Wandsworth PCT Board will this morning, be deciding whether or not to approve, Wandsworth’s GP Consortium’s application to become a Pathfinder Commissioning Consortia.

The 46 GP practices in Wandsworth, who intend to work together to form one commissioning Consortium, with three strong localities, have submitted their application for approval with an intended start date of 1^ST April 2011.

The application gives details on the vision of the consortium,  how the consortium will work with its constituent GP Practices and key pertners, a proposed process for decision making within the consortium, including identification of who will hold accountability within it.

Click on the link to read the full Wandsworth’s Pathfinder Application

To see the full PCT Board papers follow this link

www.wandsworth.nhs.uk/About/board/Pages/NHSWandsworthboard.aspx

By Ian Mason, Wandsworth Guardian

The man responsible for running the borough has unveiled a “revolutionary” plan to give residents control over a raft of council services.

Council leader Edward Lister claims the plan – dubbed the Wandsworth Challenge – will give service users an opportunity to change the way they access services currently run by the council.

Councillor Lister, who has held the position of council leader for 16 years, went on to suggest that the level of user involvement would become so great that residents would soon be shaping the services themselves.

He used the example of the controversial Bolingbroke Hospital school project as an example of community members taking on a responsibility traditionally associated with Wandsworth Council.

The authority has just bought the site for an estimated £13m but, rather than establish a school itself, is taking on the role of landlord and handing the running of the establishment over to a group of parents living in Battersea.

Coun Lister said: “It’s not us saying ‘it’s not our responsibility’ – we are not saying that because it is – but we are saying if you can do it we will support you. You might be able to do it better than us.”

In addition to schools, Coun Lister cited the Battersea Arts Centre and Wandsworth Museum as examples of the council cutting costs by giving the power over running institutions to other organisations or trusts.

He admitted, in theory, York Gardens Library – currently earmarked for closure – could be saved through such a process, if money could be brought to the table with which to invest.

Each council department has been asked to put together a report looking at the possible impact of the Wandsworth Challenge. The move comes in response to last year’s Government spending review, which has forced the council to skim £55m from its running costs over the next two years.

Coun Lister said: “The cuts come in because we are no longer going to be the provider of the services, we are going to be the commissioner of them.

“We’ve got to take out the back office costs in all this and spend less on bureaucracy and administration.”

He added job losses would be “inevitable” in the wake of the “revolutionary” Wandsworth Challenge, but said they would be “kept to a minimum”.

Coun Lister said changes to adult and children’s services would soon be seen, with any user capable of supporting his/herself being asked to manage their own budgets and or care.

He said: “We are not going to give you a meal, we are going to give you the money to buy a meal.

“We are not going to provide a day care facility, we are going to help you get to one.”

Under the Wandsworth Challenge, the council will also be taking on new public health responsibilities and is now in discussions with GPs about fulfilling commissioning for them in the town hall.

By Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor The Telegraph 6:30AM GMT 25 Jan 2011

Up to 50,000 people with dementia may be forced into care homes early at a cost of £70m a month because services are failing to support them at home, a report has warned.

A highly critical report by the Alzheimer’s Society has found substandard care was resulting in patients being admitted to care homes sooner than necessary.

There are 500,000 people living with dementia at home currently, but a report has suggested that up to one in ten of them may end up in a care home early. For each extra month they spend in care, rather than in their own home, it costs the taxpayer £70m, the report said.

Tens of thousands more patients are admitted to hospitals unnecessarily, adding even more costs, it warned.

The report Support Stay Save Care found that half of carers who said patients were not well looked after at home, reported they were being left bedridden, in unchanged incontinence pads and were malnourished.

The survey suggested more than half of carers were also being put at risk of stress, depression and other serious illnesses because they were being left to struggle unsupported.

In the current environment of spending cuts, Alzheimer’s Society predicts the situation is set to get much worse.

Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Society said: “It is an absolute travesty that so many people with dementia are being forced to struggle without the care and support they need. The consequences of this represent an unacceptable human and financial cost.

“Half a million people with dementia live in the community and many will need help with everyday tasks such as eating meals, washing or going to the lavatory. This help not only maintains dignity but prevents serious health issues. While staying at home is not right for everyone we know many people want to remain in the familiar surroundings they are used to with family or loved ones. Only with the right support will this be possible.”

Care Services Minister Paul Burstow said: “The Alzheimer’s Society is right to turn the spotlight on home care for people with dementia. While there are some outstanding services, as this report demonstrates too many people with dementia and their carers feel let down.

“What needs to be done to put things right is not rocket science, it requires compassion, common sense and a determination to treat people as people, not boxes to tick.

“This is not about spending more it is about spending better. We know we are already spending at European levels but not achieving the right results. As this report shows there would actually be savings made if people were helped to stay at home for longer.”

8871 6271 or wmoreton@wandsworth.gov.uk

The Department of Health have produced a report on the information produced in the Annual Reports of Local Involvement Networks (LINks) across the country.

The report shows £126 mil gross annual benefit from LINks which equates to a return of £4.10 for every £1 spent.

Highlights from the report include:

• There was an estimated total of 70,300 members of LINks in England in 2009/10, almost three times the number of members in 2008/09. The average number of members within a LINk for 2009/10 is 489, made up of individuals or groups. This is three times the average membership of last year.
• LINks engaged with an estimated total of 192,000 people in 2009/10, with 42% of engaged people relating to social care.
• Activity has significantly increased this year. There were 3,980 requests for information estimated in 2009/10, seven times the requests of last year.
  There were an estimated 1,300 reports and recommendations made this year, 16 times the number of reports in 2008/09.
• LINKs activity has led to an estimated 460 plus service changes and over 520 service reviews in 2009/10.
• Case studies have shown LINks activity to be cost effective. Using four of the case studies, a gross annual benefit of £126 million can be estimated, a return of £4.10 for every £1 spent.

