News

The latest edition of the Southwark Carers News is available to download, please click here to access it.

Southwark Carers News – March / April 2010

The 2010 Carers Week survey has just been launched.

The survey follows the theme for 2010 – A life of my own – and asks carers about what they miss out on, especially those things that most people in society take for granted, and what needs to be changed. It should only take a few minutes to complete.

To take the survey please click this link

This is primarily an internet survey, if you do want a printed copy please contact Rob on 020 7708 4101

Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) will be replaced by weekly credits for parents and carers. Carers caring for a total of 20 hours per week or more will be able to apply for Carer’s Credit to protect their State Pension – both the basic and State Second Pension. This will help in situations where carers currently struggle to get their State Pensions protected, for example:

1. Carers caring for 20 hours or more per week (only those caring for 35 hours or more qualify before April 2010).
2. Carers looking after someone who refuses to claim disability benefits or who finds it extremely difficult because of their condition. This would benefit people caring for people with mental illness, for example.
3. Where more than one carer is looking after someone who is severely disabled – only one can claim Carers’s Allowance (but from April 2010 the other will be able to claim Carer’s Credit).
4. Carers who are looking after several people but cannot claim Carer’s Allowance because they do not care for any one of them for 35 hours. After April 2010 people in these situations will qualify for Carer’s Credit. To claim the Carer’s Credit carers must be caring for 20 hours or more a week for someone who is either:

• in receipt of a qualifying benefit (any rate of Attendance Allowance or Constant Attendance Allowance, middle or highest DLA care component),
• or where there is no qualifying benefit, has a signed certificate from a health or social care professional to confirm that the level of care being provided is appropriate (as in 2. above).

For more information click here

Are you interested in health and your local hospital?  Then why not go along to one of King’s College Hospital’s seminars?

King’s College Hospital is a Foundation Trust which means they have a membership made up of local people from Southwark and Lambeth and patients.  Members get involved with King’s in all sorts of ways.

They run a programme of lunchtime and evening seminars which cover all sorts of health-related issues such as diabetes, stroke and cancer or less common health conditions such as Motor Neurone Disease or Sickle Cell.  They also run seminars on specialist services such as Liver Transplant.  The talks are presented by  clinical nurse specialists or consultants and provide lots of useful information, as well as the chance to ask questions.

Seminars take place in the Weston Education Centre, Kings College Hospital, Denmark Hill which is fully accessible.  The talks usually lasts for around 1 hour and is then followed by a question and answer session.  They also provide handouts for you to take away with you.

There’s something for everyone so here’s what’s coming up:

Stroke

Tuesday 23rd February – 1 pm

Maria Fitzpatrick, Consultant nurse for stroke management will look at all aspects of stroke, treatments and rehabilitation for stroke patients.

Major Trauma in Emergency Medicine

Tuesday 16th March – 1 pm

King’s is becoming one of London’s Major Trauma Centres.  Tj Lasoye, Clinical Lead at King’s Emergency Department will talk about major trauma and how they treat seriously injured patients in the emergency department.

Breast Cancer

Tuesday 13th April – 1 pm
Terri Baxter, Clinical nurse specialist for breast cancer will talk about breast cancer including causes, symptoms and the services provided by Kings.

The Haven at King’s

Wednesday 26th May – 1 pm

Jo Delaforce will be talking about the work of the Haven which offers a confidential service for victims of sexual assault and rape in South London.

If you would like to go along to one of the seminars and consider becoming a member of King’s then please contact:

Xanthe Henson on 0203 299 8888 or xanthe.henson@kch.nhs.uk.

It’s best to book so that they are able to contact you if there is a cancellation.

Some of Britain’s six million carers will find it easier to build up a state pension from April, when new rules come into force.

Hundreds of thousands of carers don’t currently qualify for credits towards their state pension, but that’s about to change.

Many people – mostly women – fail to qualify for a full basic state pension because they don’t pay enough National Insurance contributions. And one of the biggest groups to lose out are carers. If you give up work to look after your children, you can effectively get credited for those years, but under the current system, it’s much harder for carers to qualify. They need to claim a benefit called Carer’s Allowance to trigger credits for National Insurance contributions, which many carers aren’t entitled to receive. But from April 6th, the rules will change and anyone caring for someone for 20 hours a week or more will get credits towards their state pension.

Read more

Pontin’s are offering up to 50 Classic self-catering apartments at their Spring breaks at each of the following locations.

Friday 26th March – Monday 29th March

• Brean Sands Holiday Park, Burnham on Sea, nr Weston super Mare, Somerset

Monday 29th March to 2nd April at

• Bean Sands Holiday Park, Burnham on Sea, nr Weston super Mare
• Southport Holiday Park, Ainsdale Beach, Merseyside
• Prestatyn Sands Holiday Park, Prestatyn Sands, North Wales.

Each apartment contains a bedroom, lounge with TV, bathroom and kitchenette with full size cooker and fridge. Each sleeps up to four people – two in the bedroom and two on bed settee in lounge.

There will be a full entertainment programme with live cabaret and music and  the fantastic Bluecoat Shows,

Read more

The next meeting of Camberwell Community Council is on Wednesday 3rd March at Southwark Town Hall from 7-9pm.

It’s your chance to find out what is happening in your area and to have your say about local issues. You can also meet other people from your area and speak to Councillors, officers and service providers.

The main items on the agenda will be:

• The new Camberwell Leisure Centre – tell us your hopes for the future of the building and hear an update on the refurbishment works
• Small businesses
• Cleaner Greener Safer Programme 2010/11 – hear decisions on the schemes to be funded.

In addition there will be the usual updates from the Police Safer Neighbourhood Teams and Community Wardens