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  1. About Us
    1. About Us
    2. The Team
    3. Member Organisations
    4. Governance
  2. Research & Knowledge Mobilisation
    1. Research & Knowledge Mobilisation
    2. Impact
    3. Social Care and Social Work
      1. Social Care and Social Work
      2. Social Care - Kent, Surrey & Sussex Region
    4. Starting Well: Children's Mental Health
      1. Starting Well: Children's Mental Health
      2. Meet the team
    5. Primary and Community Health Services
      1. Primary and Community Health Services
      2. Meet the team
    6. Living Well with Dementia
      1. Living Well with Dementia
      2. Meet the team
    7. Co-production
      1. Co-production
      2. Meet the team
    8. Public Health
      1. Public Health
      2. Meet the team
    9. Digital Innovation
      1. Digital Innovation
      2. Meet the team
    10. Economics of Health and Social Care
      1. Economics of Health and Social Care
      2. Meet the team
    11. Implementation
      1. Implementation
      2. Meet the team
    12. Rapid Evidence Synthesis
      1. Rapid Evidence Synthesis
      2. Meet the team
    13. Knowledge Mobilisation
      1. Knowledge Mobilisation
      2. Meet the team
  3. Public and Community Involvement
    1. Public and Community Involvement
    2. What is PCIE?
    3. Getting Involved
    4. Support for researchers
    5. Resources
    6. PCIE Guide
      1. PCIE Guide
      2. Contents
      3. Introduction
        1. Introduction
        2. An overview of ARC KSS
        3. Who can help you with PCIE?
        4. Terminology and PCIE
      4. Why and When to do PCIE
        1. Why and When to do PCIE
        2. Why involve members of the public in research?
        3. Why do members of the public want to get involved in research?
        4. When to get members of the public involved?
      5. How to do PCIE
        1. How to do PCIE
        2. Communication and Accessibility
        3. Budgeting
        4. Planning for involvement and engagement
        5. How to recruit members of the public
        6. Inclusive Research
        7. Approaches – different options for undertaking PCIE
        8. Facilitating meetings and Group dynamics
        9. Ethics
        10. Feedback
        11. Impact and Evaluation
      6. Examples/Case Studies
      7. Appendix/Useful tools
  4. Learning and Development
    1. Learning and Development
    2. ARC KSS AcademyARC KSS Academy
    3. Learning and DevelopmentLearning and Development
      1. Learning and Development
      2. Learning and Development Finder
      3. Researchers Journeys
    4. MentorshipMentorship
    5. Research communities of practiceResearch communities of practice
    6. Research Week Research Week
      1. Research Week
      2. Research Week 2025: Poster Competition
      3. Previous Research Weeks
    7. NIHR Health and Care Professional Internship Programme South EastNIHR Health and Care Professional Internship Programme South East
    8. Building social care research capacity
  5. Resource Library
  6. Events
  7. News
  8. Contact Us

We’re updating our website

We are currently updating the ARC KSS website to reflect our new funding and the changes it brings to our programme of work.  These changes will take place over the course of the next few months.

Please bear with us while we work behind the scenes to make these improvements. We thank you for your patience.

In the meantime, if you need help finding anything, please contact spft.arcksscommunications@nhs.net

Cerebral palsy is a complex, neurological condition that affects one in every 400 children in the UK. It alters muscle control and movement and difficulties may occur in the development of walking, speech and hand function. Children and young people with cerebral palsy may have problems eating enough food to grow and stay healthy because it is challenging to move their mouths to eat and drink efficiently.

In 2014, a team of researchers from Chailey Clinical Services at Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust developed an Eating and Drinking Ability Classification System (EDACS) for people with cerebral palsy to classify  the  ability to  eat and drink safely and efficiently.

The researchers undertook a study to see how EDACS could be implemented across Sussex for adults with cerebral palsy which was - funded by the Applied Research Collaboration Kent, Surrey and Sussex. One of the stages of the study was to find out if the EDACS was acceptable to adults with cerebral palsy and those who support them.

The study findings indicate that:

  • adults with cerebral palsy, their families and those who provide care support, as well as health and social care professionals endorse the content of EDACS.
  • EDACS is a reliable way to describe how people with cerebral palsy usually eat and drink, including both adults and children.
  • adults with CP, families and professionals can use EDACS to share knowledge, and work in partnership to improve care.
  • different health and social care organisations can implement use of EDACS to better meet the eating and drinking needs of those with cerebral palsy, thereby reducing significant risks to health and improve quality of life.

 

The research team are currently developing an animation to share research findings with people with cerebral palsy, their families and support assistants, as well as health and social care professionals.

More information about the project can be found here: Implementing the Eating and Drinking Ability Classification System (EDACS) across health and social care settings for adults with Cerebral Palsy (CP).

The Eating and Drinking Ability Classification System for adults with cerebral palsy is freely available to download here.  

 

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