Welcome to the February edition of Supporting You.We hope that this issue gives you a flavour of the many things happening in South Gloucestershire to help people feel more involved, informed and equipped to have greater choice and control over their lives.

On pages 2 and 3 you can find out about what’s happening this year to give people more flexibility and control to choose the help and support they get. This more personalised approach includes Promoting Independence (Reablement), the introduction of direct payment cards and the development of a support provider list. You can also discover more about support for Personal Assistants (PAs) and their employers in South Gloucestershire. If you are a PA, or are thinking of becoming one, we would love to hear from you.

There are even more ways to have your say, share your experiences and comment on the issues that you feel strongly about:

❙ See page 3 for details of ‘Living my life, my way’, a blog for anyone with an interest in health and social care in South Gloucestershire

❙ Find out about Healthwatch South Gloucestershire on page 6❙ Make sure your views on dementia services are included as part of the

Care Quality Commission’s inspection – see page 7

You can contact us with any general comments and ideas too. Email: cchengagement@southglos.gov.uktel: 01454 862356 or twitter@SGlosCCH.

Supportingyou

www.southglos.gov.uk

February 2014 Issue 5

The newsletter for everyone who receives adult care support from South Gloucestershire Council

In this issue ...

p2 Supporting you to be more independent

p11 Well Aware makes a difference

p8 Volunteering to support GP practices

Supportingyou

Supporting you to be more independentThere are some exciting developments happening over the comingyear that will mean you can benefit from a more personalised approachand have a lot more say and control over the type of support you get.

Our Promoting Independence approach builds on each person’s abilities, individual experiences and potential for independence - so that the support you choose focuses on the things you want to achieve. We know that people benefit the most when, wherever possible, they can be supported to make the most of the resources they have around them and to build and sustain the relationships and connections that are important to them.

Promoting Independence (Reablement)

As covered in the July 2013 issue, a small ‘reablement’ service that has beenrunning in South Gloucestershire for the last two years will soon be availableto the majority of people needing help to live at home - typically after a stayin hospital or when continuing to live at home is starting to get difficult. Promoting Independence (Reablement) aims to restore people’s independence and improve their quality of life so they can continue to live in their own homes with the right level of support.

To achieve this, individuals agree the goals they want to aim for and an intensive programme of support is delivered by a team of South Gloucestershire Council occupational therapists and social workers, together with specialist reablement workers from Brunelcare. Your goals could include: gaining confidence with mobility; washing and bathing; preparing meals; taking medication; arranging help with shopping or gardening; re-building social contacts, and going to local activities.

Promoting Independence (Reablement) takes between one and six weeks according to an individual’s needs and progress. The service is available to everyone living in South Gloucestershire who meets the Fair Access to Care Services criteria and requires support to live at home.

Promoting Independence (Reablement) will normally be the first service that anyone receives before the need for longer term support is assessed. The pilot project has shown that this approach can be really successful at maximising independence and the new service will support nearly 100 people at a time.

Support for personal assistants Many people who receive a direct payment choose to use the money to employ a Personal Assistant (PA). This means that they can choose who supports them, when that person works for them and the kinds of tasks they do.

We are working on a number of initiatives to support and expand the PA workforce, including peer support groups, web information and ensuring all PAs have access to regular training and refresher courses.

If you are a PA or you are thinking of becoming one, please call Claire, Partnership Officer on 01454 865929 or email CCHengagement@southglos.gov.uk

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Although people being discharged from hospital will continue to be the priority, the service will be able to help many people in the community too. For more information contact Rebecca Harrold on 01454 868228

More flexibility and choice for people who receive direct payments

Many people who have help from Promoting Independence (Reablement) do not need any continued social care support after a few weeks, but further support can be arranged towards the end of the six week period if necessary.

When it is recognised that some financial support is needed longer term, this takes the form of a personal budget. Individuals can then choose how they use their personal budget to help them achieve what they have agreed is important. We want to give people more flexibility, choice and control over their care so that they can live at home more independently and have full and active lives. We know that people are increasingly choosing to meet their care and support needs in a variety of different ways.

