In this month's edition...
Mental health centres in prisons
In a speech made on the 15th September at a Centre for Social Justice event, Secretary of State for Justice Chris Grayling announced that he has ordered Ministry of Justice officials to start work on developing a network of specialist mental health centres within prisons in England and Wales. Clinks members Prison Reform Trust say that 15% of men and 25% of women in prison report symptoms indicative of psychosis, compared with a rate of 4% among the general public. Chris Grayling said "it is time to provide a more specialist focus in dealing with mental health problems in our prison estate. So I have asked my officials to begin work on options to have specialist mental health centres within the prison estate ... I have also agreed with the secretary of state for health that our two teams will work with NHS England to ensure that any prisoner who needs to can have mental health treatment equivalent to the best they would receive in the community." Read more on the Guardian website, here
A call for person centred care across the health and care system
National Voices, a coalition of health and social care charities, has launched 'Person Centred Care 2020', a call to action to leaders and decision makers in health and social care, and to the next government, to make person centred care the central ambition for health reform, and to provide consistent leadership, more funding and stability. They warn that services are increasingly fragmented and underfunded, with too little voice for patients and families, and say that fully involving service users in decisions is the key to improvement. They want to see the government supporting local efforts which personalise and coordinate services, particularly for people with chronic conditions and disabilities, with public agencies, voluntary groups and local communities working together. Find out more about the campaign, and watch an introductory video, here
Integrated care for people with complex needs
NHS England and partners are inviting expressions of interest from the voluntary sector, providers and commissioners to take part in the Integrated Personal Commissioning (IPC) programme. IPC is a new voluntary approach to joining up health and social care for people with complex needs. Service users will be offered power and improved support to shape care that is meaningful to them. Providers will be offered dedicated technical support, coupled with regulatory and financial flexibilities to enable integration. NHS England says the voluntary sector will be a key partner in designing effective approaches, supporting individuals and driving cultural change. They have published a joint prospectus inviting expressions of interest which you can download here, and a guide to bring people up-to-date with the latest developments, which you can download here. The closing date for applications is 7th November 2014.
Improving health and care provision for LGB&T communities
The National LGB&T Partnership is working with the Department of Health to develop an LGB&T (lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans) companion to the Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework (ASCOF), a tool for social care commissioners in planning services. The companion will set out the current evidence on LGB&T social care needs in relation to the framework, and share best practice and lessons learnt in delivering LGB&T inclusive services. To inform the companion they want to hear from providers and LGB&T people and carers through two surveys, both with a deadline of 31st October 2014. Service providers and commissioners can complete the survey here, and LGB&T individuals and carers can complete the survey here
Quality assessments for people with learning disabilities
Paula Cruise from NHS England is looking for contributors to new research examining the use of service user led quality assessments that are in use across the NHS, social care and the voluntary sector. She says: "Do you work with or for people with learning disabilities? Do you have any programme of service user led quality measures or inspections? If so we would love to hear from you. If you would like to be part of this exciting research that is hoped will lead to improved experience of care across the NHS for people with learning disabilities, then please contact Paula Cruise on 07880 171820 or email paula.cruise@nhs.net"
Improving communication during handover at the time of discharge
NHS England are a holding a webinar entitled 'How the voluntary sector can contribute to a safer discharge' [25th September, 1-2pm] to faciliate learning around improving the discharge and handover process from secondary care. They have issued a patient safety alert as part of their work to improve the quality and timeliness of communication with primary and social care when patients are discharged from hospital. The voluntary sector, among other groups, is being asked to share its views on how the process can be improved. This information will be used to develop a range of resources and recommendations to help healthcare providers to improve patient safety around handover at a local level. To register for the webinar, click here, and to download the patient safety alert, click here
Writing successful bids for providing NHS services
NHS England are holding two bid writing workshops [29th October, Manchester | 11th November, Birmingham | from £199]. 'How to write the winning bid: responding to tenders and proposals' aims to guide you through the process of writing a successful bid, from understanding what the commissioner is looking for to tips on how to make a compelling case for your organisation. You will also learn how to avoid some of the common pitfalls in the procurement process. The event is aimed at anyone with a need to respond to competitive tenders to provide NHS services, including voluntary sector organisations seeking to improve their knowledge of procurement processes and their understanding of the requirements of commissioners. Book your place here
Supporting adults with learning difficulties
'Adults with learning disabilities living in the community' is a Lemos & Crane conference [20th November, London, from £185] for practitioners on using creativity, nature, positive relationships, friendships, empowering family support and financial inclusion. The conference will consider how adults with learning disabilities living in the community can be supported to combat isolation, harassment and abuse and build long-term resilience and well-being. Key themes include: mindfulness and spirituality as a means of building a positive sense of personal identity and community fellowship; arts and creativity as ways of strengthening positive self-image and creating personal narratives of identity and transformation. Book your place here
Raising awareness of health and justice
'Addressing health inequalities among those who come into contact with the Criminal Justice System' is a capacity, partnership and network building event hosted by The Public Health Hub, Sheffield Hallam University [16th October, Sheffield, free] that aims to create a multiagency, multidisciplinary focus around health and justice to raise awareness and create the space to think about the issues and the relationships with other agendas. The event will focus on: sharing and using knowledge, understanding existing data to identify gaps in the evidence-base for offender health needs; building on existing partnerships to develop a joined up approach to sharing information across the region; and developing relevant working groups along research themes with local commissioning partners to take forward identified actions from the day. Book your place here
