Leicestershire LINk Newsletter (Issue 4)

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Page 1 November 2009 Issue 4 The Leicestershire LINk 1 st Annual Conference On 24 September 2009, Leicestershire LINk held their first conference at the Marriott Hotel in Enderby and was attended by 150 delegates in total. We had excellent speakers to start off the proceedings: Claire Rayner, the President of the Patients’ Association in the afternoon and Malcolm Alexander, Co-Chair of the National Association of LINks, in the evening. Cont’d on page 7... Inside this Issue: Dignity & Respect… You tell us? 2 Listening to Carers 3 The Berlin Marathon…a Great Day for Christine 4 Personalisation Event 5 Give GP or Hospital Feedback 5 Local GP wins accolade 6 The Ongoing Story of the Leicestershire LINk Meeting Local People 6 First Leicestershire LINk Conference 7-10 Involving People in Service Commissioning 11 East Midlands Specialised Commissioning Group Explained 12 Equality & Diversity Training 13 Swine Flu Update 14 Hospital Car Parking Pledge 14 My NHS & How it Works? 15 Members Begin Enter & View Training 15 Leicestershire LINk Board Welcomes You 16 Contact Us 16 Colin Headley & Bev Gillman welcome Claire Rayner to the Leicestershire LINk Conference

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Involving People in Service Commissioning 11 My NHS & How it Works? 15 Hospital Car Parking Pledge 14 Contact Us 16 Give GP or Hospital Feedback 5 The Berlin Marathon…a Great Day for Christine 4 The Ongoing Story of the Leicestershire LINk Meeting Local People 6 Equality & Diversity Training 13 Colin Headley & Bev Gillman welcome Claire Rayner to the Leicestershire LINk Conference Dignity & Respect… You tell us? 2 Members Begin Enter & View Training 15 Page 1

Transcript of Leicestershire LINk Newsletter (Issue 4)

Page 1: Leicestershire LINk Newsletter (Issue 4)

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November 2009 Issue 4

The Leicestershire LINk 1st Annual Conference

On 24 September 2009, Leicestershire LINk held their first conference at the Marriott Hotel in Enderby and was attended by 150 delegates in total. We had excellent speakers to start off the proceedings: Claire Rayner, the President of the Patients’ Association in the afternoon and Malcolm Alexander, Co-Chair of the National Association of LINks, in the evening.

Cont’d on page 7...

Inside this Issue: Dignity & Respect… You tell us? 2 Listening to Carers 3 The Berlin Marathon…a Great Day for Christine 4 Personalisation Event 5 Give GP or Hospital Feedback 5 Local GP wins accolade 6 The Ongoing Story of the Leicestershire LINk Meeting Local People 6 First Leicestershire LINk Conference 7-10 Involving People in Service Commissioning 11 East Midlands Specialised Commissioning Group Explained 12 Equality & Diversity Training 13 Swine Flu Update 14 Hospital Car Parking Pledge 14 My NHS & How it Works? 15 Members Begin Enter & View Training 15 Leicestershire LINk Board Welcomes You 16 Contact Us 16

Colin Headley & Bev Gillman welcome Claire Rayner to the Leicestershire LINk Conference

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Dignity & Respect...You tell us?

Reports have recently been brought to our attention of occasional concerns over the seeming lack of respect and dignity given to patients, carers or service users. All the NHS Trusts and the Local Authority take very seriously the need to maintain the correct levels of respect and dignity. If you have evidence or experience that this is not occurring we would love to hear from you. What’s your experience? In order to get as full a picture as possible, could you please let Leicestershire LINk know the following:

You can give details to the LINk Office by phone, email or letter. Although the LINk can give you assurances that details of the person(s) concerned will be kept strictly confidential, some of you may be anxious in supplying such details. We fully understand this, and it does not stop you adding to our consultation. What would be useful is: (a) An approximate date when the situation arose. (b) Whether it was a health or social care service. (c) The name of the Hospital or Social service unit/provider. (d) Briefly what was the nature of the concern. (e) Did you report your concerns? and finally (f) Your post code (this will not make you identifiable but gives us an indication in which part of the County you live). Your Help in this Matter is Greatly Appreciated In the event of a number of concerns being expressed, we will report our findings at a later date and what action has been taken.

