Important changes for A&E Services in Fife

Victoria Hospital- A&E

A&E services at Victoria Hospital operate seven days a week from 8am to 5pm.

From 8am, 19 December 2011
A&E services will now be based at the new wing. Operational hours will continue to be 8am to 5pm, seven days a week.

From 8am, 19 January 2012
A&E services at the new wing will now operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week

Victoria Hospital- Minor Injuries Service

Up until 8am, 19 December 2011
Located within A&E at Victoria Hospital, the Minor Injuries Service operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

From 8am, 19 December 2011
The Minor Injuries Service will now be based at the new wing. It will continue to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

A PDF document is available containing some more information "Click Here"

Is there anyone out there with experience of Sage 50 Accounts who would like to volunteer two or three hours each week?

With all the other work our treasurer has to do, his time is becoming limited and he could do with some assistance.

If interested please contact the FIDN office manager on 01592 203993 (Our office is in Kirkcaldy)

Changes to Blue European parking

badges

Blue badges are changing.

From January next year (2012), you will have to use a new national application form to apply for a new blue badge or renew your old one.

Forms are available from www.fifedirect.org.uk/bluebadge or www.transportscotland.gov.uk/road/blue-badge-scheme or by calling 0845155 00 66. You can also apply online at www.transportscotland.gov.uk/road/blue-badge-scheme

Note from FIDN: You used to get reminding letters when your blue badge was about to need replacing but that is no longer the case. You now have to make sure yourself when your Blue Badge about to expire and apply for a replacement.

The Independent Living in Scotland project (www.ilis.co.uk) has joined forces via SUSE with the Fife Employability Team (part of Adult Services (Resources) Social Work).  We are staging an event in Rothes Hall, Glenrothes on 9th December from 11.00 to 15.00.  The event is for disabled people who use (or who could use) employability services and for those who plan and manage these services.

For more information "Click Here"

Wideaware Training and Consultancy Ltd have been commissioned by the Office of Disability Issues with a research and eLearning project to find out more about practical difficulties or good stories on disabled people trying to access their MPs.   I have a link to their blog page here: http://blog.wideaware.co.uk/archive/33/your-experience-with-your-member-of-parliament-as-a-disabled-person 

Attached is a list of questions that Wideaware are looking for disabled people to answer.  If you are interested please fill in the attached document and forward onto Maria:  mzedda@wideaware.co.uk

"Click Here" to view attached document

If you have any questions about the project please contact Maria on 0131 531 5847.

Many thanks, 

Information
Inclusion Scotland
Unit 219
Pentagon Centre
36-38 Washington Street
Glasgow
G3 8AZ
Tel: 0141 221 7589
E-mail: information@inclusionscotland.org

Visit our website at http://www.inclusionscotland.org

The Scottish Human Rights Commission is holding a series of four free online seminars that will relate to the Disability Convention.

The series will begin with an exploration of disability equality and human rights in the context of public spending cuts and welfare reform. Later seminars will consider issues such as access to justice, independent living and children and young people. Each seminar will only last an hour and will be between 12pm and 1pm so you can watch or listen, and join in over your lunchtime sandwiches! You can be part of the live online seminars on your own or you may want to see if any of your colleagues or friends want to get involved too and join as a small group.
Although you don't need to register for the seminar, please let the SHRC know if you plan to join in.  You can do this be emailing hello@scottishhumanrights.com or telephoning 0131 240 2985.
The provisional dates are:

• 12 December 2011, 12 – 1pm: Rights in a Recession

• 16 January 2012, 12 – 1pm: Getting Justice

• 13 February 2012. 12 – 1pm: Independent Living

• 12 March 2012, 12- 1pm: Children and Young People

The seminar series will have the Twitter hashtag #crpdseminar
                                                                                              
Kate Sanford
Policy Manager
Quality & Policy Department
kate.sanford@quarriers.org.uk

Tel: 01505 616134
Mob: 07913 481 202

The Fife Independent Disability Network (and hence this website) is mostly funded by Fife Council and because of this we have show that people are using website and what they are using it for plus some other information.

