Health charities win awards

Eight charities that cover a wide range of support services and disease areas are celebrating as winners in this year’s GlaxoSmithKline IMPACT Awards. Run in partnership with The King’s Fund, the eight each receive £25,000, four highly commended charities £5,000 and three runners up £3,000. As well as the funding boost the winners will attend a five-day development programme hosted by The King’s Fund.

Katie Pinnock, the corporate contributions director at GSK, said: “For 15 years, the IMPACT Awards have been rewarding innovative charities that transform people’s lives and over £4 million has been awarded. 

“This year’s winners showcase the incredible ways charities can make a difference and why it is so important that we continue to support them.”

The awards are open to charities with an income of between £10,000 and £1.5 million that are at least three years old. The name ‘IMPACT’ derives from the criteria they need to demonstrate: Innovation, Management, Partnership, Achievement, Community Focus and Targeting Need.

The 2012 winners are: Age UK Cheshire East; Beacon Counselling, Stockport; Blackburn and Darwen Healthy Living; Target Ovarian Cancer; Women’s Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre (Cornwall); Healthy Valleys (South Lanarkshire); Hepatitis C Trust; and the Women’s Health Information and Support Centre (Liverpool). The three Gold IMPACT Champions winners are: Crew 2000 (Edinburgh), HALE (Bradford) and The Metro Centre (South London and Kent).

An overall winner will be announced at the Science Museum in London on 17 May and will receive an additional £10,000 for their work.

New branding for disability arts festival

The Liverpool-based disability and deaf arts organisation Disability and Deaf Arts is taking on the name of its best known event, DaDaFest, the critically acclaimed international festival. 

DaDaFest also has a new website design. The ‘lightning’ design created by Liverpool agency Smiling Wolf was chosen following audience workshops and consultation to reflect DaDaFest’s “dynamic and disruptive nature.” 

Simon Rhodes, the creative director at Smiling Wolf, said: “DaDaFest is a force of nature, both artistically and politically. The lightning strike logo feels like a great visual shorthand for expressing DaDaFest’s energy.”

DaDaFest 2012 will run from 13 July to 2 September at established arts venues across Liverpool. The DaDaFest website www.dadafest.co.uk contains information about DaDaFest and this year’s international festival.

Surprise home inspections underway

The Care Quality Commission has begun a special programme of 250 unannounced inspections of home care services. Over the next three months the CQC will be carrying out inspections to test ways of getting better information about how services are performing and what people think about their services.

The inspections will run alongside CQC’s programme of planned inspections, under which it will inspect all of the 6,000 or so registered home care locations each year.

The 250 inspections build on what the regulator learned from a pilot programme of 30 inspections last autumn. CQC inspectors were joined by ‘experts by experience’ – people who have a personal experience of using home care services. Experts by experience and professional experts will also be involved in this inspection programme.

Philip King the director of regulatory development at the CQC, said: “Home care is an area where it has been difficult for regulators to carry out unannounced inspections. We clearly can’t turn up on someone’s doorstep hot on the heels of a carer without notice. And with a large number of small providers, inspectors need to be sure that there are sufficient staff available at the agency’s premises to assist with their questions without compromising care.

“This special programme of inspections will be based on unannounced inspections and will use a range of ways of getting the views of people who use services and their families.

“But we also want to use the programme to encourage providers to make sure their services comply with regulations and essential standards before their annual inspection takes place. Providers have been used to getting short notice of home care inspections: our message to all of them today is that we could be knocking on their door tomorrow.”

‘The Undateables’ ad campaign cleared by watchdog

After considering complaints about the advertising campaign launched to promote the controversial Channel 4’s series ‘The Undateables’, the Advertising Standards Agency has decided not to investigate.

The ad campaign prompted 21 complaints that the promotions offended disabled people and encouraged bullying and stereotyping.

However, a spokesman for the ASA said: “We acknowledged that the ads would not be to everyone’s taste but considered they reflected the tone and content of the programme they promoted and were not likely to cause serious or widespread offence for the reasons suggested.

“After careful consideration, ASA Council decided we will not be taking any further action.”

