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In this month's edition...
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Are people waiting too long to be assessed for social care support?
Healthwatch England are looking into whether or not people are having to wait too long to be assessed for social care support. A number of local Healthwatch have reported concerns that people in their community have been waiting too long for their assessment to take place. Healthwatch England want to find out how widespread the issue is and, if necessary, bring this to the attention of those who make decisions about social care policy. Clinks members have reported long delays in some cases for people in prison to receive assessments. If you or someone you know has experienced a delay in receiving a social care assessment, please get in touch with your local Healthwatch to share your story. Find out more here
Clinical guidelines for drug misuse and dependence
The Public Health England working group updating the 'Drug misuse and dependence: UK guidelines on clinical management' document has published its draft for consultation with stakeholders. The guidelines were last published in 2007. Since then many changes have been seen in the nature of, and evidence base for, drug misuse treatment. This draft update aims to reflect these changes while recognising there are still some aspects of clinical practice open to differing views. The consultation period runs until 15th September. Find out more and respond here
Mental health services for children
The National Children’s Bureau (NCB) have launched a short survey on what needs to happen for the Government’s vision for improved mental health services to be realised for all children and young people. They would like to hear from all charities, especially from those working with specific groups of children who may have poorly understood needs, and those who may not be directly involved in mental health service provision. Your responses will feed into a report for the Department of Health and the wider sector to support improvements in children and young people’s mental health to be published in early 2017. The survey will be open until 5th September. Respond to the survey here
Improving the lives of people with autism
The All Party Parliamentary Group on Autism (APPGA) is holding a consultation to ask for the views of autistic people, family members and professionals on what issues the APPGA should be focussing on. The APPGA is a group of MPs and members of the House of Lords who are interested in campaigning to improve the lives of people with autism and their families. It holds regular meetings in Parliament, leads debates and also briefs Government ministers. The survey should take you around 10 to 15 minutes to complete. Complete the survey here
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Exploring offender health in the North East
‘Exploring offender health in the North East’ is a partnership event [13th September, Durham, £25] between Clinks and the Prison and Offender Research in Social Care and Health (PORSCH) Network. This half-day conference will bring together the voluntary sector working in offender health along with health professionals, academics and researchers to: provide an overview of the offender health policy landscape; hear about voluntary organisations working in offender health, and examples of research projects involving the voluntary sector; and discuss the challenges organisations and their service users are facing and identify solutions. Save £10 when you book for this and Clinks' service user involvement managers’ network event that afternoon. Find out more and book here
Autism and criminal justice
'Think Autism in Wiltshire' will be a half-day autism-friendly Wiltshire Autism Partnership event [29th November, Wiltshire] to raise awareness of autism for professionals working within the Criminal Justice System and community safety services. James Bamford and Dr Sue Smith will present their Understanding Autism Project, which set out to develop awareness and adaptations to probation services for people with autism. There will be a performance and opportunities for discussion. To register your interest and identify any topics you would like to see covered please email Jo Maplesden at dcsdisabilities@wiltshire.gov.uk
Substance misuse and homelessness
'Substance misuse and homelessness: health and care responses' will be a Queen's Nursing Institute event [19th October, Liverpool, free]. The programme will cover the health harms of drugs, preventing drug deaths and reducing harm, positive work on alcohol, new psychoactive substances, mental health and addiction and treating physical health problems and long term conditions alongside substance misuse and homelessness. Specialist speakers from the fields of nursing, public health research, and peer education will share their approaches to this work. Find out more and book here
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Working with people with hidden disabilities
Clinks has published a case study looking at how St Giles Trust support people in the Criminal Justice System with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other disabilities. ASD is a lifelong condition which affects how a person communicates and makes sense of the world around them. Several aspects of life in prison such as artificially lit wings, noise from prisoners and staff, and sudden changes to routine through lock-downs can all increase someone’s stress and the problematic behaviour which results from it. Given that the condition shapes every aspect of an individual’s life, flexible and highly-tailored support is needed if they are to successfully desist from crime and rebuild their lives. Download the case study here
Prison health and care inspection
HM Inspectorate of Prisons has published the reports on an unannounced inspection of HMP Swaleside, which include sections on the Care Quality Commission's (CQC) inspection of health and care in the prison. The CQC found that many prisoners were very dissatisfied with health services and chronic staff recruitment problems had a significant impact on delivery. Prisoners had access to an appropriate range of primary care services and visiting specialists, although non-attendance rates were unacceptably high. Download the report here
Prisoners with dementia
