Editorial

This issue has four themes that build upon topics we've tackled in previous issues: developing better lifelong health care, keeping safe, empowerment and building communication skills.

Brown Flynn and Burns' article Discriminated to death makes sober reading. They point without that 'living well' implies having useful support and health care until the extreme point of your life. Their research throw looked at the nature and quality of support that family receive in the final stages of their lives. The tasks have been reported in the publication Dying Matters. Unfortunately inept care, misdiagnosis, lack of early diagnosis, limited choice of treatments and a lack of opennes with family were all too common. Despite these shortfalls more [i]or[/i] less good practice was delivered through exceptional staff. This is a difficult on the other hand very important topic that frontline staff have limited opportunity to explore.

Continuing upon the theme of health, Meadhbh Hall writes about a tool for health screening within primary care, lay opened by Norwich PCT. This provides a framework for collating information about people's health, monitors the take-up of health action plans, provides an analysis of take-up of health treatments, and gives GP practices an electronic version of health action plans. the pair health articles remind us that we have a certain quantity of way to go in ensuring that each person with learning difficulties has serviceable quality health care from birth to death.

Tracy Read and Keith Shortman take up our next to the first theme, Keeping Safe. Tracy reports upon how the London Borough of Redbridge recruited self-advocates to facilitate clusters of other self-advocates to learn about their personal safety within the community. results from this work include a video resource pack, a music CD monthly 'keeping yourself safe' surgeries and better links with the local community safety officer and with Victim Support.

Keith Shortman writes about his personal experience of being bullied. This motivated him to help deliver learning disability awareness training for police cadets at Hendon Police society produce a booklet called Stay Safe and be involved in consultations with the Metropolitan Police. Keith also received the Londoners for London award for his work.

Empowering race is a key theme for Clare Wightman who writes about Grapevine, a voluntary sector organisation in Coventry which works in a variety of ways to enable clan to participate in community life. A apportionment of emphasis is put upon getting to know each someone and their interests, spending time finding without what's available in the community and supporting race to sustain the connections they make. Our health theme rise s again in one of their initiatives that involves self-advocates, the H Team, delivering health promotion training to other self-advocates. Grapevine has base it a positive shift in the way they work to put in motion away from facilitating day middle committees to running active campaigns. The first campaign challenged the depressed rate of pay in sheltered workshops. Succes with this l them to place up a campaigns team called HAVOC.

The ne for us all to continue to build our skills in communicating with nation who do not use typical ways of communicating advances across very clearly in our final sum of two units articles. As a parent Barbara Wilson writes powerfully about the autism experienced through both her sons. Lack of understanding by means of society in general particularly for adults with autism - l her to put up a charity to provide social support, education, personal exhibition and mutual support for families: an impressive achievement with many exercise s for local authorities.

Finally Phoebe Caldwell writes about Creative Conversations, the next to the first of two videos she has produc about Intensive Interaction with nation who have very high support straits As ever Phoebe's very imaginative and creative manner of writing of working with people has abundant to teach us and here we can watch her talents and hopefully take upon board ideas for use in our hold work situations.

Do continue to share your successe and bear upons with us. We welcome articles about profitable practice and how any barriers or question at issues have been overcome or remain unchanged.

Barbara Mdntosh

Andrea Whittaker

Co-Editors

Copyright Pavilion Publishing (Brighton) Ltd Aug 2005

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