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SDEF Newsletter No.15 - October 2004 |
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New
Staff
In Newsletter 14 we were interviewing for our new
staff.� They are now in post.
Brief biographies below:
As far back as November 2002, our late Convenor,
Elma Mitchell MBE wrote in behalf of SDEF to British Waterways, following
the opening of Falkirk Wheel, expressing concern at the lack of access to
their facilities for people with disabilities.
In addition to glass sides and roofs offering all
round visibility, both boats have been designed with wide entry points at
boardwalk level to ensure that the electrically powered ramps create easy
access for all types of wheelchair.� The
vessels also have removable seating to provide additional wheelchair space
by special arrangement.�
Commenting on the new boats, Jonathan Bryant,
Commercial Manager for British Waterways Scotland said: “Due to huge
demand for boat trips since we opened the Wheel in 2002, we have decided to
increase our capacity with the introduction of these two new state of the
art vessels.
In addition to the spectacular boat trips, visitors
to the Falkirk Wheel can also learn more about the world’s first rotating
boat lift and the canal network from the interactive exhibitions in the
centre and on the interpretive panels around the basin, while kids can
create their own adventures in the Irn Bru Fun Factory.
The Falkirk Wheel site is easily accessible for
visitors with a disability, with easily accessible parking and toilets and a
lift to the upper viewing area. There are also a limited number of
wheelchairs available from the reception area.
Entry to the Visitor Centre and the Irn Bru Fun
Factory is free.� Boat trips
should be pre-booked and cost �8 for adults, �4 for children and �6
concession.� Children under 5 go
free.� A family ticket (2
adults, 2 children) is �21.� Bookings
can be made either by telephoning 08700-500-208 or online at www.thefalkirkwheel.co.uk
�
Mobile
Wheelchair repair services in Highland
As readers are aware from the Convenor’s report,
Ron is a user representative on the Rehabilitation Technology Services
Advisory Group (ReTSAG).�� Both
he and the late Elma Mitchell MBE had raised concerns earlier in the year
with ReTSAG at the possible termination of the Mobile Wheelchair Workshops
pilot project being operated in the Highland area.
A bid to the NHS Boards
for recurrent funding to extend the scheme to all patients out with ten
miles of Inverness, by use of two mobile workshops, has been successful.
This project had run for
three years and ended in December 2003.�
Mobile workshops had been used to instruct wheelchair users and
carers and to check on the continuing suitability of equipment.�
The project had been used to deliver, set up, service, repair and
uplift wheelchairs.� After two
years the area covered by the pilot was extended.
The project undertook
nearly 2,000 patient visits and 300 repairs, while about 1,500 items were
replaced.� At the end of the
project there was widespread satisfaction throughout the pilot area.�
The cost had been estimated at approximately �60K
per year to cover all 2,000 patients who were more than ten miles away from
the Inverness repair depot, using two mobile workshops.
Overall, the user benefits were:
Additionally, the benefits to the wheelchair service were:
�
Out
of Hours Medical Services
I can only comment on the situation in Grampian on
the proposed changes as a result of the new General Medical Services
Contract (GMS).
All over Scotland and the Islands, concerns are
being expressed regarding the changes that are taking place. These changes
will affect everybody but especially our colleagues in remote areas.
NHS Grampian have consulted widely for the past few
months and have tried to re-assure the public.�
The government and NHS believe that the new contract will bring
benefits; for example, helping to recruit and retain more GPs.�
The new GMS Contract gives GPs the choice to transfer their current
responsibility for providing “out of hours” service to their local NHS
Board.
Currently GPs have responsibility for providing care
24 hours per day.� The new GMS
contract allows GPs to opt out of responsibility for “out of hours”
services.� The time scale is as
follows:
As a result of this work, NHS Grampian is making
proposals such as:
When will this happen?
GPs have begun working to their new contract from 1st
April 2004.� The new “out of
hours” centres will begin to develop over the coming autumn.� By the start of next year, the system will be up and running.�
Tayside have published their plans in the local “Press and
Journal” and no doubt there will be concerns there too.
Through SDEF, let us be vigilant on how this new
system is working so that we can be aware of and take action on any problems
being encountered.
�
MPS
gives warning on service
A North East MSP has warned that a new out-of-hours
health service must be continually monitored and assessed.
Conservative member Nanette Milne met NHS Grampian
bosses after it was announced a major overhaul of after-hours health
services was set to go ahead.
Director of primary care for NHS Grampian Dr George
Crooks explained the new system which will affect the whole of Grampian to
politicians.
But Mrs Milne is adamant that NHS Grampian bosses
keep tabs on the new service.
The Conservative Party’s deputy health
spokesperson said “NHS Grampian was at pains to provide us with
reassurances on the safety of the new system”.
She added: “Despite all these reassurances, it
remains very clear to me that NHS Grampian’s education campaign about the
new system is going to have to be comprehensive and thorough.
