Voluntary Action Lewisham

Charges and Contributions to Adult Social Care

Councils across the country are being asked to save money and to consider where changes can be made to the services they provide. In Lewisham, some people who get social care services pay for, or contribute to, the cost of their care and support.  To make sure this is fair, Lewisham Council has rules on how it charges for services and how it calculates the contributions it expects people to make.

The Council is considering changing these rules and we would like to hear your views on the different options given in this survey.  These changes could affect people who receive home care, day care, meals on wheels, Linkline and those who choose to have a direct payment.  In the future, these changes could also be applied when calculating a personal budget.  The consultation closes on 30 November 2010 and there are further details at

http://consult.lewisham.gov.uk/portal/ or in the pdf attached below.

Choose well when you are ill

The NHS in Lewisham, supported by the Council, is working to encourage local residents to choose well when they are ill and use the right NHS service.

This work is particularly focused on reducing the number of people who use the Accident and Emergency (A&E) service for minor ailments and ongoing health conditions that can be treated by their GP or other healthcare worker. Each of these visits to A&E costs Lewisham NHS £71 – a total cost in the last year of almost £500,000. This uses money and staff resource that could be better used treating people with more serious problems.

The NHS is asking people who live or work in Lewisham to complete a survey to find out why people are choosing to go to A&E for non-emergency treatment instead of using other health services. The survey only takes around 10 minutes to fill in. The survey will close on Monday 13 September 2010.

Complete the survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/patientcampaign

.

GlaxoSmithKline IMPACT Awards

The IMPACT Awards have been running since 1997 and are designed to recognise and reward charities that are doing excellent work to improve people’s health. They are funded by GlaxoSmithKline and managed in partnership with The King’s Fund. The awards are open to registered charities that are at least three years old, working in a health-related field in the UK, with a total annual income between £10,000 and £1.5 million.

An overall winner will receive £35,000, nine other winners receive £25,000 and up to ten organisations that are highly commended or runners up receive £5,000 or £3,000. You do not need to present a new project. The awards are designed to recognise success and achievements for existing work. You decide how to use the award money.

Organisations that win or are highly commended for an IMPACT Award will be offered free training valued at £4,000. Find out more about the GSK IMPACT Awards Development Network. Winners will be given a range of resources to help promote their work (such as professional photographs, films, banners and brochures). Deadline for applications for the 2011 awards is 5pm on Friday 24 September 2010.

http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/current_projects/gsk_impact_awards/index.html

Health Inequalities – the local picture in Lewisham*

Lewisham is in the bottom 20% of areas nationally for deprivation, life expectancy, and premature deaths from cancer and cardiovascular disease.

As well as poor health outcomes, compared to the England average, there are significant health inequalities across the borough (Annual Public Health Report 2007).   In summary the key features of the borough are:

• Life expectancy - A relatively low life expectancy for males and females in comparison with England and London. Although there have generally been improvements in life expectancy for men and women over the last ten years, there has been a tendency for the gap with England and London to narrow for men but generally widen for women.  However the most recent reporting period, 2004 – 2006, indicates that the gap for women is now closing on the England and London averages. (National Centre for Health Outcomes Development, June 2008). Across Lewisham, there is also evidence of some variation in life expectancy between different parts of the borough. (London Health Observatory 2008)

• Cancer - In Lewisham,  premature mortality rates from cancer (among those under 75 years of age), have been higher than those for England and Wales and London, although these rates are decreasing.  (ONS 2007)

• Circulatory disease - In Lewisham,  premature mortality rates from circulatory disease (CVD - among those under 75 years of age) were substantially higher than those for London and England and Wales, however they are now decreasing.  (Office for National Statistics 2007)

• Smoking - Smoking is the biggest single contributor to the difference in life expectancy between rich and poor (White Paper: Smoking Kills DH 1998).  In some parts of the borough it is estimated around 42% of adults smoke compared with 33% across the borough as a whole and 22% across England.

• Teenage Conceptions - Lewisham has the third highest rate of teenage conceptions in England but teenage conceptions are declining. (ONS, Teenage Pregnancy Statistics, 2nd quarter 2007).

