Health and Social Care

NEWS

HEALTH BULLETIN 15

Included in this edition:

►Briefing #34 Analysis of the Voluntary Sector Social Care Workforce in the NW
►Autism Strategy ‘Fulfilling and Rewarding Lives’ Implementation Consultation
►NHS Principles and Rules for Cooperation and Competition
►Personalisation
►Refreshing the National Carers Strategy
►Supporting People to Live and Die Well
►Third Sector Investment Programme

Download Health Bulletin 15

 

DEPT OF HEALTH STRUCTURAL REFORM

This Framework was published at the same time as the Health White Paper and whilst it contains much of what is in Equity and Excellence, it also includes more information about public health and other reforms to the NHS.  It will form the basis for the implementation of the White Paper.  Download

THIRD SECTOR INVESTMENT PROGRAMME: Innovation, Excellence and Service Development Fund 2011/12

The Dept of Health are inviting voluntary and community sector organisations to apply for the Innovation, Execellence and Service Development Fund which supports health and social care projects.  The closing date for applications is 1st November 2010 and the fund is for projects which will begin in April 2011 or later.  Although there is no minimum or maximum amount of funding to apply for, the average grant in 2010 was £52,000.  The supporting information says that the amount of funding available will be subject to the outcome of the current Comprehensive Spending Review .  More information http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_118373

HEALTH WHITE PAPER - Equity and excellence: Liberating the NHS

The White Paper on health, ‘Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS’ was published on 12th July and sets out the Government's vision for the NHS. The proposals represent some of the biggest changes to the NHS in the last 60 years and provide both opportunities and challenges for our sector.   Regional Voices in partnership with VSNW have produced a Briefing which oulines the key areas of the White Paper and also highlights some possible implications for the voluntary and community sector.

Download the Health White Paper

Download the Briefing

Following on from the White Paper, the Government has now produced four consultation papers and one review document which it will be consulting on up until early October. 

The Consultation topics are:

The Review Document:  Report of the Arm's-Length Bodies Review sets out in more detail the proposals to to abolish some arm's-length bodies, streamline the functions of others, and the transfer of functions to other bodies.

Consultation Event

VSNW in partnership with Regional Voices and the Dept. of Health will be holding a Health White Paper Consultation workshop in the North West in September.  The final date will be announced very shortly and if you would like to register your interest in attending please email margaret.mcleod@vsnw.org.uk

VSNW Health Bulletin 14

Included in this edition


• Update - Health White Paper
• Access to Volunteering Fund
• Commission on the Funding of Care and Support
• ‘Enough is Enough! Action Against Homophobia’ Campaign
• Equality Act 2010: What do I need to know?
• New LGBT Carers Support Group and Online Forum
• NW Health Equity Platform
• Personalisation
• Sex and Violence: Improving Your Care
• Skills for Care: Helping with CQC Inspection Outcomes
• Events and Training

Download Bulletin 14

VSNW Health Bulletin 13

includes the following

• Access to Volunteering Fund
• Care Quality Commission – Consultation on Revised Enforcement Policy
• Commissioning Health Care in Prisons
• Ethnic Minority Cancer Awareness Week: 3rd-10th July
• Marmot Review: Fair Society Health Lives Update
• NW Regional Offender Health Team – Directory of VCS Organisations
• Social Return on Investment
• Social Values
• Skills for Care: Work smart, work safe – combating violence against care staff
• Events and Training

Download Bulletin 13

Personalisation

There is now a section of the website for Personalisation where you will find news, resources, etc.  All the information from the recent Third Sector: Are You Ready? conference are available here.  

 

NW Offender Health Directory

The NW Regional Offender Health Team have produced a Directory of Voluntary and Community Sector organisations who are working to improve the health of people in the NW.   The Regional Offernder Health Team aim to reduce health inequalities in order to improve people’s lives and reduce re-offending.  If you would like to be included in the Directory or have amendments to make to your entry then email Tracy-Ann.Wilson@hmps.gsi.gov.uk .  Download the Directory.

Social Return on Investment - Resources

The Race Equality Foundation has produced a paper which contains links to a large range of resources on all aspects of Social Return on Investment.  The paper contains links to documents, websites, toolkits, etc.  Download the paper.

