Physical Disabilities and Sensory Impairment Partnership Board

23 May 2017 2pm – 4:15pm

March Community Centre, Station Rd
March PE15 8LE

Minutes

Present
JA Jane Ackrill Education Services Manager, Sense
AB Amanda Bavin Note taker
EB Erika Brown Hunts Society for the Blind
PB Pauline Brown Independent member
SC Sally Cleghorn Development Officer, CAIL
JD Jackie Davey Communicator guide
HD Heather Davison Coordinator, Healthwatch Cambridgeshire
GL Graham Lewis Development Officer, CAIL
LM Lee McManus Service Development Manager, CCC
HM Helena Melbourne Sensory Rehab Team, CCC
MS Mick Scadden Independent member
JS Jane Scott Independent member
AT Alan Thornton Communicator guide

1. Welcome, introductions and apologies

Apologies: Helen Sismore, Mimi Vidot-Blanc, Andy Palmer, Lee McManus, Chris
Eleftheriou, Matthew Baker.
HM passed on M V-B’s sincere apologies saying she was very sorry she couldn’t
come and will definitely attend the next meeting to explain the criteria for care.

2. Minutes of the last meeting and matters arising

2.1 Minutes
Agreed.
The Board agreed the minutes.

2.2 Matters arising

 HM reported that the Sensory Impairment team go regularly to Littlehey and
Whitemoor prisons to run clinics.
Fen House, Fen Road, Cambridge, CB4 1UN
Tel: 0300 111 2301 Email:admin@cambridgeshirealliance.org.uk
Registered Charity No. 1132290 Company limited by guarantee No 06861653
  They are training prisoners to act as advocates for those who are sight and
hearing impaired. They are also training prison officers in awareness.
 In Littlehey many of the prisoners are older and may suffer strokes and other
problems associated with age. The Older People’s Team and Re-ablement go
in to support them.
 She said she is pleased at how it is going and the teams work in partnership
with Cambridgeshire Hearing Help. Health and Social Care work well together
within the prison system.

Working Together document. GL has passed the feedback to Carol Williams.

3. Updates from board members

 Cam Sight - Flora Raffai has replaced Anne Streather as CEO.
 Cambridgeshire Hearing Help - Amanda Morgan has replaced Frances
Dewhurst as CEO.
 HM said that Mary Godden is retiring after 25 years with Cambridgeshire
County Council. She has been a great advocate for people with hearing loss.
 Andy Palmer sent a message to say Cambridgeshire Deaf Association has
now opened an office in Saxongate, Huntingdon.
 Hunts Blind sent a brief report which GL circulated.
 Bess Sayers, Public Transport Business Manager sent a full explanation of
the problem of travel before 9:30am. GL circulated this. If anyone has
feedback for Beth they should send it direct to her.

Additional comments:

JS said people need to use the card before 9:30 to get to social groups which are
important for preventing isolation.

HM confirmed she had written to explain why this is so important for people with
visual and sensory impairments.

PB - the buses are often full even at 9:20. It is unfair that people with mobility
problems can’t use their bus passes before 9:30.

JS says her dog feels the heat which is why she tries to travel early. She was
surprised to hear that some people do have passes that allow them to travel before
9:30. Who makes the decisions?

HM – it is a national system with some give and take for local authorities.

GL – for some it is a county decision.

Page 2 of 7
JS – is it worth taking up?

HM – if you feel you have mitigating circumstances then try to make the point. You
should always voice your concerns.

PB – it’s a national issue. Could Action for Hearing take this up with Sense perhaps?

EB – my understanding is that people with visual disabilities can’t travel before 9:30
to bring it into line with the rule for other people with disabilities.

MS – has the clock on the card giving permission been scrapped?

EB - I thought that was last year.

4. Feedback from other meetings

4.1 Cambridge Train Station
Concerns about Cambridge station and the new Cambridge North have been raised
at different Partnership Boards. GL was finally able to arrange a meeting with Alan
Neville the Community Engagement Manager on May 16. Over 20 people attended.

The meeting covered a number of issues. The venue on the noisy concourse was
difficult.

The colour of the paving on the plaza is difficult for people with visual impairments.

Differences between people with different disabilities.

Station announcements. Those with hearing impairments often miss important

announcements like a change of platform. The station hadn’t thought about this.

A new fleet of trains has been ordered with visual and audio for announcements. The
doors will be better and the ramps will be built in. Alan has invited Graham to join
him on a visit to Derby to see these trains.

He also invited the group to go to Cambridge North. There are wide disabled parking
bays but the roadway and paths are the same.

MS said his guide dog can’t recognise the difference between the road and
pavement where there is no curb.

HM added that Cambridge North is appalling for visually impaired people. Sensory
Services made many recommendations but they don’t seem to have been taken on
board.

PB said she was very angry at the situation. She was a member of the Cambridge
Disability Panel when the stations were first discussed. They didn’t listen.

Page 3 of 7
MS – agreed almost 100% and it’s a similar situation with the floating bus stops.

