Action for Equality in Ealing
Disability Connect's Disability Action Scheme
Introduction
Disability Connect sees the new Disability Equality Duty as a major opportunity for disabled people as it requires public authorities to identify and address the barriers to participation and inclusion we face. To facilitate the process, we have produced this publication, Action for Equality in Ealing, to make our priorities clear to public authorities, by simply listing actions we would like them to take. The contributions come from Disability Connect member organisations and reflect the most pressing concerns of their members. They are listed in alphabetical order.
One of the things the new duty requires is that each public authority produces something called a Disability Equality Scheme. This is effectively their disability action plan and has to be produced in consultation with the local disabled community. Currently, there is a lot of discussion going on about how this consultation should be done. In Ealing, disabled people are taking a proactive approach to consultation by putting something fairly and squarely on the table for public authorities to think about and to consider including in their Disability Equality Schemes.
Action for Equality in Ealing is intended to promote discussion and, of course, this publication is an evolving piece of work, which will be revised and amended periodically. If the issue that is most important to you is not included here, then get in touch with Disability Connect, see contact details below. Currently, most of the actions are directed at Ealing Council, but it also lists actions for Ealing PCT, Ealing Hospital Trust, Ealing Homes, West London Mental Health Trust and Transport for London. In the future, it may include other public authorities as issues emerge. The progress made on actions included here will be reviewed annually.
Sian Vasey
Chair, Disability Connect
Contact details:
Disability Connect, c/o 1 Bayham Road, West Ealing, London, W13 0TQ. Phone: 020 8840 8573 Text: 07887 757228
CONTACT A FAMILY – EALING
A Chance for Change
In July 2006, HM Treasury and the Department for Education and Skills announced the above cross-cutting review of services for disabled children and their families. The evidence gathered from professionals and parent carers produced findings, which reflect the state of services for disabled children nationally and this is no different in the London Borough of Ealing. Two of the issues affecting Ealing parent carers are respite care and housing.
Action to be taken by Ealing Council (Department for Children and Families) on respite care
• Families with disabled children should have a statutory minimum entitlement to short break services, set to reflect the level of the child’s need and that of the family. We ask Ealing Council to review the eligibility criteria used by Social Services for access to statutory respite services. This will benefit the local authority as a proven preventative measure to further costs later. Direct Payments have proven to be beneficial to many carers. However, it is vital that parents should always be able to choose to receive services directly provided or commissioned by local agencies.
Actions to be taken by Ealing Council (Department for Children and Families) on housing
• The Council should ensure that the Principle Medical Officer examines each disabled child before deciding which housing band is awarded. The current system relies on third party, often out-dated, written evidence to ascertain the level of disability. As a result, severely disabled children, who should be given priority for re-housing, are overlooked. • Ealing Children’s Commissioning Strategy 2006-2009 which compliments the Children and Young People’s Plan 2006-2009 has identified, as have other important Council policy and strategy documents, housing as an important element in achieving the five major outcomes of the ‘Every Child Matters’ government programme. However, there should be more emphasis given to the impact poor housing has on the lives of disabled children and their carers, as this is an important factor, which must always be considered.
DEAF PLUS
Access to services for Deaf and Hard of Hearing people
To create access to council run services.
Actions for Ealing Council
• To provide sign language interpretation for a minimum of one day a week at council customer centres, such as Perceval House, Greenford and Acton Area Offices.
• To improve the application system for the Freedom Pass, travel permit for disabled people, such as Deaf awareness training for workers in that area and simplification of the process.
• To train all frontline staff in methods of communication to accommodate individual communication needs.
• To review the Locata bidding system to ensure access for Deaf and Hard of Hearing people.
• To make all departments aware of services provided by DeafPlus, such as interpreting / advice / advocacy.
EALING ASSOCIATION FOR THE BLIND (PART OF THE MIDDLESEX ASSOCIATION FOR THE BLIND)
Personnel Training
Action for all public authorities Visual Impairment awareness training should be part of hospital and council employee basic training, particularly those front line workers in hospitals (eg people serving meals) and in Social Services (eg receptionists at Perceval House).
Transport
We welcome the introduction of Capital Call into the borough and have glowing reports on access to transport from some visually impaired people, usually those living in the more central parts of the borough, nearer to taxi ranks etc, who use the services frequently. However, transport provision is not equally available across the borough. People with visual impairments who live in, for example, Northolt are very unlikely to be able to use the taxi card service and people generally have very mixed experiences with all the transport options.