The three-part tv series, which began on 3 April and is available to watch online, explored how looking for love can be tricky and for some people it is harder than others. It followed the journeys of “several extraordinary singletons as they enter the dating circuit in pursuit of love, from a stand-up comedian with Tourettes and a trapeze artist with brittle bones, to a media student with Down’s Syndrome, an amateur poet with a learning disability, and a skateboarder with a facial disfigurement, the series followed them as they enter the world of blind dates, matchmakers and speed dating.”

The disability charity Mencap was concerned that the packaging of ‘The Undateables’ could “be seen to do more harm than good”, portraying people with disabilities in an “unflattering” way.

Mencap said: “We welcome any programme that tackles a crucial issue for people with a disability - their equal right to personal relationships - in a positive, informed way. It is an area we know that disabled people feel very strongly about. However, the packaging and representation of the programme by Channel 4 could be seen to do more harm than good by once again portraying people with a disability in an unflattering way, when many already feel excluded from mainstream society. 

“People with disabilities are under-represented in the media and public life, and a more constructive approach might be to see Channel 4 including people with a disability – for example, presenters and actors – in mainstream programming, rather than reinforcing stereotypes through sensationalist marketing.”

Workers attend campaign meeting to save Remploy

Disabled workers, who have had their livelihoods threatened by the proposed closure of 36 Remploy factories, will attend a campaign meeting this evening to discuss how to progress their campaign against closures – and to hear colleagues from across the country speak of their plight.

The Remploy workers are distraught at the company’s decision to shut 36 of the 54 Remploy sites this summer, with compulsory redundancies for 1,752 people, of whom 1,518 are disabled. The first closures are imminent and the remaining 18 factories will be forced to shut by the end of 2013.

The public meeting at Faraday House, on Old Gloucester Street, London, will be led by present and past Remploy workers who have vowed to fight the closures and will voice their opposition to the proposals. Loyal staff, outraged at this announcement, will be demanding that these proposals are dropped.

Mark Stewart, Unite shop steward and line worker at Remploy’s North London factory, said: “I was unemployed for nearly seven years before I started working at Remploy. For me, this meant an independence which benefits could not buy. I don’t want to go back to signing-on.

“Remploy workers should not be treated like this and we will fight to save our livelihoods. We want to work and not claim benefits.”

Ray Dearman, who worked for Remploy until the Brixton factory closed down four years ago, said: “In the four years since losing my job at Remploy, I have been for scores of job interviews only to receive rejection after rejection. All these knock backs has had a terrible affect on my mental health and I fear this will be repeated up-and-down the country, if these closures go ahead. 

“We have been told that we should be in mainstream employment, but there are simply no jobs out there for us.”

Disability campaigner joins charity board

Actress and campaigner for disability rights Julie Fernandez has joined the board of trustees of Mobility Choice, the charity which works to enable disabled people of all ages and abilities to enjoy greater independence through increased mobility.

Born with brittle bone disease and undergoing nearly 70 operations to fix 100 fractures, Julie has always viewed her disability as a positive attribute which allows her to think ‘outside the box’. She hopes that her personal experiences will benefit the future development of the charity.

Julie said: “I love the charity’s annual Mobility Roadshow and am always amazed at the wide selection of exciting accessible motoring and independent living products brought together in one place to try and out and compare.

“With fresh ideas in the pipeline I am looking forward to contributing and helping to develop the work of this much needed charity.”

Ann Frye the chair of Mobility Choice said: “We are delighted to have Julie working with us. Her personal experience, as well as her determination to promote inclusivity and greater choice for people with disabilities, will be a great asset to our future development plans.”

Gearing up to enjoy greater independence

Ex para-trooper William Johnson, 40, from Farnborough, has experienced a new lease of life after being medically discharged from the army due to a brain tumour. He had always enjoyed an active lifestyle with a love for outdoor activities but his condition led to difficulties in remaining mobile and being able to drive.

Thanks to a TGA Vita mobility scooter from Hexagon Healthcare, which he was first introduced to while watching a scooter challenge on BBC Top Gear he is now able to get out and about.