Local Involvement Networks ( LINks) Annual Reports 2009/2010

Make your voice heard online

Release date: Thursday 16th December 10

By: Wendy Phillips
Telephone 020 8871 8902 or Email: wphillips@wandsworth.gov.uk

Comment on this article

Wandsworth people can now have their say by submitting an online petition.

The council has introduced an e-petition function on its website. It means that instead of collecting names on a piece of paper, people can gather signatures online. The petition will be on the council website for an agreed period of up to three months and can then be submitted to councillors for discussion in the normal way.

 Anybody who lives, works or studies in the borough can submit an e-petition. You can also submit one if you have a connection with a relevant council service (for example you are related to someone in the care of Wandsworth).

Wandsworth LINk has just published their in depth report ‘Improving the provision of Hospital Discharge and After Care in Wandsworth.‘   The hospital discharge process is a critical time for patients, their family and carers, but all too often problems occur. By carrying out extensive qualitative research in the shape of enter and view visits and interviews with patients, carers and staff, this report aims to identify the reasons for these often recurring probelms, and to make clear recommendations to hospitals and commissioners on how the discharge process could be improved for patient and carers in Wandsworth. 

The report identified two dominant and seperate cultures; the world within the hospital and the world of services provided to support people at home or living in the community setting. The lack of coordination and ownership of the responsibility for the patient were highlighted as the biggest challenges.

Wandsworth LINk is now aiming to bring together key managers from all the health and care agencies in order to discuss the ownership of action on each of its recommendations. Wandsworth LINk plans to carry out folllow-up activity to ascertain what improvemnets have actually been made.

Click on the link to read the Hospital Discharge report- Executive summary

Click on the link to read the Final Hospital Discharge Report

Wandsworth Voluntary and Community Sector Forum

Date: Friday 10th December 2010

Time: 9.00am – 11.00am

Charge: Free

Venue: WVSDA Offices, 170 Garratt Lane, London SW18 4DA

The aim of the Wandsworth Voluntary and Community Sector Forum is to give local organisations the opportunity to discuss, in an open setting, issues that they are facing and what can be done to support them. Any voluntary organisation based in Wandsworth borough may attend.

Please call 020 8875 2846 to book a place.

Carers’ Rights Day

Release date: Wednesday 1st December 10

By: Wendy Phillips
Telephone 020 8871 8902 or Email: wphillips@wandsworth.gov.uk

Comment on this article

Carers can find out what help they are entitled to at Carers’ Rights Day on Friday (Dec 3).

A carer is someone who, without payment, provides help and support to a relative, partner, friend or neighbour who could not manage without their help.

Carers can meet staff from the council’s Adult Social Services department, the Wandworth Carers’ Centre, NHS Wandsworth and Job Centre Plus.

There will be information available on benefits and pensions, carers’ assessments, special breaks for carers, training and employment and the support available to carers going back into paid work.

There will also be general information on other services and support available through the Wandsworth Carers’ Centre.

Go along to St John’s Therapy Centre, 162 St John’s Hill, Battersea between 10am and 1pm.

For more information contact the Wandsworth Carers’ Centre on 020 8877 1200 or email info@wandsworthcarers.org.uk.

Information for carers is also available at www.wandsworth.gov.uk/acis.

TEST RESULTS

hospital-guide-2010

It is 10 years since the first Dr Foster Hospital Guide was published. In some ways much has
changed in 10 years, but in other ways not enough has changed. A decade ago we had data
on all hospital admissions, from which we compared mortality ratios and other measures.
That data is still our main source of information. We have no primary and community
care data, no private sector data and no data that shows what happens to patients over
the whole course of their illness. Excitingly, the Coalition Government seems committed
to finally addressing this issue, and the 2010 guide is in part a case for more and better
information. More on this from Roger Taylor on page 6.
The Hospital Guide has also changed over the past 10 years, although some constants
remain. We continue to publish Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratios (HSMRs) but, in
addition to this, have now introduced two other ways of looking at mortality. You can find
the results on pages 16-17.
For the 2010 guide we have teamed up with leading clinicians and analysts to shine the
spotlight on three areas important to many patients: stroke, orthopaedics and urology
(see pages 18-25). And we have returned to the thorny subject of safety. The publicity
around last year’s safety index took some by surprise, but raised awareness of the risks
facing patients. This year we look back to see where there has been improvement and
where problems remain. The 2009 guide prompted some changes, including a Department
of Health task force on measuring mortality and new rules around the reporting of safety
incidents. However, we still have some way to go to get reliable data about ‘adverse events’.
We are also trying out some new ways of presenting information on our website. Visitors
to www.drfosterhealth.co.uk can now specify which aspects of patient experience matter
most to them and then find out which hospital trusts perform best on the relevant criteria.
As ever, thanks must go to all those who have helped make this year’s guide come to life,
especially the experts whose commentaries and opinions you will find throughout the
report. Thank you also to those individuals in each NHS trust who coordinated activity
around the Hospital Guide, not least in responding to our annual survey, to which 99 per
cent of trusts returned data.
The challenge we set ourselves is to produce a report which is accessible for patients and
the public and valid for clinicians and managers. This guide has been 10 years in the making
and we hope you find it stimulating and informative.

Alex Kafetz, Dr Foster