We are currently reviewing the ways in which personal budgets and direct payments can be used, so that people can explore more innovative and creative options that work for them. We are consulting with residents, service users and carers to find out the kinds of service and support they would like to be able to buy and what other activities they would like to fund with a personal budget.

❙ We will soon be introducing payment cards for people to receive their direct payments. This means that people will no longer have to open a new bank account for their direct payment, how the money is spent will be automatically tracked to cut down on paperwork and the card will be safer, more secure and simple to use

❙ We will be setting up a list of recognised support providers. This will mean that people who are looking for help to arrange their support and care, or to manage their direct payment, can choose from a list of providers who adhere to a clear quality framework that meets our standards and who will be checked on a regular basis. The providers will include organisations who can help with a range of issues such as support planning, engaging a home care agency, employing a personal assistant (PA), financial planning and budgeting and building connections within your local community. Specialist providers will also be included, for example those who administer payroll or work with service users with specific impairments.

If you already receive direct payments we will be contacting you personally to tell you more about payment cards and the list of recognised providers. We will make sure you have all the information and support you need to change to using the new services.

For more information contact Kirsty Eastham, Strategy andPartnerships Manager, 01454 865908.

Sharing your storyLiving my life, my way is a blog which will be open soon for your comments. We want to hear from anyone with an interest in health and social care in South Gloucestershire, including people who are supported by services, their carers, families and friends as well as those working to support others. It is your chance to voice what is good about the support you receive or give, what could be better and your ideas for improvement.

You can also take part in an online conversation with people who use and provide adult care support and ask for solutions to any issues you have.

The site will include lots of useful information and links – whether you want guidance to choose the help and support that’s right for you to live your life and feel part of your local community, you’re looking to become or employ a PA, or you work in health and social care.

See www.southglos.gov.uk/livingmylife for more details and to take part.

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Home Carer of the year awards Thank you for all your nominations for Home Carer of the Year Award. All the people nominated were celebrated at an uplifting event on 7 October at Emersons Green Village Hall. They were proudly supported by several people receiving home care and their families, who put them forward for the award.

Nicola Davis from Brunelcare has been crowned South Gloucestershire Home Carer of the Year. Nicola was nominated by two service users, Iris Mullins and Wilmot Richardson. Mr Richardson said of Nicola’s work: “All carers do a valuable job but some outshine in their dedication, Nikki is one of them. She has been my carer for the past five years and is efficient and very pleasant. I can’t thank her enough for the difference she has made to my quality of life, always giving respect for my dignity and giving support to my wife.”

Kellie Cutler from Mi Home Care and Olivia Kipling from Brunelcare were both runners up.

Councillor Matthew Riddle, Chair of the Adults and Housing Committee, presented the awards. He said: “This event provides an opportunity for people receiving support and South Gloucestershire Council to recognise the wonderful work that home carers carry out on a daily basis. The difference this can make to the lives of people is invaluable and I would like to congratulate all those who were nominated for the wonderful work you do, you are all winners.”

Here are all the wonderful home carers who were nominated:

❙ Bradley House Home Care - Kelly Holmes❙ Brunel Care - Sharon Powell, Cherry Stephenson. ❙ Care First - Ann Fry❙ Care Horizons - Graham Webster ❙ Care UK - Debbie Barry, Julie Lush (received two nominations), Emma

Backwell, Clare Baker, Alison Barter, Kriss Hart, Trudy Leaver, Lynne Nurse, Julie Thompson, Julie Van Der Burgt, Tracey Nye

Your chance to make your nominations for the Care and Support West Awards Nikki, Kellie and Olivia, the winners and runners up for the South Gloucestershire Home Carer of the Year Award will be put forward for the Care and Support West annual care awards.

Please feel free to nominate any of the staff who support you. The deadline for nominations is 28 February 2014, and the categories are:

❙ Care Home Registered Manager

❙ Home Care Registered Manager

❙ Supported Living Front Line Worker

❙ Care Home Front Line Worker

❙ Home Care Front Line Worker

❙ Day Services Front Line Worker

❙ Personal Assistant

Nomination forms and further details are available from www.careandsupportwest.co.uk

You can also phone Pauline Rutland on 01373 834317 and she will post the information to you.

