Annie Walker joins us to discuss proposed closure of beds at Bristol City Councils Bush Respite Care Centre in Hengrove. She explains how crucial respite care is and how to help by signing the petition on the councils website. Petition: The Mayor not to reduce the number of beds at The Bush Residential Centre for disabled children We the undersigned appeal to The Mayor not to reduce the number of beds available for overnight respite at The Bush Residential Centre for disabled children. These beds are currently used by some of the most vulnerable disabled children and pressured families in our city. Background information: These beds are currently used by some of the most vulnerable children in Bristol, families who are under great pressure and regard the current service as a lifeline. Ref. Short Breaks and other services for disabled children Consultation Draft v.25.4.14. http://epetitions.bristol.gov.uk/epetition_core/view/Respite Elia Pablo talks about recent attempts to sue GCHQ and the NSA for stealing the publics private data and hacking all of our computers. Jason and Tony discuss the eighteenth century Hell Fire Club and relate it to todays Bullingdon Club which Cameron, Osborne, Johnson and Dimbleby were in. BBC presenter David Lowe was sacked this week (the man ultimately responsible is BBC West chief Lucio Mesquita http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/biographies/biogs/westregionaltv/lucio_mesquita.shtml ) for playing a 1930s song with the n word in it despite having submitted the show for managers to listen to first. Prime Minster David Cameron and Mayor of London Boris Johnson both weighed in demanding he be reinstated but David has suffered badly with the bullying and while he has been offered his show back he may have to wait a while to recover. BBC HR people and managers, public servants, should be sacked instead for their cruelty against one of their disabled employees. https://www.twitter.com/MrNostalja http://mid20thcenturymusictalk.blogspot.com http://www.facebook.com/david.lowe.3154 This sort of bullying also happened to BBC Wests brilliant Sunday request show presenter Helen Reed back in 2002 A BBC radio presenter who accused a "bullying" boss of forcing her out of her job was awarded £5,300 in compensation yesterday after winning a claim for unfair dismissal. Helen Reed, 44, who worked for BBC Radio Bristol for seven years, claimed Jenny Lacey took an "instant dislike" to her. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1390580/BBC-redhead-was-unfairly-sacked.html
Bush residential centre 'provides our only taste of normal life' By The Bristol Post | Posted: May 08, 2014 http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Bush-residential-centre-provides-taste-normal/story-21071781-detail/story.html Families at the Bush residential centre in Hengrove Families at the Bush residential centre in Hengrove ANNETTE Randall's grandson is crippled by cerebral palsy and austism. Every day, she has to dress, feed and wash Josh. The 53-year-old loves him, of course. But the relentless routine makes her feel like she is a prisoner in her own home. Her main source of relief is the Bush residential centre in Hengrove, a lifeline for the many people like Annette who need respite from her exhausting care schedule. But the council is proposing to half its number of beds from ten to five, making a £250,000 saving in the process. This announcement has sparked a large protest among the families who rely on the service. From April 2013 to March 2014, 57 children used the centre. Josh, 10, a pupil at Merchants Academy in Withywood, attends the Bush centre one night a week. Annette, from Hengrove, said: "Without that one night a week away from the rigid routine of caring I don't know if I'd cope. I love him to bits but sometimes I can feel like a prisoner in my own home, meeting his needs without any breaks." Annette has looked after Josh since he was born due to his parents suffering from health conditions. She added: "The council makes it seem like respite care is easily accessible. In my experience it's not, I've had to fight and beg for it and now I've got it I'm not going to let it go without a fight. "I need that break, without it everything would be even more of a struggle. I am not getting any younger and Josh is growing all the time. "The staff at the centre are so friendly and they know how to care for the children who all have very different requirements." Annie Walker, 53, of Hardenhuish Road, St Anne's, also relies on the centre. She said the one night every fortnight when her son Liam attends the centre is the 'only taste of a normal life' she experiences. The 14-year-old was born with cerebral palsy which means he requires help with everything from getting dressed to cleaning. She said: "I love him but it is hard work. I appreciate all the help I can get. A lot of the parents don't get any sleep because their child has seizes. The council is trying to save money but if parents have to put their children into care it is going to cost them more in the long run." She added without the support of the centre putting children into care was something a few parents she knows could be forced to do. She said: "The staff really love the children. They do a great job and it is such a relief to know there is somewhere safe I can leave Liam. "I know there is only a certain amount of money in the pot but this centre really works. I think these children are worth the money." A Bristol City Council spokesperson said: âWe want to reiterate that disabled children and their families will continue to get their needs met for residential short breaks in Bristol whilst we work together to draft and implement a final plan for all short break services in the city. We are at the consultation stage. âFamilies have told us they want greater flexibility and choice but also that they like their current service and so we are aiming to deliver this by increasing the availability of community care, direct payments and other targeted short breaks whilst retaining the majority of our residential provision too. âThe current proposal is to reduce the number of residential short break beds not to end them. This is not about saving money - significant savings are not being made with these proposals - but on reviewing the whole service in order to get the right balance of services both now and in the future.â The consultation is proposing to reallocate funding by spending less on higher cost residential short breaks and increasing investment in more flexible alternatives such as direct payments and foster-based short breaks. About 300 children currently receive specialist short breaks. Currently those receiving specialist overnight services tend to have a fixed pattern of care, a certain number of nights per month. The council say there is a need to enable more flexibility so that services are able to respond better to familiesâ needs as they change over time. This would mean reducing provision when it is not needed and increasing it at times when a family is feeling particularly stressed or under pressure. Other forms of respite offered by the council include: Overnight and day service in foster carers home and residential holidays. The consultation finishes on June 30 for more information visit: http://www.citizenspace.com/bristol/cyps/short-breaks/consult_view.
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