New Government Plans for the Reform of Social Care

The Government has announced its plans for the reform of social care including a commitment to:.

  •  establish a commission on long-term care, to report within a year. The commission will consider a range of ideas, including both a voluntary insurance scheme to protect the assets of those who go into residential care, and a partnership scheme as proposed by Derek Wanless.

  • break down barriers between health and social care funding to incentivise preventative action.

  • extend the greater roll-out of personal budgets to give people and their carers more control and purchasing power.

  • use direct payments to carers and better community-based provision to improve access to respite care.

  • reform Access to Work, so disabled people can apply for jobs with funding already secured for any adaptations and equipment they will need.

You can comment on these proposals by going to  http://programmeforgovernment.hmg.gov.uk/social-care-and-disability/  

Plans for Public Health

The Government believes there needs to be action to promote public health, and encourage behaviour change to help people live healthier lives and makes the following commitments:

  • will give local communities greater control over public health budgets with payment by the outcomes they achieve in improving the health of local residents.

  • will give GPs greater incentives to tackle public health problems.

  • will investigate ways of improving access to preventative healthcare for those in disadvantaged areas to help tackle health inequalities.

  • will ensure greater access to talking therapies to reduce long-term costs for the NHS.

New Ministers in Place at Dept of Health

The new Ministers are at the Dept. of Health are:

  • Secretary of State: Andrew Lansley

  • Minister of State: Simon Burns

  • Minister of State for Care Services: Paul Burstow

  • Parliamentary Undersecretary of State for Public Health: Anne Milton

  • Parliamentary Undersecretary of State for Quality: Earl Howe

     

For more information on their individual portfolios visit http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/MediaCentre/Pressreleases/DH_116244  

 

Winning Public Sector Tenders

A recent NW Public Service Delivery Network Meeting included a presentation from Jim Williams of Tender Management Consultancy entitled '30 Useful Minutes About Winning Public Sector Tenders' which included twelve steps to tendering success.  Download the presentation.

NHS Constitution

The NHS have produced an A5 booklets explaining the NHS Constitution.  Printed copies are available to order from www.orderline.dh.gov.uk where you can also order posters and postcards. 

Individual budgets and personalisation: understanding the opportunities and challenges facing local third sector infrastructure organisations

The Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research (CRESR) at Sheffield Hallam University is carrying out research to identify how local support and development organisations can support the local voluntary sector to meet the challenges posed by personalisation. They are looking for a mixture of local infrastructure and frontline voluntary organisations to take part in the research and are particularly keen to hear from anyone working in the individual budget pilots areas. Research participants would need to spend about an hour with a researcher, either face to face or over the phone. To express an interest in participating in the research please contact Chris Dayson (CRESR) on 0114 2254173, email c.dayson@shu.ac.uk or Paul Ritchie (Voluntary Action Rotherham) on 01709 829821, email paul.ritchie@varotherham.org.uk

Health Bulletin 11

March saw the publication of a range of documents, links to some of which are below, in the run up to the announcement of the election date. We are now in the period of pre-election purdah and you may find it interesting to read the three main political parties’ health policies.
Liberal Democrats: http://www.libdems.org.uk/health.aspx
Labour: http://www.labour.org.uk/policies/health  
Conservative: http://www.conservatives.com/Policy/Where_we_stand/Health.aspx  

Included in this edition are:

• 5-year Plan for the Regulation of Mental Health Services
• Better Health Guides for CEO’s
• DWP - Care First Careers - £1000 for eligible young people recruited
• Daphne III – Call for Partners
• Inclusion Health: improving primary care for socially excluded people
• National Audit Office: Successful Commissioning Toolkit
• Progress For Providers Tool
• ‘Reaching Out’ Report: Understanding the Health Attitudes of Harder to Reach Groups in the North West
• The NHS Commissioning Environment: A Guide for Third Sector Organisations¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
• Events / Training

Download Health Bulletin 11

Health Bulletin 10

Everyone who works in the third sector is aware of the impact of inequalities on people’s lives.  A conference this week  brought together colleagues from the third sector to discuss how they can take forward the Marmot Review: Fair Society Healthy Lives. Professor Sir Michael Marmot outlined very clearly the evidence showing those who are poorer economically and socially have worse healthy life expectancies than those who are better off.  Mike Farrar, the Chief Executive of NHS NW, also spoke and reiterated his commitment to tackling health inequalities in the North West and to the role that the third sector will play in achieving this. VSNW have produced a Briefing of the Marmot Review which can be downloaded.

