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Showing results for tags 'Disability'.
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News Article
UK doctors with long Covid say they have been denied disability benefits
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Doctors who worked on the frontline during the pandemic and have been left with long Covid say they have been denied financial support by the UK government, with some left with little option but to sell their house. Months or even years after an initial Covid infection some people continue to have symptoms, from fatigue to brain fog. According to the Office for National Statistics, as of 1 May an estimated 2 million people in the UK reported having long Covid, as the condition is known. Now healthcare staff in the UK have told the Guardian that despite being left with serious impairments as a result of long Covid, they have been turned down for personal independence payment (Pip), a non means-tested benefit helping people with the extra living costs of their chronic illness or disability. One respiratory consultant revealed they had been refused Pip despite reporting to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that they had urinary incontinence, were unable to be on their feet for more than five to 10 minutes without a rest, and had difficulties preparing food, eating, washing, dressing or engaging with people face to face, among other problems. Speaking anonymously, as their application is under mandatory reconsideration, the consultant said they contracted Covid while working on a coronavirus ward in November 2020 and first applied for Pip in June 2021 after developing long Covid, which has left them unable to work. “I thought that I had illustrated quite clearly what my disability was,” they said. “When I got the report back, I thought ‘is this about me?’” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 13 June 2022 -
News Article
NHS waiting lists: Women, low earners and ethnic minorities worst affected
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Women, low earners and ethnic minorities are faring worse on NHS waiting lists, according to research. Healthwatch, a patient watchdog, warned there was a risk that those with “more demands on their lives” such as long hours or caring responsibilities could end up at the back of the queue. It urged hospitals to be proactive in managing waiting lists and communicate with patients who might otherwise be left in limbo. The Healthwatch survey found 54% of women had waited more than four months for treatment, compared with 42% of men. They were also more likely to have had treatment delayed or cancelled, and to feel that a delay to treatment had made an impact on their ability to work. Some 54% of people on lower incomes had been waiting more than four months for hospital care, compared with 34% of higher wealth individuals. They reported a greater impact on their mental health and their ability to work. And 57% of respondents from ethnic minorities had faced a delay to or cancellation of hospital treatment, compared with 42 per cent of white British people. Louise Ansari, Healthwatch England’s national director, said the factors could have a “layering effect” that meant people had a much poorer experience, calling for “an additional specific focus on those groups” so that they do not end up “in worse and worse health”. Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Times, 8 June 2022 -
News Article
Ambulance waits putting disabled children's lives at risk, doctors warn
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Thousands of severely disabled children's lives are at risk because of long waits for ambulances, doctors and other experts have warned. Emergency care is a vital part of their everyday lives, the British Academy of Childhood Disability says. Almost 100,000 children have life-limiting conditions or need regular ventilator support in the UK. They often rely on ambulances as part of their healthcare plan, because their condition can become life-threatening in an instant. Dr Toni Wolff, who chairs the British Academy of Childhood Disability, told BBC News some families with severely disabled children had "what are essentially high-dependency units" of medical equipment at home. "As part of their healthcare plan, we would normally say, 'If the child starts to deteriorate, call for an ambulance and it will be there within 10 or 20 minutes,'" she said. "Now, we can't give that reassurance." Despite their child being classed as a priority, parents have told BBC News they face the difficult decision to wait for an ambulance or take them, often in a life-threatening condition, to hospital themselves - a risk because of the huge amounts of equipment needed to keep them alive, Read full story Source: BBC News, 16 February 2023 -
News ArticleThousands of disabled adults and children, including those with the highest and most complex needs, are having to wait more than four months for an NHS wheelchair, official health figures show. In one part of the country more than two-thirds of patients referred to the wheelchair service face waits of more than 18 weeks, or roughly four months, to get the help they need. Besides preventing them from getting around independently, and the mental health problems that can come from the resulting social isolation, a leading disability charity says disabled people can also be left with physical pain if forced to use poorly fitting or unsuitable chairs while they wait for upgrades and adaptations. Data published by NHS England shows 16.5% of patients – one in six – were waiting longer than the NHS target time of 18 weeks for a wheelchair, equipment for a wheelchair, or wheelchair modifications between October and December last year. This represents more than 6,000 adults and almost 1,600 children, of which thousands were registered as having high or specialist needs. The figures include new patients as well as re-referred patients whose needs may have changed or whose current equipment needs adjusting or modified. Read full story Source: National World, 21 March 2023
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News Article
Social care workforce funding halved for England, government confirms
