Homepage/Campaigning and Public Affairs
"Since it was born in 1974, the SIA has championed many issues on behalf of the Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) community, has responded to various government consultations and has initiated and been involved in many successful political campaigns. In fact the birth of the SIA itself was a statement of intent, that things must change for the better concerning the services and support SCI people receive, awareness about the condition and the need to improve the environment for those with a post SCI. It is also worth noting that our campaigns have also benefited the wider disabled community."
Here are some of the milestones regarding SIA Public Affairs:
1974 - 1980
1980 - 1990
1990 onwards
More information about SIA and our history can be obtained from talking to
our staff or looking through older publications, available at SIA house. If you have been a member of SIA for some time and feel that there is
something that should be included on this Timeline then please contact us at
sia@spinal.co.uk
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- 1975/76 – Wheelchairs
- SIA leads a successful political campaign which persuades the first minister for disabled people, (now Lord Morris) to re-instate government issued wheelchairs (E&J´s) for SIA members and other active users.
- 1977 – The NHS
- SIA publishes its response to a Government paper on the future of the NHS which addressed such issues as:
- Better Wheelchair Provision
- The need for at least two specialist consultants in SCI at each Spinal Injury Centre (SIC)*
- The need for more SIC´s with a better UK-wide regional spread
*Then called Spinal Injury Units
- 1978 – Driving Licenses
- SIA wins the right for paralysed people to hold ‘until 70´ driving licenses.
- 1978 – Counselling
- SIA holds a Counselling Conference which leads to advocacy for more informal peer support in SICs and counselling for those who wanted this type of help.
- 1979 – Wheelchairs Abroad
- SIA wins the right for wheelchair users to take their wheelchairs abroad without DHSS permission and keep old chairs withdrawn at the end of the economic life.
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- 1980´s – Status for SICs
- SIA plays a major role in the successful case for ‘supra-regional´ status for SICs which means central funding.
- 1981 – BCODP
- SIA with other organisations founds the British Council of Organisations of Disabled People (BCODP)
- 1982 – Employment
- SIA launches Employment Project which leads to publication of ‘Able to Work´
- 1984 – Helicopter Pad - Odstock
- The new Duke of Cornwall Spinal Injuries Treatment Centre is opened at the Odstock site in Salisbury and thanks to a SIA campaign the centre has a helicopter pad constructed.
- 1989 – ‘Think Before You Dive´
- SIA together with Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and with funding from Barclays launches an Awareness & Prevention campaign. Much of the work involves talks by trained SIA members and staff in Secondary Schools and discussing with pupils the consequences and causes of SCI.
The ‘Think Before You Dive´ campaign encourages people to go ‘feet first´ into unknown water – over 500,000 leaflets and posters are distributed to swimming pools, leisure centres, schools and beach front centres around the coasts of Britain. The campaign receives a lot of press coverage.
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- 1992 – Airbags
- SIA supported by others launch the successful National Airbag Campaign.
- 1995 – SCI Awareness
- SIA launches SCI Awareness day that turns into awareness week the following year.
- 1998 – MASCIP
- SIA provides support and helps establish the Multi-disciplinary Association of SCI Professionals (MASCIP)
- 1998 – Benefit Integrity Project
- SIA influences the decision to exempt paraplegics and tetraplegics from the Benefit Integrity Project.
- 1998 – Access to Spinal Injury Centres
- SIA produces a charter on access to Spinal Injury Centres which is endorsed by the All Party Parliamentary Disability Group
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- 2003 – Bowel Care
- After approaches by the SIA, the National Patients Safety Agency issues a patient safety information statement regarding manual evacuation, targeted at nursing staff, which provides four recommendations for all NHS acute trusts. The four points recommend that all NHS acute trusts:
- have a policy for manual evacuation;
- ensure that staff are aware of the dangers associated with not providing the procedure and where to find staff trained to carry it out;
- ensure that experienced healthcare staff are on hand at all times to undertake and teach the procedure;
- recognise that patients are experts in managing their bowel care.
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