William’s wife Katy said: “As I work full time as a speech and language therapist at the Royal Surrey Hospital we really needed to discover a way of making sure William could go about his daily life independently, even though he now lives with restricted mobility. 

“It was only when he saw a ‘cool’ and rugged TGA mobility scooter on Top Gear that William decided this was the answer. He had always considered them to be for more mature people and didn’t realise their amazing capabilities these days.”

William contacted Hexagon Healthcare near Farnham after the programme and he said: “Although the TGA Vita Sport I now own was not on the show, I felt it would be best for me. Not only can I now venture out alone, Katy and I can once again enjoy walks in the countryside together.”

Inspired to freedom by BBC Top Gear and TGA: William Johnson from Farnborough on his new TGA Vita Sport with his wife Katy

Blind people share concerns about plans to replace DLA

RNIB has produced some short films with blind people who are concerned about the changes from Disability Living Allowance, DLA, to Personal Independence Payment, PIP. 

The films give an insight into what blind people use their DLA on and how vital it is to their lives. Terri, Siobhan and David who feature in the films each face different challenges and their DLA helps them to face these challenges. 

The department for work and pensions consultation on the new PIP criteria is due to close on 30 April. 

RNIB believes the criteria for the new benefit fails to recognise that sight loss is a serious disability and that people face extensive extra costs if they can’t see – and it could ultimately remove tens of millions of pounds from blind and partially sighted people. 

The charity says changes to benefits payments will hit blind and partially sighted people hard. To find out more see RNIB’s campaign on the website www.rnib.org.uk/pip. The films can be viewed at http://www.rnib.org.uk/getinvolved/campaign/yourmoney/personalindependence/Pages/PIP_films.aspx.

Nurses now able to provide faster pain relief

Nurses and pharmacists who are qualified as ‘independent prescribers’ will now be able to prescribe controlled drugs like morphine, diamorphine and prescription-strength co-codamol, following changes to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations.

They will also be able to prescribe controlled drugs in community pain clinics for patients with long-term conditions such as arthritis. 

The changes only apply to nurses, pharmacists and midwives who have the right experience and who have successfully completed additional post-registration training. 

Patients will no longer have to wait for a doctor to sign a prescription, which means they will be able to receive urgent pain relief more quickly. 

Chief nursing officer, Professor Dame Chris Beasley, said: “These changes will help deliver faster and more effective care, making it easier for patients to get the medicines they need, without compromising safety.”

Sophie’s re-connected to her lifeline

A Derby teenager who faced losing a vital means of contact with her deaf parents after running up a mobile phone bill for £400 has turned her cash-crisis around, thanks to an innovative new training project.

Sophie Probert, 18, from Mackworth, uses her mobile to text her parents, so when she was faced with being cut off she “panicked.” When Sophie heard about the Barclays Money Skills ‘champions’ she could immediately identify how it could help her, and her friends manage their money more effectively. Intensive training and support is provided to equip young people with the knowledge, skills and confidence to share this information with their peer group.

The project is a partnership between Barclays and a number of youth charities, including Rathbone and the National Youth Agency.

Sophie was one of the first to receive the  training. It has helped her to get things under control and she is now living in her own home and paying her own bills. 

Linda Owen, a support worker at Rathbone who trained Sophie to become a Barclays Money Skills ‘champion’ said: “Not only is this project an amazing opportunity to gain skills in money management, it also helps to improve confidence and communication skills, and opens up the chance to educate others.”

The Rathbone charity recently merged with national training provider NCG, which works from 45 locations and divisions across the UK. For more information see website www.rathboneuk.org. 

Disability sport summit drives disabled sports legacy

The sport sector needs to do more to attract disabled participants. Speaking at the government’s first Disability Sport Summit at the Emirates Stadium in London, the culture minister Jeremy Hunt urged all governing bodies to use the unique opportunity created by the London 2012 Paralympics to integrate disability sports provision into their Whole Sports Plans and boost participation.

Jeremy Hunt said: “In the year that the Paralympic Games come home I want to see a transformation in sport for people with disabilities. Now is the time for everybody to up their game, creating real sporting opportunities for disabled people. That’s why within the School Games I’m delighted that we now have disabled children playing competitive sport alongside their peers.”