The Bulletin includes the following:

• Asylum Seekers and Health Care Provision in the North West
• BME ‘Training For All’ Project Website Launch
• Care and Support Conference Report
• “From the Ground Up - A guide to integrated care design and delivery”
• Mental Health First Aid Training
• New Food Coop Advisor for North West
• Review of Access to NHS by Foreign Nationals
• Skills for Care Accolades 2010
• The State of Care in England – the Care Quality Commission Annual Report
• Events / Training

Download Health Bulletin 10

 

“From the Ground Up - A guide to integrated care design and delivery”

A report jointly commissioned by Community Health Partnership (CHP) and the Integrated Care Network (ICN).  It aims to support service commissioners; including those involved in planning, service delivery, finance and infrastructure as well as local partnerships, who are looking to develop integrated care services.   The report:

  • Offers an overview of the policy framework for integration.

  • Presents an outline of the approach to integration taken by four examples of different types of integrated care service.

  • Analyses the elements of success in integrating care, and presents a model of design and delivery for managers to consider in relation to their own services and planning new facilities.

  • Concludes with a range of hints and tips based on the research undertaken to develop this document.

Download the report.

NICE Draft Guidance on the Physical and Mental Wellbeing of Looked After Children

The Department of Health (DH) asked the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) to produce joint guidance on improving the physical and emotional health and wellbeing of looked-after children and young people.

The guidance is for all those who have a direct or indirect role in, and responsibility for, promoting the quality of life of looked-after children and young people. This includes policy makers, commissioners, managers, practitioners and carers in the NHS, local authorities, the criminal justice system, education, the private, voluntary and community sectors, and foster carers. It may also be of interest to looked-after children and young people, their families, prospective adopters and other members of the public. It contains draft recommendations.   The closing date for comments is 14th April.   Download the document .

Asylum Seekers and Health Care Provision in the North West

The regional migration Health Interest Group has recently produced a brief outline of the asylum process in relation to health care, an overview of health care entitlements and some links to key papers on asylum seeker and refugee health.  Download the document.  If you would like more information about migration and health contact Alison Ricketts on 0161 952 4049.

North West Mental Wellbeing Survey

A major new survey of 18,500 residents in the North West has been published. The survey was carried out in response to a need to understand more about positive mental health and wellbeing. Carried out as a collaborative partnership between local authorities, PCT's, and led by NHS NW, it is seen as informing future policy and practice in the North West.  Read the VSNW Briefing or download the Summary Report. 

Marmot and the Third Sector: Addressing Health Inequalities Together - 9th March 2010 - London

This important Conference organised by the Dept of Health's Strategic Partners* will give you the opportuity to hear more about the strategic review that Professor Sir Michael Marmot was asked to lead to develop a joint approach to tackling health inequalities.   It will provide a unique opportunity to consider the essential roleof third sector organisations in addressing the problems.  Speakers include Professor Sir Michael Marmot, Gillian Merron MP, MInister of State for Public Health and Mike Farrer, Chief Executive of NHS NW.

During the day you will have the chance to discuss with colleagues from across the sector some of the specific challenges we face and how the Marmot Report can help your organisation’s work. You will have the opportunity to learn from the keynote speakers as well as having the chance to attend two interactive workshops during the day to discuss issues in depth.

*The Strategic Partners are a wide ranging group of third sector organisations working with the Department of Health to strengthen links between it and the sector. VSNW is a Strategic Partner through its role in Regional Voices.

For more information and to book a place: Regional Voices website .