“Finally, health bosses must make sure that they
monitor and assess how the new system is functioning and are ready to
respond accordingly to any issues that may arise.”
Evening Express 22/9/04
Submitted
by Nanette Milne
A
new email newsletter - Skill
Scotland E-news -
has been launched for disabled students across Scotland. It will keep
students in touch with news, events and issues around being a disabled
person at college or university, as well as features from disabled students
about the challenges and highlights that they have experienced.
At the same time, a Skill Scotland web discussion
forum will let people talk directly about issues and their own experiences.
John Ireson, Director of Skill Scotland: National
Bureau for Students with Disabilities, says:
���������
“Nearly 1 in 5 people of working age in the UK are disabled,
and yet only around 1 in 20 students in Scotland are disabled people. It is
time for disabled people to have equal access to education and all the
benefits that it can bring. Getting valuable information, sharing
experiences & having the chance to discuss any issues that arise is key
to opening up opportunities for disabled people. The Skill Scotland E-news
and web discussion forum will be important tools to help this to happen.”
To subscribe to the Skill Scotland E-news, see:
�
IS
THE LATEST CAR TAX IDEA A STEP TOO FAR?
A Consultation document recently issued by the DVLA
details plans to introduce a new tax on all cars registered on their system,
even ones that are not used on the road by their owners.
The ‘Fee Proposals’ consultation, which closes
on November 8, claims the new tax is necessary to cover the costs of issuing
photo licences to all drivers, as required by the European Union.
An annual fee of �4.50 is proposed on all vehicles
kept on the DVLA`s computer. For most cars used on the road, this extra tax
will be collected with the Vehicle Excise Duty (formerly called road tax).
However, it will also apply to disabled drivers,
pre- 1973 classics and cars kept off road under the SORN (Statutory off Road
Notification) regulations. None of these categories currently pay VED, so
this will be an entirely new and separate tax.
“This means that people are going to have to pay
tax to keep their own vehicles in their own garage,” said ABD spokesman
Nigel Humphries. “Now �4.50 may not sound much, in fact it hardly seems
worth the DVLA`s trouble to collect it where this cannot be done through VED.
But it’s a dangerous precedent, and a matter of principle. Why should we
pay anything for the details of our property merely to be held on
someone’s computer?”
Mr Humphries added that enthusiasts often have
several cars kept off road - future projects, possible parts, ‘saved’
cars they hope to pass on to others to restore - and they will have to
write out and send off a separate cheque for each vehicle every year, as the
off-the-road anniversary of registration arises. The DVLA will then have to
bank them. That’s a lot of trouble and expense for nothing, and how much
will the DVLA have left of the money after it has administered this
bureaucratic leviathan on behalf of one hapless individual?
“And who is to say that the fee will remain at �4.50?”
continued Mr Humphries. “The government has a long history of introducing
taxes at low levels and then increasing them year on year, and people are
reluctant to trust their assurances. This new registration tax gives them a
mechanism for abolishing VED, adding the cost of this to fuel tax and then
increasing the registration fee, automatically wiping out the benefits
enjoyed by ultra low mileage classic car owners and disabled drivers alike,
as well as creating a punitive charge for those storing cars off road. That
is why it is to be resisted.
The ABD calls on the DVLA ‘to see sense’ and
desist from penalising classic car owners, disabled drivers and car
collectors with ‘this pointless and bureaucratic system’. Motorists pay
�36 billion a year to the government in motoring related taxes. If the
European Union wants photo licences there is plenty here to pay for it.
DVLA
Website, Press Release 7/10/04
Submitted
by David Grieve, SDEF Treasurer
�
Local Access
Forums
A
requirement of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003
The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 grants the
public a right of access to most land and water in Scotland, subject to
responsible exercise of that right.� The
right extends to non-motorised activities including cycling, horse riding,
skiing, water sports and walking; and these activities when carried out on
an educational or commercial basis.
Importantly for disabled users, motorised vehicles
and vessels “which have been constructed or adapted for use by a person
who has a disability and which is being used by such a person” are included in the right of access.
The Act has given Scottish National Heritage the
responsibility of drawing up the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. This gives
guidance to access takers, land managers and recreation managers on their
responsibility in taking access, or managing access opportunities.�
Both the Act and the Code are due to be implemented later this
Autumn.
The Act gives local authorities and park
authority’s four duties:
Local Access Forums
The purpose of a Local Access Forum is to
“advise” the authority on matters to do with outdoor access - for
example, rights of way, new access rights and resolution of conflict.� As an advisory body, it will also be expected to take an
overview of access and look at the strategic implications of access in the
park - for example, it is envisaged that the Forums will play an active
role in the development of an Outdoor Access Strategy for Parks and the Core
Paths Plan.
It is envisaged that the Forums will comprise a
balance of interest - both access users and access managers drawn from the
community - with the inclusion of relevant public agencies.