Sport England will be investing £8m of funding from the Places People Play programme to help overcome some of the barriers that make it harder for disabled people to do sport.

The summit brought together disability sports bodies in the UK to set out the government’s objective of making disability sport a higher priority. It aimed to build on work already done to integrate disability sport into the mainstream in schools through the School Games, which includes a compulsory disability sport element.

Jeremy Hunt watches children playing sitting volleyball at the Disability Sport Summit. Photo: DCMS

Simon Weston to open Naidex National

The Falklands War veteran Simon Weston will be opening the Naidex National 2012 show on Tuesday 1 May. He will give a talk in the Strategic Theatre followed by a Q&A session. 

In 1982 the Welsh Guardsman was on board the Sir Galahad when it was destroyed in Bluff Cove on the Falkland Islands. He sustained 46 per cent burns and has since had 70 operations and surgical procedures. 

Naidex National takes place at Birmingham NEC from 1-3 May and offers an opportunity to test and compare hundreds of products under one roof. From paediatric care and wheelchair accessible vehicles to clothing, home adaptations and mobility aids, it aims to offer something for everyone.

Simon Weston said: “I am really looking forward to seeing all the innovative products on display to promote independent living. Without events like this many people would not be aware of what support is out there so I hope that everyone comes to take full advantage of what is on offer at this fantastic, free event.” 

Entry is free and visitors can register for tickets at website www.naidex.co.uk/national.

Audio described garden tours

To coincide with this year’s Chelsea Flower Show, the first Chelsea Fringe Festival will take place over three weeks from 19 May to 10 June. The festival will be showcasing more about gardens than can take place at the show itself – and access will be on the agenda for the first time.

VocalEyes and Accessible Gardens will be running two pilot audio described garden tours of the Chelsea Physic Garden on Wednesday 30 May at 11am and 2pm. 

They are looking for green-fingered blind and partially sighted people or those who may just enjoy visiting gardens to join them on one of the tours to sample and then feedback on the experience, to establish and share good practice for access to gardens in the future.

To join one of the tours e-mail enquiries@vocaleyes.co.uk or call 020 7375 1043.

Centre for elderly and disabled groups picks up momentum

A new community resource space in Long Eaton, the Noble Independent Living Centre, is now attracting groups including Mencap, Parkinson’s, the MS Society and Erewash VIPs. 

The large accessible centre provides space for all elderly and disabled organisations to hold seminars, demonstrations, classes and meetings in a well equipped, modern environment, complete with its own café with complementary broadband. 

With ample seating and state of the art audio visual facilities, the centre is also close to picturesque, accessible parkland and the centre’s own allotment, where it produces natural produce for the café.

Building on its initial success, the centre has plans to run a number of additional activities including a book club, writing, painting and poetry classes, history, yoga, chess and bridge clubs and a variety of performing arts classes and events including comedy, big bands, choirs and drama.

Centre manager Oliver Scott said: “We established the centre to raise awareness for elderly and disabled people, to help them to live independently. By launching the centre with a network of supporters behind it, we hope to contribute towards safeguards against poverty among these groups.”

£1 billion cuts heightens crisis in elderly care

In response to the investigation reported in the Independent newspaper on 18 April 2012 that hundreds of thousands of elderly and disabled people face cuts to their support and assistance this year as councils struggle to find new savings of £1bn from social-care budgets, Jeff Skipp, the chief executive of About Me and Deafblind UK said: “The financial crisis in social care has been building over the past few years. 

“A combination of zero or below inflationary fee increases to providers and fixed rate contract sums in some local authority areas with hourly rates as low as £11.80 has lead many organisations that bid for contracts at this rate to focus on large volumes, offer pay rates at national minimum wage levels and provide training only to the level that meets CQC registration. 

“As a consequence we end up with a high percentage of low paid and undervalued workforce in social care. These financial pressures have also led to the commissioning of 15 minute visits where older customers have had to choose between having a meal or being toileted – this is hardly the vision of dignified care enabling older people to live valued lifestyles in their own homes.”

o About Me Care and Support and About Me Brokerage are two new social enterprises and wholly owned subsidiaries of Deafblind UK launched to deliver a new level of personalised care and support for people with single or dual sensory impairments and disabilities.

