BSMHD Newletter November 2005

• Assessment Accommodations with Deaf Clients – London 28 November 2005
• Next BSMHD meeting – Cambridge 2 December 2005
• Towards Equity and Access Implementation Panel
• Promoting Achievement for Young Deaf People Conference - 22 November 2005
• BSL Initiatives Conference – 7 December 2005
• RNID Video Interpreting Guidelines
• Deafness, Cognition and Language Research Centre
• Samaritans Text Messaging Service Trial
• Is Gender an Issue in working as a Psychologist? Conference – 12 November 2005
• Beyond Newborn Hearing Screening: Infant and Childhood Hearing in Science and Clinical Practice Conference
• Taskforce to help NHS tackle unexpected service costs

Assessment Accommodations with Deaf Clients – London 28 November 2005

A half-day presentation and discussion for psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health professionals working with deaf people. Britannia Street Conference Centre, Kings Cross.

9.00am – 1.00pm Monday 28 November 2005.

Presented by: Professor Jeffrey Braden Professor of Psychology and Director of the School Psychology Program at North Carolina State University

Places are limited so please send in your booking form early to avoid missing this unique opportunity.

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Next BSMHD meeting – Cambridge 2 December 2005

The next BSMHD meeting will be held at the Cambridgeshire Deaf Association on Friday 2 December 2005. The meeting will be an opportunity to meet staff from the Health Services and Deaf Organisations in the East of England. BSMHD Meetings are open to all members and are free to attend. If you would like to attend please contact Jonathan Isaac, [email protected]

The spring meeting will be held in Liverpool in March. Further details will be available in the next Newsletter.

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Towards Equity and Access Implementation Panel

The Department of Health Towards Equity and Access Implementation Panel held its second meeting on 8 September. The work of the TEA Implementation Officers has started on two fronts. A ‘bottom up’ approach, working in partnership with local deaf organisations, aims to recruit a representative from the deaf community in every PCT, who would then be provided details of key people to contact and dates of open meetings. Aim is to have deaf people in every PCT asking publicly what is being done to implement recommendations, how is the money being spent and what steps are being taken to reduce discrimination against deaf people. This information will then be fed back to the Implementation Officers to map progress. Next steps are to make contact with BME groups. The ‘top down’ approach involves working with SHAs, Regional Commissioning Groups, the BMA, Nursing Colleges etc to coordinate a joint approach to implementation and to share examples of good practice. If you are able to assist the Implementation Officers in their work please contact Herbert Klein or Lloyd Wint, The Bridge, Falcon Mews, 46 Oakmead Road, London SW12 9SJ [email protected] or [email protected] fax 020 8772 3242   voice 020 8772 3225   Textphone 020 8772 3241

The agenda and minutes and supporting papers of the TEA Panel meetings are available on the BSMHD website at www.bsmhd.org.uk/teaimp.htm . The next meeting of the panel is on Thursday 10 November.

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Promoting Achievement for Young Deaf People Conference - 22 November 2005

Britannia Street Conference Centre, 27 Britannia Street, London WC1X 9JP

For education professionals in specialist schools and HI Units, youth workers, social workers, project managers and professionals working with young deaf people. A unique opportunity to network with colleagues and find out about initiatives from across the UK taking place in schools, colleges and the community to promote achievement for deaf young people.

Conference Co-Chairs: Susan Daniels, Chief Executive of the National Deaf Children’s Society and Paul Simpson, Secretary of the British Association of Teachers of the Deaf.

Speakers include: Anne Marie Hall, Deputy Director UK Services (Education, Health and Social Care) at NDCS. Alison Weaver, President Elect of BATOD, a teacher of the Deaf and the Sensory and Physical Team Leader, within the Inclusive Education Service for Nottingham City LEA. Ernst Thoutenhoofd, Researcher at the Scottish Sensory Centre, Moray House School of Education, University of Edinburgh on the Achievements of Deaf Pupils in Scotland (ADPS) project. Sean Noone and Taylor Capewell, two young deaf people from Birmingham, will share their achievements having been involved in many diverse and challenging  projects, including being the first deaf members of the UK Youth Parliament, and a Youth Advisor on the UNICEF Youth Board. Richard Linley, Operations Manager Curriculum at Derby College. Robin Ash, Senior Deaf Education Instructor at Frank Barnes School. Deborah Carter, Headteacher at Ovingdean Hall School for Deaf Children in Brighton. Cheryll Ford, Principal at Royal School for the Deaf Derby. 

To book a place or for further information contact Jenny Hitchen [email protected]

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BSL Initiatives Conference – 7 December 2005

The Department for Work and Pensions are holding a conference to provide information about projects they have funded with the £1.5 million made available to support the statement recognising BSL as a language in its own right, which are designed to increase awareness of, and access to, British Sign Language. The conference is on Wednesday 7 December at Novotel London West, Hammersmith, London. Anne McGuire, the Minister for Disabled People, will open the conference. Anyone wishing to attend the event must register by completing the online booking form at www.livegroup.co.uk/bsl by 11 November. Further details can be found on the website or please contact the conference office at [email protected] Telephone 020 8481 3307 Fax 020 8481 2020

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RNID Video Interpreting Guidelines

RNID have produced guidelines for the use of Video Interpreting, including a symbol, developed for businesses to use which can be easily recognised to show where Video Interpreting is available. The good practice guide sets out the standard of service deaf people can expect when accessing video interpreting at locations displaying this logo. By using the logo a service provider has agreed to adhere to the standards set out in the charter. For copies of the guidelines and stickers and posters of the symbol please contact James Bailey, Video Interpreting Development Officer, RNID, Wilton House, 5 College Square North, Belfast, BT1 6AR. Email [email protected] Telephone/ Textphone 028 9023 9619 Fax 028 9031 2032

