In this month's edition...
Developing engagement with patients and the voluntary sector
A Patient and Public Voice Assurance Group has been established by NHS England to replace the Patient and Public Engagement Steering Group, and take forward its work to ensure that patients and the wider public are informed about, and actively involved in, the development of specialised services during transition to the new commissioning structures. The Group aims to develop engagement with individual patients, patient groups, and with charities, the voluntary sector, and others, across specialised services, and deliver a ‘critical friend’ function across NHS England’s specialised commissioning governance structure. Find out more about the Group here
Supporting people with learning difficulties
NHS England has put together a steering group that will develop a national guide for how we provide health and care for those with learning disabilities. The group will include the chief executives of charities including ACEVO, Mencap, HFT, National Autistic Society, and United Response, and its key objectives are to: develop models for local implementation that meet the needs of people with learning disabilities and autism; develop funding models for new services; identify potential sources of social investment; identify the best way for funding to meet individual needs; and seek input and guidance from partners working in this field. Find out more here
Views sought on the options available to care providers
The Dalton Review is seeking views from users of NHS services, and voluntary groups, on the different organisational options that are available to providers of NHS care, the benefits that these models can offer the NHS, and the barriers to introducing them, in order to establish what works best and what changes are needed to improve the delivery of services. It is open for comments until 31st August 2014. Click here to visit the website and have your say
Giving individuals control over their health and care
NHS England is to offer local authorities a new Integrated Personal Commissioning (IPC) option in which individuals can control their combined health and social care support. This will build on the work on the Better Care Fund and extend the work done on personal health budgets. Included in the first wave affected from April 2015 will be people with long term conditions, including frail elderly people at risk of care home admission; children with complex needs; people with learning disabilities; and people with severe and enduring mental health problems. These high-need individuals will be offered the ability to control their own blended NHS and community care, in partnership with voluntary sector. Read more about the announcement, and read case studies on personally-directed health and care, here
The role of faith groups in domestic abuse and homelessness services
Clinks' voluntary sector health and care strategic partners Faith Action are seeking case studies, examples and information about current domestic abuse and homelessness services to inform their report on how faith works in these services. They are holding two consultations for groups working in these fields which will help them to gain an accurate picture of what is actually happening in communities around England. Click here to access the consultations
Awards open to showcase partnership working
The Compact Awards 2014 are now open to nominations from individuals and voluntary sector organisations. The awards present an opportunity to showcase and prove the impact of good cross-sector partnership working, and winning an award can raise awareness of your organisation and your local Compact, demonstrate your impact and add to your credibility. Categories are open for: advancing equality; engagement; impact; innovation; leadership; and partnership. You can nominate yourselves and others, here
Integrating the voluntary sector into health commissioning plans
'Regional Health and Social Care Conference 2014' is an ACEVO conference [21st October, Leeds, £0 - £60] that will focus on the critical role of the voluntary sector in delivering the new look health and care system, and will discuss whether the sector has been integrated into local commissioning plans in the north. There will be speakers from the Royal Society for Public Health and the Lesbian and Gay Foundation. Click here for more information and bookings
Consulting on mental health legislation
The Department of Health are holding a series of consultation events [28th July to 28th August, Corfe and London, free], looking at the revised Mental Health Act 1983 Code of Practice, aimed at organisations and professionals working in the sector. Since the Code was last published in 2008, there have been changes and updates in legislation, case law, policy and practice and this consultation aims to ensure that it remains fit for practice; that patients receive high quality care and that patients and others are kept safe. Changes to the code include: the use of restrictive interventions (restraint, seclusion and segregation); police use of powers to detain people in places of safety (sections 135 and 136 of the Mental Health Act); and the use of Community Treatment Orders. Click here for bookings
Addressing health inequality in London