Kellie, Nicola and Olivia pictured with Cllr Mathew Riddle, Chair of the Adults and Housing Committee

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Making a difference to adults with autism The Department of Health (DoH) is measuring the progress it has made since the launch of the government’s Adult Autism Strategy Fulfilling and Rewarding Lives in 2010.

The strategy has five areas for action aimed at improving the lives of adults with autism:

❙ increasing awareness and understanding of autism

❙ developing clear, consistent pathways for diagnosis of autism

❙ improving access for adults with autism to services and support

❙ helping adults with autism into work

❙ enabling local partners to develop relevant services.

As part of the formal review, each local authority had to complete a self assessment in the autumn. Ours was similar to the national picture in that we are doing well in some areas such as training for staff but that we have progress to make in others.

The DoH is due to publish a brief report along with some of the case studies that were included in the feedback. The full report will be out in March 2014. All of the results will shortly be published online on the Improving Health and Lives website – see http://www.improvinghealthandlives.org.uk/projects/autism2013 for more details.

❙ Cherish Able Care - Jane Baker❙ Mears - Barbara Steadman, Hannah Tiley ❙ Milestones Trust - Cheralyn Waldron❙ Network Health and Social Care - Wendy Cole, Lavina Smith, and Lorraine Staley❙ Nursing Solutions - Sarah Bryant

bike Minded Kingswood

Now that the days are getting lighter and spring is almost in sight, why not try a taster session or a bike ride to improve your mental health and wellbeing, with Bike Minded’s experienced team of instructors and volunteers?

We can help you to experience the joy and freedom of getting out into the countryside, finding out what cycling can offer you and taking part in a sociable, healthy activity that improves mental wellbeing.

If you live in Kingswood or the surrounding areas and you are experiencing or recovering from mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, stress, bi-polar or any other condition that affects your mental wellbeing, you can self-refer or be referred by another agency to the Bike Minded Kingswood scheme. We can also help participants to get a low cost bike through our bike recycling scheme, access low cost maintenance sessions and receive personalised cycle training (suitable for beginners or those that just need a refresher).

Bike Minded Kingswood is supported by funding from South Gloucestershire Council. To find out more please contact Heather Pugh on 0117 3534580 by text: 07584 324 470 or email: bikeminded@lifecycleuk.org.uk

Supportingyou ❘ FEBruary 2014

Healthwatch South Gloucestershire can help you and your family get the best out of your local health and social care services.

It has been set up as an independent champion, so that you can be involved and use your voice to influence and help shape your local services according to what your community wants and needs.

We have a vital role in signposting you to the services you need, which we have chosen to do through Well Aware (see article on page 11).

Healthwatch South Gloucestershire formally represents service users on the local Health and Wellbeing Board. We also have the right to challenge services and to enter and view them including hospital wards, mental health services and care homes to see what is working well and what isn’t.

Please tell us about your experiences, good or bad, and we can use your feedback to help improve the way services are designed and delivered now and in the future. We are particularly looking at rural health needs, mental health, disability, older people and dementia and long term conditions in South Gloucestershire.

You can contact us by:

Telephone: 01454 543 402 Email: info@healthwatchsouthglos.co.uk Website: www.healthwatchsouthglos.co.uk Twitter: @HWSouthglos Facebook: Healthwatch South Gloucestershire Post: Freepost RSBS-YBHY-RYLL Healthwatch,

The Care Forum, The Vassall Centre, Gill Ave, Bristol BA16 2QQ

We are looking for more Healthwatch volunteers. Our volunteers bring us the stories and experiences of people in a local community group that they belong to. They also feed back information from Healthwatch to the group, keeping them involved and informed about health and social care.

Contact The Care Forum Tel: 0117 9589 363 Email: volunteering@thecareforum.org.uk

Friendship clubsWhy not join a friendship club or think about setting up a new one?

Friendship clubs are for older people who like gentle exercise, games and socialising over a cup of tea or coffee. From time to time we also put on ‘specials’ such as healthy eating workshops and excursions. All the clubs are managed by the community for the community and are coached by a friendly, approachable instructor with a specialist qualification in exercise and health for older people.