• Alcohol - Nearly 20,000 men and 12,000 women in the borough drink more than the recommended limits for alcohol, and Lewisham has the fifth highest death rate for alcohol related illness in London. (Health Survey for England, DH May 2008).

Given the challenges identified above, this strategy sets out the national and local context on health inequalities, the policy drivers to be addressed, recent information and data, the governance framework to affect delivery and outlines the continued commitment to action across the partnership to tackle these inequalities.

*Taken from 'Strategy To Tackle Health Inequalities In Lewisham'

http://www.lewishampct.nhs.uk/a/1174 

Community Fitness Project

Unique on-site health services benefit young people, busy mums, over 50's groups, in fact any group within your local community. Further details attached below.

"Save Dave” campaign launched

Lewisham Council, along with other members of the Safer Lewisham Partnership, is running a campaign over the summer period to highlight the health risks associated with excessive alcohol consumption.

Everyone knows a ‘Dave’. He always buys the first round. He usually buys the last one too. He hates to see a drink half finished, so he’ll finish it himself. Everyone knows someone that drinks more than is good for them.

It is estimated that around 29,000 people in the borough drink at levels that are harmful to their health. Lewisham has one of the highest levels of alcohol-related hospital admissions in London.

The aim of the ‘Save Dave’ campaign is to raise awareness about health risks related to excessive alcohol consumption, to show people where they can go for free and confidential advice and help, and reduce alcohol related hospital admissions. http://www.save-dave.info/

Invitation to Quote - Support Planning Service (Pilot) in Lewisham

The London Borough of Lewisham invites expressions of interest from suitably experienced providers, with extensive knowledge of the borough who wish to provide a proposal for a pilot to deliver Support Planning as part of  Lewisham’s Self Directed Support (SDS) trial for citizens.
Expressions of interest for this work are sought in two areas:

To provide support planning for adults aged 65 plus with assessed social care needs
To provide support planning for adults aged between 18 and 65 with assessed social care needs.
The service will include assisting people with information, advice and expertise to enable them to work out what their choices will be, and the support required to access the services of their choice. This will include drawing up a support plan as a discrete piece of work, and it can also involve the process by which a plan is put into effect. A range of skills and expertise is required to deliver this service; for this reason the authority is encouraging collaborative bidding from local voluntary sector providers currently delivering specialist services to the targeted groups.

Pilot Period
The pilot period will be 1 November  2010 to 31 March 2011 and providers must demonstrate that they can meet this challenging timeline. The Council is in the process of developing a Resource Allocation System (RAS) and Support Planning must run in tandem with this and other developments within self-directed support .

The learning from the pilot will be evaluated and the results used to inform our decisions on the long-term provision of Support Planning in the borough.

The closing date for this invitation to quote is 5 pm, 24 September 2010. To request further information  please contact the following, preferably by email.

Debbie Hole
Social Care Transformation Team
5th Floor Town Hall
Catford
London
SE6 4RU

Email: Debbie.Hole@lewisham.gov.uk

White Paper on Health - Consultation event

Regional Voices and the Department of Health are holding a series of events to inform the sector and to gather views on the White Paper. The London workshop will take place on:

      10 September at Lewisham Town Hall.

For more information, and further details as they are made available, please visit http://www.regionalvoices.net/events/ 

Other ways to respond to the White Paper:

Transparency in outcomes - a framework for the NHS
The Health White Paper has set out how the Secretary of State for Health will hold the NHS Commissioning Board to account for delivering better health outcomes through a national NHS Outcomes Framework. A consultation has been launched to seek the help of those working in the NHS, patients and the public in developing this NHS Outcomes Framework. It will be open until the 11 October. http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Liveconsultations/DH_117583?dm_i=6I1,7LPZ,2I7GMB,J6AQ,1

Giving power to local people
Following the publication of the White Paper on Health two public consultations have been launched: 'Commissioning for Patients' and 'Increasing Democratic Legitimacy in Health'. The consultations are seeking views on how the proposals can be best implemented and are open until 11 October. Further information is available.
http://i.ctt-news.org/CmpDoc/2009/8425/0_giving-power-to-local-people.pdf?dm_i=6I1,7LPZ,2I7GMB,J68E,1

If you have any comments on the White Paper, or if you would like to make a response through Voluntary Action Lewisham, please email Mark or phone 020 8314 9841.