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Deafness, Cognition and Language Research Centre

The Economic and Social Research Council have announced the award of funding for a significant new research centre to be based at the University College London Department of Human Communication Science. The funding is £4.5 million over an initial 5 year period to enable the study of deafness, linguistic systems and communication. The aim is to create a world class hub of excellence that will connect various fields of research in a new way, ranging from neuroscience and linguistics to the deaf individual in the community. Changing the perception of deafness by the hearing community, and transferring communications techniques will be other aspects of the centre’s role. The work will be carried out in collaboration with other institutes and in partnerships with the many organisations working with deaf people. The Director of the Centre, Professor Bencie Woll, states: ‘The creation of the Centre places research with deaf people at the core of linguistic and psychological research. By studying deaf people’s language we will be able to illuminate all aspects of human communication’ . For further details telephone 0207 679 4057 or email [email protected]

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Samaritans Text Messaging Service Trial

Samaritans tested a  text messaging service at V and Reading festivals and established that it was possible to provide emotional support through SMS text messages and have now decided to try a longer trial over a 3 month period between 31/10/05 and 31/1/06.  The aim of this pilot is to obtain a better insight towards future requirements and also gauge the level of demand whilst at the same time offering genuine emotional support to those in need.  There are plans to develop the service further after consulting with both the volunteers providing emotional support and users of the service, either individually or through groups/organisations.  Samaritans stress that it is not a requirement that they obtain feedback for people to use this service and anonymity will be maintained.  The service will only be open between 6pm and 10pm for the duration of the pilot. The service is available now until 31 January 2006, the number to text is 07725 909090 and standard call rates will apply.

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Is Gender an Issue in working as a Psychologist? Conference – 12 November 2005

Organised by the British Psychological Society West Midlands Branch, to be held at the Millennium Building, Wolverhampton University Main Campus, Stafford Street, Wolverhampton, WV1 1SB.

Speakers include: Professor Andrew Samuels, Dr Lyndsey Moon and Dominic Davies. BSL Interpreters have been booked. For further details and to book your place contact Erica Wilson, 15 Bridgenorth Grove, Willenhall, West Midlands, WV12 4RX.

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Beyond Newborn Hearing Screening: Infant and Childhood Hearing in Science and Clinical Practice Conference

May 31 - June 3, 2006 at Villa Erba Congress Center, Cernobbio, Italy

The conference will include Round Table discussions, Special Sessions, Keynote presentations, free papers and poster sessions. Besides some other satellite events are being planned as well. For more information visit our website www.nhs2006.polimi.it
 
Don't miss the opportunity to be a presenter at the NHS 2006, submit your abstract online. Important dates: January 18, 2006: Deadline for abstract submission; February 20, 2006: Notification of acceptance and format (poster/oral); March 15, 2006: Deadline for Early registration and Hotel reservation.
 
For further details contact: NHS 2006, Ms. Sharon Scagnetti, Institute of Biomedical Engineering CNR, piazza Leonardo da Vinci, 32, 20133 Milan, Italy. Tel +39.02.23993345, fax: +39.02.23993367 [email protected]

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Taskforce to help NHS tackle unexpected service costs

New group to look at how NHS can work together to share the financial risk of specialised services. Health Minister Lord Warner today announced a review aimed at helping the NHS plan and pay for some of the most expensive treatments and drugs. The new taskforce, headed by Scotland’s former Chief Medical Officer Professor Sir David Carter, will investigate how the NHS commissions specialised services, ranging from bone marrow and kidney transplants to heart and brain surgery. The review will look at how NHS commissioning for specialised services fits into wider NHS reforms and will report next spring.

Health Minister Lord Warner said: “Primary care trusts are too small to shoulder the financial risk of these vital but expensive treatments in isolation.  Some services, such as treatment for severe haemophilia, cost £50,000 a year to treat just one patient and on occasion may cost up to £1 million a year. There have been concerns about how the present arrangements work in some specialty areas and it is time to take a fresh look at this area of policy. This review will look at what we can do to ensure that NHS bodies to work together to plan and pay for specialised treatments and help protect individual primary care trusts from wild fluctuations in demand for these services. It will consider whether the balance is right between commissioning collaboration between primary care trusts and a more national or regional commissioning approach.”

John Murray, Chief Officer, Specialised Healthcare Alliance, which campaigns on behalf of patients in need of specialist medical care, commented: "A large number of vulnerable people rely on specialised services.  We welcome the decision to look at ways of strengthening commissioning arrangements, including a more robust approach to funding."

The investigation will look at how to tighten the ways in which specialised services are commissioned, so that there is greater consistency across all PCTs.  It will also look at ways of ensuring PCTs to work together to commission specialised services so that the financial risk is shared. Patients expect to experience equal access to specialised services in the NHS and it may be necessary to strengthen collective commissioning arrangements between PCTs. NHS spending on specialised services is around 10 per cent of total hospital services spend – totalling £3.48 billion in 2004/05. The review team will report to Ministers in Spring 2006.

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Mental Health Service Provision for the Deaf Community

• Mental Health Service Provision for the Deaf Community  

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Note: The articles that appear in this newsletter are for information only – inclusion does not imply endorsement of the contents by BSMHD.

The next edition of the BSMHD Newsletter will be sent out in January 2006. The deadline for sending articles is 1st Jauary. Please send by email to: [email protected]

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