Health Bulletin 9

The Marmot Review will be publishing its final report in two weeks time. Marmot identifies health inequalities as being socially determined – those who are the worst off economically and socially are more likely to have poorer health. Currently the latest draft of the North West single regional strategy – RS2010 – is out for consultation. One of its themes is ‘Release the potential of our people and tackle poverty’. There is recognition within this theme that a healthy society is more likely to be an economically prosperous one and that with improved standards of health care there will not only be a healthier population but decreased levels of worklessness.  The Draft Strategy can be downloaded from www.nwregionalstrategy.com. VSNW with partners in the region are holding a series of third sector consultations and if you would like to attend visit: http://www.vsnw.org.uk/events/view/52 . The consultation closes on 26th February 2010.

The latest bulletin includes information on the following:

• NHS Operating Framework
• Joint Strategic Needs Assessment – Third Sector Engagement
• Conservative Draft Health Manifesto
• NMDS Skills for Care Briefing
• Volunteering in Health and Social Care Fund Information Events
• Adult Learners Week Awards
• New Certification Scheme for Health and Social Care Information
• North West Mental Wellbeing Survey
• Swine Flu Update

Download Health Bulletin 9

Health Bulletin 8

This edition includes:

• Update
• Personal Health Budgets: NW Pilot Sites and Programme
• NHS 2010–2015: from good to great, preventative, people-centred, productive
• NHS as the Preferred Provider – a Dept. of Health Clarification
• Health and Social Care Volunteering Fund
• Age Equality in Health and Social Care Consultation Events
• PCT Grant Making Powers
• Swine Flu Update for Third Sector Organisations
• PSA16 in the North West
• Events
 

Download

 

Personal Health Budgets:  Pilot Sites and Programme

The Dept of Health have announced the Personal Health Budgets Pilot Porgamme Sites.  Eleven PCT areas and two teaching trusts have been chosen in the North West:  Ashton, Leigh and Wigan, Blackburn with Darwen, Central and Eastern Cheshire; Cumbria Teaching; East Lancashire Teaching, Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale, Manchester, Merseyside – Sefton, Knowsley and Liverpool, Oldham, Warrington, Western Cheshire.  For more details of the scope of the work they will be targeting read the PIlot Sites document.

 

PCT Grant Making Powers to Commission Long Term Conditions Self Care Support from Third Sector Organisations

The Dept of Health have produced a paper highlighting the role grants can play in developing and supporting low level community activity. The paper states that the use of grants is particularly pertinent to commissioning self care support for people with long term conditions.  The paper goes on to say Third Sector organisations will have an increasingly important role to play in meeting some of the expected increase in demand for self care support.   Read the full Paper

Social Enterprise Investment Fund for Health and Social Care

Social Investment Business and the Department of Health have unveiled eight investment programmes aimed at social enterprises working in the health and social care sector.  The funds, which offer a range of grants or loans of up to £10m, are available under the department's Social Enterprise Investment Fund (SEIF), which is managed by the Social Investment Business, the organisation formerly known as Futurebuilders England.


The funds are generally aimed at helping social enterprises develop innovative services in health and social care and have been designed to cater for different types of social enterprises.  The SEIF Outreach Fund offers grants of up to £30,000 for organisations that are developing new products and services for those who are socially or geographically excluded. The SEIF Growth Fund offers investment packages from £50,000 to £10m to existing organisations for working capital, buildings, staff or any other outlays incurred by social enterprises in their efforts to grow. For more information go to the Department of Health's Social Enterprise Investment Fund.

 

NHS Quality Framework:  Quality Accounts

The Dept. of Health is currently consulting on the format of a Quality Accounts report which it is proposed will be rolled out to third sector organisations deliverying NHS Health Services from 2011.  VSNW have produced a briefing with details of how to respond.

Conversation with Commissioners

VSNW partnered with NHS North West in a series of Conversation with Commissioners events during October 2009. Below are some of the presentations from the events, which focused on ways in which the voluntary and community sectors can best engage with health service commissioners across the region.
World Class Commissioning - presentation by Liz Matthews from NHS North West
Presentation from health authorities in Lancashire
Presentation from NHS Cumbria (large file, 4MB)
Questions from the Health Partnership at Greater Manchester Centre for Voluntary Organisation
 

Questions from Time for Change - Introducing Voluntary Organisations to Health Care Commissioning

This event generated a large number of questions and it was agreed that written answers would be provided by NHS NW, VSNW and the Gtr Manchester Health Partnership.  The responses have now been written and can be downloaded.  One of the outcomes of this event was  Conversation with Commissioners.  

