Notice Board

Supporting Disabled Volunteers
Disabled people are 9% less likely to volunteer than the rest of the population - because of basic issues such as lack of special equipment, travel costs and the need for support workers. The Access to Volunteering Fund Pilot aims to increase the number of disabled people in volunteer positions by breaking down the barriers they currently face when wanting to volunteer. The North West is one of three pilot regions offering grants of up to £5000. The final date for submissions is 6th September 2010. For more information or to apply visit the website - link below.

Link: Access to Volunteering Fund

Sexual Health Commissioning Strategy 2010-2013
The Manchester Sexual Health Commissioning Strategy sets out NHS Manchester’s commissioning priorities for sexual health services over the next three years.

The strategy describes where we are now as a city in terms of sexual health and what steps we will take over the next three years to meet the needs of our communities. Those involved in developing the strategy would like to thank all those who contributed to the strategy and who took time to offer their feedback during the consultation period.

Download the document from the >NHS Manchester website<.

or email talkinghealth@manchester.nhs.uk
Link: NHS Manchester website - Sexual Health Commissioning Strategy

Survey About Chemists and Pharmacies
NHS Manchester is conducting a Pharmacy Needs Assessment. This looks at how people use community pharmacies (Chemists) and what people think of them. They want to find out if the services on offer are the ones really needed by local communities, and to help plan and develop the best services for the future.

The survey is online and should take no more than 10 minutes to complete. It’s quite straightforward, so people who aren’t very confident with English should still be able to complete it. They have also tried to make it work with online translation - all you need to do is paste the address (www.surveymonkey.com/nhsmpharmacies) into an online translation engine (e.g. http://translate.google.co.uk/) to view and use the survey in a wide range of languages. Automatic translation is imperfect, but the survey should still be clear enough to use.

Also available is a TalkingHealth Telephone Survey Line (0161 765 4040) for people who don’t want to fill the survey in online. This is a voicemail box to collect people’s names and contact numbers ready for us to call them back during the week of 5th to 9th July 2010 to conduct the survey over the phone. Because you are only asked to leave your details (and any preferred call back time), you would only pay for a local-rate call of typically less than a minute. You can also use this line to request paper copies of the survey - just leave your address details instead of your phone number.

Link: www.surveymonkey.com/nhsmpharmacies

Queen's Speech 2010
Written by the government and delivered by the reigning monarch, the Queen's Speech sets out the legislative agenda for the year ahead and is the centrepiece of the state opening of Parliament.  The Queen's speech took place on 25th May 2010, where it outlined the new coalition Government's legislative agenda for the next 18 months.  In the speech, the Queen covered 23 Bills and one draft Bill proposed by the new administration.

Download: queen's_speech_-_may_2010.pdf

Securing Our Shared Future
The NHS in Manchester and the City Council have developed a joint programme of work called "Securing Our Shared Future" which aims to:

• continue to improve services for patients, so that everybody can access high quality care that meets their needs
• deliver services in a way that offers good value for money and is affordable.

Manchester Stroke Questionnaire
Throughout June and July 2010 NHS Manchester and Manchester City Council will be working with local GPs to carry out a survey of people who have had a stroke and/or their carers to guide the development of stroke services in Manchester.  If you are a stroke survivor / carer / group  this is an opportunity to give feedback. If, by the end of July, you have not received a questionnaire, contact Val Bayliss-Brideaux on 0161 765 4168 or email talkinghealth@manchester.nhs.uk. Help will be available with to complete questionnaires if needed.

Marmot Review
Sir Michael Marmot's review "Strategic Review of Health Inequalities in England Post 2010" has been officially launched. Its purpose was to the health inequalities challenge facing England with evidence as to how this should determine future policy and practice. The Marmot Review website includes not only the report itself but also videos and presentations from the recent conference in London.

Link: Marmot Review website
Link: Marmot Review conference presentations

Reforming Adult Social Care law
As noted back in February, the Law Commission (Government's advisory body on legislative reform) has prodced proposals for a single act to govern Adult Social Care in England & Wales. In theory, this will bring clarity to the system of adult social care, but there is a question of how it will fit with personalisation and individual budgets. The consultation section on the Law Commission's website now includes a range of resources for users, carers and voluntary groups. (Consultation ends in June 2010).

