaints and concerns.

Full Article on BBC News

Take care you don't miss out on helper's allowances

Hundreds of thousands of Britain's 6.5 million carers are not claiming state benefits and allowances for which they are eligible, say campaigners – who also warn about the impact of cutbacks to the disability living allowance.

Almost a third of people looking after an older, disabled or seriously ill family member or friend struggle to cover basic living costs, and more than one in five is in debt and finding it difficult to cope financially, a report published by the Money Advice Service suggests.

Full Article on Guardian Money

Disability welfare changes delayed by assessment process

Disability welfare changes for England, Scotland and Wales have been delayed because the government has been unable to assess claimants in time.

Personal Independence Payments will replace Disability Living Allowance next week only for claimants in certain areas rather than across Britain.

Ministers said assessments were taking longer than expected and the scheme would now be phased in more gradually.

Full Article on BBC News

Consultation: NHS Commitment for Carers

NHS England  is working to establish an NHS Commitment for Carers and Carers Trust has been involved in working with them on planning for this. They are undertaking a listening exercise for carers to feed into over the next 4 weeks, looking at what should be included in this commitment.

This is a real opportunity to build real impact for carers into NHS services for the future , and it would be great to have as many carers feeding into this as possible

Information will be placed on Carers Trust’s website and social media shortly, and more and the survey is available at the link below – please give your views if you have time to.

http://www.nhsiq.nhs.uk/improvement-programmes/experience-of-care/commitment-for-carers.aspx

Wiltshire Council organises events as part of Family Learning Festival

Two weeks of free, fun events for all the family are planned in Wiltshire as part of the national Family Learning Festival.

The festival runs until November 3 and there will be a host of exciting events organised by Wiltshire Council and the Skills Funding Agency.

The aim behind the festival is to give families of all ages and backgrounds an opportunity to share some exciting and interesting activities together.

Full Article on Gazette & Herald

Carer-friendly policies needed to relieve pressure on the 'sandwich generation'

Britain's cost-of-living crisis is fast becoming a key battleground area on which the next general election will be fought. As parties gear up for 2015, Labour has promised to alleviate the strain on hard-working parents with an increase in state-funded childcare. Hard on its heels, the coalition also proposes to extend the hours of free childcare to parents with two-year-olds.

While affordable childcare has long been recognised as key to our economic infrastructure, there's a fast-growing group for whom no such election pledges have been aimed: the sandwich generation – those who carry the dual responsibility of caring for young children alongside elderly or disabled relatives.

Full Article on Guardian Society

Unpaid carers play a vital role (letter to Salisbury Journal)

OVER the last few weeks much has been written about the role of carers who provide care in a paid capacity – care support workers – and those who care unpaid for a friend or family member who due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction cannot cope without their support – carers.

There is a clear difference between these two types of roles; Carer Support Wiltshire, a Carers Trust Network Partner supporting unpaid carers, feels that it is very important to make that distinction.

Read the full letter on Salisbury Journal

EVENT: The Elderly Care system and funding options available seminar

Do you need to know more about this country's elderly care system and the funding options available?

Are you thinking of selling your house or other assets to pay for long term care?

abdcare (a specialist managed and branded division of Awdry Bailey and Douglas Solicitors with particular expertise in elderly care) invite you to attend a seminar which addresses the issues surrounding this country’s Care System and how you or your loved ones may be affected should long term care be needed.

           ~ Please arrive 20 minutes beforehand ~ light refreshments will be available ~

It is advisable to book early. Spaces may be limited!

Wednesday 27 November 2013   ~   10.00am - 12.30pm.

Burbage Village Hall, 60 Eastcourt Road, Burbage, Marlborough, Wiltshire, SN8 3AJ

Understanding the system and who should be paying for my long term care needs?

What strategies should be deployed to minimise the impact of care fees?

If I do have to pay the costs myself, what financial options are available to me?

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND AND RESERVE FREE SEATING YOU MUST GO ONLINE TO;  www.abdcare.co.uk (seminars) OR telephone 01380 722311.

Helping patients to stay at home

PATIENTS across Wiltshire will benefit from a new scheme to help them continue living healthily at home for longer, which will also help reduce unnecessary admissions to hospitals.

The new service, jointly run by Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group, sees 23 new care co-ordinators based in GP surgeries across Wiltshire to help patients who have been identified as being at high risk of hospital admission.

Full Article on Wiltshire Times

Fit-to-work benefits test 'unfit for purpose'

More than 150,000 people have raised serious concerns about fit-for-work tests administered by a private healthcare company on behalf of the Government.

Figures obtained exclusively by Sky News show the charity Citizens Advice has been inundated by huge numbers of complaints about assessments carried out by Atos.

It warns that genuinely disabled and seriously ill people are being stripped of benefits following inadequate tests.

Full Article on Sky News

EVENTS: The CQC want to hear the experiences of children and young people

The Care Quality Commission 'CQC' are hosting 4 focus groups around the country in the October half term, 11 am to 3 pm on the following dates:

Bristol                         Bristol Zoo Gardens                                    Saturday 26 October

Birmingham                 Cadbury World                                            Tuesday 29 October

York                            National Railway Museum                             Thursday 31 October

London                        British Library                                            Saturday 2 November

They are looking for family carers and young people aged 14-25 with physical disabilities who are going through, or had, transition arrangements, who:

• receive children’s continuing care package.
• receive a package of adult’s continuing care and had children’s continuing care package.
• receive care from three or more health professionals as a result of long-term or chronic conditions.

CQC will pay for travel expenses and support work and £20 high street vouchers to each delegate as a small token of ‘thank you’.

For further information, click here to go to the CQC webpage.