Personalisation and the Transformation agenda in Lewisham

The Personalisation agenda will transform the way that services are delivered in Lewisham. In order to effectively redesign the way these services are delivered, the London Borough of Lewisham, via its Transformation Team, will  consult with service users and voluntary sector providers on how to best deliver these services.

Some of my role will be to work alongside providers and the local authority in ensuring that this move to personalised services will result in better services for service users and ensuring that the voluntary organisations are supported as they redesign and market these new services.

If you have any comments, or would like to find out more, please email Mark or call on 020 8314 9841.

Invitation to Quote - Support Planning Service (Pilot) in Lewisham

The London Borough of Lewisham invites expressions of interest from suitably experienced providers, with extensive knowledge of the borough who wish to provide a proposal for a pilot to deliver Support Planning as part of  Lewisham’s Self Directed Support (SDS) trial for citizens.
Expressions of interest for this work are sought in two areas:

To provide support planning for adults aged 65 plus with assessed social care needs
To provide support planning for adults aged between 18 and 65 with assessed social care needs.
The service will include assisting people with information, advice and expertise to enable them to work out what their choices will be, and the support required to access the services of their choice. This will include drawing up a support plan as a discrete piece of work, and it can also involve the process by which a plan is put into effect. A range of skills and expertise is required to deliver this service; for this reason the authority is encouraging collaborative bidding from local voluntary sector providers currently delivering specialist services to the targeted groups.

Pilot Period
The pilot period will be 1 November  2010 to 31 March 2011 and providers must demonstrate that they can meet this challenging timeline. The Council is in the process of developing a Resource Allocation System (RAS) and Support Planning must run in tandem with this and other developments within self-directed support .

The learning from the pilot will be evaluated and the results used to inform our decisions on the long-term provision of Support Planning in the borough.

The closing date for this invitation to quote is 5 pm, 24 September 2010. To request further information  please contact the following, preferably by email.

Debbie Hole
Social Care Transformation Team
5th Floor Town Hall
Catford
London
SE6 4RU

Email: Debbie.Hole@lewisham.gov.uk 

You are warmly invited to attend the next Voluntary Action Lewisham (VAL) Community Health and Social Care Forum (CHSC)

Community Engagement – Working in Partnership to address Health Inequalities

Monday 24th May 2010, 1.30 – 4.30pm – includes lunch!
Leemore Centre Community Hub, entrance Bonfield Road, Lewisham, SE13 5EU

Agenda:

The forum is an excellent way to continue to develop links both with colleagues from other voluntary and community groups AND statutory organisations interested in buildiing partnership and commissioning services, including Lewisham Council and NHS Lewisham. We positively welcome personnel from both the VCFS and statutory sector to join us at our partnership forum events.

To book a place

To reserve your place at the CHSC Forum, and to let me know if you will be sharing with us your planned community engagement event in June / July please email or call Rosalind on 020 8314 9841 stating your name, organisation, and phone number.

How to find us…

Map: http://www.multimap.com/maps/?lat=51.45957&lon=-0.00688&zoomFactor=16&moveMap=-125,83&;redCircle=on

Buses: 47, 54, 75, 136, 185, 199, 208, P4, Rail: 10 minutes walk from Lewisham DLR Station

Cars: Pay & Display Car Park in Clarendon Rise, and limited meter parking in Bonfield Road, we strongly encourage you to use public transport!

Access…

The venue is wheelchair accessible.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Kindest Regards

Rosalind


Rosalind John
Health Inequalities & Social Care Officer

In January 2010, Dr. Danny Ruta, Joint Director of Public Health for NHS Lewisham and LB Lewisham undertook outreach visits to 170 Health Project in New Cross, Pensioner Forum based in Lewisham and Carers Lewisham located in Forest Hill. He was accompanied by Liz Dart, Interim Head of Community and Neighbourhood Development, LB Lewisham, and VAL Health Inequalities and Social Care Officer Rosalind John.

