South East DriveAbility (SED) based in Aylesford, has held a successful Open Day event to launch a new partnership with East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service (ESFRS) enabling increased access to driving and adaptation assessments alongside home fire safety guidance (13th September, Uckfield Fire Station).
Part of Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust, and overseen by the charity Driving Mobility, SED’s team of Occupational Therapists and Approved Driving Instructors provide assessment and advice on driving, car adaptation and vehicle choice for disabled drivers and passengers. Driving Mobility accredits twenty independent organisations which offer professional support and driving assessments to people who need to gain, or retain, the ability to drive following a diagnosis involving impairment or disability.
South East DriveAbility’s well-attended open day event marked the launch of its new Outreach Service at Uckfield Fire Station, which will provide people from the local community with greater access to driving assessment appointments and free fire safety advice from ESFRS. In attendance were the Uckfield Mayor Cllr Spike Mayhew and Deputy Mayor Cllr Jackie Love who were able to view a selection of adapted vehicles, including wheelchair-accessible vehicles (WAVs) that are used for driver and passenger assessments. Visitors were also able to listen to informative presentations from SED, ESFRS and Wealden Police explaining each organisation’s community service provision, watch fire safety demonstrations and gain beneficial information regarding fire prevention within the home.
Anuraj Varshney, Consultant Practitioner and Head of Service at South East DriveAbility, comments: “We are proud to be working with partner organisations in our local community and delighted that our new Outreach Service Open Day was well attended by colleagues from the Fire and Rescue Service, Police Service and local authorities such as the NHS. The event demonstrated an excellent example of how multi agencies can work together to improve road safety and health & well-being for clients from all age groups.”
Anuraj continues: “As with all Driving Mobility centres, we aim to provide a high calibre service and valuable information, hence our partnership with ESFRS now links our specialist driving assessments with free fire safety advice for our clients. The new Outreach Service at Uckfield Fire Station allows us to be more accessible to people living in the region and through a new choice of venue, individuals can benefit from reduced travel times and increased appointment availability. We hope this will encourage more people to contact us for professional driving information and specialist guidance.”
Assessments are free when referred by healthcare professionals, the DVLA and Motability. Alternatively, individuals can make a self-referral via the main centre in Aylesford.
To find out more about the services available from South East DriveAbility visit https://www.kentcht.nhs.uk/service/southeast-driveability
Image:South East DriveAbility and East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service launch new partnership at Uckfield Fire Station Open Day with Uckfield Mayor Cllr Spike Mayhew and Deputy Mayor Cllr Jackie Love.