Charity announces two new social enterprises

The charity dedicated to improving the lives of those with dual sensory impairments, Deafblind UK, has launched two social enterprises to deliver a new level of personalised care and support.

About Me (Care and Support Limited) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Deafblind UK that delivers specialist care and support services previously offered by the charity, offering a real alternative to residential care. In addition to targeting those who are deafblind, the new organisation enables people with single sensory impairments to benefit from the bespoke packages of care and support on offer.

 A separate new organisation is About Me Brokerage. Partly funded by the department of health to help deliver a brokerage service for people with disabilities, About Me Brokerage empowers individuals by providing expert advice and support to help them gain control over the delivery of their care plans.

Jeff Skipp the chief executive of Deafblind UK and About Me said: “Transferring the management of contracted services from Deafblind UK to About Me has very real advantages to the charity on an operational and funding level and will enable many more people to benefit from the expert services that we offer.”

Break state monopoly over mental health counselling, urges report

Reliance on narrow range of therapies is failing patients and the NHS is failing to offer the mentally ill a full choice of psychological counselling and therapies, according to a report published by the Centre for Social Justice.

The report, Commissioning Effective Talking Therapies, is highly critical of the NHS’s talking therapy service and urges the NHS to slash its red tape and use therapists from the private and voluntary sector to allow people more choice, improved services and equal access.

 At present, many therapies offered by specialists in the private and voluntary sector are not yet recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.

Benjamin Fry, the co-author of the report and psychotherapist with his own private practice, said: “The needs of those who cannot afford to pay for treatment but whose recovery will not be achieved through the limited range of therapies Improving Access to Psychological Therapies offers, are going unmet.

“The much smaller non-IAPT services in the NHS employ a far wider range of therapies than IAPT and still adhere to the patient safety aspects of NICE guidelines very strictly and successfully.”

Triathlon challenge for all abilities

Leonard Cheshire Disability is urging teens to sign up to take part in a fundraising triathlon event at Crystal Place National Sports Centre in South London on 19 August. Tri Together is a unique sprint distance triathlon for people of all ages and abilities to swim, bike and run together.

To meet the rising demand for triathlons for young people in the UK, a junior race has been introduced for those aged 13-16.

The junior race starts with a 300m indoor pool swim, followed by an 8km cycle and 2.4km on closed roads within the surrounds of Crystal Palace Park. This event is perfect for teens who may already be competing on a regular basis or for those who want to try out their first triathlon.

Tri Together is also a fully inclusive event so young disabled people are welcome to take part using adaptive cycles such as tandems or hand cycles and sports wheelchairs. Young people can take part on their own or share the challenge in a relay team with family and friends. There will be a wide range of prizes, including prizes for Tri Star 3s (13/14 years and Youths (15/16years).

Voted ‘Race of the Year’ by the public for triathlons with fewer than 500 entries at the 220 Triathlon Awards, Tri Together was also shortlisted for the British Triathlon Event of the Year 2011.

There is no minimum sponsorship for under 17s, but the charity asks entrants to raise as much as they can to support disabled people of all ages across the UK.

Specialist autism respite care home opens

Providing young people with autistic spectrum disorders with a ‘home from home’ experience in a safe environment, Priory Oliver House School in Chorley is expanding its services with the opening of a respite home close to the school.

The new facility builds on the education and care provision at Oliver House School to offer respite care placements for up to eight children aged 7-19.

The home has been designed to support young people and their families and carers in times of need, providing tailored packages and specifically devised programmes for flexible short-term breaks and respite care packages.

The unit offers spacious and homely accommodation with the opportunity for both privacy and shared living. All bedrooms are large single rooms with en-suite facilities and are adapted to the individual needs of each young person. 

Wendy Sparling, the principal at Oliver House School, said: “The focus of the new respite care service is on small group living with a dedicated team of staff providing the necessary care and support for young people with autism, sensory impairments, complex learning requirements and health needs.

