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In this month's edition...
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Your experiences of health and care for offenders
Are your service users getting the health and care services they deserve? Have they been treated well, or poorly? If you work with offenders or their families in Greater London or Yorkshire and Humber, we would like to hear from you. Clinks is capturing the views of the voluntary sector working in criminal justice about offenders' and their families' experiences of using health and care services. This request is part of our project with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the organisation responsible for inspecting all health and social care services, including those in prisons, Young Offender Institutions, and in the community. CQC will take all your feedback into account when they next come to inspect the criminal justice healthcare services in question. There are no surveys to fill out; simply send us an email outlining your views or experiences. Don't miss this chance to highlight your service users' stories. Find out more and share your feedback here
Promoting the work of faith groups
FaithAction are looking for examples of the work faith groups do to improve health outcomes, to gather information on what works and develop a resource booklet of these great stories to give ideas to faith groups and public health officials on how they can also help improve outcomes. If you are interested, or know of any groups who are, please email andrew.welsby@faithaction.net
The domestic violence quality standard
The National Insitute for Health and Care Excellence has launched a consultation on the draft domestic violence quality standard. This quality standard covers domestic violence and abuse in adults and young people aged 16 years and over; adults and young people who are experiencing (or have experienced) domestic violence or abuse, as well as adults and young people perpetrating domestic violence or abuse; and children and young people under 16 years who are affected by domestic violence or abuse that is not directly perpetrated against them. The consultation closes on the 14th July. Find out more here
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The health of looked-after children
The National Children's Bereau and the Young People's Health Partnership are hosting a seminar [9th July, Birmingham, free] to disseminate and examine the Department for Education and Department of Health's joint statutory guidance on promoting the health and welfare of looked-after children. There will be opportunities to consider the specific issues, challenges and opportunities for addressing some key areas such as mental health, Special Educational Needs, and disability and adoption support. Book your place here
Workshop on service user engagement
'Good Practice in Public Engagement' is a South West Forum workshop [15th July, Plymouth | 16th July, Taunton | £25] that will explore the techniques required for service user engagement using practical, dynamic activities and discussions. The workshop aims to help health sector workers to make more informed decisions and deliver better services for local communities. Themes will include advertisement, finding your service users, consultation along with participation in service design and delivery. During this training you will have the opportunity to review and develop plans for keeping service users at the centre of your practice. Places are limited to 15 per workshop, click here to book your place
Preventing ill health and avoidable mortality
'Public Health System Stakeholder Forum: Getting serious about prevention' is a Public Health England event [16th July, London] to enable participants to actively join the prevention debate and discuss the key challenges and opportunities for preventing ill-health and avoidable mortality. It will also facilitate discussions around taking a whole system approach to enabling transformational change. The programme includes a series of workshops where participants will be able to hear the views of a range of individuals and organisations with an interest in prevention across the life-course. To facilitate ongoing debate and interaction throughout the day, the event will also feature a ‘market place’ where participants will have the opportunity to hear from different organisations on how they are promoting a prevention approach. Find out more and book your place here
Health & Care Innovation Expo 2015
NHS England's 'Expo 2015' is a two-day exhibition and conference [2nd – 3rd September, Manchester] which aims to showcase innovation in improving health and care services. It features presentations, panel discussions, and over 100 pop-up university workshops. Themes include: future models of delivery; people powered health and care; commissioning for outcomes and quality; and improving health and wellbeing. Clinks and the Making Every Adult Matter (MEAM) coalition are hosting a workshop on the 3rd September introducing the MEAM approach to developing coordinated cross-sector interventions for people with multiple and complex needs. There are free tickets to Expo available for voluntary sector organisations; contact hazel.alcraft@clinks.org for a complimentary code. Find out more here
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Increasing life expectancy
The NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) Third Sector Health Grants scheme is now open to applications from voluntary sector organisations in North, South and East Leeds. The funding aims to reduce the gap in life expectancy between the most deprived and most affluent communities as well as addressing health inequalities in Leeds. Small grants of up to £5,000 are available to pilot new innovative ideas and initiatives to support local groups in improving their community's health and wellbeing; and large grants of up to £50,000 are available to develop programmes that can demonstrate they are helping to meet the city's health and wellbeing priorities. The deadline for applications is 30th June. Find out more and apply here
International health projects
The Third EU Health Programme is calling for proposals for projects, with a total budget of €9 million. Grants for up to 60% of eligible costs are available under five topics focussing on hepatitis, tuberculosis, active and healthy ageing, transplantation therapies, and gathering knowledge and exchanging best practices on measures reducing the availability of alcoholic beverages. All projects should: provide high added value at EU level; involve at least three partners from different countries; be innovative; and normally last no longer than three years. The deadline for submissions is 15th September. Find out more and apply here
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Opportunities for the voluntary sector
'Health commissioning: An engagement approach' is a new briefing, written by ACEVO in partnership with Clinks, covering potential opportunities for voluntary sector organisations to be more closely involved in the delivery of healthcare services to people in contact with the Criminal Justice System; how healthcare is commissioned for prisoners following the 2012 Health and Social Care Act; and guidance on how to make partnerships with commissioners work. Download the briefing here
Health and justice report