 

Supporting People Review 2009

This Audit Commission review looks at the overall impact and successes of the programme; the progress against the 2005 recommendations; ongoing and existing concerns and new challenges linked to developing policies and changes in the external environment. It also looks for options for overcoming identified barriers and promoting opportunities.  Download the report.


Health Bulletin 6

The latest Health and Social Care Bulletin is now available to download.

Green Paper:  Shaping the Future of Care Together

The Green Paper, Shaping the Future of Care Together, sets out a vision for the future of adult social care in England. It proposes a new National Care Service that aims to be fair, simple and affordable for everyone. It makes the case for fundamental reform to the current system and invites views about the options for funding a new system of care and support. This paper gives a brief outline of the Green Paper and explains the different ways of engaging in the debate.

More information can be found in the Briefing Paper download prepared by NAVCA and Regional Voices.  VSNW is a partner in Regional Voices which is a collaboration of the nine Regional Voluntary Sector Networks.  Regional Voices and NAVCA are a national strategic partnership funded through the Dept. of Health to support our regional health and social care work.

For more in-depth information about the complex issues raised in the document, visit www.careandsupport.direct.gov.uk

The consultation closes on 13 November 2009.

If you would like to send your views on the Green Paper we would be pleased to receive them and they will form part of a regional response.

.

Healthier Horizons for the North West

The NHS North West have recently published Healthier Horizons for the North West.  It is  the Strategic Health Authority's review of the NHS in the region as part of their contribution to the national 'Our NHS Our Future' Review initiated by Lord Ara Darzi.

Below are links to the:

Executive Summary  and the Full Report

NHS NW Workforce, Education Commissioning and Education and Learning Strategy

NHS NW are currently consulting on their Workforce, Education Commissioning and Education and Learning Strategy. The document outlines the approach to ensuring that the NHS can ensure it develops the workforce needed to meet future health care needs and seeks stakeholder views via an online questionnaire.

 Below are links to the:

Full Report and the Executive Summary

NW Regional Employment Teams: Worklessness and Mental Health

Do you work in mental health within the VCS? Interested in being a VCS regional representative for the Regional Employment Team? if you think you might be then please read VSNW  RET Briefing for more information.

Workforce Development: New Funding Guide

Skills for Care, Skills for Health and Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC) have produced a workforce development funding guide aimed at employers in the social care and health sector

Welfare Reform Green Paper

The DWP published ‘no one written off: reforming welfare to reward responsibility’ on 21st July. The paper is open for public consultation until 22nd October 2008, and is available in easy read, large print, Braille and CD from welfare.reform@dwp.gsi.gov.uk 
You can find the consultation questions at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/welfarereform/noonewrittenoff/consultation-questions.pdf
Media responses from the VCS:  Citizens Advice Bureau National Autistic Society

Skills for Health

Skills for Health have recently updated the Labour Market Information Resource. This provides access to a wide range of employment, skills training and demographic statistics related to the Health sector and can be customised to provide data specific to the VCS. The information is available for the UK as a whole, by country, region and health boundary and was last updated in June 2008: Skills for Health LMI resource

 

NHS Constitution

The Department of Health  (DH) will be running events in Leeds and London in September which will focus on the NHS Constitution.

 

London:  Monday 22 September, 10.00 - 1.30 pm at Prospero House, 241 Borough High Street, London SE1 1GA

 

Leeds: Monday 29 September, 1.00 - 4.30 pm at Leeds Town Hall, The Headrow, Leeds LS1 3AD. 

 

A draft NHS Constitution was recently published alongside the NHS Next Stage Review.  As provision of services becomes more diverse, the draft Constitution sets out the rights, pledges and responsibilities that apply to patients, staff and the public in a timely demonstration of what binds the NHS together. For further information please see: www.dh.gov.uk/consultations

 

DH have now begun the process of formal consultation and we need to engage broadly and widely with patients, staff and the public.  It is expected that locally the NHS will involve the third sector in their responses to the consultation but DH is keen to undertake national learning events to ensure a strong third sector voice in the consultation process. Please register your interest by emailing  your name, organisation, email address and contact telephone number and directly to: vcsmail@dh.gsi.gov.uk  stating clearly your preferred choice of venue.