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Funding promised to develop the social care workforce in England has been halved, the government has confirmed. In 2021 the government pledged "at least" £500 million for reforms, to be spent on training places and technology over three years. But that figure is now £250 million, according to the Department of Health. A coalition of charities said this cut is "just the latest in a long series of disappointments" over social care. The government said its reforms would give care "the status it deserves" but some organisations in the sector say they fall short of what is needed. Caroline Abrahams, co-chair of the Care and Support Alliance - which represents more than 70 charities - and charity director of Age UK, said the measures "aren't remotely enough to transform social care". Millions of older and disabled people and their carers "needed something far bigger, bolder and more genuinely strategic to give them hope for the future", she said. Read full story Source: BBC News, 4 April 2023 -
News Article
Two-thirds of UK workers with Long Covid have faced unfair treatment, says report
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
UK ministers should act to ensure Long Covid sufferers receive the support they need from employers, with as many as two-thirds claiming they have been unfairly treated at work, a report argues. The report, from the TUC and the charity Long Covid Support, warns that failing to accommodate the 2m people who, according to ONS data, may be suffering from long Covid in the UK will create, “new, long-lasting inequalities”. The analysis is based on responses from more than 3,000 long Covid sufferers who agreed to share their experiences. Two-thirds said they had experienced some form of unfair treatment at work, ranging from harassment to being disbelieved about their symptoms or threatened with disciplinary action. One in seven said they had lost their job. The report makes a series of recommendations, including urging the government to designate Long Covid as a disability for the purposes of the 2010 Equality Act, to make clear sufferers are entitled to “reasonable adjustments” at work; and to classify Covid-19 as an occupational disease to allow people who contracted it through their job to seek compensation. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 27 March 2023 -
Content ArticleCardiovascular disease (CVD) causes 1 in 4 deaths in England, and is a leading cause of morbidity, disability and health inequalities. The Covid-19 pandemic has added to the urgency of tackling CVD because CVD significantly increases the risk of severe disease and death from Covid-19. This report by The King's Fund looks at published data, literature, policy and evidence on CVD. The writers also carried out interviews and a workshop with key stakeholders working in health and care to inform their research.
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Content ArticleWhether it is the waiting lists for mental health support or the inadequacies of long-Covid clinics, millions of patients with long-term health conditions have been struggling for years to get basic healthcare. The chaotic decline that has befallen acute care in A&E has hit day-to-day services, with effects from delayed consultant appointments and year-long clinic waiting lists to slashed community care. Mental health bed shortages mean young people need now to have “attempted suicide several times” before they get a place in an inpatient unit in England. Record delays for cancer treatment are leaving patients facing lethal waits. Thousands of people with neurological conditions are waiting up to two years to even see a consultant. For them, the ground has long been shaking. It is just that no one else noticed. The Guardian has spoken to disabled people the length and breadth of England and Wales about their wait for care. For them, the NHS is not an “in case of emergency” service but the engine they rely on to keep their day-to-day life running.
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News ArticleHospital authorities in Wales have been accused of attempting to cover up failings in the delivery of a baby born with significant brain damage. Gethin Channon, who was born on 25 March 2019 at Singleton Hospital, in Swansea, suffers from quadriplegic cerebral palsy, a severe disability that requires 24/7 care. There were complications during his birth, due to him being in an abnormal position that prevented normal delivery, and he was eventually born via caesarean section. An independent review commissioned by Swansea Bay University Health Board (SBUHB), which manages Singleton Hospital, found “several adverse features” surrounding Gethin’s delivery that were omitted from or “inaccurately specified” in the hospital’s internal report. The investigation, carried out by obstetrician Dr Bill Kirkup, said SBUHB had “significantly” downplayed the “suboptimal” care received by Gethin and his mother, Sian, and had erroneously attributed his condition to a blocked windpipe. It also suggests that amendments were retrospectively made to examination notes taken by staff during the course of Ms Channon’s labour. The family said that SBUHB, which was flagged by national inspectors in the months after Gethin’s birth due to “concerns” over its ability to deliver “safe and effective” maternity care, had “covered up” the failings in their case. SBUHB said it had been “working tirelessly” with the family to investigate and address their concerns, and that it would be inappropriate to comment on specific allegations as the process was ongoing. Read full story Source: The Independent, 2 September 2022
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Content ArticleThe occupational therapy (OT) workforce is under huge pressure. Increased demand coupled with workforce shortages is challenging OTs’ capacity to provide essential support to people whose lives are impacted by long term health conditions and disability. In November 2022, the Royal College of Occupational Therapists surveyed OT practitioners across the UK about the workplace issues they’re facing now, and how these affect the services they deliver to the public. They also asked how practitioners are impacted personally, including whether they intend to continue working as OTs. The challenges shared by over 2,600 respondents have significant implications for the resilience of the current and future OT workforce, and the people who use OT services.