Social Care Services Likewise for people receiving social care such as Home care, Residential or Day care, have you evidence or examples which seem to fall below the standards required?

NHS Services Have you or a relative, friend or colleague recently had a period in one of the Community Hospitals in the County, a Mental Health Unit or the Leicester Royal Infirmary, Glenfield Hospital or the General Hospital where you have observed, or feel there has been a lack of respect and/or dignity?

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Leicestershire LINk organised an important and successful event for carers on the 3 September 2009. The aim of the event was to improve partnership working between the statutory sector and carers and to provide information about services available to carers from both the statutory and voluntary sector. This event also enabled carers to discuss issues and concerns with service providers and develop ideas for improvements in services on which the LINk can work in the future. There were speakers from Leicestershire County Council, Adult Social Care, Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, NHS Leicestershire County & Rutland and CLASP - the Carers Centre. Four lively discussion groups looked at issues for carers in respect of Social Care, Mental Health and Physical Health. It was very clear from these groups the important role that carers fulfil, the stress they experience and the need for improvements in services.

Some of the key issues identified were:

The LINk is already actively working to improve services for people with Dementia and we would like to pursue some of the carers issues raised at this event. If you feel that you could get involved in a Task Group or if you have issues you would like to draw to our attention, then please contact Christine Middleton on Tel No. 0116 229 3048 or email: [email protected].

Listening to Carers

• The need for more & appropriate respite care • The need for a single directory of resources • The destination of the funding for the Dementia Care Strategy • Concerns that budget costs will further erode services

Signal bus visits the Carers Event to demonstrate a range of technology which

assists people in their own homes

Ian Retson from CareonLine pictured with delegates

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The Berlin Marathon …a Great Day for Christine

Many of you will know Christine Middleton as the Engagement Officer for the Leicestershire LINk but on Sunday, 20 September 2009, she ran down the Unter den Linden to the Brandenburg Gate having completed The Berlin Marathon and 26 miles in temperatures of around 26c.

Christine describes her feelings at the finish as being “elated and emotional and so very grateful that this was something she could do.” In the Leicestershire LINk Office, we are so proud of Christine and were absolutely thrilled when she wore her medal to work one day. To put the ‘run’ into context if Christine started from the LINk Office in Beaumont Leys she would have reached the centre of Derby - amazing. Christine says she felt satisfied with her time of 4.46. In her age category of women between 60 and 65, she was the second British woman and 45th out of 96. Overall, there were 41,000 runners and 7,060 were women. Christine raised over £800 for Coping with Cancer, which is a local voluntary sector cancer charity. Look out for Christine’s newest challenge in the next LINk newsletter.

Christine looking pleased but not at all exhausted!

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The Future of Adult Social Care and how it affects YOU!

This exciting event is being organised by LINk, in partnership with Leicestershire County Council, to give people in Leicestershire the opportunity to learn more about the massive transformation that Adult Social Care is undergoing.

Friday, 27 November 2009 10.00 am. - 3.00 pm.

Parklands Leisure Centre, Oadby The event will include a mixture of speakers and discussion, there will be lots of opportunity to be involved in discussions, ask questions and raise concerns about the process. Care costs and travel expenses can be reimbursed for Leicestershire LINk members but the event is open to everyone. For further details, please contact Christine Middleton on 0116 229 3103.

Give GP or Hospital Feedback

The Department of Health has launched an online service which allows patients to rate GPs. Patients can comment on how easy it is to get an appointment, staff conduct and patient involvement. The site gives you an opportunity to say what’s good about your local medical centre or criticise it. The site is similar to the hospital comparison service which was launched in the summer, and gives people an opportunity to make comments about hospital services. The GP comparison service is part of the NHS Choices website and can be accessed by going to www.nhs.uk

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Local GP wins accolade Leicestershire LINk congratulates Dr John Gauntlett of the Desford Practice. This surgery, with only two Doctors and highly dedicated staff, has achieved the status of being one of the highest scoring practices in England (in the top 1%) for care and service, and the only one in Leicestershire to have a 100% patient satisfaction score.

