Secretary of State Andy Burnham has this week announced the start of a nationwide consultation about abolishing GP practice boundaries/catchment areas.

GP SURGERIES CONSULTATION

Here is an excerpt from the press release, which also quotes local GP Dr Seth Rankin:

Patients will have the chance to choose the best GP practice for them under new plans in a consultation published today by Health Secretary Andy Burnham.

At present, GPs operate within fixed geographical boundaries that can be restrictive and severely reduce patients’ choice of the practice they register with, especially for those patients living in poorer areas. 

The majority of patients are happy with their current GP practice but a significant minority would like to change their GP.

For many patients it is important to be registered with a local GP so their GP can visit them at home and help co-ordinate care with local health professionals. Others want to register with a practice closer to where they work, or one closer to home, open longer or offers more services. Other patients have said they’d like to be able to stay registered with their current practice when they move house.

The consultation is seeking views on a wide range of proposals, in particular around the issues involved in arranging home visits, co-ordination of community based services, safeguarding access for local residents, and access to hospital and specialist treatment.

This is a very important development with a number of issues attached to it about patient choice, continuity of care and how primary care practices are funded.  

You can read the full story here www.dh.gov.uk/en/News/Recentstories/DH_113502 and also access the consultation at the foot of the page.  

The assumption is that the changes will be implemented from October 2010.

What do you think about these proposals? LINk is trying to gather the thoughts and opinions of local Wandsworth Residents which they will then feed into the consultation. Please get in touch with us or write your comments at the bottom of this page.

The next LINk Executive Meeting open to the public and starts with an Executive business meeting from 6 pm on Tuesday 16^th March at Mushkil Aasaan, 220-222 Upper Tooting Road, SW17 7EW.

This will be followed at 7.15 pm by refreshments, and updates and an open discussion about Mental Health Services with contributions from Wandsworth’s Black and Minority Ethnic Forum and Voicing Views (Service User Project). 

Please come along and share your experiences.

To view the papers click here

Wandsworth LINk has produced an easy read version of its newsletter which can be found by clicking here Wandsworth LINk newsletter EasyRead

Click here to read the latest Wandsworth LINk Newsletter February 2010

This issue contains articles on the upcoming Sexual Health Consultations, Polyclinic Proposals, Electronic Patient Records, Enter and View, Free Talking Therapy in Wandsworth and Personal budgets. As well as information on up coming events in Wandsworth and how to get involved with LINk.

“Training to make a difference”

Are you a member of LINk?

Do you want to make a difference to health care services in Wandsworth?

Do you want to contribute your experience as a patient with a long term health condition or as a carer?

Do you want to be listened to as an equal with NHS managers and clinicians?

If so, this innovative and challenging training programme could be just what you need.

“Training to make a difference” is the first of a rolling programme of training which will be presented in six 2 ½ hour sessions from 10 am to 12.30 at accessible user friendly venues. Refreshments will be provided. Travel and other out of pocket expenses will be reimbursed.

The training sessions will include personal and electronic presentations and there will be visiting VIP speakers from NHS Wandsworth and local health providers.  The style will be participative with interactive exercises and in depth discussion that will challenge everyone’s preconceptions representation.

If you want to join “Training to make a difference” you need to be committed to attending the full training programme with a view to being actively involved in the future as a lay representative with NHS Wandsworth’s committees, working groups and consultation procedures.

On completion of the training you will receive a “Training to make a difference” certificate. We hope this training will be useful to participants in their own personal and career development.

The programme is designed to ensure the following outcomes for participants:

• Can participate fully at NHS Wandsworth committees and working groups
• Understand the way the NHS in England and NHS Wandsworth operate
• Have an understanding of the legislation and guidance governing involvement and engagement in the NHS
• Understand the roles of users and lay representatives and health professionals

• Can develop their communication skills
• Gain experience of developing involvement and engagement techniques

• Have knowledge of the barriers and benefits of working together

• Have the confidence to present the views and experience of patients to senior managers and clinicians

For further information, application form, and to sign up for this training, please contact:

Colin Smith, PPI Manager, 0208812 7743 or email colin.smith@wpct.nhs.uk

Michelle Heller, Patient Relationship Manager on 0208 812 7577 or email michelle.heller@wpct.nhs.uk

“Training to make a difference” is developed and presented by the Moore Adamson Craig Partnership LLP – consultants in public involvement – www.mooreadamsoncraig.co.uk  on behalf of NHS Wandsworth.

