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Organisations including Sefton Council and Sefton CVS have come together as part of Dementia Friendly Sefton to call on the community to get a diagnosis this Dementia Action Week, which runs from the 16th-22nd May.

The aim of the week is to raise awareness and encourage action around those living with dementia and those people who care for them.

This Dementia Action Week, there is a push to encourage those who might be living with, or close to someone who might be living with, with undiagnosed dementia to:

• Be able to understand and recognise potential dementia symptoms
• Contact the Alzheimer’s Society for guidance and support
• Feel empowered to take the next step
• Improve the diagnosis process for both them and healthcare professionals.

With a sustained drop in dementia diagnosis rates for the first time ever, research was conducted to understand the key barriers and benefits to getting a diagnosis.

As well as the misconception around memory loss just being part of getting old, research found being in denial, and referral times to specialists, are big barriers for those experiencing symptoms to seek a diagnosis.

Cllr Paul Cummins, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Chair of Dementia Friendly Sefton said:

“I am so proud to celebrate Dementia Action Week and I take this opportunity to thank the huge number of organisations from across Sefton that help create a place where people with dementia are understood, respected and supported.

“A diagnosis can be incredibly meaningful to someone with undiagnosed dementia, it can be a gateway to support, guidance and self understanding. It is daunting but it is the first step to dealing with the condition. I urge everyone in Sefton to consider themselves and their family members this Dementia Action Week.”

Justine Shenton, Deputy Programme Manager, Living Well Sefton said:

“It is important to raise awareness this Dementia Action Week of the condition and how to recognise signs and symptoms that go beyond what we all consider symptoms of ‘old age.’

“Being diagnosed with dementia can be daunting but with the right care and support, that fear can be allayed. In Sefton, there is some amazing support out there and I’m proud to be a part of Dementia Friendly, making our community a better place for people living with dementia and in doing so, enable them to live the lives they choose to live.”

Dementia Friendly Sefton are a group of organisations and individuals who are determined to maintain and improve Sefton’s ‘Dementia Friendly’ status.

In October 2019, thanks to the work of Sefton’s Dementia Action Alliance (DAA), the borough was officially recognised by The Alzheimer’s Society as ‘working towards becoming dementia friendly’. This status means that Sefton is a place where people with dementia are understood, respected and supported.

For more information, visit the Alzheimer’s Society website

Sefton Council’s Head of Operational In-House Services, Michelle Williams has described reported incidents of abuse aimed at refuse collection teams and reception staff by members of the public over delayed bin collections as ‘completely unacceptable’

Michelle said:

“We understand the frustration felt by many residents over the delays that have resulted from a combination of successive Bank Holidays and significant staff absences in addition to operational issues.  We are working hard to catch up on missed collections as soon as we can.

“We want to thank our teams for the considerable effort that is going into achieving this but to say that incidents of abuse they have received as they go about their work is entirely unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

“These are the same teams who people praised and came out to clap for their work throughout the COVID pandemic, and we would ask people to now treat them with that same respect.

“We would like to reiterate our apologies to those who have been affected by these delays and thank the overwhelming majority of residents who have shown patience and understanding.

“I can reassure them we are doing everything we can, including deploying extra resources, to clear backlogs and get collections back to normal as soon as we can.”

Michelle went on to say reports of abuse about the delays to bin collections aimed at reception staff at Council buildings was also unacceptable.

Sefton Council is sending letters to around 40,000 or so of the Borough’s Band A to D households to help ensure they receive their £150 Energy Rebate payments.

These are mostly households that don’t pay their Council Tax by Direct Debit. Payments are already going out to the 75,000 eligible households that pay through Direct Debit.

Register securely

The letters being sent out are for people to register securely online to receive their payment. Each letter will show a unique code that the household can use to confirm their details. The code can only be used once, and the household will need their Council Tax account reference to hand when they register.

People receiving the letters and wanting more information can find details of the Council Tax Energy Rebate Scheme, including Frequently Asked Questions and an easy-read guide, at www.sefton.gov.uk/energyrebate.

This video explains how it works and what to look out for.

