ABD helps Age UK Wiltshire “Spread The Warmth Campaign 2014”

Age UK Wiltshire was most grateful to receive a cheque from Awdry Bailey & Douglas Solicitors today.....

ABD partner and Head of Family Law Dept Alex David handed over a cheque to Mike Weston who is Chair of Trustees at Age UK Wiltshire for the sum of £643.75.  The money was raised by ABD through a sponsorship team building event which took place earlier on in the year.

Mike Weston said; “We at Age UK Wiltshire are most grateful to ABD for supporting our charity.  The money raised will go towards our “Spread The Warmth Campaign” which is one of the most important campaigns we run each year during the winter months. The money raised will assist this campaign greatly. During winter 1 older person dies every 7 minutes from the cold weather”.

Alexander David, Partner at ABD and Head of the Family Law Department said;

“Everyone at ABD are proud to be associated with Age UK Wiltshire which is an invaluable charity, assisting hundreds of elderly people at their time of need.  We are pleased that the funds raised will assist with the Spread the Warmth Campaign which assists elderly people to stay fit and well and warm during the winter months”.

Age UK Wiltshire an independent charity working for the older people of Wiltshire.

Left to right; Mike Weston and Alexander David outside Age UK Wiltshire Offices, Devizes

For more information on SPREAD THE WARMTH go to www.ageuk.org.uk/wiltshire 

AWDRY BAILEY & DOUGLAS “DRESS DOWN” DAY SUPPORTS DEVIZES FOODBANK AND THE TRUSSELL TRUST!

On Friday 28th November 2014 staff at Awdry Bailey & Douglas   held a “dress down” day to raise food for local charity Devizes Foodbank.

Food collected from the firms Chippenham, Marlborough, Devizes and Royal Wootton Bassett offices included; tinned fruit, UHT milk, biscuits, tea, coffee, tinned meat, sugar and much more! 

With less than a month to go until Christmas some staff even wore their festive jumpers for this important and worthy cause.  Over 100kg of food was donated!

Over 100kg of food was donated! It’s the taking part that counts!

The Devizes Foodbank is part of a network run by The Trussell Trust who manage community projects in partnership with local churches and organisations helping to support those in need by bringing foodbanks to communities across the UK. There are now over 380 foodbanks in the network. 

To find out more about your local foodbank and to get involved visit The Trussell Trust. 

For a shopping list of foods that can be donated click here. 

ABD TEAM FLYING HIGH AT BARBURY CASTLE!

Congratulations to ABD team; Roger Chadwick (partner), Tim Hotchkiss (solicitor) & James Trescothick-Martin (solicitor) for beating off the other teams to win the “Brewin Dolphin, inter solicitor clay pigeon challenge” which took place at Barbury Castle Shooting School on 14 November 2014.

In a closely fought completion ABD team came top missing only 3 Clay’s out of 60, nearest rivals Wilsons Solicitors missing 6 Clay’s to give ABD the magnanimous win.

Roger Chadwick came second in the individual competition narrowly missing out on the top position by 1 clay.

It is the first time that ABD have won the annual event hosted by Brewin Dolphin.

AWDRY BAILEY & DOUGLAS WERE PROUD TO PRESENT...

BAG4SPORT “2014 STARS OF TOMORROW” AWARDS

Bag4Sport Foundation was set up to assist young up-and-coming talented athletes who find it difficult to raise finance in order to promote themselves.  This charity also assists established athletes suffering financially following government cuts as well as disadvantaged children who would like to take part in sport and improve their social skills.

“They will rise highest who strive for the highest place”  

The competition was promoted this year by the Gazette and Herald and also the Wiltshire Times who looked for 5 local young sports stars of tomorrow. 

The 5 young local talented athletics chosen received their awards gathered with their families on Thursday 30 October 2014 in The Bear Hotel, Devizes – this was an exciting moment...

The evening started off with an introduction and welcome from Founder and Chairman of Bag4Sport Foundation Andrew Trusler, followed by the awards ceremony.

ABD Partner Andrew Douglas, local contemporary artist Joanna May and Jason Caulfield-Ware were part of the judging panel who handed out the awards.