“The Council’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee supported the Wandsworth LINk in their call for the Battersea polyclinic hub to be subject to further consultation.  The Councillors agreed that the new split-site solution was a far cry from the original purpose-built comprehensive centre and that NHS Wandsworth should consult local residents before proceeding.  More details are contained in the attached press release.”

February 22nd 2010

For the first time, it will be possible for an unpaid carer looking after a loved one to build up a full basic State Pension based entirely on National Insurance credits. The Department for Work and Pensions and Carers UK are calling on the 4.7 million carers across the country to find out if they could benefit.

April 2010 will see the introduction of the new Carer’s Credit that will count towards their basic and second State Pension. People may not recognise the help they give unpaid to a disabled, ill or family member as caring but today they are being encouraged to come forward if they are looking after someone for at least twenty hours a week.

Minister of State for Pensions and Ageing Society Angela Eagle said: “We want people to tell us if they, or people they know, are looking after somebody for more than 20 hours a week so they benefit from this change. The State Pension is everyone’s foundation of financial security in later life and therefore, it’s only right that caring for others should be counted towards it.”

The natural focus for most carers is to meet the immediate needs of their loved one rather than on planning their own financial future. Results by the Ipsos MORI survey found less than one in five of the carers (19%) pay regularly into savings and only one in seven felt they had a comfortable amount put aside for the future. It also revealed almost half (46%) the carers it questioned are worried about their financial future and just over a third (36%)have dipped into savings as a result of caring.

Imelda Redmond, Chief Executive of Carers UK said: “We know saving for your retirement years won’t be your priority when you suddenly find yourself caring for a loved one. But there are simple steps you can take to secure your State Pension that will protect your long-term future as you care for others.”

If you are caring for someone for 20 hours or more a week you could get the new Carer’s Credit that will count towards your State Pension. Find out if you qualify by visiting www.direct.gov.uk/pensions or by calling 0800 678 1132.

Patient opinion is an independent website which enables’s service users and carers to share their opinions online. These opinions are then fed back to the service providers and commissioners in order to shape services.

Wandsworth LINk now have a Patient Opinion page dedicated to sharing and publicising these stories and would encourage anyone who wants to share their story to visit this page and the Patient opinion website http://www.patientopinion.org.uk/

Here are some of the things that you can do on Patient Opinion:

• Patients and carers can find out what other people think of local hospitals, hospices and mental health services.
• And lots of people share the story of what happened to them or their family when they were ill.
• Most important of all patients and carers can tell it like it is – patients and carers know what the service was like and come up with lots of great ideas about how it could be better

Thursday 11 March at 1 for 1.30 pm

Anchor Church Centre, Garratt Lane, SW18 4DU

(buses 44 & 270 pass the door)

Older People Strategy after 18months

Wandsworth Older People’s Strategy and Action Plans were launched in October 2008.  In November 2009 the Borough Council reviewed progress after 12 months.   At this Conference older people will have a chance to have their say on how progress has been made in moving towards the vision by 2013

The Convenors of the Action Groups, one for each Dimension, will be present and will describe how they see progress and attenders will have a chance to say whether it is good or not.

Dimensions described in the plan are:-

Health & Healthy Living

Housing & the Home

Neighbourhood

Social Activities, Social Networks and Keeping Busy

Out & About

Income

Information

There will be plenty of time for questions and discussion on what you want to see

Please fill out this form to let us know you’re coming reply form and return to Lillias Gillies, 

Charlotte Despard Ave, London SW11, e-mail:   wopforum@hotmail.com

   Further copies of the Visions for each Dimension will be sent to those replying before 3 March

There will be refreshments from 1 pm and sound enhancement and a palantypist

Transport can be made available for those with difficulty in using public transport

Please phone Lilias Gillies (020 8672 5592)

The Chair of Wandsworth LINk has commented on the article which appeared in yesterday’s Guardian, about Mark Clark’s resignation from Wandsworth LINk.

Roger Appleton wrote:

As the current chair, I don’t wish to comment on why Mark Clark resigned from Wandsworth LINk but I did want to clarify the policy of payment over which he said he resigned.
The policy was not to pay members for attendance at meetings but to reward health and social care service users for individual and specific tasks undertaken.
The NHS and local councils already pay service users for the work they do on service improvement. Wandsworth LINk wished only to adopt a similar approach. 
Many regular service users are disabled or with long-term health conditions which stop them earning a proper wage. Paying them for the time they contribute to health and social care improvement reflects a wish to reduce this problem and value their contribution.
As the article says, this policy has now been dropped by Wandsworth LINk because it was found to be out-of-line with other LINks and difficult to implement.