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Content ArticleThe Covid-19 pandemic continues to impact heavily on all our lives and one of the long-lasting, but unanticipated, impacts is the emergence of Long Covid. Whilst many people infected by Covid-19 may fully recover, significant numbers will experience varied, ongoing and debilitating symptoms that last weeks, months or years following the initial infection. This prolonged condition has been given the umbrella term Long Covid. Recognition of Long Covid was accelerated by people-led advocacy groups such Long Covid Support. The Office of National Statistics (ONS) reported that, as of 1 August 2021, 970,000 people in the UK were experiencing self-reported Long Covid. The most recent data from 2 January 2023, shows that this has increased to 2 million people This report summarises the findings of a self-selecting survey of 3,097 people with Long Covid in September and October 2022 on their experiences of work.
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Content ArticleWhen the Paralympian and television presenter Tanni Grey-Thompson found she was pregnant in 2001, she went to see her doctor. “The first thing I was offered was a termination,” she says, “because people like me shouldn’t be allowed to have children.” She changed hospitals and gave birth to Carys, but she says that for disabled people, “the relationship with the NHS can be quite mixed”. Read the full article, published in the Times, via the link below.
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Content ArticlePeter Seaby had Down's Syndrome and autism and was cared for at home by members of his family for 62 years. However, in 2017, Peter was removed from the home he shared with his sister Karen, who was his full time carer, and placed in a care home. Karen and Peter's brother Mick were not told by social services why Peter was moved. Within six months of being in the home, Peter choked on a carrot and died. Karen and Mick found the subsequent inquest into Peter's death in July 2021 to be inadequate and launched a Judicial Review challenge which was successful in quashing the findings of the initial inquest. A new inquest was held in February 2023 Journalist George Julian has been following and reporting on Peter's second inquest and has written several blog posts about the case, highlighting serious failings in his care that led to his death: Peter Seaby’s 2nd inquest – how he came to be in the care of the Priory Group Peter Seaby’s 2nd inquest “I have stood on my own in this” Peter Seaby’s 2nd inquest – the SALT plan Peter Seaby’s 2nd inquest – record keeping and decision making Peter Seaby’s 2nd inquest – April 2018 Peter Seaby’s 2nd inquest – May 2018 Peter Seaby’s 2nd Inquest – Conclusion
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News Article
Health inequities lead to early death in many persons with disabilities
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
A new report by the World Health Organization shows evidence of a higher risk of premature death and illness among many persons with disabilities compared to others in the society. The Global report on health equity for persons with disabilities published today shows that because of the systemic and persistent health inequities, many persons with disabilities face the risk of dying much earlier—even up to 20 years earlier—than persons without disabilities. They have an increased risk of developing chronic conditions, with up to double the risk of asthma, depression, diabetes, obesity, oral diseases, and stroke. Many of the differences in health outcomes cannot be explained by the underlying health condition or impairment, but by avoidable, unfair and unjust factors. Read more Source: WHO, 2 December 2022 -
News Article
C-section delay left baby severely disabled
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A baby was left "severely disabled" after a delay during his delivery by Caesarean section, a High Court judge has been told. Betsi Cadwaladr health board will pay £4m in compensation after a negligence claim was brought by one of the boy's relatives. He has required 24-hour care since his birth in 2018 at Glan Clwyd Hospital in Denbighshire. The hospital apologised, saying doctors are "working hard" to learn lessons. "We are extremely sorry," barrister Alexander Hutton KC, representing the health board, told Mr Justice Soole. "[Betsi Cadwaladr] is working hard to learn lessons from this case," he added. Read full story Source: BBC News, 2 November 2022 -
News Article
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Content ArticleInfluenza, polio and more have shown that infections can change lives even decades later. So why the complacency over possible long-term effects of COVID-19 writes Laura Spinney in this Nature article.
