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Safety meeting for disabled people in York
Health Lottery funding – 12th March deadline
The Peoples Health Trust – which allocates lottery funding – has set a 12th March deadline for organisations seeking grant funding.
Grants will be available of between £5 and £50k (over two years). Applications can be submitted by any type of “not for profit” organisation including CIC’s. The projects length will between 9 months and two years (minimum 9 months to allow relationships to be formed ‘create stronger social connections between people’)
The project must be designed and run by local people. It must create stronger social connections between people and create a greater sense of general happiness. “It must help make the local community even better”.
For further information about the scheme and to apply visit www.peopleshealthtrust.org.uk
Questions or assistance with completing applications can be obtained from Two Ridings Community Foundation 01759 377400
Local Assistance Scheme for poor underspent in York
Local Assistance Scheme only half forecast
It looks like the York Council will underspend its budget for welfare payments during the current financial year.
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The budget was delegated to the Council by the government replacing – in part – the Social Welfare fund.
It is intended to make emergency payments to less well off people who encounter unexpected expenses.
The York scheme is called the York Financial Assistance Scheme (YFAS). Its explanatory booklet says that the YFAS can be used to help with, for example:
• Expenses and household items to help you move out of residential care or stay in your home
• Rent or council tax payments
• Financial assistance in an emergency.
By the end of January nearly half of the Council’s £315,000 YFAS budget had not been committed.
A total of 1062 payments had been authorised with the authority saying that 176 of them were made to people aged under 25.
Given that the budget is not being fully spent this year, it is surprising that the Council announced last week that it will to add another £100,000 to the payments that it intends to make next year
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Meanwhile many fears about Council Tax income are proving to be unfounded.
The York Council had collected 85% of monies due by the end of December. The same percentage as in 2012.
However the number in arrears with their Council Tax payments had increased from 5556 in 2012 to 7040 in 2013.
Of these 2601 were receiving Council Tax support (formerly known as “benefit”)
Perhaps surprisingly the numbers who had been referred to bailiffs had fallen from 3996 to 2902
The Council is budgeting next year to collect an additional £1/4 million through “further improvement of collection performance”.
Connecting Care in York
‘Connecting Care’, the City of York Local Account for Adult Social Care for 2013 is now online.
The report sets out the current local picture of adult social care services with health and financial data and how services are performing, along with the strategic aims for improving and integrating health and social care services in the future.
To view Connecting Care visit www.york.gov.uk/localaccount
Elderly in York deserve much better.
Windsor House
The Councils Labour leadership are apparently visiting the Windsor House Elderly Persons Home (EPH) this week. The Home is trialling some new techniques aimed at helping people with dementia.
The Councillors will no doubt also be seeking to persuade staff that the ill fated social care modernisation programme has overcome the chronic delays that have dogged it since Labour took office in 2011.
The consolidated EPH programme was conceived by the LibDems in 2010.
In July 2011 Labour embarked on another, ultimately fruitless, consultation. This was to appease UNISON who had funded their election campaign.
The consultation results were reported to a Council committee on 1st November 2011
A further reports was made on 10th Jan 2012 when the opening date for the Lowfields Care village was confirmed as April 2014. At that stage, Labour had already lost 6 months compared to the LibDem programme.
An update was given on 15th May 2012
The Cabinet finally admitted on 4th June 2013 that they could not complete the project until 2016.
That is nearly 3 years later than originally envisaged (The planned Fordlands replacement was abandoned and eventually replaced by a Burnholme school site alternative).
The meeting resolved to “proceed to tender (in a single procurement for both sites) to procure an external provider that will Design, Build, Operate and Maintain the Burnholme care home and the Lowfield Community Village for Older People”.
They agreed to spend £500,000 on the procurement exercise
Tenders are scheduled to be received in May, nearly a year after the new Care Village at Lowfields had actually been due to open.
It now looks like any project completion will be in the winter of 2016/17.
The scheme is estimated to cost between £25 and £30 million. Its day to day funding will depend on the economies being made at other homes like Windsor Garth which will close.
The Council have got themselves in a major fix on a project which was expected to help control escalating social care costs. They have been forced to add another £2.5 million to their budget next year.
