The opening of Barnsley Hospital’s new
Assistive Technology facility brought it home to me, very powerfully, just how
far things have advanced recently in the provision of electronic assistive
technology services, both in Yorkshire and the Humber and in England more
generally.
In 2013, NHS England took over the national
commissioning of ‘Complex Disability Equipment’ (which includes electronic
assistive technology and prosthetics) as specialist services. Previously,
commissioning had been carried out locally or regionally and the access that
people with disabilities had to services – and the breadth and quality of the
service provided - was very post-code
dependent. Complex Disability Equipment is one of the few areas of the NHS
where substantial new money has been found to improve services, based on a
recognition that services had previously been under-funded. As a result, the
quality and reach of services across England are being expanded, and it is expected
that access to these services, for people with severe physical disabilities, will
improve and become more equitable across the country.
Barnsley’s Assistive Technology (AT) service
is recognized nationally for its high quality services, as well as its research
and innovation. It provides technology to individuals– both environmental
control systems (for independent control of the home environment) and
communication aids (which allow people without intelligible speech to
communicate – think Stephen Hawking). The Barnsley AT service also works
closely with CATCH to research and develop new types of assistive technology
and AT service provision, and to evaluate their impact.
The Barnsley AT service has been asked by
NHS England to expand its service to cover the whole of Yorkshire and the
Humber. This expansion is now taking place and the team’s new facilities will
house a greatly expanded multi-disciplinary team of skilled and dedicated
staff.
I am proud to see what the team has
achieved. I and my colleagues have been fighting for over 20 years to see high
quality services set up across the country, so that people with disabilities
are able to gain equitable access to the technology that makes such a
difference to their lives. This is now happening and I’m delighted that the
Barnsley AT service is, once again, taking the lead.
By Prof. Mark Hawley
Director of CATCH,
Honorary Consultant Scientist, Barnsley
Hospital
No comments:
Post a Comment