Action on transport to be taken by Ealing Council
• We ask that reliability and punctuality is improved across the board and that people are always informed when transport is going to be late, or a booking will not be honoured at all.
• We ask that action is taken to compensate those who live in areas where taxis will not readily work. This could be through extra Capital Call provision or provision of a supplementary service, such as the Community Bus, which was cut some time ago.
Recreation for visually impaired people
In the past there have been pottery, craft and dancing classes aimed at visually impaired people, collaboratively organised by Social Services, Adult Learning and voluntary groups, and these were very successful. Visually impaired people also wish to have access to gym facilities.
Actions on recreation to be taken by Ealing Council
• We ask for council run gym and fitness facilities to offer support and facilitation to blind and visually impaired people to enable them to use these services.
• We ask for the development of a programme of classes or workshops, aimed primarily at blind and visually impaired people, and incorporating the appropriate facilitation.
EALING CENTRE FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING (ECIL)
Parking
It is essential for many disabled people’s mobility that they can park as easily as possible. The following actions will help Blue Badge holders.
Actions on Blue Badge parking for Ealing Council
• To cease issuing tickets for minor infringements of Blue Badge rules, such as the badge being on display, but upside down, or when it has fallen off the window.
• Another action on this topic concerns parking for residents of social housing. Disabled residents need the disabled bays in their car parks to be clearly designated for their use and policed in such a way to ensure this space will not be abused.
Social Services charging for domiciliary care services
ECIL regards charging for Social Services to be a major impediment to the inclusion of disabled people. It ongoingly reduces the income of people who are never likely to be able to earn and effectively means those who are most impaired (indicated by the fact that they receive support from Social Services) will always have less available income than their less disabled peers. We think it is debateable that the council gains income from charging disabled adults after taking the cost of administration into account. It possibly loses money through this process. Charging is a discriminatory practice in that services aimed at all residents, such as education, waste disposal, parks and libraries are all free at the point of use. Disabled people are both charged for the service they need and required to pay Council Tax. Why should we pay twice?
Action on charging to be taken by Ealing Council
• We propose Ealing should follow the example of Hammersmith and Fulham Council and cease to charge for domiciliary care.
Reinstatement of the EPIOC service
Ealing Centre for Independent Living is appalled that the provision for electrically powered indoor/out door electric wheelchairs has recently been cut by the Ealing Primary Care Trust. Wheelchairs are an essential aid to inclusion and well-being and we find it extraordinary that this service has been completely withdrawn.
Action on the EPIOC service to be taken by Ealing Primary Care Trust
• To give a clear indication of the timescale for the reinstatement of the EPIOC service in Ealing and that this should commence at the very earliest opportunity.
Provision of hoists in medical settings
Action on the provision of hoists to be taken by the PCT and the Ealing Hospital Trust
• To implement a programme of provision of hoists for the use of disabled patients at Ealing Hospital, in all GP surgeries in Ealing and in other medical settings, as needed. In addition to this, staff should be trained in the use of these hoists.
Housing
There is a gap in service provision for meeting the needs of disabled people. Ealing Homes employs a number of officers who work specifically in the area of mental health and this works successfully. Building on this good practice, we ask for the following action.
Action for Ealing Homes
• To create Housing officer posts, particularly in the Homeless Persons Unit, who have a special interest or responsibility for working with disabled people. This would enable named officers to gain an understanding of the housing and homelessness issues affecting disabled people.
ECIL DIRECT PAYMENT USERS GROUP
Direct Payments Direct Payments offer a very successful way for individuals to manage their own care arrangements and Ealing has made great improvements in the area of Direct Payment support. However, we now suggest that Ealing Social Services take the following actions in this area.
Actions on Direct Payments for Ealing Council (Social Services)
• To ensure that Direct Payment packages are sufficient to meet the needs of the user and enable them to run their care package legally and effectively.
