Thousands of people with learning disabilities could lose vital care after Government ruled that sleep-in carers be paid the national minimum wage, causing dozens of leading charities, including Mencap, to face insolvency after HMRC demands a bill of around £400m in back payments.

Following two tribunal cases, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) altered guidance in October to state that organisations must now pay the national minimum wage for all hours, meaning that charities who provide overnight care will have to increase pay from the flat rate of £25-£35 for a sleep-in shift to £60.

Around 200 disability charities, including Mencap, will be affected and are said to face a bill of around £400m for six years of back payments after the new guidance was issued. Charities have warned that they cannot afford the huge sums demanded by HMRC and that people who need overnight care may lose this “vital” service as a result of the bills. Mencap alone support around 5,500 people and are to be “majorly impacted”, whilst for smaller care providers the financial impact might mean that some may lose this support all together.

“We all recognise that our social care colleagues do some outstanding work and are some of the lowest paid, but we cannot pay them if we do not have the money and we only receive money from government sources,” said Jan Tregelles, chief executive of Mencap. “178,000 of the most vulnerable people in our society need this help and may lose it,” she said.

It is thought that the bill will have a devastating impact on the quality of life for those with serious learning disabilities who may not have access to an overnight carer as a result of the new ruling. Tregelles said, “having someone stay overnight ‘at home’ makes the vital difference between ‘living a life’ and spending the rest of their life in a hospital setting.” http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/charities-insolvency-threat-warning-night-carers-back-pay-mencap-hmrc-a7848911.html

Mencap launches petition to protect sleep-in support

“178,000 PEOPLE IN OUR SOCIETY need help and may lose it. Government changes to the interpretation of the law on pay has created a £400 million liability for care providers that they cannot pay. The Government created the problem so only they can fix it.”

Sign the Mencap petition here https://www.mencap.org.uk/

Mencap in collaboration with NHS England learning disabilities programme has produced a fantastic new campaign and set of resources about the Learning Disability Register, Annual Health Checks, and Summary Care Records.

This is all about encouraging people with a learning disability to get better healthcare, by letting people know that doctors and other healthcare workers can provide extra support and advice. The main message is to make sure you tell your doctor that you have a learning disability, so that they can add you to their register.

Please help us to share this important message! – Tell your doctor you have a learning disability and they can check if you are on the learning disability register. If you are not, they can arrange for your name to be added. This means you will be offered extra support to make things a bit easier. And, importantly, you could get an Annual Health Check. This information can be shared with other doctors and nurses, so they can make things easier for you too.

The campaign is called ‘Don’t miss out’ www.mencap.org.uk/dontmissout and the hashtag for social media is #dontmissout

The direct link to the guides and resources is: https://www.mencap.org.uk/advice-and-support/health/dont-miss-out/dont-miss-out-guides

The resources include:

• main guide about joining the learning disability register and why it’s so important;
• guide for supporters of people with a learning disability about the register, Annual Health Checks, and Summary Care Records;
• template easy read letter to complete and give to your doctor about joining the learning disability register;
• easy read guide about joining the learning disability register and why it’s important.

There’s also a really snappy animation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gANZupyBHM

Mark Neary has a recurring nightmare.

He dreams that six months after his own death, his son Steven – who has autism and learning disabilities – will end up in a residential unit like the one in which he was once illegally held.

http://bbc.in/2eKK3yC

Health Education England working across Kent, Surrey and Sussex are offering funded places for the courses listed below.

Download: http://bit.ly/2tVo6iw

Email rhona.westrip@hee.nhs.uk to discuss making an application.

Following last year’s successful event we are delighted to be hosting the 2nd conference for occupational therapists working in diverse settings.  Based on feedback from last year we have planned the day to share more examples from occupational therapists working in a range of exciting practice settings and provide time for more networking and sharing of ideas. We hope you can join us again.

Channine and Sarah

Date: Wednesday 6th September 2017.
Time: Coffee and networking from 9am and conference due to start 9.45-4.30pm
Venue: School of Health Sciences, University of Brighton, Eastbourne Robert Dodd campus, 49 Darley Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN20 7UR.

Keynote speaker: Dr Jennifer Creek: Skills for a diverse practice of occupational therapy.The day will include opportunities for networking, presentations from occupational therapists working in a range of diverse practice settings, and a workshop on the new Career Development Framework with Dr Stephanie Tempest, Education Manager for Professional Development, Royal College of Occupational Therapists.

Cost: We want to keep the cost of the conference low again this year but would invite people to select the price that best reflects their employment earnings. • £35 for those earning less than £20,000 and anyone that is presenting at the conference. • £50 for those earning in range of £20-30,000 • £75 for academics attending on behalf of their University

There are 100 places so please book early to avoid disappointment. Closing date: Friday 25th August 2017

Booking link:  http://shop.brighton.ac.uk/conferences-and-events/life-health-physical-sciences/academic-conferences/2nd-national-conference-for-occupational-therapists-working-in-diverse-settings

Contact details: C.Clarke@brighton.ac.uk  01273643771