Link: Law Commission Consultation
Link: Law Commission Consultation leaflet for the voluntary sector (PDF)

NICE Guidance for Patients and Public
NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) is well known as the organisation which makes recommendations about which particular treatments should be available through the NHS. Since most of this guidance is for professionals, NICE also produces Plain English versions for patients, carers and members of the public. NICE has now introduced a search facility on its website for all these documents making it easier for people to find information they need to make informed choices about treatments. Follow the link below to view the search facility.

Link: NICE Guidance for Patients and Public

Consultation on overseas visitors' use of NHS services
The Department of Health has begun a consultation on proposed changes to the regulations for overseas visitors requiring hospital treatment and the costs and charging involved. Also included is the potential idea of health insurance for some visitors. Click on the link below to find the details on the Dept of Health website. The closing Date if 30th June 2010.

Link: Department of Health

Free Personal Care at Home
The proposed Bill will remove the time limit imposed on Local Authorities which relates to the provision of free Personal Care. This Bill is widely welcomed by organisations representing and working for older people. It is seen as another step towards the reform of the Care System.

However, there are concerns about how this initiative will be funded.
Download: personal_care_at_home_bill.doc

Manchester Community Central
MACC is proud to announce the launch of Manchester Community Central, the new support service for Manchester's voluntary and community sector. This is a new service being delivered in a partnership between MACC, Voluntary Action Manchester and Community Network for Manchester. We believe this represents a big opportunity for improving the infrastructure support for Manchester's diverse voluntary and community sector. Click on the link below to download our first ever press release!
Download: manchester_community_central.pdf

Adults Plan 2009
The Adults Health and Wellbeing Partnership's Partnership Delivery Plan sets out how local agencies will work together to increased life expectancy and reduce health inequalities. You can download a copy from our reports section usng the link below.
Link: Health and Wellbeing - Reports

Training on Drugs & Alcohol Issues
The Drug and Alcohol Strategy Team (DAST) have circulated their forthcoming training opportunities and details of their publications. Discounts on training are available for voluntary and community sector organisations.

Download: dast_training.doc

Safeguarding Children - Updated Referral Procedures
Manchester Safeguarding Children Board has published revised guidance on making referrals around children or young people where there are concerns of harm, abuse or neglect. It is essential that staff in all organisations working with children, young people are familiar with the basics of this process. During the recent review of safeguarding practice in Manchester it has been noted that the quality of referrals has generally been poor - this new guidance seeks to clarify the process and provide useful definition of key terms.

Download: 2009_guidelines_for_reporting_referral_procedures.pdf
Link: Manchester Safeguarding Children Board - Useful Resources

Personal Health Budgets
The Department of Health has published a new leaflet which aims to provide basic information about the new "personal health budgets" system and how to obtain further information.
Link: Department of Health

Advocacy and Safeguarding
The Manchester Safeguarding Adults Board commissioned a working group to explore the development of advocacy services in Manchester as part a range of ways of safeguarding adults from abuse. Below is a link to download the final proposal from that group for developing Safeguarding advocacy services. This will be considered by the Health and Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee of Manchester City Council on June 19th 2009. The report was scrutinised by the City Council's Adult Social Care Department and it has been their decision that there will be 'no financial consequences for the budget'.
Download: advocacy_cttee_report_june_09_final.doc

Health Inequalities - National Support Team review
During March 2009, Manchester was visited by a National Support Team from the Department of Health to assess local progress in tackling health inequalities in the city. These visits are something the Department of Health often uses to provide support and challenge at a local level and involve spending a few days talking to a range of people around a particular topic: there was one about childhood obesity in 2008, for example. MACC is usually included in the list of organisations to be interviewed in these visits - because of our knowledge of local services, our contact with a wide range of voluntary sector organisations and service user groups and our overall perspective on community engagement. Each NST visit ends with a closing session where the team feeds back all that it has heard, highlighting what seems to be working well and giving recommendations for further development. Click on the link below to download the slides from the health inequalities session.
Download: nst_health_inequalities_visit_-_march_2009.pdf

Campaign against the abuse of adults
At the Manchester conference on adult abuse held in February, the Manchester Safeguarding Adults Board launched a local campaign to stamp out adult abuse. It has been endorsed by broadcaster Joan Bakewell and former Manchester City footballer Alex Williams. The former goalkeeper said: “All adult have the right to live their life free from neglect or abuse -the abuse of vulnerable adults is criminal."

In 2007/2008 there were 486 investigations of adult abuse across Manchester City with an anticipated rise of 20% in 2008/2009, which includes physical abuse as well as neglect, financial and emotional abuse. Victims include people with mental health problems, those with physical disabilities as well as the elderly.