Peter
Ingram-Monk
�
Launched on 1st October 2004, The Cinema
Exhibitors’ Association Card is a new national card scheme which entitles
the card holder to one free ticket for a person accompanying them to the
cinema.
People can apply for the card if they meet one or
more of the following criteria:
a)����
they are in receipt of Disability Living Allowance
b)����
they are a registered blind person
c)����
they are a holder of a Disabled Persons Railcard
Applications are available from participating
cinemas.�� A full listing
of cinemas and further information can be found on The Cinema Exhibitors’
Association Card website:
�
Forth and Tay Disabled Ramblers is a registered
Scottish Charity based in the area between the rivers Forth and Tay.��
Members include scooter, electric and manual wheelchair and adapted
cycle users and walkers who enjoy the leisurely pace of the group.�
Paths are checked in advance to ensure access and safety.
The group aims to make countryside access as easy as
possible for anyone with a disability, allowing them to enjoy the scenery,
explore new places and have fun.� Members’
quality of life is greatly improved and health and fitness are enhanced.�
The social aspects extend out with the ramble programme with other
activities in the winter months.
Lady Mary’s Walk, Crieff was the venue for our May
2004 outing.� This was the first
appearance of eight new scooters, bought with �15,125 raised from a variety
of sources including Awards for All, The Hugh Fraser Foundation, The
Gannochy Trust and a host of smaller funding bodies as well as from
fundraising by the group.
July found the group on the Fife Coastal Path and
August at Birnam Highland Games and The Hermitage, Dunkeld.�
The annual holiday this year was to Deeside, staying at Crathie
Opportunity Holiday Cottages.�� The final ramble of the season is to Callander Woods in
Falkirk this month.
For further details contact:
Association
of Disabled Professionals
The Association of Disabled Professionals is
delighted to announce that Scottish Enterprise have continued to fund the
Disabled Entrepreneurs Network (DEN) in Scotland to March 2005. This
resulted from a successful conference in Glasgow at which 400 people were
present, talking about the availability of support in self employment.
For further information contact:
�
Report
on Carers Consultation
SDEF is represented, by the Manager, on the Stirling
Area Community Care Forum (SACCF).� During
the last year the SACCF has undertaken a survey of difficulties faced by
carers, this leading to a published report.� The work was commissioned by, and presented to, Stirling
Council.
To uncover the views of carers, a number of focus
groups were held throughout the council area, this taking place in a mixture
of urban and rural locations.� Additionally,
850 questionnaires were circulated to carers, eliciting 123 replies.�
The questionnaire was very detailed and included enquiries on; the
age of the carer; information on the person cared for; the number of hours
spent caring each week; the number of years in the role; the nature and
level of care provided; the health of the carer; the help which the carer
receives from individuals and from statutory and voluntary agencies; and the
effect of caring on family and social life.
Two networked meetings were also held to allow
carers and professionals to share perspectives.� These were designed to highlight what current services carers
found most useful, what improvements could be made to existing services and
what new services would be beneficial.
Although statistics featured heavily in the report,
there was also much use of personal accounts to illustrate the themes
uncovered.� Two full case
studies were offered and there were many quotes to highlight the specific
concerns of all including: young carers; those in rural areas; elderly
carers; those who had felt constrained to take early retirement or work
part-time; and those whose own health was poor.
One recommendation which emerged was the clear need
for a “one stop shop” to provide information to carers.�
Many were unaware of available services, including the right to a
Carer’s Assessment, and did not know where to seek information.�
It was also found that there was further scope for voluntary agencies
to provide clear advice on services.
This underlined the need for better liaison between
all the parties involved in care provision and, indeed for the carer’s
unique status to be recognised, as a service provider and fully fledged
partner.� It was felt that
agencies should engage better with carers to provide the necessary support
for them to continue in the role.�
The need for all carers to be assessed and have a
Care Plan was also highlighted.� This
would be greatly assisted by the full implementation of plans for a
“Carer’s Self Assessment Tool”.� This
is a form to be completed by carers to:
a)����
help them take stock of what they need, and
b)����
to inform professionals and help them arrange
appropriate services.
In a diverse area like that served by Stirling
Council, there is also clearly a need for flexible and reliable transport
services.� Finally, the critical
need for respite services was stressed.�
The report noted that there should be:
a)����
clear guidelines on what respite is
b)����
ready availability of short term and emergency
respite, and�
c)����
a “calendar” of planned respite to allow people
to make timely preparations.
The local authority is to be congratulated for
commissioning the work and for taking heed of all the recommendations.�
It is now imperative that the results feed into the Community
Planning process to improve the lives of people who give so much and whose
efforts benefit the broader community.
Perhaps your organisation is also involved with
carer’s issues.� Please let us
know what is happening in the broader community.
Wyn
Merrells
Manager
�
Contact
us if you would like your organisation to feature in the next newsletter.�
Please send your article to:
The
Editor,�����
Scottish
Disability Equality Forum����������
This Newsletter is available in alternative formats
on request.
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