'Health Inequalities in London: Seeking joint solutions to achieve better health outcomes for all' is an LVSC event [29th October, London, free] that aims to address some of the key health inequality challenges facing London and look at opportunities and joint solutions to reduce them. The key themes for the event will include: housing; access to health and social care services; poverty & deprivation; employment, debt and health; criminal justice and health; and mental health. The event also aims to feed into the Mayor of London's Health Inequalities Strategy Delivery Plan. Click here for bookings
Funding for charities to improve people's health
The IMPACT Awards recognise and reward small to medium-sized charities in the UK that are doing excellent work to improve people's health. Applicants must target community health needs in the UK and have a track record of achievement in this area. The Awards recognise excellence in existing work and do not seek to fund new projects. Up to ten winners will receive £30,000 unrestricted funding with one overall winner receiving an extra £10,000. Winners will also receive free training and development valued at up to £6,000, a specially commissioned professional film and photographs along with publicity and press support. Up to ten runners-up will receive £3,000. The deadline for applications is 19th September 2014. Find out more and apply here
Encouraging innovation in health
The Department of Health and Wellcome Trust have opened the latest call for their Health Innovation Challenge Fund, which is open to not-for-profit organisations that can offer expertise and resources to assist with the evaluation and development of products. The aim of the current £10m funding round is to stimulate the creation of innovative healthcare products, technologies and interventions and to facilitate their development for the benefit of patients in the NHS and beyond. Proposals from the following themes will be accepted: surgical technologies; innovative diagnostics; trauma and critical care medicine; informatics to assist clinical decision making; repurposing of technologies and medicines; and biological therapeutics. The deadline for preliminary applications is 15th September 2014. Click here for more information
Drug and alcohol services in Surrey
Surrey County Council are seeking expressions of interest for the provision of two drug and alcohol services. They are looking for a single provider to deliver offender substance misuse interventions across Surrey that ensure the causes of drug and/or alcohol related offending and risk of harm to individuals, peers and their communities are addressed. They also wish to commission a medical and psychological drug and alcohol treatment service from a single provider which has a robust focus on an individual’s recovery from the beginning and throughout their treatment journey. The deadline for expressions of interest is 31st July. For more information, and to apply, click here
Funding to create just and healthy communities
The Edge Fund supports communities, campaign groups and activists working for social, economic and environmental justice. They will fund small groups that are struggling to obtain funding from elsewhere, and that are run by and for people facing discrimination and injustice who are actively working to challenge these injustices and to create just and healthy communities, and those that aim to create systemic change. Small grants of up to £5,000 are available and the next application deadline is 8th September 2014. Click here for more information
Funding for partnership work with the NHS in the south of England
Patient Voice South has launched a funding round worth up to £25,000 for voluntary sector organisations in the NHS South region that have existing partnerships with Clinical Commissioning Groups and NHS Area Teams. Funding can be applied for through this programme to pioneer new approaches to support the Patients in Control agenda: the involvement of patients and carers in decisions which relate to their care or treatment. The closing date for applications is 15th August 2014. To apply you'll need to register and/or login to the Patients Voice South website
An overview of the health commissioning landscape
'Navigating the health landscape in England' is a new Clinks guide which provides an overview of the new commissioning landscape, explaining the roles of organisations with direct commissioning responsibilities as well as key organisations in a commissioning support role. It has been specifically developed for voluntary sector organisations working with offenders, and covers the commissioning arrangements in places of detention, as well as for offenders and ex-offenders in the community. It highlights where voluntary sector organisations working with offenders and their service users can influence health and care provision. Download the guide here
The rights and complaints procedures for health services
This resource provides guidance on what to do if your service user has not received the standard of healthcare to which they are entitled, and is for voluntary sector organisations working with offenders. It provides an overview of the rights to which every NHS service user is entitled (the NHS Constitution), regardless of whether they are in prison or in the community. These rights cover a broad range of services including primary care (such as GPs and dentists), secondary care (such as mental health services), and substance misuse services. Download it here
Case studies on good partnership practice
