WELCOME TO OUR NEWSLETTER

Wakefield Deaf Society

Newsletter 2012

Wakefield Deaf User Partnership WDUP engages with a wide range of service providers to ensure that deaf people in Wakefield & District have improved access to services and quality of delivery.

If you are interested in shaping services and you would like to become a member of this group please contact us for more information.

January 2012 Technical Aids & Information Service

This year like all charities we have had our budget cut by 5%. In real terms this means £4,000 less money to provide our service however, despite reduced resources we have managed to keep waiting times to a minimum and we strive to do the best we can in these challenging times.

The Society receives funding from Wakefield MDC Family Services that contributes to providing the Technical Aids (equipment) Service, without their funding we would cease to exist.

If you receive a questionnaire from Family services with regard to the service you have received from us, please complete and return it, your feedback is important to us.

The Technical Aids Service ensures people who are deaf or hard of hearing have access to

equipment and information. Equipment reduces risk, improves well-being and independence.

Technical Aids & Information Service – Cut backs in public spending

Opening times—Technical Aids Service

Opening times for the public is: Mon, Tues, and Wed 9am to 12 noon.

Thursday 9am to 4 pm. We are closed Fridays.

We cannot guarantee that a member of staff will be available outside of these hours and for Health & Safety reasons, Staff working alone will not open the door to any callers to the Society outside of office hours.

Welcome to the 3rd edition of our newsletter. We hope you find it interesting and the content useful.

Family Fun day

In July we held a family fun day and hired Wakefield Sports club. The event was funded by a BIG Lottery grant and the aim was to reach out to the BAME (Black, Asians and

minority ethnics as these groups of people can often feel isolated within their own community due to lack of common language.

This event was organised with the support of Asif Amann, Development Officer of WMDC Family Services.

The family fun day event was opened by Mayor Ross Lund and although the day did not attract new service users and meet the outcomes we intended, it was very successful in many ways as the weather was very kind to us and all who attended enjoyed a day of fun.

There was something for everyone and for all ages such as “Boccia” (chair based bowling), Tag rugby, Hockey, Crown green bowling and fun things like Juicer bikes and dance mats.

Those that attended enjoyed sampling the different activities that they may not have had chance to try before.

The day was supported by many organisations and just to mention a few there was the NHS Food and Health Team, Family Services Sensory Impairment Team, Wakefield Hockey club, Wakefield Shooting Club, Wakefield Wildcats, West York-shire WRC Football Association and many more.

Special thanks go out to all the organisations and the volunteers that helped us make the day a success, including Dave Mitchell, Manager of Wakefield Sports Club for allowing us to use such a wonderful venue at a reduced cost. We hope to provide a similar event in 2012 but on a smaller scale so we look forward to seeing you later in the year.

New Plasma TV?

Have you purchased a Plasma TV after we’ve issued you with an Infra-red TV aid and found the TV aid no longer works?

If yes, please contact us because we will need to provide you with an alter-native piece of equipment to enable you to continue listening to your TV.

Emergency 101

As of Thursday November 17th 2011, West Yorkshire Police have a new contact number for you to ring when it’s not an emergency. 101 gives the public one easy way to get in touch with the police for calls that do not need an urgent response. You can call 101 to report a crime that has already happened, ask for crime

prevention advice or to give the police information. In an emergency always call 999. Deaf and deafened people using a Textphone (minicom) should dial 18000 in an emergency or register with emergency SMS service on your mobile.

Mountcastle silent bell and low energy

bulbs

Anyone that has had a Mountcastle flash-ing doorbell installed need to be aware that in the near future standard light bulbs will no longer be available for purchase.

Lights will not flash if you use low energy bulbs less than 20w, if you need to replace a standard bulb you will need to replace with a halogen dimmable 20w or above to

ensure that your Mountcastle bell still flashes.

Maintenance of equipment—Polite reminder:

We do not offer a maintenance program for any equipment that we have loaned to you. Equipment loaned to you is your responsibility to maintain e.g.

If your equipment is battery operated you must replace them at your cost.

If your equipment needs charging, You must keep it charged.

If the equipment becomes faulty you must report it to us to be repaired or replaced.

Please ensure that you keep any equipment that we have issued to you in full working order as we cannot be held responsible for any faults if we have not been informed, this also applies to fire alarms, please test this regularly as instructed.

The Screen phone is the Phone of the year

It allows deafened and severely deaf people to make a phone call, it is suitable for people that can use their voice to make a call but can no longer hear the response. The Screen phone has a small computer like screen that displays a text reply when used with BT Text Direct. It makes it possible to have telephone communication with friends or family and removes the fear of trying to make business calls.

If you can no longer hear the voice response when making a telephone call,

contact us for more details we may be able to help.

INSIDE STORY HEADLINE

In Wakefield Sign Translate provides instant help for Deaf people communicating

with medical staff.

This on-line Interpreting service is a live web-cam link to qualified British Sign Language

(BSL) interpreters. Sign Translate is now provided at:

Pinderfields, Pontefract & Dewsbury Hospitals In the A&E department, Maternity unit and

Children’s Department for short-notice communication needs only.