• To reconsider the rates of Direct Payments in the light of the following:
o It is crucial that Direct Payment users are able to pay their workers at a competitive rate in order to recruit and retain workers with the necessary competencies and qualities including; literacy, language, lifting and handling skills, intelligence/initiative and driving. The work involved is likely to be demanding and the level of responsibility quite high and clearly needs to be adequately paid. The current rate offered for Personal Assistants of £7.14 an hour is not enough as suitable people can command higher pay rates elsewhere.
o The rate should include a pay scale, to encourage and reward long service. This scale should start at around £9.50 and go up to about £13.00 an hour.
o This issue is particularly pressing for those Direct Payment users who need 24 hour cover. Currently, the rate for physically disabled people paid on a 24 hour basis is £135.36 per 24 hour shift. This is £5.43 per hour, ie 8p more than the National Minimum Wage.
o Direct Payment users using agencies should be allowed a Direct Payment at the rate charged by the agency.
EALING MENCAP
Access to medical treatment for people with learning difficulties Failure to recognize special needs means that people do not have equal access to medical treatment and at worst are ignored, neglected and may even suffer premature death.
Action for Primary Care Trust
• To develop real support for people with learning disabilities as in- patients and when attending Accident and Emergency.
EMPLOYMENT FOR PEOPLE WITH LEARNING DIFFICULTIES
Actions for all statutory services
• To implement an employment policy specifically designed to help people with disabilities, including learning disabilities, get work and to sustain them in that work. The PCT did some excellent work, but this needs developing across the statutory sector as a whole.
Access to services
Actions for all statutory services
• To recognise there is an increasing group of people with severe learning and physical disabilities whose life in many cases was made possible by improvements in medical science.
• To provide these people as adults with the same level of service they were provided with by the education, health and social care systems prior to them reaching majority.
Accessible loos
Action for all statutory services
• To provide, in key areas of the borough proper changing toileting facilities for multiply disabled people who need help with personal care – see Changing places, changing lives website www.changing-places.org. This website gives detailed information about what is needed.
Fair Access to Care
Action for Ealing Council
• To review their use of Fair Access criteria and recognize this currently leaves many people previously defined as having a learning disability by the Education system, without adequate support potentially for forty plus years of adult life.
Access to Leisure
Action for Ealing Council
• To provide equal access to all sports, youth and leisure services for disabled young people and monitor take up to make sure young people of all levels of disability are enjoying borough services.
FOOTSTEPS ART GROUP
Community Health Resource Centres
We would like to see action taken to promote genuine user involvement in the running of Community Health Resource Centres in the borough, which seem to be in decline and uncoordinated. These services currently seem to foster dependency, respond only to illness and give an impression of being run for the staff rather than the users. In addition, the Voluntary Services for people with mental health issues need nurturing and empowering.
Actions for the West London Mental Health Trust
Preliminary actions towards further accountability and involvement are:
• Each centre should hold a public meeting to elect a user body and promote creative thinking.
• The employment policy of these Resource Centres should be reviewed with a view to increasing the number of users employed.
• Staff should be trained to understand the user experience.
• All centres should be accessible to physically disabled people.
TRANSPORT FOR ALL EALING AND EALING COMMUNITY TRANSPORT
Door-to-door transport
Disabled people are often unable to use mainstream transport for a variety of reasons. Door-to-door transport services can compensate for this and are tailored specifically to the needs of disabled people and those with mobility difficulties of any age. They enable us to get out and about and access key services including health, shopping and social activities – just like any other Ealing resident. There has been some progress in Ealing, including the recent introduction of Capital Call from January 2007. However, there is still a way to go to achieve an integrated, reliable, regular and affordable door-to-door transport service for disabled people in Ealing. We need transport to get us from A to B and we also need caring, patient drivers who understand our needs, a driver who we can trust and a vehicle which is easy to get in and out of. We believe that additional door-to-door transport services will make a huge difference to our lives. They should be designed with the input of users and relevant stakeholders as well as voluntary and statuary organisations.
Actions for Ealing Council and Transport for London
• To develop a door-to-door transport service which complements existing mainstream transport and other accessible transport provision in Ealing: a service which is flexible, responsive and easy to access. It should be developed through ongoing consultation, review and feedback. Most importantly it should be, a service which is passenger led and centred.
• To consult on existing door-to-door provision to research the kind of additional door-to-door service we need. The consultation should ask whether services are reliable and suitable for disabled residents (including older, housebound residents) and whether existing supply meets demand?
• To identify where current door-to-door transport service provision is not meeting the needs of local people and identify improvements a new service could provide.
• To identify examples of best practice, both locally and London wide.
• To work in partnership with a variety of disability support organisations.
• To develop a service, suitable to our needs.
