Personal health budgets are part of the NHS Long Term Plan for expanding personalised care. They aim to give people more control and choice.

New legislation means that anyone who is eligible for an NHS wheelchair, as well as people with mental health needs, will be able to get a personal health budget from 2nd December.

Read more here

 

Durham County Council has become the first ever employer to sign up to a reasonable adjustments disability passport.

4th November 2019 sees the deal formally approved at a full council meeting, marking the first disability pay gap day.

More than 16,500 Durham Council staff will be covered by the policy, with around 400 now benefiting from access to the passports - which agree the adjustments that staff with disabilities need in order to stay in work.

Find out more here

 

This time of year finds many of us struggling to remain cheerful and energised, as short winter days deprive us of sunlight.

SAD, seasonal affective disorder, or winter depression is a widespread phenomenon: darkness may suit moles, but not human beings!

Public Health England recommends that we all take a vitamin D supplement during winter months, to make up for the lack of sunshine.

Read more here

 

Theraposture, market leading provider of care cots, has a new Home and Away travel care cot. 

The cot has been developed for children who need safe surroundings at home or whilst travelling, such as those with severe Autism or challenging behaviour. 

This portable safe environment includes extensive padding with large windows for generous visibility and easy access for uncompromised care.

Read more here

 

Driving Mobility has launched seven new transportation information hubs which will give advice on all types of travelling. 

Complementing the charity's existing driving assessment services, these additional resources focus on reducing social isolation through more effective use of accessible transport and greater independent mobility. 

Each centre aims to deliver a ‘one stop shop’ approach to providing viable options for elderly and disabled non-drivers – ranging from information on accessible public and community transport through to mobility scooters and wheelchairs.

Read more here

 

Living in the country, with a postcode that routinely sends delivery drivers four miles down the road, I am probably more aware than most people of the problems that can arise over identifying your location.

So I was intrigued to find out about What3Words, a free phone app which assigns three random words to every 3 m² patch of the entire world (there are 57 trillion of them). This means that if you are lost in the wilds, or you need emergency services at home, they can pinpoint your position really accurately. Go and download it now, before you need it!

 

Breaking news this morning that the Advertising Standards Authority has upheld the complaints about the Universal Credit advertorials put out by the DWP.  More details here next time!

 

Purple Tuesday, the day dedicated to improving access for shoppers with a disability, is coming up next week - more info here 

 

If you are reading a copy of the IL newsletter that has been passed on to you by a colleague or friend, now is the time to sign up for your own free subscription – you will also be entered in the draw to win a micro GPS tracker and fall detector, kindly donated by EasyLink UK. 

Don't forget that you can apply to join the Independent Living Facebook group, if you would like to spend more time discussing these themes with other interested people. 

There are various ways you can get in touch with us: email me; visit our Facebook page and leave a message there; or if it's short and sweet, Tweet!

Previous newsletters are archived here.

Until next time, best wishes,

Frances