Clinks has produced two new case studies highlighting good partnerships between the health sector and voluntary sector working with offenders. Sahir House provides support, information and training for people and families living with or affected by HIV across Merseyside, and Lancashire Women's Centres operate 10 One Stop Shop centres for women in the community throughout Lancashire. Both case studies highlight how successful partnerships with the health and care sector have enabled them to achieve positive outcomes for their clients. Download the case studies here
Mental health and behaviour in schools
The Department of Education has produced guidance for school staff on how to identify and support pupils whose behaviour suggests that they may have unmet mental health needs. It includes information about where and how to access community support, tools to identify pupils likely to need extra support and how and when to refer to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). Download the guidance here
Scrutiny for local health services
'Local Authority Health Scrutiny' is a guidance document from the Department of Health that aims to support Local Authorities and their partners to deliver effective scrutiny of local health organisations to ensure they are providing effective and efficient services and to encourage improvement. It explains the current regulations and policy background, and provides guidance to ensure local health services are properly scrutinised in order to ensure effective services for communities. Download the guidance here
The health and wellbeing of men who have sex with men
'Promoting the health and wellbeing of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men' is a summary document by Public Health England which sets out the initial findings intending to promote the health and wellbeing of this group. It is the first of three documents which will together provide a framework for action over the coming 6 months. This work has identified three distinct but overlapping areas of concern, which disproportionately affect this group: sexual health and HIV; mental health and the use of alcohol; and drugs and tobacco. Download the document here
Guidance for managing TB outbreaks in prison
Public Health England (PHE) has published guidance to support PHE Centre Health Protection Teams in managing tuberculosis (TB) incidents and outbreaks in prisons and other detention settings. The management of these incidents requires close collaboration between Health Protection Teams (HPTs), prisons and detention centres, TB services, and the NHS England Area Teams who are responsible for commissioning prison health and justice services. This document is designed to support HPTs’ role to provide a public health leadership and coordination role in such incidents. Download the guidance here
Information about schizophrenia
Mind have updated their 'Understanding schizophrenia' booklet which explains what schizophrenia is, its causes and how it is treated. It also offers practical suggestions for self-help, and information for friends and family. It aims to provide reliable information for people who have a diagnosis or are a relative of someone who has, as well as some practical advice on how they can help themselves. You can purchase a print version of the booklet, or download it for free, here
Evidence on what works in person-centred care
National Voices have updated their online resource that provides evidence from 779 systematic reviews of ways to make person-centred care happen. It aims to provide accessible and accurate information so commissioners, health professionals and service-user groups can see what works best and how to invest time and resources. It covers the topics of: self-management; shared decisions; prevention; information support and improving patient experience; and includes five 'simple guides' that include a full discussion of the detailed evidence. Visit the online resource, here
Progress made after the Bradley Report
'The Bradley Report five years on: An independent review of progress to date and priorities for further development' is a report completed on behalf of the Bradley Commission, supported by Centre for Mental Health. It is the final report from an independent commission chaired by Lord Bradley to review the progress made since 2009. It found that there has been concerted action taken to improve support for people with mental health problems and those with learning difficulties in the Criminal Justice System but says this will need to be sustained for at least another five years to put the vision into practice nationwide. Lord Bradley has written a blog to introduce the report here
Improving poor health outcomes in Liverpool
'How do we solve the problem in Liverpool?' is blog written by Nadim Fazlani, Chair of Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group, that discusses the complex situation in the city which is experiencing poor health outcomes, positive patient experience and flat line funding problems. Nadim says "the problem in Liverpool is: How do we improve poor health outcomes in the face of good hospital process outcomes and positive patient experience indicators when the available resources are unlikely to increase?" Read the blog here
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About Clinks Offender Health Bulletin
This regular bulletin provides Clinks members with the latest news for voluntary sector organisations involved in the health and care of offenders. It currently has 2321 subscribers.
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