Also useful for consultant rounds when a patient is in hospital

Request Sign Translate when admitted to hospital at short notice

GP Surgeries providing sign translate:

Eastmoor Surgery

Orchard Croft Health Centre, Horbury

Middlestown Health Centre

Ferrybridge Medical Centre

Queen Street Health Centre,

Normanton

Park View Surgery Castleford

Don’t forget “WICS” is still available for pre-booked appointments

WMDC Family Services DVD

Wakefield Council’s Family Services have produced a DVD that is signed and subtitled. The DVD informs Deaf People of services available in Wakefield.

To request a copy contact the Sensory Impairment team on

01977 723922.

Wakefield Interpreting & Communication Service

W. I. C. S.

If you need an interpreter for an appointment contact WICS on any of the following numbers

Voice/SMS: 07770990370 Fax: 01924 304000 email: wics@wakefield.gov.uk

There is also a pilot service in

GP Surgeries.

Please ask staff for this video

interpreting service if you attend hospital

or any of these Health Centres.

Sign Translate is for short notice

appointments only and is not intended to replace face to face interpreters for

pre- booked appointments

Health Matters! Eat Well group

December saw the last of the “Eat Well” sessions. Karen and Sophie from the NHS Food and Health team have provided eight interactive food and health sessions which were thoroughly enjoyed. The group has learned many ways to make small changes that will improve their lifestyle. Karen and Sophie will be missed but have said that they are happy to assist in anything we may do in the future.

Health information Library

We have a library of health information DVD’s in BSL/Subtitled on various health related topics and are available to loan from the Society.

Visit our Website or contact the Society for more information.

Health Awareness sessions

The NHS has provided funding to provide six sessions of Health related topics, the first session starts 19

th January 2012 at 2 – 4pm and the topic is depression,

anxiety and other mental health conditions. If you would like to attend this session please contact us.

Pacemaker patients

If you have been fitted with a pacemaker after we issued you with a TV aid or a loop

system, we need to know about this.

please contact the

society for guidance as there are risks you need to be made aware of.

Choose Well

The NHS has launched a

campaign called” Choose well” and is available in BSL format on the Wakefield NHS website.

It is advising you that you don’t have to go to A & E; depending on the illness or injury, there are alternative choices of NHS care.

Social Work with Deaf People Contact / Access details

Hearing Impairment services are based at Highfield House,

Love Lane Castleford WF10 5RT

and can be contacted on the following numbers

Tel: 01977 723922

Fax: 01977 723924

Minicom: 01977 723926

email: sensory@wakefield.gov.uk

Opening hours are 8.30 to 5pm. Friday 8.30 to 4.30pm

An outreach service is also provided at Elizabethan Galleries Brook Street

Wakefield WF1 1QW Tuesdays 9am – 12 noon. Other hours by appointment only

Charity Number 224944

May we take this opportunity to thank all who have

supported us

and to wish everyone a

a Happy New Year

W a k e f i e l d C i t y & D i s t r i c t S o c i e t y f o r D e a f P e o p l e 7 South Parade, Off George Street

Wakefield, WF1 1LR

Voice: 01924-375958 SMS: 07760482372 Minicom: 01924-371106 Fax: 01924-239828

e-mail: enquiries@wakefielddeaf.org.uk Website: www.wakefielddeaf.org.uk

Complaints procedure Sometimes you may not be happy with a service you have been given, this could be for exam-ple, something that happened at the hospital, a council service, social service, job centre or something else.

If you are not happy then you need to tell someone and telling the person that gave you the wrong service may not stop it from happening again, therefore you need to complain formally. Each service has its own complaints procedure,

For example:

If your complaint is concerned with health then you can request a complaints form from PALS

(Patient Advisory and Liaison Service) Tel: 0845 602 4832 email: pals@wdpct.nhs.uk .

If your complaint is concerned with the council then you can request a complaints form on

Tel: 01924 305757 Fax: 01977 724308 Email: customerrelations@wakefield.gov.uk

If your complaint is concerned with Family Services (Social Services) you can request a

complaints form from the complaints section Tel: 01924-302840.

When you receive the form answer the questions and give as much information as you can about your complaint, doing it this way will ensure your complaint is fully investigated and you

will get a reply advising you of the outcome.

If you need help making a complaint, contact the Society.

If you would further information of any article in this newsletter, or want to share some information with others and If

you would like to receive future newsletters by email please contact us and let us know

Citizens Advice Bureau - Webcam Project

Wakefield District Citizens Advice Bureau is now an ‘Access Point’ for BSL Users that live across the Wakefield District. They can now give BSL clients who require legal advice access via webcam to legal advisors fluent in BSL.

There is a criteria for using the CAB webcam project

For more information please contact CAB for more information on

Tel: 08444994138 or call in the offices at 27 King Street, Wakefield WF1 2SR

Volunteer’s needed

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer for the Society, please ring for more details.