Eligible households

Cllr Paulette Lappin, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Regulatory Compliance and Corporate Services said: “Having started the process of the 75,000 or so £150 payments for those people who pay by Direct Debit, we are now determined to get payments out directly to the remaining 40,000 eligible households who pay in other ways.

“I’m pleased to say that in just one day we have received details from over 4,370 households that will enable us to process their payment.

“I would urge anyone who receives one of our letters, containing a unique code for them to register online to do so straight away to help us speed up the process. There is advice and an easy-Read explanation on our website at www.sefton.gov.uk/council-tax.

“We appreciate there are those people who do not have internet access and we are helping them through our Contact Centre on 0345 140 0845 but the more people who use the easy online route, the quicker we can make that service for those who really need it.”

Warning

Cllr Lappin went on to say that some scams relating to the Energy Rebate scheme in other areas have been reported and to remind Sefton residents that the Council will never telephone residents or cold call at their doors asking for bank details. She said residents should beware of anyone who contacts them in these ways.

Households that don’t pay Council Tax because they are on a low income or subject to exemptions will also receive the letters inviting them to register for the rebate via an online form. Households will not be able to apply without this letter. The Council will also be writing to households where the Direct Debit is being paid from a bank account not in the name of the person(s) liable for the Council Tax bill.

There are also some cases where people have moved in the last few weeks and the Council is following up on these changes of address to ensure payments are made to the right people.

People receiving these letters are being asked to respond by the end of June and in cases where people’s bank details are not provided, the £150 will be credited to the property’s Council Tax account.

Payments

Cllr Lappin continued: “Since the Energy Rebate scheme was announced in February, we have encouraged people to sign up for Direct Debit payments as they are the easiest way we can make sure people receive the one-off £150 payment.

“Around 75,000 of those payments have been or are about to be made.

Those receiving a letter from the Council about the scheme are encouraged to respond as quickly as possible with the information requested to ensure payment can be made. Anyone receiving a payment not due to them should contact the Council as not declaring it could be classed as fraud.

Public money

Cllr Lappin added: “Since the Government announced the one-off £150 payment to help people facing soaring household fuel bills alongside rising prices, increases at the petrol pumps and additional National Insurance payments, we have been devising the mechanism for making the payments.

“We have needed to come up with a system that sees the £17,000,000-plus payments reach the people who need it and ensures we don’t see large amounts of public money falling into the wrong hands.

“I would urge anyone who receives a letter from us to use the unique code to send us their bank details so that we can get the payment to them as soon as possible.”

More information

Information about the Council Tax Energy Rebate Scheme, including Frequently Asked Questions and an easy-read guide, is available at www.sefton.gov.uk/council-tax.

Sefton’s Council Taxpayers can still sign up to pay their Council Tax by Direct at https://forms.sefton.gov.uk/ddcounciltax/ You will need their Council Tax account reference to hand.

Council Taxpayers in Sefton can also opt to receive their bill electronically, which is easier plus it saves paper. You can sign up for paperless e-billing at https://forms.sefton.gov.uk/ebill/ Once again, you will need your Council Tax account reference to hand.

Sefton Council is asking motorists who regularly use Switch Island to ensure they plan their journeys well in advance this week while contractors work quickly to restore traffic flow in the area.

It follows a road traffic accident over the weekend which completely destroyed a signal control box in the area.

As a result emergency traffic control measures have been put in place to keep motorists safe while the issue is resolved.

It is expected new equipment will be ready for installation overnight and normal traffic flow will be restored by Tuesday, May 10th.

The main routes affected are:

A59 towards Bootle
M58 towards Bootle
A5758 Brooms Cross Road towards Switch Island

A spokesperson for Sefton Council said: “Due to the significant damage sustained to the signal control box we are unable to repair and refurbish the equipment and a new one is now having to be built.

“We are working with colleagues at National Highways and Siemens to resolve the situation as soon as possible and further safety assessments are being carried out today (Monday May 9th).

“We are hopeful that the new equipment will be installed by tomorrow morning (Tuesday May 10th), however we would ask motorists to avoid the area if at all possible in the meantime.

“If you do still need to travel through Switch Island, please plan your journeys in advance and be prepared for some delays to your journeys.”

/Ends