Current Campaigns

Current Campaigns

Below is a list of the campaigns which SIA will be pursuing through the Campaigning for Change manifesto 2009-11.

To see how SIA will be using Government plans and legislation to support these campaigns, please view our campaigning matrix.

Preserving and Developing the National Spinal Cord Injury Service

SIA embarked on a 2 year program to establish the exact state of the national SCI service, raise awareness of the problems faced by the service and make recommendations on how to improve it. The programs final report was launched in 2008. As a direct result of this activity SIA has:

Held talks with relevant Government Ministers
Lobbied at the main party conferences in 2006 & 2007
Held a fringe meeting at the 2008 Labour Party Conference on 22/09/08
Tabled a successful Early Day Motion which has lead to the formation of an All Party Parliamentary Group on SCI

The national SCI service consists of NHS Spinal Cord Injury Centres (SCI Centres) in England and one each in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

An SCI Centre should be a centre of expertise with appropriate facilities and trained staff to manage SCI people from the acute stage to rehabilitation back into the community, and to provide lifetime specialist health support for those with paraplegia (paralysis of the lower limbs) and tetraplegia (paralysis of all four limbs).

Download the 'Preserving and Developing the National Spinal Cord Injury Service' Research Report

SIA believes that within 24 hours of having a SCI a person should be admitted to a SCI Centre, however that is not always the case due to the following issues:

Funding - There is a lack of financial transparency and consistency in the funds provided for the 9 specialist SCI Centres in England and Wales. Too often, funds are diverted away from these specialist services to plug leaks elsewhere within the NHS Trust where the SCIC is sited.
Capacity - Since 1980 the number of beds has fallen whilst the proportion of people surviving spinal cord injuries has increased. Up to 20% of SCI people have never attended a SCIC.
Location - For historical reasons SCICs are inconveniently situated away from contemporary centres of population. Several areas of the country lack convenient access to a SCIC and some facilities are well below capacity for the populations they serve.
Statistics - No national statistics are available on the incidence of SCI or its treatment and sharing of patient records between SCICs is limited.

SCI Awareness in General Hospitals

Where possible people with an existing SCI should be admitted to a SCI Centre when they require hospital treatment and SIA will continue to campaign for this under its Preserving & Improving the National SCI Service campaign. When this scenario is not possible or a SCI person chooses to be treated in a hospital other than a SCI Centre the nursing staff should be aware of the care needs of a SCI person. In 2008 SIA appointed a full time training officer to raise awareness of SCI in district general hospitals.

Winter Fuel Payments for Disabled People Under 60

SIA believes that Winter Fuel Payments should be extended to disabled people under 60 years of age who require extra heating to manage their condition in cold weather, as is the case with many SCI people. SIA has joined the Fuel Poverty Coalition and has been able to table a number of Parliamentry Questions on the issue through Roger Gale MP.

Read all of SIA's Documents on Winter Fuel Payments

SIA final report on the Heating Your Home Survey

SIA's evidence on fuel poverty in reponse toto energy and climate change committee

SIA's evidence on fuel poverty to work and pensions select committee

Continence Supplies

SIA has been one of the lead organisations in the Urology Users Group that has been campaigning to maintain the status quo of the provision of Continence Supplies in the community which has been the focus of a Government review of Part IX of the Drug Tariff. The final report is due out at the end of 2008.

Read SIA's responses to consultations on continence supplies

Department of Health Prescription Charges review

Accessible toilet facilities

SIA is encouraging and supporting its members to lobby their local councils to do more to raise standards and provision of accessible public toilets in their area. The Government has recently published a strategic guide called Improving Public Access to Better Quality Toilets aimed to encourage councils to consider a range of ideas and actions to boost the availability and quality of public toilets.

SIA also recognises that some SCI people (& other disabled people) require a larger than normal accessible toilet, with additions like a changing area and hoist. SIA is one of the organisations backing the Changing Places Campaign, which is actively campaigning for this extra provision.

Ask your MP to sign the Early Day Motion - you can find the contact details for your local MP here

SIA is a member of the British Toilet Association http://www.britloos.co.uk/

UN Convention

SIA is has signed up to the UN Convention Campaign Coalition (UNCCC) which is lobbying the UK Government to ratify the Convention on the rights of persons with a disabilities treaty. SIA will be providing support for the main focus of UNCC's campaigning - a fringe meeting at the Labour Party Conference on 23/09/08.

Ask your MP to sign the Early Day Motion - you can find the contact details for your local MP here

To mark Human Rights Day on 10 December, the United Nations Convention Campaign Coalition (UNCCC) has written an open letter to Gordon Brown.

Read SIA's responses to consultations on the UN Convention.

Case studies and relevant reports sent to the Office of Disability Issues reporting mechanism Re: general disability issues

Shadow report on UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (UNCRPD)

Government progress report to the UN

Welfare Benefits

SIA continues to monitor the Governments strategy on reforming Welfare Benefits and has responded to various consultations on this issue. To take full advantage of the Government's agenda to assist disabled people back into work, SIA recruited an Employment Advisor.

Read SIA's reponses to consultations on Welfare Benefits

Department of Work and Pensions consultation on '21st Century Welfare'

Department of Work and Pensions Disability Living Allowance Reform

Community Care

SIA is a member of the Individual Budgets User-Led Organisations Focus Group set up to monitor the Governments Individual Budget Pilots launched over 2007/08. SIA will also be responding to the Government Consultation on the future of Care & Support. In 2008 SIA sent out a comprehensive pack to all its members with a high lesion SCI to encourage them to consider having their care & support provided by non means tested Continued Healthcare Funding.

Read SIA's responses to consultations in relation to Community Care.

'Right to Control'

'Right to Control Trailblazers'

Green paper on 'The Future of Social Care Re: Funding for care services'

'Direct Payments for Healthcare'

'Personal Care at Home Bill'

'Adult Social Care'

Limits on Non UK economic migration (UK Border agency)

Network of Networks re: Independent Living

Evidence on Joint Committee on Human Rights re: Independent Living