Andrew Trusler who is Founder and Chairman of Bag4Sport welcoming everyone to the event

ABD Partner Andrew Douglas, local contemporary artist Joanna May and Jason Caulfield-Ware who were part of the judging panel handed out the awards.

Andrew Douglas congratulates and handing certificates to Winner Nikko Hunt- Pole Vaulting and runner up Caitlin Wosika - Team Bath.

This was followed by gold medallist and Bag4Sport patron Tessa Sanderson congratulating the winners and runners up by Skype.

Winners and runners up were as follows;

Devizes Winner:
Yasmin Kaashoek - Devizes Volleyball Club 

Devizes Runner Up:
Adam Bolwell - Devizes Budo Club

Marlborough Joint Winners: 
Alicia Boyer - Oxford Figure Skating Club
Nikko Hunt - Pole Vaulting 

North Wilts Winner:
Lauren Booth - Cycling

North Wilts Runner Up:
 Jamie Phillips - BMX

North Wilts Runner Up: 
Peter Kibble - Road Cycling

Nominated by Wiltshire Times Readers:

Winners:
Jade Pocock - Archery
Ria Oliver - Trampolining and Double Mini Trampolining

Runners up:
Ben Garrod - Hockey
Caitlin Wosika - Team Bath

SPLITZ SUPPORT SERVICE CELEBRATES ITS 25TH ANNIVERSARY...

Awdry Bailey and Douglas Solicitor Cindy Ervine, congratulates Splitz Support Service of which she is a trustee on its 25th anniversary.

Splitz is a charity based in Wiltshire providing support to families, individuals, and children/young people who have experienced difficulty, where that difficulty is related to separation, divorce or domestic abuse and their associated issues. 

The charity was founded in 1989 as a project providing services in West Wiltshire and around the Devizes and Chippenham areas.  In 1993 the project was registered as a charity called the Single Parent Family Association. In 1997 the charity changed its name to Splitz Parenting Alone Support Service.  The name was shortened to Splitz Support Service in 2005 in recognition of the support Splitz provides to people with a much wider range of issues.

Cindy who is a family solicitor based at Awdry Bailey & Douglas Devizes office often refers clients to the charity to ensure they can receive additional support during an often difficult time. 

Splitz provides a range of services to male and female victims of domestic abuse, children and young people who have been affected by domestic abuse and male perpetrators of domestic abuse. We also provide a mentoring/befriending service to people who are parenting alone and floating support services to people with housing related issues.

For more information about Splitz please either contact Cindy or go to www.splitz.org

NHS Care Funding: It’s not just about eligibility, it’s about getting the process right.

(R (On the application of Neal Dennison Administrator of the Late Lily Dennison) v Bradford District Clinical Commissioning Group [2014] EWHC 2552(Admin))

In a recent Court hearing  the Administrative Court confirmed that when it comes to NHS Continuing Healthcare it is essential that Clinical Commissioning Groups or CCGs (the bodies which have taken over from NHS Trusts) must ensure that handling of a retrospective request for eligibility are carried out correctly in accordance with the published process.

The partially successful Judicial Review above was brought by the son of Lily Dennison who had been resident in a nursing home between January 2006 and her death in October 2008.  She was in receipt of assistance in relation to nursing costs from May 2007 but otherwise had to pay all of her own residential costs.  Unfortunately the Primary Care Trust, as they were then, did not assess Mrs Dennison as eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare funding.  
This is significant as the latter covers all care funding and is not means tested in any way.

Mrs Dennison was assessed in both May and September 2007 and then again in March 2008. In 2012 the late Mrs Dennison’s son then asked her eligibility to be reviewed retrospectively.  The Trust refused to carry out the assessments in full.

In accordance with NHS document, “NHS Continuing Healthcare Review Process”, Trusts were made aware that the closing date for any applications for retrospective review did not apply to those decisions that had already been made, i.e. a review of a decision rather than an assessment for a previously un-assessed period of care.

In the proceedings Mr Dennison claimed that the assessments of his mother were not clinically sound, the correct process had not been followed and that the NHS Trust’s refusal to review the assessments was both irrational and unreasonable in light of certain provisions of the new Healthcare Review Process issued by the NHS.

