This issue has four themes that build onward topics we've tackled in previous issues: developing better lifelong health care.

This issue has four themes that build onward topics we've tackled in previous issues: developing better lifelong health care, keeping safe, empowerment and building communication skills.

Brown Flynn and Burns' article Discriminated to death makes sober reading. They point without that 'living well' implies having worthy support and health care until the last of your life. Their research contrive looked at the nature and quality of support that clan receive in the final stages of their lives. The censures have been reported in the publication Dying Matters. Unfortunately inept care, misdiagnosis, lack of early diagnosis, limited choice of treatments and a lack of opennes with tribe were all too common. Despite these shortfalls about good practice was delivered according to exceptional staff. This is a difficult still very important topic that frontline staff have limited opportunity to explore.

Continuing upon the theme of health, Meadhbh Hall writes about a tool for health screening within primary care, cause to growed by Norwich PCT. This provides a framework for collating information about people's health, monitors the take-up of health action plans, provides an analysis of take-up of health treatments, and gives GP practices an electronic version of health action plans. the two health articles remind us that we have a way to go in ensuring that each person with learning difficulties has dutiful quality health care from birth to death.

Tracy Read and Keith Shortman take up our other theme, Keeping Safe. Tracy reports upon how the London Borough of Redbridge recruited self-advocates to facilitate clumps of other self-advocates to learn about their personal safety within the community. issues from this work include a video resource pack, a music CD monthly 'keeping yourself safe' surgeries and better links with the local community safety officer and with Victim Support.

Keith Shortman writes about his personal experience of being bullied. This motivated him to help deliver learning disability awareness training for police cadets at Hendon Police guild produce a booklet called Stay Safe and be involved in consultations with the Metropolitan Police. Keith also received the Londoners for London award for his work.

Empowering folks is a key theme for Clare Wightman who writes about Grapevine, a voluntary sector organisation in Coventry which works in a variety of ways to enable clan to participate in community life. A accident of emphasis is put onward getting to know each bodily form and their interests, spending time finding public what's available in the community and supporting clan to sustain the connections they make. Our health theme appears again in one of their initiatives that involves self-advocates, the H Team, delivering health promotion training to other self-advocates. Grapevine has fix it a positive shift in the way they work to prevail upon away from facilitating day middle committees to running active campaigns. The first campaign challenged the depressed rate of pay in sheltered workshops. Succes with this l them to locate up a campaigns team called HAVOC.

The ne for us all to continue to build our skills in communicating with family who do not use typical ways of communicating get tos across very clearly in our final sum of two units articles. As a parent Barbara Wilson writes powerfully about the autism experienced by dint of both her sons. Lack of understanding by the agency of society in general particularly for adults with autism - l her to put up a charity to provide social support, education, personal progress to maturity and mutual support for families: an impressive achievement with many instructions for local authorities.

Finally Phoebe Caldwell writes about Creative Conversations, the secondary of two videos she has produc about Intensive Interaction with persons who have very high support privations As ever Phoebe's very imaginative and creative method of working with people has often to teach us and here we can notice her talents and hopefully take onward board ideas for use in our acknowledge work situations.

Do continue to share your successe and affects with us. We welcome articles about pious practice and how any barriers or moot points have been overcome or remain unchanged.

Barbara Mdntosh

Andrea Whittaker

Co-Editors

Copyright Pavilion Publishing (Brighton) Ltd Aug 2005

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