News and Information
Testing Taxi Services in West Suffolk
October 2018
SCODP are working with Forest Heath District Council and St Edmundsbury Borough Council to look at the provision of taxi services for disabled people.
They are looking for disabled and non-disabled people across West Suffolk to either book a taxi from home or to use a taxi from one of the taxi ranks. Volunteers can use the taxi at a time to suit them as long as they complete the project before the beginning of December 2018.
SCODP will pay each volunteer a flat fee of £20.00 per person when SCODP have received their form.
Please click on the picture to see the information about the opportunity.
Are you a disabled person? Can you swim? Would you like to be a mystery shopper?
May 2017
If you answered YES to the above questions, SCODP would love to hear from you. The Suffolk Coalisiton of Disabled People are recruiting volutneers for an exciting new project to check out local swmiming facilities in your area.
If you are interested and would like to find out more, please contact Sophie Hawkins on 01473 276115 or sophie.hawkins@scodp.org.uk.
To see the full leaflet, please click the image to the left.
NHS Equipment Recycling Drive
April 2017
A campaign aimed at encouraging people in Suffolk to hand back items of community equipment they no longer require has been a huge success.The month-long amnesty led to the return of more than 8,500 items, ranging from crutches and commodes to adjustable wheeled frames and air mattresses.
It proved so successful that the waste-busting work is now being extended in the hope of retrieving even more discarded equipment. The campaign, which was launched on March 1, triggered a 10 per cent increase in the number of items returned to local NHS services compared to the previous month.
It unearthed a small mountain of items with an estimated value of more than £800,000 and everything collected will either be sterilised and re-used or recycled if it’s beyond repair.
Local NHS and social care services lose thousands of pounds each year as a result of patients hanging on to medical equipment when they no longer have any use for it.
More often than not these items can be repaired and re-used, supporting other patients in their recovery and helping them to live independently.
People with equipment to return can visit equipment supplier Medequip collection depots in Bury St Edmunds, Beccles and Ipswich. They can also call Medequip on 01473 351805 or email suffolk@medequip-uk.com to arrange for collection.
In addition, Suffolk County Council can now take collection of community equipment items at three of its household waste recycling centres at Bury, Foxhall and Lowestoft.
For more information please contact the communications team at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust on: Telephone: 01284 712588 / 01284 712589 | email: media@wsh.nhs.uk
Payroll and finance during the Christmas period
November 2016
During this period our deadlines will change to fit in with our Christmas and New Year operating hours.
Payroll
To ensure that your employees are paid on time during the Christmas and New Year period, please refer to your Dates List. If you do not have a copy of your Dates List then please contact us or visit the 'Downloads' page on this website. Any timesheets that are received late will be processed in the following pay period.
Invoices and Service Users Expenses
Invoices and claim forms need to reach us by 4.30pm on Wednesday 28th December 2016 for payment on the 6th January 2017. Any invoices or expenses received late will be processed for payment on 13th January 2017.
For more information and for a copy of the 'Helpful hints' flyer, please click here.
Payroll and finance during the Christmas period
November 2016
During this period our deadlines will change to fit in with our Christmas and New Year operating hours.
Payroll
To ensure that your employees are paid on time during the Christmas and New Year period, please refer to your Dates List. If you do not have a copy of your Dates List then please contact us or visit the 'Downloads' page on this website. Any timesheets that are received late will be processed in the following pay period.
Invoices and Service Users Expenses
Invoices and claim forms need to reach us by 4.30pm on Wednesday 28th December 2016 for payment on the 6th January 2017. Any invoices or expenses received late will be processed for payment on 13th January 2017.
For more information and for a copy of the 'Helpful hints' flyer, please click here.
Suffolk Coalition of Disabled People AGM
April 2016
SCODP are having their 4th Annual General Meeting on 6th May 2016 at Kesgrave War Memorial Centre in Kesgrave.
They have confirmed a speaker from the Pension Regulator to speak about direct payments and a speaker from Hate Crime Suffolk to discuss their recent news. A speaker from the Disability Advice Burea has also been invited to speak about the changes to disability payments that will effect disabled people.
If you are interested in attending or if you would like some more information, please contact their office on 01473 276115.
Suffolk Care Awards
November 2015
Shining a light on excellent Direct Employers
Direct Employers of personal assistants and carers have an opportunity to win an award in the 2016 Suffolk Care Awards.
It's free to enter, and the deadline is April 30.
The awards are launched for the first time this year - and have a category especially for you, called Direct Employer.
All you need to do is complete an application form saying why you think you are an excellent Direct Employer and how you support your personal assistant or carer.
What we are looking for is a Direct Employer who takes a proactive stance in ensuring that their PA is well-supported to deliver the required service.
The awards were launched in March this year and consist of 13 categories. The objective is find amazing carers, employers and care companies who do the crucial job of looking after people in Suffolk.
They are all about recognising the quality care that is provided in Suffolk and to highlight the important and crucial job good carers and creative employers and care providers do every day.
Go the the website www.suffolkcareawards.com and click on enter. It's easy to do - and there are a few days' left. Good luck.
You can see the flyer here: Suffolk Care Awards flyer
Personal Budget User's Forum
November 2015
Being an employer of personal assistants can be a daunting prospect. Equally, being a personal assistant can seem a loney and isolated job. SCODP and Suffolk Brokerage are looking to work together with disabled people and their PAs to look at what addition support both parties would like in Suffolk.
Please come along to this short forum and work with us to shape the future support provided in Suffolk.
A full leaflet can be found here.
FREE Care Certificate Training for Personal Assistants and Employers
August 2015
Skills for Care are funding some new training that provides a nationally accredited Care Certificate. It is brought to you by Equal Lives, Suffolk Independent Living and Suffolk Coalition of Disabled People. The training will be delivered by MRF Training and Consultancy.
It will cover lots of areas to do with being both an employer and an employee and you are invited to attend.
Please see the attached flyer for more information reagrding the locations of the training and how to register. It can be found here.
Suffolk Brokerage - Personal Assitant Forum
July 2015
We have set up a new opportunity for personal assistants called the PA Group.
The idea behind the PA Group is to give personal assistants a regular chance to get together for a chat and, more importantly, to meet other personal assistants in the same role.
There will be an opportunity to share and talk about common experiences, and get support.
For more information, please see the large print of the flyer, which can be found here. You can also call Suffolk Brokerage on 01449 720400.
Suffolk Brokerage - Personal Assitant Forum
May 2015
Being a personal assistant can feel like a lonely role. You may be the only person who works for your employer, and as you are based at your employer’s home, you won’t have work colleagues to talk to. We are setting up a forum specifically for personal assistants.
As we are at the beginning of setting up the forum we would like to know what you would like included. As well as networking we could also provide training and information sessions or book relevant speakers on topics of interest. We will help facilitate these forums for YOU, covering the topics YOU feel are important.
For more information, the flyer can be found here.
Suffolk Hate Crime - 3rd Party Reporting Centre
January 2015
We are a 3rd Party Reporting Centre for Suffolk Hate Crime.
You can report here any incident that you believe was motivated by race, religion/faith, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, age or gender.
For more information on the service, please visit their website at http://www.suffolkhatecrime.org.uk/