Dr Gauntlett’s philosophy is that the patient has to be at the forefront of everything. Patients are valued, listened to and offered a service which places care before systems or bureaucracy. Communication and consultation with joined-up care and some good old fashioned GP provision working in modern times. One patient described her care as ”having your own Private hospital on your doorstep.” All this has been achieved with the Practice being the lowest funded under the current cash allocation systems of the Primary Care Trust throughout the whole of the County. At a recent ceremony at which Dr Gauntlett was given an award by a local newspaper for his surgery’s outstanding quality of care and patient satisfaction, Catherine Griffiths, Chief Executive of NHS Leicestershire County & Rutland commented that she could understand why it was the fastest growing practice in patient numbers in the County.

The Ongoing Story of the Leicestershire LINk Meeting Local People…

Leicestershire LINk was delighted to visit Market Harborough in October. The weather once again was kind to us, we only had sporadic moments of precipitation and it was surprisingly warm for the time of year. We were able to walk around the town and speak to people as opportunities presented themselves. We also visited the local library and the Citizens Advice Bureau, where we have left leaflets about Leicestershire LINk.

Lutterworth - What a change of weather! It was drab, cold and drizzly. However, the welcome of local people kept our spirits up. Special thanks to the organisers of the coffee morning in the town hall we visited on three different occasions during the day, taking advantage of speaking to people in the warm and dry. We also met the Practice Manager of one of the local doctor’s surgeries and have been invited back to speak to their Patient Involvement Group. The next ‘around the county events’ will be in Wigston and Oadby, which we are looking forward to, so let’s hope the weather is good to us.

Eric Charlesworth, Leicestershire LINk congratulating Dr Gauntlett

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Continued from front page… Claire both enlightened and entertained, commencing her talk with an apology for remaining seated and describing herself as “a bit of an old bag”. She recalled her memories of working as a nurse and contrasting how patients were cared for in ‘the old days’ with the modern system. In those days, a nurse’s responsibility started and ended with looking after the patient. Nowadays, nurses also have to contend with such matters as controlling and verifying

ward expenditure and knowing how to work computers. Claire made it quite clear that she would like to see a return to putting the emphasis on caring for the patient. Malcolm concentrated more on the role of the LINks associations within the NHS and Social Care. He stressed the importance of the powers that had been designated to LINks and urged that these should be used to their full extent. He pointed out that, where problems with services were identified as affecting the community, action should follow. LINks were not intended to be simply ‘talking-shops’. We are proud to tell you that Malcolm has since congratulated us on the manner in which members and host work together and stated that our conferences were the best that he had been to. Another element of the programme was a quiz to test the knowledge of and find out the views of the delegates on the local health & social care services. This was thoroughly enjoyed, as hand-held voting sets

were used, which allowed the voters to see the results from each question immediately displayed upon a screen. (To find out more about these results please go to page 8) Some results caused considerable laughter, especially in the evening, when we had more delegates from the statutory and voluntary sectors. The quiz was followed by Discussion Groups on various topics that the organising team had perceived to be of interest and importance to the work programme of the LINk. (To find out the topics and see the collated comments please go to pages 9 & 10). Our final item at each conference was a brief appearance by Les Wilson who gave us his ‘Humorous Look at Life’, and had many reduced to tears of laughter. One point on which the organisers and delegates agreed was that we would have liked more time, both to listen to the speakers (due largely to the calibre of the speakers) and for the discussions within the group scenario. The majority of the delegates said that they would be willing to, and indeed would like to, attend a full-day conference. This, along with written comments on our feed-back forms, will provide us with guidance for our conference in 2010, at which we will hope to welcome even more members.