It was accepted by the Judge in this matter that the May 2007 assessment was not correct.  The assessor had failed to explain certain areas of care required or the appropriate level of funding.  They had also failed to complete the Continuing Healthcare Checklist fully.  Parts of the checklist responses also conflicted with comments in the Nursing Needs Assessment Tool.  The Judge therefore had no difficulty in finding that the assessment was both irrational and unreasonable in line with the application of Mr Dennison.

He also found that the Trust had broken their own local policy in relation to the assessment of May 2007.

The Judge, however, did find that the March 2008 assessment of Mrs Dennison had been carried out appropriately and found that the decision not to assess Mrs Dennison’s eligibility after this date was correct.

This decision gives hope to those who are trying to convince CCGs that Trusts simply ignored much of the guidance of the NHS and, indeed, in some cases continue to do so.  Unfortunately it does not address the continuing problem of retrospective requests being subject to considerable delay, sometimes a matter of years, in deciding on eligibility.

The abdcare Team at Awdry Bailey & Douglas have considerable experience in providing advice over these issues.  We also make claims on behalf of those who believe their eligibility was wrongly assessed or where an assessment should have been carried out but the NHS failed to do so. 

Solicitor, James Trescothick-Martin, a member of the abdcare Team said of the matter, “this clearly shows that some Trusts do not always follow their own or national guidance put in place by the Department of Health and NHS England.  Although it does not address the ongoing problem of the time taken to carry out retrospective reviews, this decision is a step in the right direction. Hopefully CCGs will follow the national framework with current claims. I hope they will also ensure that where there are procedural irregularities with retrospective reviews, they find in favour of those patients and their families who were denied CHC funding.”

An initial free appointment

For a FREE appointment, and to find out answers to the questions that need answering, please contact James at james.trescothick-martin@awdrys.co.uk or call on 0800 072 8636.

The team has offices In Marlborough, Royal Wootton Basset, Devizes & Chippenham. Alternatively visit our website www.abdcare.co.uk

James Trescothick-Martin

CHIPPENHAM HALF MARATHON IS A RUNNING SUCCESS!

MONIES RAISED GO TO DOROTHY HOUSE HOSPICE CARE

Awdry Bailey & Douglas was proud to be a Main Sponsor for the Chippenham Half Marathon which took place on Sunday 7 September 2014.

The weather was warm and sunny with a light breeze. A sea of runners took off from the start line at the Chippenham Sports club making their way around the predominantly flat course.

ABD Team took part in the event which was a running success helping to raise monies for Dorothy House Hospice Care.

Winner of the race for men was Sam Humphrey from Victoria Park Harriers & Tower Hamlets AC who came in at 01:09:04 

Winner of the race for ladies who came 5th was Rebecca Moore from Worthing & District Harriers who came in at 01:17:55.

From left to right: Tim Watts, Eve Clarke, Samantha Jane Walters and Alistair Everett

MONIES RAISED – DOROTHY HOUSE HOSPICE CARE

It was the taking part that counted and ABD Team managed to raise for Dorothy House Hospice Care £295.00 a fantastic amount! 

PRESENTATION TO DOROTHY HOUSE HOSPICE CARE

A presentation took place on Tuesday 23 September 2014 outside ABD Chippenham office whereby a “giant size” cheque was handed over to Emily Knight, Community Fundraiser and Phillippa Watson, Major Gifts Fundraiser for Dorothy House Hospice Care.  The cheque was presented by both ABD Partner - Alexander David who is Head of Family Department, and Tom Paget, member of the ABD Commercial Department both based at ABD’s Chippenham Office.

Alexander David said “Dorothy House Hospice Care is a fantastic local charity supporting hundreds of families on a daily basis affected by life threatening conditions.  Awdry Bailey & Douglas are delighted and proud to be sponsoring such a cause.”

Phillippa Watson said “We are delighted that Awdry Bailey & Douglas decided to support Dorothy House Hospice Care by entering a team in the Chippenham Half Marathon.  We rely on support from the local community in order to continue to provide care when and where it is needed.  Congratulations to all the runners.”

From left to right: Tom Paget, Alexander David, Emily Knight and Phillippa Watson

For more information on timings and this event go to www.chippenhamhalfmarathon.co.uk

For footage of this event go to YouTube