Sheffield Care In Crisis 2016 Anniversary Meeting

[manwithaview 10]

Sheffield Care In Crisis 2016 Anniversary Meeting

 

(Your Voice Will be Heard)

 

The Old Junior School Sharrow*

 

Saturday 12th November 2016

 

1pm -3.30pm

 

Tea/Coffee/Biscuits provided

 

Plenty of time for having your say/discussion, all will get a chance.

 

*The Old Junior School is fully accessible

 

 

Keynote speech and introduction by Margaret Palmer, long time Sheffield Care/Social Policy legal campaigner

 

Your Voice Will be Heard

 

Last year in July a number of Sheffield residents who access Adult Social Care, their families and allies came together to discuss the difficulties they face, their fears that the system was is crisis and their concerns for the future.

 

Their experiences and personal stories were shared, such as the story of how one elderly person was living in her own wastes, her daughter working sixty hours a week so could not cope, while others have been offered 're-ablement' or nothing at all and are frequently trapped in their homes. Short hours has meant difficulties in maintaining staff and recruiting, other issues were sick and disabled people paying up to 100 pounds a week to the Council towards their care, while others even more affluent paid nothing. Others with numerous types of conditions spoke how they had to battle just to get a few hours of support a week.

 

The event also offered a chance to speak directly to senior council staff, local political representatives and care providers. This November we will look to see what, if anything, has changed and discuss and raise the concerns and fears ahead such as the planned review and service cuts, commission changes, the merging of Social/NHS care, etc.

 

Senior Council Staff, officers invited.

 

Hosted by Sheffield Care Matters - a loose network of people with disabilities, sickness and/or chronic illness and their carers, families and friends.

 

SCM would like to thanks Sharrow Community Forum for their support with this meeting.

 

[email protected]

 

---------- Post added 23-10-2016 at 13:58 ----------

 

Anyone got any views on the issues, we can feed them in.

Edited October 11, 2016 by manwithaview

[S7 Sanj 10]

Wow, I'm surprised there's not been any response to this post....I really hope people will make the effort to attend or support this important meeting. Everyone will at some time either need or know someone who needs care and the problems they will face are what groups like this are doing their best to highlight and to somehow change. With all the cuts already imposed on social care and those still in the pipeline this 'crisis' seems only set to get worse.

[manwithaview 10]

Lots of interest from service users, people are keen to have their say, media interest as well.

 

Full address

 

 

Old Junior School

 

South View Road

 

Sheffield

 

South Yorkshire

 

S7 1DB

Edited November 10, 2016 by manwithaview

[S7 Sanj 10]

I'm glad you're getting interest in this meeting as it comes at a time when it couldn't be anymore important or topical....profoundly sick and disabled people are being forced on to PIP (personal independence payments) and as a consequence being assessed by non-medical professionals and subsequently losing vital/essential mobility aides such a mobility scooters, powered wheelchairs and mobility vehicles.....which once lost also results in care hours being slashed...although the contribution (which can often be in excess of £100 a week) the disabled person makes to their own care remains the same.

 

I will certainly be in attendance myself and will try to encourage others to attend too.

[DisSheffield 10]

It's a very important meeting an great to see people coming together to express their views independently from other organisations. Representatives from Disability Sheffield will be attending the event.

[Mr Anderson 10]

Looking forward to attending this meeting tomorrow and to get the chance to air my views at a public meeting. Social care is undoubtedly in a bit of a mess as it only can be given the fact 'adult social care departments have had to make 'budget savings amounting to 26 percent over the last four years, the equivalent of £3.53 billion'.

 

In Control Report on the Independent Living Survey 2016

 

http://www.in-control.org.uk/news/in-control-news/report-on-the-independent-living-survey-2016.aspx

 

Whether it's the anomaly of people out of work contributing to their care costs, or having to fork out contributions as the local authority can only afford to pay for sub standard agency care or losing the support you had through the Independent Living Fund, we have to speak out.

 

All of this at a time when our own government has been investigated for human rights violations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).

The UN committee examined breaches under articles 19 (independent living), article 27 (work and employment) and article 28 (adequate standard of living and social protection) of the convention.

 

Under article 19, the report concludes that the government’s social security reforms – including cuts to housing benefits, the introduction of the benefits cap, changes in eligibility criteria for personal independence payment, the tightening of eligibility criteria for social care, and the closure of the Independent Living Fund – have “disproportionately affected persons with disabilities and hindered various aspects of their right to live independently and be included in the community”.

 

http://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/uns-conclusion-that-uk-violated-disability-rights-is-vindication-for-activists/

 

Yes - it's good for disabled people and others to come together and discuss these issues.

[adymac 10]

This looks like a fantastic event. Hope it goes really well and is a great success.

[manwithaview 10]

It was a great meeting, a wide variety of people there including senior people from Disability Sheffield. There were a number of apologies, due to care commitments, sickness or simply not having the care hours to be able to attend. The key note speech by Margaret Palmer was incisive and informative, for Margaret you go to the top, no messing about:, The Director, The M.P, the Local Govt Ombudsman or the Lawyer, in this case Irwin Mitchell. During the open mike/hearing session, some very powerful and heartbreaking stories were heard, although, there were stories of great hardship, indifference from authorities, of loss and struggle, there were examples of real resilience and desire not to give up but to challenge.

 

During the long breaks, new friendships were formed, strangers hugged each other in support and plans were discussed for the future.