Roger Wilson, Chairman of Leicestershire County Council and Mrs Sheila Wilson

arriving at the Conference

First Leicestershire LINk Conference

Thursday, 24 September 2009

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Interactive Voting Session

- Delegates Speak Out Delegates were given a number of questions relating to Health, Social Care and LINk issues. They were asked to respond based on recent experiences of either themselves or friends and family. Health Results... • Most people found it relatively easy to get an immediate appointment at their local GP

(doctors) surgery. • When asked who they would contact when their GP surgery was closed, there was a

variety of answers including Walk-in-Centre, local hospitals, NHS Direct, but a very high number said they would go to an Accident & Emergency Department. So, clearly, there is an issue here.

• Concerning services provided in hospitals, most people were happy with the care they received, felt they were listened to, were treated with dignity and were fully informed of their treatment. In all areas though, there was room for improvement.

• Concerning hospitals and GP’s working together, here answers were split, although almost a third felt they did not work together.

Social Care Results - here there was much more concern... • The vast majority of people believed that the public do not understand what social care

services are available. • Equally, the vast majority felt that people should not have to contribute towards the cost of

the care they are receiving. • Again, most felt that support for people caring for relatives was poor. • As for the NHS and Social Care working well together, there was a huge response saying

this was not happening. The Leicestershire LINk... • The majority of people understood the role of the LINk and that we do not deal with formal

complaints. • When asked what priorities the LINk should be considering, whilst most respondents felt

that GP services and hospital care close to home were well supported, there was a need for more community care to support patients at home and better services when patients are discharged from hospital.

• Concerning LINk operations, people said they would like meetings held locally and that what would encourage them to be more actively involved would be to join a Task Group involving a specific topic of interest.

What happens next… The LINk will be analysing and responding to the outcomes of the voting session but we will also be sending these results to the NHS organisations and to the Adult Social Care Department of the local authority.

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From Workshops to Action ... An initial analysis has begun on the range of comments, views and opinions that were expressed at our conference. This has already given us a wealth of material for us to consider, work upon, influence change and maintain improvement. We are very mindful that not all the work can be undertaken at the same time, and any work we begin needs to be done to the high standards we have set ourselves. We are still strongly of the view that everybody counts and has much they can offer in whatever capacity and we welcome all those thinking of working with us.

What you said… influences LINk work So what are the main areas and issues raised, which will guide the work we undertake in the coming weeks and months? Many of the concerns and points raised, apply equally to both Social Care and Health. We will, therefore, endeavour to ensure that, where applicable, the implications and the relationship of the services are addressed in every piece of work undertaken.

Health & Social Care • By far the biggest problem identified was the apparent belief by Social Care and Health

Organisations that there was good communication and that information was readily accessible for those who needed it. Both in Discussion Groups and as a result of the hand-held voting questions, the same message was very, very clear communication HAS to be improved substantively.

Accordingly... Leicestershire LINk will be setting up a group which will look seriously at the methods of communication, using the data provided by you, and apparent failings of the current communication and information sharing processes. This will also look at the duplication of work by individuals and groups, which others may be unaware of.

• Many of the concerns relating to Health and Social Care can be addressed through the

existing LINk work groups, for example quality of care for those with dementia or stroke, support for carers, communication!!, lack of assessment and respite care.

Claire Rayner sharing her views and stories with conference delegates

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Young People • The position of young people needs to be addressed, currently there are no young people

on the LINk Board who can advise the LINk and our work.

Proposals for the creation of a group specifically to obtain the views of young people and in the planning of their future Health and Social Care needs, will be established.

Rural Issues • Rural issues, care closer to home, early

intervention and transport were the top concerns. Investigation of the impact upon rural provision and transport will be addressed in the coming months. Leicestershire LINk will also be establishing local ‘satellite’ LINks, which will provide an opportunity to deal with health and social care issues important to your area.