From small beginnings in 2010 there are now eight clubs across South Gloucestershire, with 5,000 attendances in 2013. We have applied for fresh funding and are now looking for other communities who would like to start up a club and help other older people to keep active and forge new friendships.

Could you help? To find out more about joining or starting a club, please call: 01454 862296 or 07825 155 954 for an informal chat. You can also visit: www.southglos.gov.uk and enter “friendship clubs” in the search box to find out when and where the clubs are taking place. By the way, the first session is free (a small fee per session thereafter).

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'Think ABC before A&E’ says NHSYou may have heard or seen the local campaign to help people choose the right health service when they are feeling unwell or are injured – allowing busy services like A&E to treat people who need them most.

Follow the ABC steps (pictured below). South Gloucestershire’s local minor injuries units are at West Gate Centre, Yate and at Southmead Hospital, and there’s a walk-in centre at the Orchard Medical Centre, Kingswood.

You can download the South Gloucestershire Service Finder app from your iPhone app store or iTunes account, using search term ‘southglos’ or ‘south gloucestershire service finder’. It will soon be available for android phones and tablets.

To find out your best options for treatment either call 111 or your GP, or visit www.thinkabc.org.uk.

In a serious life-threatening emergency do not wait, call 999 for immediate assistance.

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Give your feedback on local dementia services

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) will be inspecting dementia services in the South Gloucestershire local authority area before the end of February 2014. CQC need to hear from anyone who has used dementia services in the past year, family members or carers.

Ways to share your experiences:

1. Complete the quick on-line survey by 23 February 2014 Go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/XXDY7FK and answer a few questions

2. Ring the CQC helpline on 03000 616161 between 8.30-5pm, Monday to Friday and ask to talk to someone about the South Gloucestershire dementia services inspection. Calls will be charged at the standard rate

3. Write to CQC National Customer Service Centre, Citygate, Gallowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne. NE1 4PA

4. Send an email to enquiries@cqc.org.uk

Care Quality Commission will treat all information it receives confidentially, with care and sensitivity. To find out more about our role as regulator of health and care services, visit www.cqc.org.uk

If you were one of the 1000 service users randomly selected to receive an Adult Social Care Survey from the council, we would appreciate your views. Please get your completed survey back to us by 20 February.

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Get involved in volunteering to support south Gloucestershire GP practices with the retired and senior Volunteer Program (rsVP)RSVP is a programme that helps engage and support volunteers who are over 50 to become active in their community. There are currently 17,000 volunteers giving their time to support over 250 RSVP projects and services across the UK.

RSVP West has over 900 active members with offices based in the CREATE Centre in Hotwells, Bristol, which is staffed entirely by volunteers.

RSVP is working with South Gloucestershire Council to tackle loneliness and isolation through the Precious Time Project. In helping others feel more confident and connected to their local community, RSVP volunteers find a new lease of life themselves and become excellent advocates for healthy, active ageing.

In partnership with South Gloucestershire GP surgeries, our volunteers take older people who are registered with the same surgery as them to and from doctor and hospital appointments. The volunteer is able to claim mileage expenses for this. Where an older person would like some company, our volunteers can visit them for a cup of tea and a chat, or perhaps to help with shopping and gardening.

Surgery schemes are currently running at:

Frome Valley Medical Centre, Frampton CotterellBefriending older people in their own homes

Hanham Health Practice, Hanham and OldlandDrivers take older people to and from the surgery

Leap Valley Health Centre, Downend and YateWe are actively seeking volunteers to befriend older people in their homes

MS Centre, Bradley StokeVolunteers provide transport to and from the centre

Please contact John Griffiths if you or you know of anybody who can help by volunteering, or if you use any of the above surgeries or the MS Centre and are interested in receiving support.

John Griffiths RSVP Co-ordinator for BANES and South GloucestershireEmail: john.griffiths@rsvp-west.org.ukMobile: 07720 458584 For details of the full range of all RSVP projects running locally go to http://www.rsvp-west.org.uk/

Supportingyou ❘ FEBrUArY 2014

The new Memory Café in Patchway has been running since November 2013. The group is friendly and informal and welcomes all people with dementia and their families. The Memory Café is run by volunteers with support from Southern Brooks Community Partnership, as part of the Patchway Dementia Action Alliance.

