I am so happy to be doing this year’s first South London update in this revamped, new-look News Review. I hope our readers like it? It will now be easy to differentiate between one issue and the next, so no more excuses!
In our last issue (Autumn 2007) I asked whether the Society, through its Regional Care Advisors’ Programme was having an impact on service users’ health, and gave a preview of a forthcoming Health Impact Assessment (HIA) report that has evaluated this programme. This report is now out. Hard copies will be sent to all who participated in the HIA workshops, but most importantly they will also go to health service commissioners as we try to secure the Regional Care Advisors’ Programme’s sustainability. We will also post the report on our web-site. As service users, providers or supporters, you can help secure the Regional Care Advisor (RCA) post in your area by lobbying your MP and by completing the user / provider satisfaction surveys we are conducting (contact your local RCA for a sample lobby letter and survey form). Only a concerted effort by all will give sickle cell the resources it needs!

ADULT SOCIAL CARE SERVICES ARE CHANGING

Social care services (i.e. what ‘workers’ do for people who need support, e.g. home-help) are changing and many local authorities now only fund social care for those deemed to be with ‘critical’ need. This is having a direct impact on the quality of life of people living with sickle cell disorder who are very often not assessed as having ‘critical’ need. In addition, service provision is moving towards ‘self-directed’ care and the new buzz words are ‘Individual Budgets’ and ‘independent living’. Basically what this means is that people in need of social care support are being given more choice and control over the way their care is delivered. Through Direct Payments and Individual Budgets for example, they will have financial control of what social care services are purchased, when and from whom, giving service users greater flexibility. With sickle cell disorder being such an episodic condition such flexibility enables individuals to tailor their social care support according to their individual need rather than having prearranged routine support. Local Authorities are keen to promote this self-directed care, so much that Lambeth Council is establishing a new post of ‘Director of Personalising Services’! In addition, London Councils recently awarded grants to several organizations to ‘support advocacy schemes and legal advice to promote take-up of Direct Payments and benefit entitlements for people with disabilities and carers’. I am pleased to say that the Sickle Cell Society was one such organization and in the coming months will be progressing this work.