 

 


Lost in Translation - 7th December 2007

The presentations from the Lost in Translation conference held at Ewood Park are listed below.  Key feedback from the plenary session at the end of the day identified that it is felt there is still a way to go in terms of the relationship between commissioners and the third sector, but the sector also needed to help itself.   Areas identified inlcuded

  • The third sector needed to help its member organisations to understand the opportunities available.  Provide the development and information to enable them to make the changes necessary to take advantage of new opportunities, if they wish to.

  • Full cost recovery was seen as a minimum requirement and that the third sector cannot be expeced to provide services at a loss. 

  • It is the Commissioners role to make changes in the services provided but they need to do it through users / patients - and the third sector has a key role to play in this.

Presentations

 

Mental Health Commissioning

The Care Services Improvement Partnership (CSIP) are organising a range of Stakeholder Events over the next few months in the North West to to hear the views sof a range of stakeholders and interested parties with regard to how mental health services are designed and delivered for people in the North West.  To see a flyer and book a place click below:

Mental Health Commissioning Flyer

Mental Health Registration Form

Local Involvement Networks (LINks)

The latest edition of the LINks Bulletin has just been published.  For more information about LINks see below 

Legislation to set up Local Involvement Networks as the replacement for Patient and Public Involvement Forums has now passed through Parlliament.  A number of pilot LINks have been set up across the country - Manchester is the one being developed in the North West.  

LINks will be set up in every local authority area with responsibility for social care services.  It is intended that LINks will be hosted by third sector organisations, and local infrastructurer organisations have been involved in being the support organisations for the existing PPI Forums.  VSNW recommend you contact your local authority to find out what is happening in your area.

 

Health and Social Key Policy and Strategy Documents

Below you will find some of the key documents infoming the development of Health and Social :

Our Health, Our Care, Our Say: Making It Happen - delivery of the White Paper

A Stronger Local Voice - proposal for Local Involvement Networks

Third Sector Market Mapping - research into the level of involvement of third sector organisations in delivering health and social care services

No Excuses - Embrace Partnership Now. Step Towards Change! - Report of the Third Sector Commissioning Taskforce

Commisioning Framework for Health and Well-being - this document is part of the Our Health, Our Care, Our Say White Paper implementation.  Its key aims are a move towards a more person centred approach to delivery; promotion of health and well being to reduce future ill health costs; commissioning services that will deliver better health through the development of partnership approaches across health and local authorities.

New Documents:

The Response to the Consultation on regulations for Local Involvement Networks (LINks) has now been published (August 2008).  Over 300 people and organisations submitted their views and the report summarises the written responses.

The final report of the Third Sector Our Health Our Care Our Say Event has now been published.  It provides an overview of the views expressed by those attending the event last March together with access to the presentations.  Whilst not providing solutions, it does highlight the issues raised.

A draft strategy 'Improving Employment Rates of People Using Secondary Mental Health Services: A regional strategy for the North West' has been produced by the Regional Employment Team (RET). VSNW are currently seeking a regional VCS representative for this group, see RET briefing  and RET Terms of Reference for more information

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Featured Event

7 September 2010

The Health White Paper Consultation

CONSULTATION FULLY BOOKED

The White Paper on Health has the potential to create one of the biggest changes to the structure and function of the NHS since its creation in 1948. Within the White Paper there are 5 consultations which are all open until early October. Although the ‘what’ in the White Paper has largely been decided, the ‘how’ is very much still being shaped. 

read more

Latest News

2 September 2010

New apprenticeships for VCS organisations

Skills-Third Sector has carried out an extensive consultation with a wide range of organisations to determine the needs of the voluntary and community sector around apprenticeships, and will be developing new apprenticeship frameworks as a result.

read more
25 August 2010

Influencing the Spending Review - update

Latest updates for the departmental structural reform plans available

read more
24 August 2010

Future North West consultation now open

Future North West: Our shared prioritiesA document outlining the agreed strategic priorities of the North West based on the Regional Strategy consultation work over the last two years is now open for consultation until 8 October 2010.

read more

Events & Trainings

VSNW’s list of events & training opportunities for VCS groups in the North West

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