Mental Health • Mental Health issues included a range of

concerns related to in-patient services, and the need for closer working with voluntary sector services. More acceptance by the statutory sector of holistic and alternative therapies, including self-help groups was raised, as was the need for more training for GPs and more preventative support for young people but there was also examples of good and improved services. The LINk Mental Health Task Group will be taking forward these issues.

Let us know if you want to be involved on a planning group. • There is currently a number of Strategic Health, local PCT and County Council planning

groups that members could be nominated to represent the LINk which enable us to positively contribute to the decision making which would be recommended.

We are conscious that realistically we can only do a small, manageable number of tasks at any one time in order to maintain the high standard of engagement and involve as many people as possible. Over the coming weeks, we will be inviting you to join in those areas which interest you. By the beginning of the New Year we hope to be able to plan a stage by stage introduction of locality working groups for the area in which you live. We will continue to offer support, training and look at ways whereby the widest consultation methods of patient and public views on things which affect them can be obtained. It is pleasing to note that many of the concerns expressed - care for carers, personalisation, improvements to dementia diagnosis - treatment - support, funding, mental health - are topics which LINk has already undertaken and is working to engage and stimulate the changes that need to be made.

Colin Headley, Chair of Leicestershire LINk presents Claire Rayner with a gift watched by

Gill Wollerton

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That’s the message in this month’s Community Care (a magazine for everyone in social care). The article talks about attempts over the last 40 years to give patients a voice in the NHS through Community Health Councils and Patient & Public Involvement forums, with indifferent success. But it was only with the introduction of Local Involvement Networks that social care users have had the opportunity to participate. In 2007, the 9 pilot LINks reported concerns, which included insufficient funding, mistrust over the role of local authorities and difficulties working with specialist trusts and NHS organisations. In 2008, the National Association of LINks Members (NALM) produced a report that LINk activities during the transitional period had been bureaucratic, not patient-centred and left service users with no independent voice. However, the article goes on to say that one year later there are now signs that some LINks are emerging from the transitional bureaucracy and starting to make an impact on the delivery of care. However, this is patchy and much of the good work is focussed on health, rather than social care, which has disappointed some frontline social care professionals. It seems that a common criticism is the inordinate time LINks have spent on mapping exercises, surveys and setting-up internal structures. Alyson Morley, Senior Policy Analyst at the Local Government Association says “this is inevitable if LINks are to make sure they are representative of and reflect the needs of the local community, which is complicated and takes time. The fact that LINks cover both health and social services, the whole of the local authority, the PCT and the commissioning of private services is incredibly welcomed.” Malcolm Alexander, NALM Chair says that “in many ways social care is more complex and not as clear-cut as health - visiting a hospital ward is straightforward but in a care home, say, you are only allowed into common areas, so you don’t know what’s going on in the living areas.” Nevertheless, Alexander emphasises that LINks are keen to play an active role in the consultation on the green paper ‘The Big Care Debate.’ • Please note that Leicestershire LINk has held an incredibly successful

consultation event on the Big Care Debate, with over 80 people attending. • Coming-up is a joint event with Leicestershire County Council on the future

of Adult Social Care and how it affects You.

Would you like the LINk to visit your group?

If your organisation would be interested in a visit from the LINk to talk about our role, and the different ways in which everyone can be involved, please contact us.

Our contact details are on Page 16 or you could visit the

Leicestershire LINk website www.leicestershirelink.org.uk

Local Involvement Networks are now doing what they set out to do: involving people in service

commissioning, delivery and scrutiny

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The East Midlands Specialised Commissioning Group (EMSCG) is the NHS responsible for planning, developing, buying and managing all specialised health services for the region on behalf of the nine primary care trusts in the region. It has an annual budget of £700m including the services it commissions regionally and nationally, and is responsible for treating 85,000 patients on an in-patient basis every year.

