Why won’t anyone fund clinical training for PAs? Katy’s Story

Tickets can now be booked for the latest Care and Support Drop-in event in October.

The event is for care and support businesses, personal assistants and unpaid carers in East Sussex.

The FREE event will give attendees access to valuable advice, guidance and insights to grow their business or help them in their caring role.

More than 35 stands from East Sussex County Council and partner organisations will be on hand to have 1-to-1 conversations on all aspects of caring and support.

The event is also a great opportunity to network with others in the caring profession and caring roles.

The event will take place:

• 6 October 2026
• Uckfield Civic Centre
• 11am to 2pm (drop by anytime)

Book a ticket: www.tickettailor.com/events/careandsupportevent/2335771

Independent Lives is pleased to be supporting charity Sue Ryder to help them in a piece of research they are doing. They would like to hear from people with lived experience about how to they can improve care for people with learning disabilities.

Sue Ryder is a charity that provides palliative, end-of life care and bereavement support, helping people and their families through some of life's most difficult times.

They are looking for people with learning disabilities, family members, and carers to take part in a friendly 1-hour question and answer session to share their experiences.

They would like to hear about your experiences of healthcare and support, including communication, decision-making, care during illness, and the support provided to you and those close to you. They want to learn what matters most to people and what healthcare professionals can do to improve care.

Your experiences will help shape how Sue Ryder educate their staff,  ensuring that learning is influenced directly by your voices. By sharing your experiences, you can help improve future care for people with learning disabilities and their families, within palliative and end-of-life care.

Taking part is completely voluntary, and support will be available throughout. They want to ensure that everyone feels comfortable, valued, and heard.

To take part, email Denise Roberts, Senior Practice Educator at Sue Ryder - Denise.Roberts@sueryder.org

Our head of community, Jane, popped along to UKHarvest (https://www.ukharvest.org.uk/) recently to see their work in action. UKHarvest rescues surplus edible food that would otherwise go to waste and gets it out to people who need it, through their Community Food Hubs, Grub Clubs, and their café in Bognor.

They operate at a number of locations across the South East, with a schedule that rotates through the month, you can find the full timetable on the UKHarvest website. You can pick up a bag of rescued food for a suggested donation of £5, helping cut food waste and support food security in the community, all in one go.

If you live in the Heene, Central or Selden wards and struggle to reach a food bank because of mobility issues, health conditions, the cost of travel or difficulty carrying food home, free funded transport is available.

Worthing Dial-A-Ride (run by Community Transport Sussex) offers accessible door-to-door transport in wheelchair-accessible minibuses with friendly, trained drivers, taking you to and from any food bank and food waste prevention hubs (such as the UK Harvest) in the Worthing area. There's no charge for eligible passengers while funding is available.

To use the service, register as a Community Transport Sussex member (it's free), then get in touch to arrange your journey.

📞 01903 530053
📧 enquiries@darss.org.uk

Wiltshire Working Well is a partnership between Wiltshire Council, Rethink Mental Illness and Help Counselling, offering free mental health support to anyone who works in Wiltshire, including DP employers and PAs.

Free training is available, ranging from Mental Health Awareness to Mental Health First Aid and managing stress and burnout, in half-day, bitesize and longer formats, online or in person.

Find out more: www.rethink.org/wiltshireworkingwell

Free confidential counselling is also available, up to 8 sessions, for anyone in work struggling with anxiety, stress, low mood, bereavement or relationship difficulties.

Find out more and book: www.surveymonkey.com/r/WiltshireWorkingWell

We'll be at the Dementia Carers Awareness Event on Friday 4th September, 10am–4pm at Lancing Parish Hall, and we'd love to see you there.

The event brings together local organisations offering information, advice and support for people living with dementia, their families and carers. It's a friendly, welcoming space to connect with others, ask questions and find out what support is available locally.

There'll also be a Virtual Dementia Tour Bus on site, an immersive experience offering insight into some of the everyday challenges faced by people living with dementia. Spaces are limited, so call 07832 385096 in advance to book yours.

📍 Lancing Parish Hall, 96-98 South Street, Lancing, BN15 8AJ

Here are a few schemes worth knowing about if you're not already using them, for you and for your PA.

For your PA

• Blue Sky Card, £5 a year, an ID card for PAs and other care workers, with national and local discounts attached
• National Association of Care and Support Workers, membership fee applies, covers legal advice, discounted DBS checks, counselling and eLearning
• The Care Workers' Charity, hardship grants for care workers, free to access if eligible

For you as an employer

• National Disability Card, £20 for 2 years, a way to show you have a disability and get access to discounts, concessions and carer tickets at 600+ locations
• Blue Badge, Disabled Persons Railcard and RADAR key, mostly free or low one-off cost if you're eligible

These schemes are run independently and are not affiliated with Independent Lives.

🩹 First Aid (theory and practical)
15 Sept, Worthing, 9.30am–1.30pm
30 Sept, Worthing, 11.30am–3.30pm

🛡️ Safeguarding
16 Sept, Online, 2pm–3.30pm

💊 Medication Support & Administration
17 Sept, Online, 10.30am–1.30pm

🧠 Empowering Choice: Mental Capacity Essentials
17 Sept, Online, 2pm–3.30pm
29 Sept, Online, 9.30am–11am

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Moving and Handling
9 Sept, Crawley Library, 12pm–4pm
16 Sept, Worthing, 9.30am–1.30pm
26 Sept, Project Art Works, 12pm–4pm
29 Sept, Worthing, 11.30am–3.30pm

🤝 Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
14 Sept, Online, 1pm–2pm
28 Sept, Online, 1pm–2pm

♿ Disability Awareness
14 Sept, Online, 2.30pm–3.30pm
28 Sept, Online, 2.30pm–3.30pm

💚 Mental Health Awareness
18 Sept, Online, 10am–12pm