LINks Information

You’re running out of time to get your nominations in for the new LINk Executive member, the deadline is the 21st of December.

For more information please visit our Elections 2010 page.

LINk Elections- nominate now

On Monday 18th January 2010 between 6p.m. and 8.30 p.m. the LINk will be holding a meeting at which we will elect a new Executive Committee member to fill the vacant place on the Executive. All members of LINk are invited to take part in this election.

Under the current agreement the elected candidate will serve for the remainder of the vacant term i.e. until January 2012. (It should be noted that the term served by an elected member is currently under review)

All current members will receive a letter or email depending on their specified preference and pack in the post detailing how they can nominate and vote. Alternatively all relevant documents are available here:

• nomination for election form
• appointment of proxy form
• nomination and voting procedure

Nominations

Any member who has signed up as a LINk member by 12 noon on Monday 21st December 2009 can stand for election. This is also the deadline for receipt of nominations for election to the Executive Committee.

You do not need a proposer or seconder- you can nominate yourself and fill in the statement in support of the nomination and declaration of interest.

 
How you can vote….

• In Person on the night – Monday 18th January 2010

• By appointing another person to act as your proxy.

• By Post – This must be requested by 12 noon on Monday 4th January 2009, from the Host (Wandsworth Care Alliance). The vote must then be completed and returned to the Host office by 12 noon on Friday 15th January 2010.

 
What if I am not a member but would like to vote?

If you would like to register as a member and in turn take part in these elections then please click here.
If you would like any additional information or assistance completing the nomination form or with voting arrangements, please ring the Host at WCA on 02085 167 767 or email sarah@wandcareall.org.uk and someone will be pleased to assist you.

LINks Exchange Newsletter Issue 17

There are three main topics in the latest issue

Campaign

The Department of Health has launched a campaign to ‘promote the meaning and merits of LINks – among the whole community and among health and social care care professionals. with the ultimate aim of encouraging engagement and participation in your LINk’ The Department is using a social PR company – Forster – who will be coming out to LINks to work with them on this.

Last change to have your say on Quality Accounts

In High Quality Care for All, Lord Darzi said publishing quality performance would help patients and their carers make better informed choices about health care and allow clinical teams to benchmark, compare and improve their performance.

High Quality Care for All proposed that all providers of NHS care should produce Quality Accounts to provide the public with information on the quality of care they provide. The Department of Health has introduced legislation to require the publication of Quality Accounts from April 2010. Designing the format and content of Quality Accounts, is being facilitated by the DH, and steered by stakeholders, including the regulators, NHS management, clinicians, professional organisations, patient groups and the public.

The lessons learnt in a pilot from producing Quality Reports , alongside those from the Quality Accounts engagement process, are being used to develop the detailed guidance that the Department of Health aims to publish in early 2010, following a consultation on the proposed content of Quality Accounts over the autumn 2009. This process will also inform the Care Quality Commission and Monitor in their approach to developing the regulatory system for healthcare.

In September the Department of Health launched a consultation which you can find here.

The consultation closes on Thursday 10th December.

Indemnity Update

A number of LINks have asked about this topic and whether LINks are covered by a indemnity policy set up by the Secretary of State. Some LINks have concerns that an authorised representative making a report following a visit might be reluctant to make a candid and honest report in case the business owner makes a claim for defamation against them personally.

The answer is no – it is up to the local authority – Wandsworth in our case. If you feel that you might need such a policy, you can see the advice on the LINks Exchange website and take it up with the LINks office.

Business as usual for LINks Exchange

As reported in August, the National Centre for Involvement has now closed. But the service to local LINks provided by the LINks Exchange is now being run by NHS Choices and is continuing to operate as normal and provide a service to people representing the users of Health and Social Care services.

In preparation for the closure of the NHS Centre for Involvement at the end of August, all the LINks related resource materials they have produced for the Department of Health have been reviewed. The review identified a range of materials which remain valuable in supporting LINks and these have been retained and refreshed to take account of policy developments and have been re-branded with the LINks identity.

These documents form the NCI legacy and include materials such as the LINks Guides, the Early Adopter Project reports and materials from all NCI Directorates which supported LINks.

Useful Advice and Guidance Still Available

All of these legacy materials are available on LX network in the ADVICE AND GUIDANCE section of theResources. You will need to register to see them, but this is a simple process and anyone can register. Just visit the LINks Exchange website.

New Protocol on LINks and Foundation Trusts working together

The Foundation Trust Network and the Department of Health have produced a short protocol setting out the different roles and responsibilities of LINks and NHS Foundation Trusts (FTs) for involving the public. The protocol explains how LINks and NHS FTs might work together to maximise impact and minimise duplication of effort.

The protocol is available in the Resources section of LINks Exchange.

The Wandsworth Carers Conference – for those who look after an adult in Wandsworth and are not paid for the care they give.

10.30am to 3pm Tuesday 6th October at the Civic Suite Wandsworth High St., SW18 2PU

The LINks will have a stall at this event where Carers are invited to come and have a ’speed date’ with the people responsible for providing support and services for carers in Wandsworth. These senior professionals from the Council, Health and Mental Health Services will be there to answer your questions about the plans they have made for action and improvement in these area.