I have put together a short survey. Could I please ask you to spent a few minutes to fill in the form.

survey template

"Please Take our Online Survey"

Mobilise for DLA campaign

You may have noticed that Jim Eadie MSP has lodged a motion in Parliament supporting the Mobilise for DLA campaign, and praising the campaigners who made their way to London to express their views on the Welfare Reform Bill and its proposed changes to DLA and Mobility Allowances.

We have created an online action for anyone who wants to write to their MSP to ask them to support the motion to do so. It would be great if you could forward this to partner organisations, campaigners, or any other interested parties who you think might want to support the campaign. We will continue to lobby when the Bill goes to the Lords after the Parliamentary recess later this year.

You can access it via the following link:

http://e-activist.com/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=22&ea.campaign.id=11158

It would also be great, if people want to, if they could let me know about any replies they receive.

Thank you

Jacq

Jacq Kelly
Policy and Parliamentary Officer (Scotland)
Leonard Cheshire Disability
Telephone: 0131 346 9053
Email: jacq.kelly@LCDisability.org

SDEF Consultations - Personal Independence Payment

As many of you may know the UK Government intend to replace the Disability Living Allowance benefit with the Personal Independence Payment. The Government have released a draft of the Assessment Regulations that will outline the way people will be assessed for the new payment.

We feel that it is extremely important to inform you about these proposals and to seek your views. Many of the new features of the Personal Independence Payment are quite different from Disability Living Allowance. There will be a pilot of the new Assessment Regulations over the summer with an opportunity to submit responses at the start of August. It is vital your views, opinions and ideas are heard; please let us know your thoughts to help us prepare our response on this subject.

For more information and to view the summery and SDEF Consultations document "Click Here"

The Scottish Government has asked us – ODS Consulting – to review the Independent Living Programme

The Scottish Government has asked us – ODS Consulting – to review the Independent Living Programme.  This programme promotes independent living for disabled people.  By independent living we mean having the freedom, choice, dignity and control to live your life the way you want to.  This includes at work, at home and in your community.  At the moment, this isn’t always possible for disabled people.

As part of this review, we are exploring what needs to change to make independent living a reality.  So we want to hear the views of disabled people, and people with an interest in independent living for disabled people. 

Tell Your Story, Make a Difference!

Had experience of NHS services recently?  Want to offer some feedback, suggestions or thanks?  Want to see what others are saying too?

Then Patient Opinion might interest you.....

For More "Click Here"

Inclusion Scotland’s response to the Scottish Governments Blue Badge Consultation

"Click Here to view it" This a MS Word Document

Equality Act comes into force 1st October 2010

The vast majority of the Equality Act's provisions will come into force today. This landmark legislation strengthens, harmonises and streamlines 40 years of equality legislation, providing protection from discrimination across all the ‘protected characteristics’:  age, disability, sex (including gender reassignment), race, religion and belief, and sexual orientation.  The Equality Act affects you as an employer and service provider and applies whatever the size of your organisation or sector you work in. "Click Here for more"

The Video`s taken at our 2011 AGM in Pettycur Bay hotel 14-09-2011

Guest Speakers were:

Keith Robertson,

Access Development Officer SDEF

Talking "On Access to Inpendendence"

and

The question and Answer Session afterwards

This video taken at the FIDN office talking about  The Fife Independent disability Network

YOU WILL NEED THE LASTEST FLASH PLAYER TO VIEW THIS VIDEO

Reporting Hate Crime

Fife Community Safety Partnership has produced this DVD in association with Kinetic and the Safer Communities Task Group, including staff from Fife Constabulary, NHS Fife, Fife Council, FRAE Fife, Fife Mens Project, Fife Independent Disability Network, Fife Elderly Forum and Victim Support Fife.

To view an online version of the video click on text