Improving the lives of people and communities
The Clothworkers' Foundation is awarding grants with an average amount of £25,000 in their main grants programme and up to £10,000 in their small grants programme. Support is available to registered charities in the UK for work in one of the following areas: alcohol and substance misuse; disadvantaged minority communities; disadvantaged young people; domestic and sexual violence; elderly people; homelessness, prisoners and ex-offenders; visual impairment; and projects providing services for people with physical and/or learning disabilities, and/or for people with mental health issues. The main grants programme is available to charities with an annual operating income of under £15 million and the small grants programme is open to charities with an annual turnover under £250,000. Applications may be submitted at any time. Find out more, and apply, here
Supporting vulnerable people in Leicestershire
Leicestershire County Council is offering grants of up to £2,500 as part of their 'Your SHIRE Community Grant' programme. Funding is available to help local groups and organisations in Leicestershire to provide community-based services and activities that support vulnerable people and help to promote their independence, whilst reducing the demand on public services. The funding is to support the following areas: vulnerable people in the community; encouraging young people to achieve their potential; supporting older people to live independently; getting active in the community; and eating healthy for less. The deadline for applications is 19th October 2014. Find out more, and apply, here
Voluntary sector engagment with Health and Wellbeing Boards
Regional Voices has published a report with findings from its survey to find out how the voluntary sector is engaging with Health and Wellbeing Boards (HWBs). The survey asked about routes into HWBs, how the voluntary sector is able to influence the joint strategic needs assessment, the health and wellbeing strategy and local commissioning. Findings show that: some good practice is emerging for how boards involve the voluntary sector; however, although there is considerable desire in the voluntary sector to work with HWBs, only 20% of respondents felt their organisation was linked with the work of the HWB. The report includes recommendations for voluntary sector representatives on HWBs, healthwatch representatives, HWBs themselves, and other stakeholders. Download the report here
Priorities in public mental health
The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Professor Dame Sally Davies has published her annual report 'Public Mental Health Priorities: Investing in the Evidence', which looks at the epidemiology of public mental health, the quality of evidence, possible future innovations in science and technology, and the economic case for good mental health. The report makes 14 recommendations to improve public mental health services, and outlines the importance of both treating mental health as equal to physical health and of focusing on the needs and safety of people with mental illness. Download the report here
Commissioning sexual health services
‘Making it work: a guide to whole system commissioning for sexual health, reproductive health and HIV’ is a Public Health England guide to the commissioning of sexual health services. It has been developed to support commissioning bodies to ensure the delivery of high quality services and highlights the importance of putting service users and their needs at the heart of commissioning to ensure they experience integrated, responsive services, with emphasis on the importance of tackling the wider determinants of health. Download the guide here
Person centred care in mental health
'No Assumptions – A Narrative for Personalised, Coordinated Care and Support in Mental Health' is an NHS England resource which describes what personalised, coordinated care and support looks like. It aims to demonstrate the critical outcomes and success factors in the care, support and treatment of people who use mental health services, from their perspective; and help commissioners and service providers to organise person centred care and recovery oriented support for mental and physical health, and to know when they are achieving it. Contributors include Clinks members Mind, Rethink Mental Illness, and Certitude. Download it here
Tackling addiction and reducing its costs
'Ambitious for Recovery' is a report by The Centre for Social Justice that lays out a programme for whoever next enters government to tackle addiction and reduce its costs to society. It argues that priorities for the next Parliament should include: a small treatment tax of a penny on a unit to be introduced by the end of the next Parliament to provide proper rehabilitation; reform to the welfare, criminal justice and health services to address the addiction problems which drain resources; and a proper response to ‘legal highs’. Download the report here
Improving the lives of people with mental health problems
'A Manifesto for Better Mental Health' is a publication written jointly by Clinks members Rethink Mental Illness, Centre for Mental Health, and Mind, alongside Mental Health Foundation, Mental Health Network, and the Royal College of Psychiatrists. It lays out what the next government must do to improve the lives of people with mental health problems. The manifesto sets out straightforward, practical changes that a future government could make in order to ensure mental and physical health are valued equally, including five specific areas where significant improvement is needed. Download the manifesto here
Local authority spending on health and care
Public Health England has published a 'spend and outcome tool (SPOT): local authorities', an interactive spreadsheet that aims to give local authorities an overview of spend and outcomes across key areas of business and for public health and its sub-programmes. It includes a large number of measures of spend and outcomes from several different frameworks, and similar organisations can be compared using a range of benchmarks. You can download the spreadsheet, and accompanying fact sheets for each local authority, here
Offer expertise to support your local CCG
The CCG Learning Environment is an online space that aims to be a 'one stop shop' for Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs). It hosts a case studies 'pin board', where organisations can upload their case studies for highlighting good practice to CCGs; a directory of offers of development and commissioning support for CCGs from a range of organisations and networks; and tools to help you find which CCG and Health and Wellbeing Boards are similar to yours. To upload case studies, and offers of support, you can find out more here
Frequently asked questions about personal health budgets
The NHS Confederation have produced a briefing entitled 'A wealth of information - Your questions on personal health budgets answered' which highlights relevant information, support and guidance, and answers some frequently asked questions about personal health budgets. Topics covered include: how to deliver personal health budgets in ways that support integrated, personalised care; how much implementation would cost; how to identify and prioritise those groups who would benefit most, for offering personal health budgets beyond continuing healthcare; how to avoid double running costs and prepare for the services and interventions people will want; and how to manage risk. Download the briefing 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 2171 subscribers.
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