National Carer in Chief will be there

Dame Philippa Russell Chair of the Government’s Commission for Carers will be there to give the keynote address.

Free lunch, Entertainment and Other Treats

Meet your fellow unpaid carers and don’t forget to come and tell us what we should be saying on your behalf to the bigwigs. No need to ’speed date’ us – we’ll be sticking around.

The NHS Centre for Involvement (which currently supports the LINks Exchange of behalf of the Department of Health) is due to close at the end of August. LINks Exchange is a network which exists to support those who are implementing LINks. NHS Choices, which provides a comprehensive information service on health and social care in England, will take over the running of LINks Exchange.

In the short-term the LINks exchange will continue to offer all the same services as before and there will only be minor changes to the site in terms of design and content. The site address www.lx.nhs.uk will remain the same. In the longer term, NHS Choices will be discussing with LINks how they would like things to evolve.

According to the Department, the LINks Exchange is likely to become a sub-site of NHS Choices but this will not happen until they have talked to LINks about their needs.

NHS Choices has been chosen to support the LINks Exchange because it already provides information to the public on how they can help shape services and it has extensive experience of supporting online communities. With 7 million users, It is hoped that NHS Choices will also help to raise the profile of LINks.

This is the Agenda of our Executive Committee meeting on Monday 20th July 2009, 6.00-8.30pm at Atheldene Resources Centre,  305 Garratt Lane, London, SW18 4EQ.

We look forward to seeing you there and there is a link to all the meeting papers after the Agenda

Agenda items

1. Welcome and Introductions
2. Chairs announcements
3. Declaration of Interests
   To be declared
4. Minutes of the previous meeting on Monday 8th June 2009
   To be agreed
5. Matters arising from minutes not covered on agenda
6. Presentation and discussion:
   Dawn Warwick, Director of Adult Social Services, Wandsworth Council – Transforming Adult Social Care
7. Updates from Sub Groups:
   - Chair’s group
   - Resources & Governance
   - Communication & Participation
   - Primary Health & Social Care
   - Secondary Health & Social Care
   Matters for discussions/decision:
8. Wandsworth LINk strapline
   To agree the strapline
   Matters for information:
9. Financial Report
   To note expenditure
10. AOB
11. Dates of next meeting:
    Monday 28th September 2009, 6.00pm, venue to be advised.

    LINk members/members of the public are welcome to attend and participate in the meeting and informal discussions and refreshments will be available.

All the meeting documents are available to download from the LINk Meeting Minutes page.

Local Involvement Networks were set up by an Act of Parliament in April 2008 and funded through Local Authorities in England. One of the jobs we have been given to do was described by the Government in the following way:-

“Local Involvement Networks, which aim to help communities shape local health and care services, are able (under the law) to enter certain publicly funded health and care services to see them at work.”

Wandsworth LINk wish to implement Enter & View as part of its aim to give patients, carers and service users a stronger voice in helping to improve health and social care services in the Borough. You can see the paper that sets out how this will be done in Wandsworth at the Resources section of our website under Policies.

The next meeting on Wednesday 8th July will be held at Putney Library, 5/7 Disraeli Road, SW15 2D from 6.00pm till 8.00pm. Please contact Susan Wheeler-Kiley or Simonne Reid at the LINk office for further information. They can be reached on:

Email: enquiries@wandsworthlink.org.uk or
Telephone: 020 8696 170

Please Join Us!

You are invited to a fact finding day organised by the Wandsworth LINk Secondary Health and Social Care sub-group. Attendance is free and lunch is provided.

The Bridge Oakmead Road Balham SW12
10am till 4pm, Thursday 25th June
Over 7 different speakers from Health and Social services

YOUR FULL PROGRAMME FOR THE DAY

• 10.00 am
  Welcome and Introductions – Suzanna Kawalek, Chair of the Secondary Health and Social Care Sub Group
• 10.15 am
  Ernest Johnson, Barnes Hospital
• 10.45 am
  Sarah Lehman and Linda Best, Wandsworth Social Services
• 11.15 am Break
• 11.45 am
  Tom Clarke, Associate Director of Nursing, Springfield Hospital
• 12.15 pm
  Jacqueline Kerkham, Kingston Hospital
• 12.45 – 1.45pm LUNCH
• 2.00 pm
  Jo Jackson, NHS Wandsworth
  Tonia Michaelides, Associate Director, Acute Commissioning Team
• 2.30 pm
  Scott Bennett, Head of Patient Flow and Clinical Site Management, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Trust
• 3.00 pm Break
• 3.15 pm
  Contributions from User/Patient/Carer representatives with experience of hospital discharge processes
• 3.45 pm
  Final Questions and Close of Day

It would helpful if you could let us know if you are coming so we have an idea of the numbers for lunch. We would delighted to answer any questions you have about the day. Contact the LINk office in the first instance.

Email:
enquiries@wandsworthlink.org.uk

Telephone: 020 8696 1709