HM – the planners do listen but they tend to go for what suits a wheelchair user.
Nowadays shared use and access for all is everywhere but it’s true this isn’t always
suitable for people with visual impairments.

MS said the Manager confirmed if a person with visual impairment has not been able
to get a ticket and gets on the train they will not be fined.

PB gave the example of Hong Kong and Australia where continuous plastic strips
are in place. She has raised this with planners.

4.2 Cambridge City Council consultation on future of community centres

CAIL ran some consultations to make sure people’s opinions were heard.

HD – when will the future of Cambridge community centres be decided?

GL – I don’t know because things have been held up on account of the Local and
General Elections.

4.3 Home Care and Community Support services meetings

GL said that the PDSI Partnership Board has raised the issue of Personal
Assistants (PAs) so he brought it to the Adult Social Care Forum. As a result the
ASC held a series of drop-in meetings across the County which were well advertised
so that carers and service users could raise concerns and meet service providers.
Only a small number attended.

4.4 Guide Dogs Forum

GL will attend these meetings quarterly to hear what’s going on.

5. Updates from the PD and SI Teams

HM gave her update under Item 3. She added that Sensory Services will now come
under Assistive Technology with Lucy Forrest.

Action: HM will send GL the link to the You Tube site on Sensory Services (SS).

6. Eligibility Criteria for Care; Substantial and Critical need

This was deferred to the meeting on 7 September.

7. Sense - Jane Ackrill

 Sense is a national and international charity founded in 1955 by families
affected by the rubella virus. It provides information and advice and
campaigns.

Page 4 of 7
  Fewer are affected by rubella now but Sense has gone on to support
people with Usher’s Syndrome, acquired Deaf/blindness. In future it will
support babies who were born prematurely who can be affected by
deaf/blindness.
 Sense provides housing options of residential and supported living. Its
college has 4 college sites, provides short breaks and arts and wellbeing
programmes. They also run shops.
 Part of campaigning involves dealing with adult social care to ensure
people can get out and also access education.
 They have a very high staff ratio and a skilled team of multi-sensory
specialists. They provide assessments without charge.

Q&A

In answer to a question from MS Jane said Sense works with the Deaf Blind Society.

PB said she is a member of Sense and of a sub-group called Hearing and Sight
Impairment which organises trips. She was in an early Sense film about Usher
Syndrome. It is good to be open and honest and to support siblings.

HD – at Healthwatch we have just begun some work on people’s experiences of

accessing services.

JA will give her some information about who to speak to at Sense.

HM – I work with children and adults. There used to be a visual impairment multi
discipline forum. Because we worked together it was child centred and there were no
battles.

JA – I think the problem is funding. Sense is now more open about what it can get
involved in.

PB – is Sense merging with Mencap?

JA – no. We have worked together but that was particularly for the legal teams.

8. Adult Social Care Forum - items for and from

 Talked about home care meetings
 Information talk on PIP. 12 June Dave Winterton will speak at Orchard Park
Community Centre. GL circulated the details and individuals should reply to
Carol Williams.
 GL agreed to send the information to PB again.

Page 5 of 7
9. Action Log
All actions have been completed.

10. Any other business

 CAIL is holding a Carers Week event called “Aware that you care” on 15
June to thank carers but also to make people aware of the work the Carers
Partnership Board does. He will be asking people how caring has changed
over the years.
 CAIL is in its final year of its contract for the Partnership Boards. It is
aiming to develop an outreach programme to regularly hear views. If an
issue us to do with Health and Social Care than those are issues for
Healthwatch.
 If members have links to other organisations then please let GL know. He
is actively trying to recruit members and to enable them to participate in
different ways.
 There’s currently no wheelchair forum in Cambridgeshire and he would
like to establish one. It would keep the pressure up. Has had a lot of
evidence about the service.
 HD reported that Healthwatch has had difficulty in contacting the CCG.

HM said she supported the idea of a wheelchair users forum.

PB – there was a forum once. Gerri Bird was involved. It might be worth speaking
to her. She is completely supportive of that but noted that there are conflicts for
visually impaired people and there needs to be give and take.

HD – perhaps by having a wheelchair forum which feeds into the PDSI

Partnership Board it would be a way of discussing conflict and help mutual
understanding.

MS – have you ever met a person with a guide dog and a wheelchair?

HM – yes it can work if the dog and the person is properly trained.

EB – it’s not perfect but things have moved on.

PB – these meetings are very useful and I would like to see them continue.

GL – be assured the partnership boards are continuing. This Board has more
money allocated to it because of anticipated support needs e.g. speech to text.

PB – where I live there are many people who have overlapping conditions and
I’m doing what I can to keep people informed. The Tinnitus Group celebrates its
30th year this year.

Page 6 of 7
 Action: PB to send GL details of the Tinnitus Group.

MS closed the meeting and thanked everyone for coming.

Date of next meeting: Thursday 7 Sept, 2pm – 4:15pm Orchard Park

Community Centre, Central Ave, Orchard Park, Cambridge CB4 2EZ

Kindly note there will be a meeting of service users just before each meeting
between 1:15 and 1:45pm

Page 7 of 7