Guernsey Disability Alliance

States unanimously approves benefit changes

More financial help will be available to help severely disabled people and their carers in Guernsey. Watched from the visitors gallery by GDA members, deputies unanimously backed Social Security’s proposed changes to Attendance Allowance and Invalid Care Allowance.

Social Security Minister Mark Dorey said: “People who qualify for Attendance Allowance are among the most vulnerable people in our community. It is vital we give them appropriate support.”

Many of the deputies’ questions centred on the lack of help for disabled people who did not need constant care or supervision but still faced some “extra costs of disability”. The Minister explained that the department was awaiting the Disability Strategy, currently in development, before introducing any new benefits.

To read about the package of changes to AA and ICA in full, see our earlier news story.

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Free prescriptions for severely disabled islanders?

Attendance Allowance (soon to be renamed “Severe Disability Benefit”) is a payment of around £90 a week to help meet the extra costs of disability – medical costs, equipment, extra heating etc.

Invalid Carer Allowance (“Carers Allowance”) is £73 a week and is intended to supplement the income of someone who is caring for someone else for more than 35 hours a week.

AA and ICA were first introduced in 1984. Recently, Social Security have reviewed the way these benefits work, in consultation with healthcare professionals and voluntary organisations like the Guernsey Disability Alliance. Proposals resulting from the review will be debated in the States at the end of October and the Billet for that meeting was published in September.

In summary, those changes are:

1. Names to be changed to “Severe Disability Benefit” and “Carer’s Allowance”
2. Forms to be redesigned to be more user friendly and to better capture all forms of impairment, including dementia etc.
3. Single guide to all disability benefits to be produced
4. All leaflets about disability-related benefits to be made accessible and available in alternative formats.
5. Ongoing benefits training for healthcare professionals
6. Limit on how much a carer can earn (currently £117/wk) to be removed from end 2012.
7. Free prescriptions for AA claimants from the beginning of 2012.
8. ICA payments will no longer stop immediately on death, or move to residential care, of the person being cared for. Eight week grace period after death, four weeks after move to residential.
9. Students in full time education on-island will be eligible for ICA.
10. ICA claimants will need to provide more detail of how they are providing 35 hours of care. ICA will be reviewed more often, especially for those over 65s who may need other types of support with their caring role.
11. SSD will be able to make the payment of ICA subject to certain conditions if they have concerns about the level of care being delivered. For example, a certain minimum level of involvement of healthcare professionals.

You can see Jenny Hooper talking about what the changes will mean for herself and her daughter Abigail on Channel TV here.

If you think you might be eligible for AA or ICA, leaflets about these benefits are available from Social Security. Please note that the forms are very complicated to complete and you are advised to seek the help of a healthcare professional.

Step forward for Learning Disability respite care

Yesterday, after a very short debate that was slipped in right at the end of the day, the States approved the full list of new service bids in the 2011 States Strategic Plan. Amongst the nine services approved was the Adult Learning Disability Respite Care project.

Currently, both adult and child respite care services for people with a learning disability are run from one building (‘The Croft’), even though everyone acknowledges it isn’t right to mix the two groups. The bid was for the running costs for a separate two-bedded unit for adults (£211,000 in the first year). The intention is that the 12 full time staff involved will also provide ‘outreach’ – respite care in people’s own homes. There are 250 adults with a learning disability in Guernsey.

The Bailiff and the T&R Minister were careful to point out that this is only the “amber light” – HSSD need to take a full business case to T&R now. So it will be a fair while before the new unit is ready to open its doors. But nevertheless, this is a big step forward for people with a learning disability and their families. This project has been waiting to get to the top of the States Strategic Plan list for at least five years, maybe longer.

The States are aware, from the GDA/MS Society’s research study, that support for families who are caring for a relative with a physical or sensory impairment, or a mental illness, is even more limited than that provided for people with a learning disability. However progress on this is awaiting the Older People’s Strategy and the Disability Strategy.

Higher levels of depression in Guernsey

People in Guernsey are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression than individuals in Jersey and the UK, according to a recent Guernsey Emotional Wellbeing Survey.

Results showed that 21% of respondents experienced anxiety and/or depression to clinical levels. In Jersey, the figure is 15% and in the UK, 18%.

The report said that adopting an early intervention approach was important in helping prevent the development of mental illness.

Right on cue, Guernsey Mind took to the streets on Monday 10th October in support of World Mental Health Day. Their Infobus was at Waitrose Admiral Park in the morning and the Kindred Family Centre in the afternoon.

GDA on stage at IoD Debate

The annual Institute of Directors debate sees 500 of Guernsey’s ‘business leaders’ gather to dissect the issues of the island. It’s a prestigious event that attracts a lot of industry and media interest.

This year the topic was how businesses could “share the burden” of running the island. Corporate Social Responsibility was one of the themes.

In his speech, Jurat Stephen Jones – Chair of the Guernsey Cheshire Home – spoke of his concern that there are 364 charities in Guernsey. He encouraged charities to merge or form umbrella groups and cited the Guernsey Disability Alliance as a positive example of charities joining together to get their message across more clearly.

This point was picked up in his interview with BBC Guernsey afterwards and played out as a news headline.

The relevance of the GDA was further emphasised when, to add a touch of theatre to the evening, Stuart Falla called the GDA Chair, Shelaine Green, up on stage to take over the questioning of the panel.

Guernsey gets an online Access Guide

The States has commissioned an organisation called DisabledGo to audit the accessibility of 500 venues in Guernsey – hotels, restaurants, shops, public buildings – and publish the results online for everyone to use. 

DisabledGo hosted meetings on Wednesday 5th October to explain the survey process and to get local feedback as to which venues to include.  If they wished, disabled islanders and their family members could also apply to help with the survey.  Local people who become surveyors will be given training and paid for their work.

The results of the survey should be available in January 2012.

To find out more about DisabledGo, go to: www.disabledgo.com or email colin.fisher@disabledgo.com.