The café meets on the third Monday of the month, and community transport is available. Please contact Eleanor Fairbrother on 01454 868570 or e-mail dementia@southernbrooks.org.uk for more information.

Details of other Memory Cafés are available from www.southglos.gov.uk/dementia

exciting developments in dementia services across South Gloucestershire

The Dementia Information Prescription sets out information on local services and support for people with dementia.

The 2013 Living Well with Dementia Roadshows were a great success, offering a wealth of information and services. We are currently planning the 2014 roadshows, which will run from April onwards. For further details on the Dementia Information Prescription and the Roadshows please go to www.southglos.gov.uk/dementia or phone 01454 862356. New Singing for the Brain Session in Downend at St Augustine’s of Canterbury Church, Thursday mornings, 10am - 11.45pm. Please call the Alzheimers Society for more information on 0117 961 0693.

The Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Guide is for anyone who has been recently told they have dementia. It will also be useful to close friends and family of someone with dementia, as it contains information for anyone taking on a caring role. Call 0300 222 1122 for a copy, or see it online at www.alzheimers.org.uk

Sporting Memories offer weekly groups in South Gloucestershire and Bristol, for people who love sport and talking about their sporting memories. Groups are running in: Patchway Library - Friday afternoons, 2pm - 3.30pm Filton Library - Tuesday mornings, 11am - 12.30pm and Gloucestershire County Cricket Club - Thursday mornings, 11am - 12.30pm.

Some ex players from Bristol Rovers and Gloucestershire County Cricket Club are involved in running Sporting Memories. For more information or to join a group please call Chris Wilkins on 07553 530307 or e-mail admin@sportingmemoriesnetwork.com

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Medals for south Gloucestershire athletes at the special Olympics

Over three days of competition 1,700 athletes from England, Scotland and Wales competed in 12 sports at this summer’s Special Olympics in Bath.

Athletes from South Gloucestershire and Bristol who represented the South West region came home with an amazing total of 18 medals.

Swimmers and Boccia athletes came top in their events bringing home 5 Gold, 8 Silver and 5 Bronze medals.

Every athlete undertook a programme of training to enable them to be fit and prepared to participate in the games which helped them achieve this amazing number of medals.

The Special Olympic Games are held every four years to provide an Olympic-styled sports competition for people with learning difficulties.

If you would like to know more about the Special Olympics please contact Jay Lee on 01454 863852

South Gloucestershire Learning Difficulties Partnership BoardIn October, South Gloucestershire’s Learning Difficulties Partnership Board (LDPB) celebrated its 12th anniversary by reviewing the way it works and by looking at what areas it should focus on in 2014.

South Gloucestershire LDPB wants to make sure that people with learning difficulties have the opportunities that everyone expects, and are involved in decisions that affect their lives.

Members felt that further work needed to be done to involve more people with learning difficulties and their families. It was decided to improve the ways its work is promoted and encourage a wider participation in the work of the board.

The LDPB meets every two months at Kingswood Civic Centre. Meetings are open to the public and anyone is welcome to attend to observe.

For more information please contact Sue Kerswell on 01454 862386

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Well aware makes a differenceWell Aware is a FREE local online and telephone health and wellbeing directory. It has a wealth of information about adult health and social care groups, organisations, support services and much more.

Amber Williams is a Project Worker with the Mental Health Advocacy Project at the West of England Centre for Inclusive Living, based in Kingswood. She recommends using Well Aware to many of her clients and she uses it herself to find services that can help in the local area. Amber told us this story: ‘When one service user called our helpline with a query about benefits it quickly became clear that she had a range of other worries. She had been struggling to care for a family member for many years without support. Using Well Aware we found local support services and groups for carers – one of which happened to be just down the road from her home. She was nervous about attending a group and wasn’t confident enough to go on her own. Again, using Well Aware, she found a national support helpline and a local organisation that she could speak to for support to help gain the confidence to attend the group.’