Danny states

“We were all impressed with the incredible enthusiasm, commitment and quality of the work being undertaken and support being offered. I am particularly grateful to Sheena, Sharon, Doris and Kerry for their time and I am looking forward very much to working more closely with them and their colleagues to improve the wellbeing of people in Lewisham.”

The Health Inequalities and Social Care Project(HISCP) is in the process of working towards a planned programme of outreach visits to different health and social care VCS projects and organisations in the coming months. These will include those projects that have already contacted us and expressed an interest in being visited. If you would like to be visited in the near future please contact Rosalind.

We can also confirm that Danny has agreed to undertake annual outreach visits to meet other VCS groups and projects in Lewisham. Watch this space!

To book a place on the Building Partnerships & Healthier Communities event, please complete the following booking form.

Alternatively you can also book a place by either:

• Phoning 0208 314 9841; or
• Emailing rosalind@valewisham.org.uk

We are delighted to invite you to the re-launch of the new quarterly VAL Community Health & Social Care Forum at our themed event:

Building Partnerships & Healthier Communities
1.00pm – 4.30pm Tuesday 2nd February 2010
Venue: Lady Florence Hall, 21 Deptford Broadway, London SE8 4PA

Agenda

1.00 pm - Registration, Lunch and Networking from 1.00pm

1.25 pm - Introductions & Icebreakers

1.35 pm - Presentation: Working Together Towards a Healthier Community

•         Rosalind John, Health Inequalities & Social Care Officer VAL

•         Martin Howie, Director of VAL

•         Aileen Buckton, Executive Director for Community Services, LB Lewisham

•         Dr. Danny Ruta, Joint Director of Public Health for NHS Lewisham and LB Lewisham

2.10 pm - Q & A – a chance to ask questions and put your views forward

2.30 pm - BREAK: REFRESHMENTS and DISPLAY MARKETPLACE

2.40 pm - Reducing the Health Inequalities Gap: Working in partnership to engage communities to access health services and improve health outcomes

          Workshops (led by voluntary sector representatives) – choose from:

•         Asylum Seekers’ & Refugees’ Health

•         BME Communities’ Health

•         Carers’ Health

•         Disabled People’s Health

•         Men’s Health

•         Older Adults’ Health

•         Women’s Health

Together, we will brainstorm and identify the challenges faced by these particular communities to access health services and then move on to focus on the perceived solutions to those challenges.

4.00 pm -Summary and Closing Comments

This partnership event commences at 1.00pm with lunch and networking opportunities among representatives from many of the local VCS groups and organisations working in the arena of Health & Social Care.

There’s the chance to display posters or a small stand: display space is very limited and must be booked in advance, so contact me to secure yours.

The forum will be an excellent chance to develop links both with colleagues from other voluntary and community groups AND from statutory organisations interested in building partnerships and commissioning services, including L B Lewisham and NHS Lewisham.

The VCS voice in Lewisham really does count!

After the event your views, concerns and comments from the Q & A session and workshops will be collated and used to inform the new post 2010 Health Inequalities Strategy being undertaken jointly by LB Lewisham and NHS Lewisham.  Your views will also be used to set priorities and agendas for future Community Health & Social Care Forum meetings.

To attend, you MUST register in advance by calling 0208 314 9841 or emailing rosalind@valewisham.org.uk:

• Your name,
• The name of your organisation,
• Your 1st choice of workshop
• Your 2nd choice of workshop

Or why not register online

We look forward to meeting you!
Rosalind

Rosalind John
Health Inequalities & Social Care Officer

The London borough of Southwark on behalf of the Southwark and Lewisham Supporting People partnerships are inviting expressions of interest from suitably qualified and experienced organisations to tender for inclusion on
a Joint Framework Agreement.

The Framework Agreement will establish a list of preferred suppliers for Supporting People accommodation based and floating/community based services. A number of service lots will be created that will be used for the future procurement of Supporting People services.

The Framework Agreement will have a term of four years and the primary authorities intend to procure the majority of their Supporting People services under the framework. Each participating authority will award and enter into a separate service contract with a provider when procuring services from the Framework.

The London boroughs of Lambeth and Bromley will be participating in the Framework Agreement as secondary authorities.