Public Health England (PHE) have published their ‘Health & Justice report 2014’ which outlines key trends in the public health needs of people in prisons and detained settings. The report provides details of key changes in the health and justice system; gives an overview of the demographics and health needs of people in contact with the Criminal Justice System; and explores some of the recent public health initiatives PHE have developed to serve this population in partnership with NHS England, NOMS, the Home Office and the Youth Justice Board. Download the report here
Reducing smoking in secure mental health units
Public Health England and NHS England have published new guidance to help medium and low secure mental health units best implement the NICE recommendation that all NHS funded sites should provide access to on-site stop smoking services and deliver care in an environment free of smoke. The guidance highlights case studies which show the benefits of completely smokefree mental health units. Download the guidance here
Care and support during a mental health crisis
The Care Quality Commission has published 'Right here, right now', a report looking at people’s experiences of help, care and support during a mental health crisis. The report is based on feedback from almost 1,800 people with experience of a mental health crisis, along with local area inspections looking at how services work together, surveys of service providers and a review of national data. The report finds that the quality of care experienced by a person in crisis can vary greatly depending on where they are and what help they require; many people experienced problems getting help when they needed it; and healthcare professionals sometimes lack compassion and warmth when caring for people who are having a crisis. Download the report here
Person-centred care and volunteering
'Top Tips for Realising Person Centred Care through Volunteering' is a project report by Volunteering Matters, In Control, and Ecorys, with guidance on how volunteering can promote and enable person-centred care and support. The guide is for voluntary sector organisations who are thinking about drawing on the skills, gifts and talents of volunteers to support people to get or manage a personal health budget. Download the guide here
Working with change-resistant drinkers
Alcohol Concern have published 'An evaluation of The Nottinghamshire Alcohol Related Long Term Condition Team', demonstrating their model of working with change-resistant drinkers. The team case manage people with a combination of alcohol dependence, an alcohol related long term physical health condition and a high risk of readmission to hospital. The report is part of Alcohol Concern's 'Blue Light Project' which aims to challenge the belief that nothing can be done with resistant drinkers who 'do not want to change', by showing there are a range of positive strategies that can be used to manage risk, reduce harm and promote change. Download the report here
Prison mental health services
The Royal College of Psychiatrists Centre for Quality Improvement has published 'Standards for Prison Mental Health Services'. These standards will form the basis of self and peer reviews for prison mental health services during the pilot phase of their Quality Network for Prison Mental Health Services. The Network aims to facilitate quality improvement and change in prison mental health services through a model of openness and engagement. Member services will be able to benchmark their practices against similar services and be involved in a supportive network, with benefits including: a detailed service report, a national aggregated report, visits to other prison mental health services, and peer-review training. Find out more, and download the Standards here
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Guidance on engaging with local health bodies
Compact Voice and Regional Voices have launched two guides, 'Practical guide to engaging with Health and Wellbeing Boards (HWBs)' and 'Practical guide to engaging with Clinal Commissioning Groups (CCGs)', designed to help voluntary organisations to build strong partnerships with local commissioning bodies. They are based on the experiences of a range of voluntary organisations, and their knowledge and tips have been translated into a number of practical steps that organisations can take to engage better with HWBs and CCGs. Download the guides here
Toolkit to encourage youth volunteering
'Youth social action in health and social care' is a Volunteering Matters toolkit that takes an inclusive and broad approach to social action and volunteering – including both formal and informal opportunities for young people to engage within health and care settings and wider activity that is often described as social action. The tookit aims to encourage more health and care agencies to extend and diversify their volunteering programmes to and for young people, or to establish distinct youth volunteering programmes. Download the toolkit here
Sharing good practice in health and care
The Better Care Exchange website is a collaborative, online space for sharing learning, information and good practice on delivering better integrated health and social care. It brings together key documents related to integrated care, and pools knowledge from a range of programmes including the Better Care Fund programme, Integration Pioneers and the Integrated Personal Commissioning programme. The Exchange has been co-designed with practitioners, service users and carers, and provides support for all those involved in shaping, commissioning and providing better, integrated care. Visit the website here
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Tell your story, make your voice heard
Clinks' Policy Officer, Nicola Drinkwater, has written a blog about the launch of Clinks' State of the Sector survey. She says, "The information we gather through our State of the Sector survey tells us about the successes and challenges your organisation is experiencing and how you have been able to respond to these. It also tells us whether there have been any changes in the wellbeing of your service users and if you have experienced any changes in the way your organisation is funded." The survey is your chance to tell your story; the information you provide is vitally important as it informs the crucial work we do to support the sector, and lobby Government on your behalf. Read the blog here
The response to the mental health taskforce
The Chief Executive of Mind, Paul Farmer, has written a blog about the response to NHS England's Mental Health Taskforce's online survey. Paul is the chair of the Taskforce which was formed in March 2015, with a principal task to develop a new five year national strategy for mental health covering services for all ages. He writes, "We have engaged with communities whose voices are seldom heard, particularly those groups most marginalised by society. They have provided powerful messages about the diverse range of needs that services still fail to meet." Read the blog here
Survey of drug use
Russell Webster has written a blog about the Global Drug Survey. He says the survey "becomes more valuable every year; this year over 100,000 people completed the survey. The survey is very different from research such as the Crime Survey for England and Wales because it is typically completed by regular, mainly recreational, drug users. The findings make fascinating reading and I recommend that you find time for a browse. But, in the meantime, here are 10 facts that I hope you’ll find as interesting as I did". 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 2,467 subscribers.
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Designed, composed and circulated by Ben Watson, Clinks.