Kate Eldon is a person with learning difficulties. Over the years she has worked hard to minimise the impact her learning difficulties have had on her life. With determination, support and hard work she now lives independently and has built her confidence and has studied. In April 2003, Kate was a service user founder member of the reference group which led to the creation of Spot On, a website for people with learning difficulties and their carers in South Gloucestershire. She served on that group until Spot On was absorbed into Well Aware.

Kate promotes Well Aware whenever and wherever she can, particularly to others with learning difficulties. She also runs sessions about the needs of people with learning difficulties at the University of the West of England for trainee nurses, midwives and other health professionals. This includes looking at websites which give information and a key one of these is Well Aware.

'Well Aware was also very helpful to our family' says Kate. 'My aunt has dementia and when she was first diagnosed, I told my Mum she should look up local dementia services on Well Aware.'

Using Well Aware, she found a national support helpline and a local organisation that she could speak to for support to help gain the confidence to attend the group.

You can contact Well Aware on 0808 8085252 or visit www.wellaware.org.uk

Kate's mum used Well Aware to search for the dementia services available in the local area. She said: 'It was very useful as I knew virtually nothing about these services. My cousin and I discussed what I'd discovered and found it very helpful.'

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reshaping day servicesWe have been working with service users and their carers, staff and stakeholders to reshape day services so that they reflect service users’ changing needs.Overall, the feedback is that residents want day services that offer genuine choice to do activities that interest them, with people who share the same interests and who are of a similar age.

The new services are focused on making sure that people in South Gloucestershire have the best quality of life, feel part of a community and have the opportunity to develop their creativity, employment opportunities and social life. They include:

❙ A new dementia service for South Gloucestershire residents in Cambrian Green, Yate which will become a centre of excellence

❙ A Promoting Opportunities Service for people with physical or learning difficulties operating from the Kingswood Centre and Turnberrie’s, Thornbury

❙ A Shared Lives scheme and a Supported Employment service commissioned from the independent sector.

Day service users and their families will be fully involved in when and how the changes happen and in helping shape and drive the new services forward.

If you need this information in another format or language please contact 01454 868009 Im

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Exercise SGIt is well reported that exercise has a positive effect on our mental health. Endorphins raise our mood, we feel a sense of achievement – and it can be fun!

There are five weekly groups in South Gloucestershire centred on positive mental health. You can choose from activities such as racquet sports, walking, fitness and games while socialising and sharing mutual support. Each session is led by a trained facilitator.

Thornbury Leisure Centre, Alveston Hill BS35 3JB Mondays 11am-1pm

Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre, Fiddlers Wood Lane BS32 9BS Mondays 2pm-4pm

Yate Leisure Centre, Kennedy Way BS37 4DQ Thursdays 11am-1pm

UWE Centre for Sport, Frenchay Campus, Coldharbour Lane BS16 1QY Fridays 11am-1pm

Kingswood Leisure Centre, Church Road, Staple Hill BS16 4RH Fridays 2pm-4pm

Entry is by referral, please visit: www.southglos.gov.uk/A4L or call 01454 863937 for further information.

Exercise SG has been made possible by a South Gloucestershire Council “Everybody’s Business” grant and the support of the Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership, NHS Trust and the University of the West of England.

SGC CreAtive DeSiGn • Printed on recycled paper S 9788|02|14

safe PlacesAvon and Somerset Police are working with local councils and voluntary organisations to deliver Safe Places, a scheme that means vulnerable adults or those with a learning difficulty can get help when they are out and about if anything goes wrong or they are worried.

In South Gloucestershire, with the police we support places like libraries, shops, community centres and leisure and sports centres to become a Safe Place. We are also looking to broaden the scheme to include older people and people with dementia.

Members of the council’s long-running ‘Safe Havens’ have been contacted and reassured that they will get the same benefits from Safe Places and more, across a wider area.

If you would like to join the scheme and get a Safe Places ‘I need help’ card (with details of a trusted contact), please call 01454 866808, contact your local Neighbourhood Policing team or go to www.southglos.gov.uk/safeplaces