Workshop on Self-directed Support & Benefits and Allowances

PAMIS are running another workshop in our series on Self Directed Support and Benefits & Allowances

Come along to find out more about Self Directed Support, gain information about Benefits & Allowances, and have the opportunity to attend an individual consultation to discuss benefits

When? - Thursdays 8th and 15th September 2011 10.30am - 2.30pm

10am: Coffee & Registration

Where?  Crawford Boardroom, Crawford Building, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design,
University of Dundee DD1 4HN

Lunch and refreshments provided

For further information or to book a place Call PAMIS: 01382 385 154 or Email: m.phillip@dundee.ac.uk

Sponsored by NCO (National Carers Organisations)

Focus Group - Medicines Waste Campaign

Jackie McCallum, Improvement Adviser, NHS Tayside and Frances Rooney, Head of Pharmacy, Perth and Kinross CHP, NHS Tayside, would like to invite members of the public to a focus group. This will be held on Thursday 28 July 2011 at 2.00pm within Kings Cross.

Both Jackie and Frances are part of the Medicines Leadership Project Team and are currently planning a Medicines Waste campaign. They would very much like to involve the public in the planning and development of resources for the campaign.

Unused medicines cost the NHS millions of pounds every year. Around £100 million in wasted medicine is returned to pharmacies for safe disposal annually. The annual budget for prescribed medicines in NHS Tayside is £100 million and medicines waste or unused medicines currently accounts for around 10% of this. Reducing medicines waste cuts across the whole of the prescribing improvement project which aims to improve the quality of prescribing and reduce variation and harm in the use of medicines. A reduction in medicines will also contribute to improving patient safety and reducing harm.

The purpose of the focus group is to gather public’s views on the campaign and draft resources, such as public information leaflets and posters. It will also be an opportunity for members of the public to find out more about the campaign and also give views on how the campaign can be promoted and how best to get the key messages across to the wider public.

Target Audience of the Campaign


· Patients, especially those on repeat prescriptions and who, for a variety of reasons, order some medicines they actually never use or complete
· Healthcare professionals including doctors, pharmacists and hospital staff who interact with patients on a daily basis
· Carers and care workers who look after people who can’t collect their own medicines

Key messages of the campaign particularly target carers and care workers to get them to stop and think about what they are ordering on behalf of someone and checking what the person they care for does have in stock.

We would welcome carers' views on how to help promote the key campaign messages to carers as well as the wider patient population.

If you feel this is an activity you would be interested in participating in and you feel you can contribute to then please email/phone etc to book a place: ppg.tayside@nhs.net or by telephoning the freephone number 0800 7836110 by Monday 18 July 2011.

Dundee ADP Recovery Steering sub Group

You are invited to attend the Dundee ADP Recovery Steering sub group Recovery Cafe Event on
Monday 27th June 2011, 5.30-7.30pm in the Central Baptist Church hall, Ward Road, Dundee.

Please find attached invitation and some more information detailed below.Spaces are limited and in order to ensure as many spaces as possible are filled, we would kindly ask that you RSVP to n.mcnamee@nhs.net by Wednesday 15th th June 2011.

Recovery Cafe Event

The Dundee Alcohol and Drug Partnership is committed to developing services that are recovery focused. To do this, there needs to be a shared understanding of, and commitment to recovery. Family members, professionals and community members all have a role to play in supporting recovery.

To try and develop this shared understanding about recovery, Dundee ADP has decided to hold a Recovery Café Event to bring together people in recovery, professionals, family members and community members to discuss and share their ideas on recovery.

• A Café event is a particular way of seeking views and allowing discussion on a particular topic.

• This event will allow for a discussion about Recovery from substance misuse.

• The event is set up in a café style; with about 8 tables where people can sit and discuss the 3 questions they will be asked, writing key ideas/points in post it notes to stick to the table.

• There are no right or wrong answers to the questions. The aim is to get people talking.

• The 3 questions will focus on recovery – what this means to individuals and what others can do to help.

• People will only be asked to give their first name and do not have to say where they are from.

• After each question, all participants, except one, are asked to move to a different table to discuss the next question.

• At the end of the event, participants are asked to put their key thoughts or commitments on a post it to share with others.

We hope to see you there,

Guide Dogs for the Blind

My name is Pamela Munro and I am the information Officer for Scotland for the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.


I am trying to get as much information out to the general public as possible about Guide Dogs and the services that we provide.


There are many people out there who do not realise that they may be able to apply for a guide dog.


You do not need to have lost all of your sight to apply for a guide dog, neither do you need to be registered as blind or partially sighted.


Costs can be something that they also question. For a person who is accepted as a guide dog owner it costs them 50p. We pay for all the training, and equipment and we can pay for vet bills and food bills if needed.


The fact that we work in different communities, work with clients who have  additional disabilities, means that we treat each person as an individual.


Would you have a newsletter where I could get an article or an information point where information could be displayed for peoples use.



Also is there an opportunity to come and talk to your service users and staff
.

Name Mrs Pamela Munro BSc (Hons)
Title Information Officer Scotland
Tel: 07799342604 (mob) 0845 372 7313 (office)
The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, Dean Way Orchardbank Business Park Forfar
DD8 1WG


Celebrating 80 years of extraordinary partnerships


The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association Registered Office: Hillfields, Burghfield Common, Reading, Berkshire, RG7 3YG. A company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (291646) and a charity registered in England and Wales
(209617) and Scotland (SC038979).


Tel: 0118 9835555
Website: http://www.guidedogs.org.uk/
Email: guidedogs@guidedogs.org.uk

Donations wanted for homeless charity Starter Packs

A local charity, Starter Packs Dundee, is in need of your help. They donate household goods, cleaning materials and toiletries to homeless families who are in the process of taking on a first tenancy. Demand has been so overwhelming recently that they are running very low on supplies.

Please consider donating anything you may have - they are particularly in need of bedding, duvet covers, pots and pans, cutlery, mugs, plates, etc. Donations can be dropped off at their premises:
1 Guthrie Street, Taymill, Dundee DD1 5DY (in the Old Mill Complex, next to Transform Furniture).
Contact: 01382 223977 or email: starterpacks_dundee@btconnect.com.
Opening hours are: Tues, Weds & Thurs 9.30am -- 3.30pm and Friday 9.30am – 12.30pm

Digital Photography Training Course

In March, we ran our first Introduction to Digital Photography training course which was a huge success. Those who took part learned more about their cameras, became familiar with recognised techniques for taking good photographs, were shown different ways of getting their images onto their computers or printed, learned how to improve their pictures by making changes to them using everyday software and, most importantly, gained more confidence in getting out there with their cameras and being snap-happy!



Following on from this we have decided to run it again in Autumn 2011. Places are limited. So please contact indigo or Drew on 200422 as soon as possible if you would like to join us.



Further Details

10am – 12noon, cost £5 for whole course.

Dates Fridays 9th September, 16th September, 23rd September, 30th September, 7th October

(5 week course, every Friday)

Venue: Dundee Carers Centre, Argyll House

Speakeasy Group for Carers of children

We are starting a new group which aims to help parents and carers talk to their children about relationships and growing up. The group will be fun and informal, and will run for 10 weeks commencing Wednesday 4th May. Thesessions run from 7.00pm – 9.00pm and will take place at the Barnardos Family Support Team building in Dudhope Street.



If you think youmight wish to come along or require more information then please contact Jacqueline on (01382) 200422, or e-mail:



Jacqueline.stewart@dundeecarerscentre.org.uk