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Content ArticleThis Joint Committee on Human Rights inquiry will look at human rights concerns in care settings in England, highlighting areas in which the human rights of patients, older people and others living with long-term disabilities, including learning disabilities and autism, are currently undermined or at risk.
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Content ArticleWhile inequalities in health have always been a problem, the Covid-19 pandemic has shone a spotlight on inequalities, and created an opportunity for change. In this long read by The King's Fund, the authors look at the importance of developing a long-term approach to tackling health inequalities. They examine at historical attempts to tackle health inequalities and argue that we need an enduring national mission to tackle inequality. They highlight that action is needed at national and local levels if this mission is to succeed.
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Content ArticleThis campaign by the independent statutory body Healthwatch aims to help make sure more people get healthcare information in the way they need it. Patients need clear, accessible information in order to make informed decisions about their health and care. The Accessible Information Standard gives disabled people and people with a sensory loss the legal right to get health and social care information they can understand and communications support if they need it. 'Your Care, Your Way' is asking whether the standard is being delivered by services, and whether it goes far enough. The campaign aims to: Find out how well health and care services are delivering the Accessible Information Standard. Make sure that, if the standard covers you, you know your rights. Find out who else has problems understanding information about their healthcare and needs to be covered by the standard.
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Content Article
Top 21 Chronic Pain & Illness Blogs (20 August 2021)
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in Patient stories
This article lists some of the top chronic pain and illness blogs on the internet, with a short description of each one.- Posted
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Content ArticleThis report by Roger Kline brings together a range of research evidence to suggest practical steps NHS employers can take to reduce inequalities in staff recruitment and career progression. It specifically focuses on the treatment of female, disabled and BAME staff. Written for practitioners, it summarises some of the research evidence on fair recruitment and career progression. It highlights principles drawn from research that underpin the suggestions made for improving each stage of recruitment and career progression.
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Content ArticleThe use of digital health services has risen over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. The digital divide and the resulting impact on people’s experiences of the pandemic have disproportionately affected certain groups of society. Age UK analysis suggested that only 24% of those aged 75+ were using the internet more during the pandemic, and 9% were using it less. And although the population has become better connected since the start of the pandemic, still 6% of homes (around 1.5 million households) in the UK lack home internet access. People in the poorest households are four times more likely to not use the internet at home than those in the wealthiest households. Disability, impairment, and health conditions also correlate with lower levels of digital access and use. In this article, Emma Stone, Director of design, research and communications at the Good Things Foundation, discusses the implications of digital health services on inequalities.
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Content ArticleThe Homecare Association calls on central government to invest properly in homecare, so we can address unmet need, reduce inequalities, extend healthy life expectancy of older and disabled people and reduce pressure on the NHS. To gain an up-to-date view of the additional funding required for homecare to ensure an adequate supply of good quality, sustainable services, the Homecare Association submitted enquiries under Freedom of Information legislation to 340 public organisations which purchase homecare across the United Kingdom. These consisted of local authorities, Health and Social Care (HSC) Trusts in Northern Ireland and NHS bodies. Each public organisation was asked to provide several pieces of information, including the prices (lowest, highest, average) it pays to independent and voluntary sector homecare providers for the provision of regulated homecare services, delivered to people aged 65 years or above in their own home, during a sample week in April 2021. The Homecare Deficit 2021 report presents the analysis of the data received, and thus exposes the continued deficit in funding for homecare services in the United Kingdom.
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Event
HoPE Storytelling Festival - Made by Mortals
Sam posted an event in Community Calendar
To share the learning and resources from the award-winning (The Royal Society of Public Health - Arts in Health 2022) community partnership programme between Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS FT, Made By Mortals CIC (arts organisation) and over 50 patients with a broad range of lived experience- including mental ill health, learning disability, autism, English not as their first language, and people that identify as non-binary. The project used immersive audio case studies coproduced by patients, including the use of music, sound effects, and drama, together with an interactive workshop that challenged volunteers and staff at the hospital to take a walk in the patient’s shoes. The experiential community-led training raised awareness of the challenges that people with protected characteristics and additional needs face. This work supported Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS FT ongoing approach to quality and diversity and supported attendees to adapt their behaviours to create an empathetic and person-centred environment. Register
