Bradford LINk
Connect and make a difference
Use your voice
Please read Connect Update, which has the most up to date ways of using your voice in health and social care: February 1st and February 15th
Wanted: experts in common sense.
Healthwatch, the new consumer champion for health and social care, is looking for people to have a say on their local health services. To read about Healthwatch, click on: www.healthwatch.co.uk
Anyone interested is invited to pop into a Healthwatch info session in Bradford on Wednesday 20 March. To read more about the session, click on: http://www.involveyorkshirehumber.org.uk/events/diary/healthwatch-info-sessions/
Who can get involved in Healthwatch?
Healthwatch wants to hear from all sections of the community. This event is aimed at attracting new volunteers to get involved, so you don’t need medical knowledge – just common sense and a desire to influence issues such as:
- Are older patients properly treated in hospital?
- Are the drugs and treatments that patients want available?
- Do students and young people get the health advice they need?
Healthwatch volunteers will get
- Influence over decisions about health services
- Valuable experience in community work and volunteering
- The chance represent the interests of friends, family and community
- Training opportunities in community leadership
Healthwatch info session in Bradford
Pop in to the Healthwatch info session in Bradford for the chance to meet other potential volunteers, hear from local Healthwatch organisers and learn about volunteer opportunities. The event is free, refreshments are available and coming along doesn’t commit you! Reasonable travel expenses will be covered – confirm this when you book.
Weds 20 March, 4-7pm Forster’s Bistro, 9 Aldermanbury, Centenary Square, Bradford, BD1 1SD
If you are unable to attend this meeting, there is an earlier one being held in Sheffield on 7th March 4-6.30pm
Booking essential
Call 0113 394 2300 or click on: http://www.involveyorkshirehumber.org.uk/events/diary/healthwatch-info-sessions/
or email conferences@involveyorkshirehumber.org.uk
Had a recent assessment of care needs - then please give your views
Have you had an assessment of your care needs by Bradford Council in the last year? If you have then Bradford Council’s adult services would like to hear from you.
They are looking at the questions they use when they are asking your care needs. They want to make sure they are the best ones to find out what your care needs are. Here is a copy of the questions they may have asked you. If you have any suggestions about how these questions could be better then please let us know.
It may be that you think a question is not easy to understand or that you think there are some questions that are missed off. We will pass on your comments to adult services to help them improve the way that people’s care is assessed.
Here is the link to the questions
To let us know, please contact Daniel Park - daniel@bradfordlink.org.uk or telephone 01535 665258
Please let him know your views by Friday 15th March
Your views on the Health and wellbeing strategy
The shadow Health and Wellbeing Board (the Board) is a new Board which brings the National Health Service and Bradford Council together with the Voluntary sector and Bradford LINk to plan health and social care services for everyone across the Bradford area.
The Board is working on its strategy for the next 5 years and wants to find out the views of a wide range of people and organisations before the strategy is complete.
Here are the ways you can take part:
1 The following link on the internet: http://www.bradford.gov.uk/bmdc/Consultations/consultation_health_wellbeing_strategy takes you to a summary of the strategy and some questions which the Board would like you to complete online
2 If you don’t want to use the internet or you have specific questions you would like to ask about the strategy, Bradford LINk is holding a couple of drop in sessions. These are happening from 10.00 – 11.30 on the mornings of Wednesday 12 December in the Carlisle Business centre, Carlisle Road, Manningham and Thursday 13th December at Central Hall, Alice Street, Keighley.
If you’d like to go to one of the drop-in sessions then it would be helpful if you could let us know by getting in touch with us on 01535 665258 or email info@bradfordlink.org.uk
NHS Constitution
Proposals to strengthen the NHS Constitution are set out for public consultation today, with the NHS, patients and public are all being asked to respond. The main changes proposed include a new responsibility for staff to treat patients not only with the highest standards of care, but also with compassion, dignity and respect. You can find out more by clicking on: http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/11/constitution-consultation/
NHS Commissioning Board consults on specialsied services
All patients getting help from a specialised service will have access to the same standard of service and the same clinical policy wherever they live. The nature and extent of this specialised care are subject to a 6 week consultation, launched on 12th December by the NHS Commissioning Board.
To read more and give your views on specialised health services, click on:
http://www.commissioningboard.nhs.uk/ourwork/d-com/spec-serv/consult/
Protecting people from failed care homes
The Department of Health is having a consultation on how to make sure people are safe should the people who run a care home have problems and stop running the service. They want to set up a series of checks to give an early warning of financial problems. You can find out more and give your views by clicking on:
http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/12/provider-failures/
Bradford District Clinical Commissioning Group – Find out more!
There was a meeting about Bradford District shadow Clinical Commissioning Group in August at Douglas Mill in Bradford. At this meeting the Shadow Governing Body – which is making decisions about how this CCG will run – talked about how it will work in the future. Anyone can attend the meetings to listen to these plans and we will let you know when new meetings are being held.
You can download the papers from this meeting at www.bradford.nhs.uk/about-us/nhs-bradford-districts-clinical-commissioning-group/