 “We aim to keep parents and carers informed of all aspects of the young person’s learning and care throughout the stay and to work in close partnership to ensure that both parties get the best possible outcome from the respite care.”

International flavour

Speakers from China, Australia and France will bring an international flavour to HC2012 at the Business Design Centre, London on 2-3 May.

The conference and exhibition for health informatics run by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT in association with the Guardian, is free to attend for all delegates and the international speakers will give an insight into how they have successfully engaged and integrated information and IT into day to day practice.

The conference will be hosted by broadcaster Nick Ross and over the course of the two days delegates will also hear from senior figures from the department of health, NHS and other national bodies. 

The international and NICE streams will feature the following topics:

m Quality management in a Norwegian hospital, Morten Skjorshammer, chief executive and Andy Hyde, director of quality management

m Chinese Informatics Innovations, Dr Qi Li, Harvard Medical International, Global Medical director, Harris Healthcare

m Australia Broadband and Informatics Innovations in Australian Healthcare

m France E-Health Projects in France, Speakers from Ministry of Health, ASIP-Santé, ANAP and LESISS

There will also be an international round table where all the international speakers will gather to discuss the opportunities for international trade.

In addition, the UKTI will also be running TechWorld@HC2012 bringing key medical technology purchasers from around the world to the event.

Don’t miss out on chance to vote

The Electoral Commission and Scope are calling on disabled people to act now or risk losing their vote in May’s elections.

With the registration deadline of Wednesday 18 April fast approaching, the commission is encouraging those who have not yet registered to see website www.aboutmyvote.co.uk where they can print off a voter registration form.

Large print registration forms and information, as well as audio guides to voting, are available on this website. Helpline staff, on 0800 3 280 280, will also be on hand to answer any queries in the run-up to the elections.

People who cannot, or do not wish to, go to a polling station in person can also apply to vote by post or by proxy, where the voter nominates someone to vote on their behalf.

Samantha Mills, head of campaigns at the Electoral Commission, said: “We don’t want anyone to miss the opportunity to have their say at the elections so it’s important to register before the deadline of April 18. It only takes a few minutes and by doing so you will be able to have your say on the way local services are run. It’s your voice, don’t lose it.”  

Wheelchair user breaks barriers

Darren Cossey from Rochford, Essex, who is a wheelchair user, is taking part in the 2012 Virgin London Marathon on behalf of national disability charity Livability.

Darren is one of five wheelchair users who will race at the rear of  the mass field in this year’s Virgin London Marathon on 22 April with thousands of non-disabled runners. Darren’s challenge will help raise funds to support disabled people in the UK.

Darren, 38, became disabled after a motorcycle accident in August 1995 and he has since taken part in various charity fundraising initiatives.

Darren said: “I decided to take part in the marathon because I wanted to show that being disabled doesn’t mean that you can’t challenge yourself and achieve great things. I also wanted to fundraise for Livability as it is a great charity that supports disabled people. I really wanted to help others who are less fortunate and able than I am.’’

Anyone wanting to support Darren can go to website virginmoneygiving.com/darrencossey.

Opticians recommends eating for eye health

Consuming too much beef, lamb and pork can increase the chances of developing Age-Related Macular Degeneration according to a study into AMD conducted by The Royal College of Ophthalmology. 

AMD affects around two and half million people a year and can result in blindness but the study showed that it can be preventable, through better eye care and diet. 

In response Specsavers Opticians has developed a special healthy eyes diet to raise awareness of the importance of food for every aspect of our health.

Paul Carroll, director of professional services at Specsavers, said: “The right diet is particularly beneficial in protecting the macular, an area of the retina, from the effects of oxidation, which causes gradual wear and tear to the cells in the eye. This is the part of the retina that gives us our most acute and detailed vision for tasks, such as reading, recognising faces and watching television, so it is important to protect it.”

Foods which contain high levels of the antioxidants – beta-carotene, lutein and vitamins C and E – appear to reduce the risk of developing the condition. Foods such as pepper, broccoli, sweet potatoes, citrus fruits and dark green leafy vegetables, like spinach and kale, are rich in these antioxidants.

