FORUM FEEDBACK

Total Voice Lincolnshire currently facilitates four PSI forums:

• Horncastle: The forum meets once a month at the Homeleigh Day Centre and consists of 9-13 service users.

• Lincoln: The forum meets every month at Ashley Court and consists of 5-9 service users.

• Louth: Meets on the last Wednesday every month at Elizabeth Court and consists of 6-10 service users.

• Stamford: Meets once a month and consists of 9-14 service users.

Issues around Budget Cuts:• Many service users are concerned about the budget cuts, they

have had little correspondence from the council and have been told services will stay the same, but they do not think it can. 

• The staffing at one day centre is being cut from 5 to 3 staff,  service users feel that at present staff do not have enough time to support everyone’s need and with cuts this make a big impact.  Service users felt this will impact hugely on service users who have PIMD and are not able to speak up for themselves. 

• The staff are split between community care and care at the day centre, service users would like to know which will be affected most.

• With all the cuts being made people do not think the day centre will last, they are worried about what will happen and want to be involved.

Transport and accessibility issues:

• People are not happy with the local transport in rural Lincolnshire.  With cuts being made they would like to know how this will affect current transport services.

• Currently, pavements are too bumpy and difficult to navigate in wheelchairs. Also, dropped curbs are few and far between specifically in Louth and Horncastle.

• The older style of crossings with inset buttons are difficult for

people with poor dexterity to access – LCC highways have been proactive in changing one crossing near a PD residential home and day centre in Lincoln, and are currently also planning to refurbish many dropped curbs in Lincoln to make them flush with roads.

• Raised bus stops in villages are in impractical sometimes being isolated from paths and pavements, i.e. a raised bus stop surrounded by grass, this is pointless and inaccessible for people in wheelchairs.

• Connect busses are a council provided service, will this be cut?

Issues with Personal Budgets:

• Some of the forums have heard mixed information about personal budgets, they are worried about how it will affect them and would like more information. If they had a personal budget they do not know what they would spend it on as there is not information on services available.

• The consensus is generally that there is simply not enough activities to do even with the day centre, there is no cinema unless you go to Skegness or Lincoln.

Changes to the Fair Access to Care Services (FACS) criteria:

• Many service users across the county are worried about losing services in the current FACS proposals.