Specialised services affect small numbers of people, who often have rare conditions. They tend to be expensive because of the complex nature of treatments involved. There are currently 35 nationally defined specialised services including for example renal dialysis, certain cancer services including blood and marrow transplantation and special types of radiotherapy, cystic fibrosis and specialised mental health services. Specialised services are not provided by every hospital as only those which have the right numbers and types of staff with access to the right equipment should be dealing with the most complex cases. The main specialised hospitals in the region are in Leicester and Nottingham.

EMSCG’s achievements include: • Drafting region-wide policies so all patients get equal access to specialised services. • Leading the country with the introduction of Trans Aortic Valve Insertion (TAVI), an

innovative new way of treating patients with a damaged heart valve without the need for open heart surgery.

• The development of a new children’s cancer service covering the whole of the East Midlands.

• Investing £1.7m in a new 24/7 region-wide neonatal transport service. Engaging with public and patients is at the heart of what we do and we welcome your views, which will help to shape the future of specialised services in the region. All our opportunities for public and patient involvement and policy consultation are publicised on our website. To get involved, please log on to: www.emscg.nhs.uk (click on the policies and publications tab for a list of draft policies), email: [email protected] or Tel: 0116 295 0849 for more details.

The East Midlands Specialised Commissioning Group Explained

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These sessions will help you to understand policies and legislation relating to equality and diversity and offer a great opportunity to develop an understanding of the themes. Each of the 6 sessions are FREE and LINk members can also claim travel expenses. You can choose to attend as many or as few of the sessions as you wish. We have chosen to use venues around the County in the hopes that as many people as possible will be able to attend at least one course. You will find the discussion enjoyable, thought provoking and fun - although these are serious subjects - the trainer delivers them in a very informal and interactive way. If you would like to attend any of the sessions, please contact the Leicestershire LINk office. We are delighted that this training is provided by the Regional Equality Diversity Partnership.

Equality & Diversity Training

Equality Area

Dates

Time

Venue

Race

12 November 2009 10.00 - 12 noon Beaumont Enterprise Centre

Religion and Belief

24 November 2009 2.00 - 4.00 pm. Blaby Scout Hut Winchester Road Blaby LE8 4HN

Disability

15 December 2009 10.00 - 12 noon Coalville Community Resource Centre Comet Way Coalville LE67 3FS

Age (young & older)

12 January 2010 2.00 - 4.00 pm. Voluntary Action Hinckley & Bosworth 12 Waterloo Road Hinckley LE10 0QJ

Gender / Gender Identity

16 February 2010 10.00 - 12 noon Wigston Library Bull Head Street Wigston Magna LE18 1PA

Sexual Orientation

2 March 2010 2.00 - 4.00 pm. Voluntary Action Charnwood John Storer House Ward’s End Loughborough LE11 3HA

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A recent update on the Swine Flu pandemic was given by a representative for the City and County Primary Care Trusts - Andrew Kelly. He confirmed that the increase in notified swine flu cases was inextricably rising and was expected to do so month on month. Plans are well advanced to address the needs of Leicestershire people as the provision of flu injections and swine flu injections became available.

He advises the best course of action and protection is to ensure that individually and as members of a family / workforce / group regular and thorough washing of hands is undertaken. Likewise the prevention of the spread of the pandemic can be assisted by good respiratory hygiene - using paper hankies, making sure the mouth and nose is covered if coughing, and that the hankies are disposed of appropriately.

The highest age group catching swine flu at the present time is in the 15-24 age range. A vaccination campaign is underway with priority being given to pregnant mothers, those who have or live with persons with a reduced immunity, front line health and social care staff, young people from 6 months. Those over 65 are not in the first wave of vaccination for swine flu as they have some immunity already. People in this age bracket are advised that if they normally have a flu injection they should continue to seek this from the GP. Swine flu is a separate vaccination. Both NHS Trusts have been supplied with Swine flu vaccinations as part of a £5 million budget from the Government. In the event of getting or thinking you may have swine flu, you are advised NOT to visit the GP surgery or hospital but phone the pandemic flu line for advice. Supplies of Tammy Flu have been obtained and will be distributed throughout the County at venues to be notified.