Any organisation wishing to become a preferred provider for these services must formally express an interest by completing a Pre Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ).

Organisations that have been accredited by the participating authorities under Exor, and hold a current contract with one or more of the participating authorities, will be passported through the PQQ stage, although they must submit an expression of interest using the PQQ, in order to be considered for the future provision of Supporting People services.

Organisations may be experienced providers of housing support and social care services, voluntary and community based organisations with experience of welfare related services or private organisations. All will however need to be able to demonstrate the ability to produce positive outcomes for a diverse range of service users. Southwark
Council welcomes expressions of interest from individual organisations, partnerships or consortia and the successful organisations will be expected to be able to work positively in partnership with a range of other stakeholders.

To express an interest to participate in the tender please contact Southwark Supporting People on 020 7525 0576 or email supporting.people@southwark.gov.uk by 12 noon, Friday May 8 to request an information pack and Pre Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ).

Welcome to the Voluntary Sector Health and Social Care Bulletin.  The purpose of these bulletins is to encourage you all to share anything that you may think is interesting – it’s your Bulletin!.  So, if you have something you would like to include in future editions please email it to Nicky at nicolam@valewisham.org.uk and state clearly that it is an insertion for the Bulletin.

I hope you find the information useful and please feel free to send this to other people that may be interested and ask them to contact Nicky if they wish to be added to the mailing list.

You are warmly invited to our next Health and Social Care Forum

Changes in health and social care

Monday 11 October - 2.00 to 4.30pm
Registration from 1.45pm

at Leemore Central Community Hub*, Bonfield Road, Lewisham, SE13 5EU

*Entrances to Leemore on both Gilmore Road and Bonfield Road.

Please note there is no parking available at the venue - except for Blue Badge holders who arrange it in advance. 

Agenda items:

·          Personalisation and Transformation - an update
·          Changes to NHS Lewisham, the local PCT
·          Representation on thematic partnerships
 
Booking a place
Click here to book a place with Mark Drinkwater, the Health Inequalities and Social Care Officer or ring 020 8314 9841.

The current pace and volume of change in both the health and social care sectors is unprecedented. This makes the role of the Health and Social Care Officer a vital component in keeping voluntary organisations up to date and help them get involved in influencing these changes. To keep up to date, please ensure you book a place at the next Community Health and Social Care Forum.

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The Community Health and Social Care Forum (CHSCF) aims to bring together all voluntary organisations with an interest in health and social care to:

• Share information and expertise
• Promote good practice and raise awareness of issues
• Enable staff from voluntary and statutory organisations to meet and network with each other
• Give voluntary organisations the chance to respond to issues with a united voice
• Ensure accountability and openness in planning of services.

The CHSCF elect voluntary sector representatives on to the Partnership Boards. The representatives report back to CHSCF and consult with forum members. All voluntary sector organisations with an interest in or involvement in health or social care can be members of the forum, and nominate representatives.

The forum meets three to four times a year to provide opportunities to share good practice, network with the statutory sector and discuss how we can work together to promote better health for residents of Lewisham.

Topics for discussion include presentations by members and the debate on the current health agenda. We debate issues and policies including the health white paper and the social care green paper. Members can also access relevant training sessions via the CHSCF.

You are warmly invited to our next Health and Social Care Forum

Changes in Health and Social Care

Monday 11 October - 2.00 to 4.30pm (Registration from 1.45pm)

at Leemore Central Community Hub*, Bonfield Road, Lewisham, SE13 5EU

*Entrances to Leemore on both Gilmore Road and Bonfield Road.
N.B. No parking available at the venue - except Blue Badge holders who  arrange space in advance.

Agenda items:
·          Personalisation and Transformation - an update
·          Changes to NHS Lewisham, the local PCT
·          Representation on thematic partnerships

Booking a place
Click here to book a place with Mark Drinkwater, the Health Inequalities and Social Care Officer or ring 020 8314 9841.

The current pace and volume of change in both the health and social care sectors is unprecedented. This makes the role of the Health and Social Care Officer a vital component in keeping voluntary organisations up to date and help them get involved in influencing these changes. To keep up to date, please ensure you book a place at the next Community Health and Social Care Forum.