Report from the meeting of 27 November 2008
South Ayrshire Access Panel meets on the last Thursday in each month and tackles issues relating to making the environment, facilities and services in South Ayrshire available to all its residents.
Ongoing planning consultation considerations this month include premises at North Farm Avenue, Girvan who will comply to a request for an accessible car parking space near the principal entrance. The architect of premises at Arthurston Terrace, Coylton will comply with a request to hinge the door of the shop front at the opposite side to allow enough space for wheelchairs to enter.
New planning applications under consideration this month include the request for level access at the rear of the alteration at King Street, Crosshill, to lower the proposed floor level of premises at Hillhead, Coylton to allow for sloped access, request for the provision of a handrail and guardrails to the proposed ramp at premises at Berelands Road, Prestwick, provision of at least one level access to the building at Willowgrove Springs, by Ayr. Finally, the Panel asked if dropped kerbs can be provided to the three trade counter units at the Industrial Estate, Whitfield Road, Ayr.
The Shopmobility 2009 AGM is to be held in March. Current funding is sufficient to keep the service running until 2010. The Shopmobility committee are delighted that Councillor Nan McFarlane has become proactively involved in supporting Shopmobility.
The Panel have requested that, during the work on the High Street in Ayr, it would be possible to make sure that tactile paving extends to the kerb. At present in some places it finishes short which can confuse guide dogs, their owners and other visually impaired people. A Panel member also pointed out that pedestrians were not getting their share of the equal priority to which they are entitled.
With regard to the comfort scheme which had been proposed to compensate for the closure of public toilets in Ayr, the Panel were notified that only one Hotel in South Ayrshire had signed up and no others were likely to do so. This matter is ongoing.
A Panel member reported that the nuisance of A-boards in Ayr High Street was still evident. This matter is ongoing.
The Panel were informed that the RNIB campaign for a higher rate of the mobility component of DLA for visually impaired people had received substantial support and that a lobby of Parliament had been supported by a considerable number of visually impaired people.
The Panel received a request for their views on the issue of patient confidentiality from SDEF.She is undertaking a consultation exercise by the General Medical Council on patient confidentially. It covers patient’s rights to confidentiality, sharing information and patients who lack competence to consent.
SDEF also contacted the Panel concerning a Consulation on Patients Rights. A bill is being introduced to counter the sense amongst some patients that the NHS does things to them rather than with them. The objective is to make everyone an active partner in decisions relating to health and healthcare and will lay down eight rights which every NHS patient should be able to exercise. There are:
access
respect
safety
communication
information
participation privacy
independent support,
redress
Reports from previous meetings - November 2005 onwards - can be found in the News archive.