 

Later the break out groups discussed issues such as how to empower isolated individuals up against it, how to make local elected officials more accountable on care issues(none were there, though individual members of political parties were) the use and development of 'digital care', alarms, intensive monitoring, which some though very productive, while other cited civil liberty concerns and loss of human support. Crucially how to respond to the huge cuts in care and the reviews of care which are imminent, the Star reporting a 9m shortfall for adult social care.

 

http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/health/sheffield-facing-9m-social-care-funding-crisis-1-8180282

 

However, numbers overall were limited and there was an absence of the wider civil society one see's at say meetings about other 'minority' issues, one could ask is it going to take another ten years loss of life, and another I Daniel Blake, this time on social care to take cogniscance on the issues and act. Sheffield Care Matters is also concerned that some of the main disability charities did not pass on details of the event, due in one case in the own words “ they were concerned there may be a conflict of interest with the council due to the services they provide” This cannot stand and an approach to the Charity Commission will be made.

 

When the report is ready, and we hope to also make available video and audio recordings of people's experiences, we would urge people to discuss and circulate when this hard hitting multi-media work is complete.

 

SCC would like to thank all those whom made this meeting possible.

Edited November 12, 2016 by manwithaview

[Sneds 10]

I normally only lurk on this forum but I went to the 'Sheffield Adult Social Care in Crisis' meeting this afternoon. Hearing people speak, it quickly became clear that the session was aptly titled as the current system is undergoing a crisis which has left people without the care they need.

 

Many of us have been moved by the story of Daniel Blake and it's fair to say that service users in the meeting today had just as upsetting and troubling stories to tell. Severely ill and disabled people in Sheffield are trying to navigate a confusing and uncaring bureaucracy that has left many without adequate care or, in some cases, no care at all.

 

Social care is an important aspect of the current social security regime that we should not overlook. I would strongly encourage local people to read up in this issue and, when possible, attend meetings like the one today. It's no exaggeration to say that the provision of adult social care is an issue of life and death.

 

We were told that a report of the meeting will be released which will outline the issues raised today.

[Anna B 1,414]

It was a great meeting, a wide variety of people there including senior people from Disability Sheffield. There were a number of apologies, due to care commitments, sickness or simply not having the care hours to be able to attend. The key note speech by Margaret Palmer was incisive and informative, for Margaret you go to the top, no messing about:, The Director, The M.P, the Local Govt Ombudsman or the Lawyer, in this case Irwin Mitchell. During the open mike/hearing session, some very powerful and heartbreaking stories were heard, although, there were stories of great hardship, indifference from authorities, of loss and struggle, there were examples of real resilience and desire not to give up but to challenge.

 

During the long breaks, new friendships were formed, strangers hugged each other in support and plans were discussed for the future.

 

Later the break out groups discussed issues such as how to empower isolated individuals up against it, how to make local elected officials more accountable on care issues(none were there, though individual members of political parties were) the use and development of 'digital care', alarms, intensive monitoring, which some though very productive, while other cited civil liberty concerns and loss of human support. Crucially how to respond to the huge cuts in care and the reviews of care which are imminent, the Star reporting a 9m shortfall for adult social care.

 

http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/health/sheffield-facing-9m-social-care-funding-crisis-1-8180282

 

However, numbers overall were limited and there was an absence of the wider civil society one see's at say meetings about other 'minority' issues, one could ask is it going to take another ten years loss of life, and another I Daniel Blake, this time on social care to take cogniscance on the issues and act. Sheffield Care Matters is also concerned that some of the main disability charities did not pass on details of the event, due in one case in the own words “ they were concerned there may be a conflict of interest with the council due to the services they provide” This cannot stand and an approach to the Charity Commission will be made.

 

When the report is ready, and we hope to also make available video and audio recordings of people's experiences, we would urge people to discuss and circulate when this hard hitting multi-media work is complete.

 

SCC would like to thank all those whom made this meeting possible.

 

I am so sorry I was not able to attend. My thanks to those that did. Please could a summary of the report be put on Sheffield Forum as it has a thriving readership who would be interested. And the more people who become aware of the issues and the problems the better.

[DisSheffield 10]

We had the pleasure of attending the Sshefield Care matters meeting in Sharrow on Saturday where we signposted people to important reports relating to social care.

 

One report was by the the Independent Living Strategy Group (ILSG) – chaired by the disabled crossbench peer Baroness [Jane] Campbell – and published by the charity in Control, and focuses on the impact of cuts to social care on people’s independence and basic human rights.

 

There are some vital statstics here that can help you inform others of the plight of disabled people in relation to the independent living.

 

I promised to get the link up here:

 

http://www.in-control.org.uk/news/in-control-news/report-on-the-independent-living-survey-2016.aspx

 

Please also see this news piece from Disability News Service:

http://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/disabled-people-face-extreme-risk-of-harm-without-sharp-rise-in-care-funding/

 

The other news which outlines some worrying issues is the UN Committee on the Rights of Disabled Persons (CRPD) has found that “changes to benefits have ‘disproportionately affected’ disabled people.”

 

Please follow link to the UN Report via our website:

 

http://www.disabilitysheffield.org.uk/blog/un-grave-disability-rights-violations-under-uk-reforms-2016-11-10

 

In the meantime, please stay strong everyone and keep telling everyone how it is. Friends, relatives and elected representatives - both councilors and MPs - get them involved and get them to demand answers and guarantees for peoples safety.