The budget being considered today however makes no reference – or provision for – the EPH scheme.
The lack of an update since last June is even more surprising given that it is one of the three highest value changes which will have been implemented by the Council during the last 25 years.
York social care website attracts small number of visitors
The “new” social care website – Connect to Support – has had over 700 visitors.
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The site enables older people, those with disabilities, or those who simply need some support to remain independent, to shop for support services and products, find local activities and groups and look up information and advice – since it “officially” launched in November.
The site had caused some concern when it went live last Spring without any explanation
The site brings together several resources that will give adults in the city a new and innovative way of finding out what options are available to meet their needs.
For more information on how Connect to Support visit www.connecttosupport.org/york
Dial and ride service seeks more passengers in Dringhouses
York’s Dial & Ride service has helped thousands of elderly and disabled residents travel from their door to their destination for over 20-years
Established in the late 1980s, the flexible bus service helps residents who cannot use conventional bus services, or who require extra assistance at either end of their journey, with door-to-door transport to the city centre or major supermarkets.
Dial & Ride is operated by York Wheels, a voluntary sector service.. York Wheels has a team of 32 volunteers who work for the organisation from one to five days a week
Passengers can book in advance by telephoning01904 551441 during office opening times (weekdays from 9am until 12 noon), but a message can be left outside of these times.
To book the Dial & Ride service, residents follow these four simple steps:
“Bed blocking” criticism grows in York
NHS England list York as one of the worst communities for speedy hospital discharges
NHS England have today published data click here showing that in October 2013, the City was one of the worst communities in England for delayed transfer of care.
Of the 28 patients awaiting a move from York hospitals at the end of October, 11 were awaiting care or nursing home placements while 7 were waiting for a care in the community support package.
Both are the responsibility of the York Council to provide
Although the Council Leadership is now promising to fix the problem “within 6 months”, they have failed to explain why the developing crisis has not been mentioned in any of the reports published by members of the Labour Cabinet over the last 6 months.
The Leaders own report, being considered by the Council tomorrow (Thursday), makes no mention of the problems.
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Separately, a resident has submitted a Freedom of Information request seeking an explanation for the apparent attempt to cover up the delayed discharges scandal. The wording of the request can be read by clicking here.
Hospital “bed blocking” on increase in York
The number of delayed discharges from hospital is increasing as the York Council struggles to provide care in the community places.
The delays mean that the Council has to pay substantial “fines” and in turn the “blockage” can prevent new patients being admitted to NHS beds.
The delays have reached record levels as the weekly average figures (for patients awaiting discharge to community placements) for the last few years reveal.
- 2009/10 – 7.98
- 2010/11 – 10.13
- 2011/12 – 8.69
- 2012/13 – 10.67
- 2013/14 – 11.00 (to September)
The figures were reported to both the York Council’s “Cabinet” on 5th November and its Health Scrutiny Committee on 27th November
Neither minuted any action which they planned take to address the growing crisis.
Some of the delays are being put down to inadequate capacity in the “reablement” unit. This team seeks to train former patients to be more self-reliant.
It is the winter period when demand for NHS beds is at its highest.
The last thing that the City needs is for those that are available to be blocked by people who could, with support
Dial and Ride from Dringhouses
Dial & Ride is York’s flexible bus service for residents who have difficulty in getting around.
There is a Friday morning bus – Picking up in Dringhouses ward from 10am going to City Centre or the shops at Foss Bank or Foss Islands Road with a return at 2.30pm.
The bus can drop off at St Sampson’s Centre, Sainsbury’s Foss bank, Morrison’s, Waitrose or Home Sense
It provides a door-to-door service, taking people from their home to the city centre or major supermarkets. The buses are equipped for people who have difficulty walking and for those who use wheelchairs.
Passengers need to book in advance by telephoning 01904 551441. Office opening times are weekdays from 8am until 12 noon but a message can be left outside of these times.
Full fare
- £4.00 for a return journey
- £2.00 for a single journey
Concessionary pass holders
- £2.00 for a return journey
- £1.25 for a single journey
Blind person’s pass holders travel free.
Timetable – A full timetable can be found here:
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