United Utilities want YOUR views PIPE UP!

WATER giant United Utilities is inviting readers to its second Customer Vulnerability Summit

Taking place during Disability Awareness Week, it’s a perfect chance to find out how the water company are supporting people living with additional needs – and discuss way to improve the help available

And there will be the opportunity to register yourself or someone you know for Priority Services

United Utilities’ Amanda Phillips said: “We want to share future plans of how we’ll be there for those that need that little bit of extra help, which could be due to illness, disabilities, mental

HEALTHY FUTURE: Sue Weir, centre, with Emma Whitby and Paul Winter, from the Clatterbridge Cancer Charity health, life events or language barriers

“You will once again hear direct from our customer vulnerability managers, offering lots of opportunity to have your say, plus, share your own lived experiences to help us to highlight the difficulties many people have ”

The week of events and activities at Walton Hall Gardens, Warrington, ends with the biggest disability event in the North West

The 32nd annual Disability Awareness Day – affectionately known as DAD – is set to be the best yet n The Customer Vulnerability Summit, Thurs July 13, Marquee 5 n Disability Awareness Day, Sun Jul 16

You can reserve jobs for disabled

NEW guidance that stresses employers ARE allowed to reserve jobs for disabled people should help narrow the disability employment gap, say campaigners

The guidance, published by independent employment advice and conciliation service, Acas, says bosses can “specifically advertise for and recruit a disabled person without the risk of disability discrimination”

SUPPORT SERVICES

ON THE DAY INCLUDE: n Blue badge parking

(300 spaces in main car park, plus another 700 spaces on grass) n Free accessible Park and Ride service n Free accessible buses from Warrington Town Centre n Free scooter and wheelchair loan service with trained enablers n British Sign Language interpreters

Medicash donate £2.1m to hospitals

HEALTH cash plan provider Medicash is giving £2 1m to support NHS hospitals and facilities across the North West over the next four years.

The pledge comes after the Liverpool-based company’s reported its best year on record, which saw it record its 500,000th policy holder

Helping to pay for a new Trainee Research Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANP) at Liverpool’s Clatterbridge Cancer Centre is the first project to benefit Sue Weir, chief executive of Medicash and trustee of the Medicash Foundation, said: “The phenomenal growth that Medicash has seen in recent years is the direct result of just how much we value good health and wellbeing in the modern world

”Our goal is to provide as many people as possible with easy, affordable access to the healthcare they and their families need ” n In 2017, Medicash was honoured with the Freedom of the City of Liverpool in recognition of its long-standing contribution to healthcare and commitment to charitable giving since 1871

Acas adviser Gary Wedderburn said: “The law allows recruiters to treat a disabled person more favourably compared to a nondisabled person for any type of job role

“However, if an employer wants to recruit a person with a specific disability then they would have to justify that there’s an occupational requirement for that specific disability in the role, otherwise a job applicant with a different disability could claim disability discrimination under the law.”

A SHORTAGE of occupational therapists means those who are practising feel overwhelmed by the pressure.

A report from the Royal College of Occupational Therapists found nine of ouf 10 OTs reported an increase in demand for their services over the past year, The College’s director of practice and innovation, Karin Orman, said: “We want to see more investment in the workforce, including more occupational therapists in leadership roles

“And we want the Government and NHS to recognise that investment in health and social care will not only benefit everyone’s health, but could ultimately help boost the economy ”

HARI Budha Magar has become the first double above-the-knee amputee to scale Everest

As reported in our spring edition, it was a boyhood dream for the former Gurkha corporal, who served 15 years with the British Army, until a bomb took both his legs in 2010

Thirt years overturned a Nepalese law banning disabled climbers from the mountain, Hari has achieved what many thought impossible

On reaching the summit, he said: “That was tough Harder than I could have ever imagined If I can climb to the top of the world then anyone, regardless of their disability, can achieve their dream ”

Hari added: “The whole aim of this expedition was to change perceptions: the huge amount of support we have had has shown that we are doing just that ”

THE sight of thousands of children with learning disabilities will potentially be saved, thanks to a £10m roll-out of free eye tests at special schools

The Government’s go-ahead for the scheme next year follows research from sight loss charity SeeAbility that found that children with learning disabilities are 28 times more likely to have serious sight issues

SeeAbility’s chief Lisa Hopkins said: “Thousands of children who would have no other way of getting sight tests and glasses will now get a service in their school