In addition to following a healthy diet, the College of Optometrists recommends that people have an eye test every two years.

Meet the OT and find solutions at Naidex National

Anyone in need of advice from an occupational therapist, who has struggled to get an appointment or afford private services, could find this year’s Naidex National has the answer. The UK’s largest disability, rehabilitation and homecare show at Birmingham NEC in May offers the opportunity to speak face to face with a qualified OT, free of charge. 

Meet the OT is the unique feature being organised by the College of Occupational Therapists Specialist Section – Independent Practitioners, COTSS-IP, and will provide an invaluable opportunity to receive help and advice during 20 minute one-on-one sessions. 

With ongoing budget cuts and pressure on training funds it is becoming increasingly difficult to enhance CPD portfolios – so Naidex National has made a particular effort to invest in free learning at this year’s show. 

By working closely with Kate Sheehan a leading occupational therapist from The OT Practice the organisers aim to ensure that a day at Naidex National really achieves results for all healthcare professionals. 

Susan Carini from the Healthcare Professions Council said: “Naidex is a great opportunity to find out about latest developments in your profession, network with colleagues, attend informative CPD seminars and meet representatives from the HPC who are on hand to answer your questions. The show also offers direct access to the latest products, a wide variety of exhibitors and education in the form of seminars, workshops and practical demonstrations.”

All healthcare professionals attending the Naidex Conference will receive a CPD accreditation certificate.

Topics of interest to SLTs will include working with swallowing difficulties and the paediatric session from Janet O’Keefe. Case managers can engage in topics such as kitchen and bathroom design and the impact on their clients’ choice and control, while those working with orthotics and prosthetics will receive seminars from leaders within the industry. 

There will also be a selection of paediatric seminars in the Kidequip Zone, organised by Sensory Plus. 

Naidex National takes place at Birmingham NEC from 1–3 May. To register for free tickets see website www.naidex.co.uk/national. Time slots in Meet the OT are available for individuals, families or groups see www.naidex.co.uk/MeetTheOT. 

Sponsorship boost for charity

Vitalise, a charity that provides essential respite breaks for people with disabilities, visually impaired people and carers, is to be sponsored by travel recruitment consultancy Progressive Personnel.

James Roberts, the general manager at the firm, was approached to help with recruiting a new bookings team for Vitalise and was so inspired that he suggested a partnership with the charity on a permanent basis.

Progressive Personnel is now working to recruit a team of eight reservations staff by May 2012 at no cost and will continue to work with Vitalise to build on their current success.

Vitalise provided more than 4,400 essential breaks last year at three fully accessible UK centres.

Vitalise Holidays organises holidays in the UK and overseas for visually impaired adults, accompanied by sighted guides.

GP specialist appointed to role with National Diabetes Audit

A professor who has been involved with diabetes care, research and education throughout his career, has been appointed GP clinical lead for the National Diabetes Audit.

Roger Gadsby, who has written several books and more than 300 articles and papers on diabetes, has served on diabetes guideline development groups for both NICE and the International Diabetes Federation. He has also worked for and advised many national academic and health institutions has spend nearly 35 years as a practicing GP.

He will play a crucial role in ensuring the audit, the largest of its kind in the world, continues to provide key information about diabetes care and outcomes that is vital to improving patient care in England and Wales.

Canine companion makes life easier for James

Ten years ago James Crossley was injured while carrying out his job as tree surgeon leaving him paralysed from the waist down and with an Acquired Brain Injury.

 Thirty-two-year-old James, who lives in Baschurch, Shropshire, uses a wheelchair and has home support provided by a personal assistant from complex care providers The Complete Group.

Two months ago his life was transformed with the additional help of a canine friend – Winter an assistance dog, trained and provided by West Sussex-based charity Canine Partners.

Despite being with James for only two months, Winter has already made an impact on James quality of life.

James said: “Winter is absolutely amazing, she has made a huge difference to my life, keeping me mentally and physically active. She is trained to pick up things when I drop them, fetch a mobile phone if I fall, and even press the correct button for me to access lifts.”