Swine Flu Update

Hospital Car Parking Pledge Andy Burnham, Health Secretary has pledged to phase out hospital car parking charges for inpatients and their relatives and friends over the next three years. This announcement was made at the Labour Party conference in September. He said “It’s not right if some people don’t get visitors every day because their families can’t afford the parking fees.” He went on to say that this move will be paid for out of “back office savings.”

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This event will provide you with a real insight into how the NHS works, how decisions are made, and how and where the money is spent. An introduction to the NHS Most of us have visited our local GP (doctor’s surgery), been into hospital, or gone to a local optician, pharmacist or dentist. But have you ever thought how these services are planned and commissioned? Or how the need for new services is identified and how people have their say about health services in Leicestershire? To find out and have your questions answered, please join NHS Leicestershire County & Rutland and Leicestershire LINk at this informative event. Care costs and travel expenses can be reimbursed for Leicestershire LINk members, and lunch and refreshments will be provided. For further details and to book, please contact Gill Wollerton on 0116 229 3028 or email [email protected].

In October LINk members attended an ‘Introduction’ to Enter & View training course. An ‘Advanced’ training course will follow in December. What is Enter & View? One of the powers given to LINks by government is the right of LINk members who are ‘authorised representatives’ to enter and view (publicly funded) health and social care premises to see if services are working well. This is set out in the ‘Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007. Why do LINks need to ‘Enter and View’? LINk work needs to be evidence-based. When the LINk is told by the community that there is an issue with a health or social care service, this may sometimes involve visiting the service to see how it is being delivered. This could involve speaking to patients and carers, speaking to staff, following-up on a previous visit, monitoring a service that is closing, changing or under threat of closure, or supporting effective consultation. Visits can be Announced or Unannounced (both are possible). The training guides members through the process of deciding whether a visit is necessary and useful, planning a visit, what to do, how to behave, and how to provide feedback, so that things can change and be improved. If you missed this set of training, more will follow in the New Year.

My NHS and How it Works?

An opportunity to find out the ‘workings’ of the NHS and ask questions

Thursday, 3 December 2009

12.00 noon - 4.00 pm. Glenfield Parish Council, Park House, Glenfield

Members Begin Enter & View Training

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Visit the Leicestershire LINk website: www.leicestershirelink.org.uk

Contact Us The Leicestershire LINk covers Leicestershire and is hosted by CVS Community Partnership. Based at: Beaumont Enterprise Centre Boston Road Leicester LE4 1HB General email: [email protected] Website: www.leicestershirelink.org.uk Gill Wollerton Project Manager Tel: 0116 229 3028 Email: [email protected] Ian Clowes Engagement Officer Tel: 0116 229 3050 Email: [email protected] Christine Middleton Engagement Officer Tel: 0116 229 3048 Email: [email protected]

Leicestershire LINk Board welcomes you All LINk Board meetings are open for people to come along, and you would be most welcome. The Board meets every month and all meetings are held in public. Meetings are purposely held at venues around the County, so that it gives everyone an opportunity to listen to discussions, find out what happens and talk to members about health and social care issues in your area. The LINk Board is responsible for all of the decisions relating to how the LINk works but it also supports groups to carry out the work of the LINk, especially on specific areas of health and social care. You can also submit agenda items for consideration, though these must be sent to the LINk Office 10 working days before the meeting. Dates of meetings and minutes from previous Board meetings are published on the LINk website or can be sent to you on request. Names of Board members are also listed. Why not come along and meet Board members at the following meetings: • Wednesday, 4 November 2009 at 10.00 am

at The Springboard Centre, Mantle Lane, Coalville, LE67 3DW

• Wednesday, 2 December 2009 at 10.00 am

at Oadby Town Football Club, Events and Leisure Park, Wigston Road, Oadby, LE2 5QG

• Wednesday, 13 January 2010 at 10.00 am

at Market Harborough Methodist Youth Wing, Northampton Road, Market Harborough, LE16 7NF

If you need any further information, please contact the LINk Office.