The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman latest 'Learning lessons bulletin' explores the experience of prisoners with dementia, and the challenges facing prisons in providing them with appropriate care and support. Nigel Newcomen, Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, writes "I hope that the lessons outlined in this bulletin, derived from a number of my fatal incident investigations, will help the Prison Service to develop further its provision for this especially vulnerable group." Download the bulletin here
Improving mental health care
NHS England has published ‘Implementing the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health’. The document is intended as a blueprint for the changes that NHS staff, organisations and other parts of the system can make to improve mental health. The plan also gives an indication to the public and people who use services what they can expect from the NHS, and when. It details how new funding, pledged in response to the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health, will be made available for Clinical Commissioning Groups year on year. Download the report here
One year on from the Care Act
The Carers Trust has published 'The Care Act for carers: One year on', looking at the implementation of the Care Act (2014), the impact on carers, and exploring the lessons learned and next steps. It finds that many carers have noticed no difference since the Act's introduction and many have expressed frustration and anger at the lack of support they have received in their caring role. However, it finds there is reason to be optimistic about the potential of the Act, particularly if national and local government, and the NHS, work together to invest in the support needed to ensure the legal rights of carers are fully introduced. Download the report here
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Preventing the spread of HIV
Grants of up to US$12,000 are available from MTV Staying Alive Foundation for projects helping to prevent the spread of HIV. Funding is available to: educate and/or give out responsible and accurate information about HIV and AIDS targeted at young people in their communities; eliminate or alleviate the stigma and discrimination associated with HIV and AIDS; and encourage young people to take concrete action to protect themselves from HIV infection. Community-based, grassroots organisations that are led by young people between the ages of 15 and 27 and that work in HIV prevention are eligible to apply. The deadline for applications is 28th August. Find out more and apply here
Health and wellbeing in coalfields communities
Grants of up to £10,000 are available from the Coalfields Regeneration Trust to support people in deprived coalfield communities in England. Funding is available for projects that increase participation in activities/services to improve the health and wellbeing of people in former coalfield communities. This may include sports projects focusing on the stated underrepresented groups (impairment groups/disabled people, women and girls, victims of abuse, carers, and homeless people), healthy eating initiatives, mental health support and projects focusing on promoting social interaction and engagement. The deadline for applications is 16th September. Find out more and apply here
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Young people's health rights
The Get Your Rights websites is an interactive website to help explain children and young people's rights when using the NHS, and empower them to be involved in their own and health and care. The website has an interactive guide to the rights in the NHS Constitution, videos from young people telling their stories about how the rights have made a difference to them, and messages from professionals explaining why they value young people’s rights. It also has links to resources to support the application of rights in practice. Visit the website here
Sharing best practice
National Voices’ Wellbeing Our Way programme has launched the WOW! Exchange, an online catalogue for charities and community groups to exchange examples of how they are enabling people to live well, in the ways which matter to them. The WOW! Exchange is a space to share good practice, exchange ideas, and to enable learning. The examples are searchable by priority and population group. Visit the website here
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A piece of the offender health jigsaw
Clinks' Development Officer for Health and Justice, Hazel Alcraft, has written a blog highlighting stories of good and bad practice in health and care services for people in the Criminal Justice System (CJS). We know that people in contact with the CJS on average have greater health needs, and poorer health outcomes, than the general population. Nearly a third have a learning disability or difficulty, and around 80% smoke compared to 24% of the general population. We're encouraging you to share your experiences of good and bad practice with the Care Quality Commission, the independent regulator for health and social care services in England. Read the blog here
Care for people with a learning disability
NHS England’s Head Nurse for Learning Disability, Hazel Watson, has been interviewed for an NHS England blog where she explains the NHS Transforming Care programme. The programme aims to improve services for people with a learning disability and/or autism who display behaviour that challenges, including those with a mental health condition. It aims to enable people to live more independent lives, closer to home, with more say about the support they receive. Find out more and watch the video here
Homelessness and autism
Liza Dresner, Director at Resources for Autism, has written a blog to discuss the links between autism and homelessness. Resources for Autism offers a range of services to autistic children and adults in the Greater London and West Midlands areas, as well as training courses for professionals. Liza writes, "I first began to think about the link between autism and homelessness after I was contacted by someone working in a London borough who had become concerned about an older adult street sleeper who he felt would not survive another winter on the streets. No one had been able to make headway with this individual, and having come across someone in his personal life who was diagnosed with autism, the worker began to make some connections." Read the blog here
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About Clinks Offender Health Bulletin
This regular bulletin provides Clinks members with the latest news for voluntary sector organisations involved in the health and care of offenders. It currently has 3,130 subscribers.
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Designed, composed and circulated by Ben Watson, Clinks.