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