Broadcaster and older people's champion Joan Bakewell said: “Many people don't realise that the elderly and other vulnerable members of our society can be subject to many different kinds of abuse, including emotional, physical, sexual and financial abuse and neglect." She added:”The aim of this campaign is to raise people's awareness of the potential for this abuse and ensure that they know how to help to prevent it taking place. It is essential that support and protection is available."

Councillor Basil Curley, Executive Member for Adult Social Care for Manchester City Council said: “The abuse of vulnerable members of our community is something that should never be tolerated. Raising awareness is key to stamping out abuse and I really hope more people come forward as a result of the campaign."

If you or someone you know is a victim of adult abuse call 0161 255 8250 (Adult Social Care) or 0161 872 5050 (Greater Manchester Police)

Manchester's Multi-Agency Policy and Procedures on Safeguarding Adults is now available in the Safeguarding Adults Resources section of the MACC website - click on the link below.
Link: Safeguarding Adults Resources

Third Sector Strategy Update
Work is progressing on the development of a Third Sector Strategy for Manchester. The group leading on this work has now produced a short briefing outlining the progress made so far. Click on the link below to download a copy. Alongside this, the first data have been released from the survey of voluntary and community sector organisations carried out during Autumn 2008 to establish a picture of what the "environment for a thriving Third Sector" might look like - including a "headline report" on Manchester. The briefing and the report are available to download on our Third Sector Strategy page: click on the link below to visit the page.
Link: Third Sector Strategy

Somebody Else's Child campaign
Do you know someone who is caring for somebody else’s child? If it’s for more than 28 days, they must notify their local council. Failure to do so is a criminal offence. Research released by the British Association for Adoption & Fostering reveals that nearly a quarter (22%) of people would miss a clear sign that a child may be at risk. Key findings are that:

• 22% of people would do nothing if an unrelated child suddenly appeared living next door
• 7% would not act if an unrelated child next door disappeared
  

Review of Adult Social Care Law
The Law Commission is carrying out a review of the range of laws which define and regulate adult social care in England and Wales. There's wide recognition that this is a tangled mess of legislation dating back over 60 years and long overdue for a co-ordinated approach. The review will cover issues such as eligibility criteria and the powers, duties and responsibilities of Local Authorities. The intention is eventually to provide a single legal framework for adult social care. More information and an initial report setting out the scale of the work is available on the Law Commission's website.
Link: Law Commission - Adult Social Care
Link: Scoping Report (pdf)

NHS - Darzi Review and the Voluntary Sector
The Department of Health has published a briefing on the implications of Lord Darzi's "Next Stage Review" of the NHS for the voluntary and community sector. There is strong emphasis on the voluntary sector's role as a provider of services and as part of a "Coalition for Better Health".
Link: Download from Department of Health website (PDF)

Manchester Joint Strategic Needs Assessment
The JSNA is a new document which gathers together a great deal of data about needs in Manchester. JSNA's are initiative started by Central Government - and is really about ensuring needs assessment has been carried out so that it informs the commissioning processes across both health and social services. 
It has been developed by the Joint Health Unit in partnership with Manchester NHS, Children's Services and Adult Social Care. As this is the first JSNA it really provides a baseline reference document - so it includes a policy update and local data. It also contains some initial recommendations. It's clearly shaped by the current Children and Young People's Plan and will inform future versions along with plans for Manchester NHS.  
For voluntary sector groups it provides useful data in terms of evidence of local needs and gives some insight into likely commissioning priorities over the coming years.
The full JSNA and a summary version are now available on the City Council website here:
Link: Manchester JSNA

NHS Manchester Commissioning Strategic Plan
On 26th November, NHS Manchester launched their first Commissioning Strategic Plan - this essentially sets out the big priorities for the local NHS over the next 5 years. These are at first glance unsurprising - life expectancy, reducing under 18 pregnancy, tackling childhood obesity, etc, - but the fact that these have now taken centre stage in the Primary Care Trust's plans and budgeting is a considerable shift towards a preventative health economy. The full document is now available on the NHS Manchester Website and includes some interesting initial observations about the need to engage local voluntary sector organisations in the delivery of these preventative services.
Link: NHS Manchester Commissioning Strategic Plan

MyManchesterServices
Manchester City Council has launched a new section on its website called "MyManchesterServices". This is aimed at adults who need advice, information, health and fitness activities, social opportunities or other services to help improve their quality of life. You can build up a list of services and opportunities near you. If you register with the site you can save your search and return to it at any time, making this your personalised directory.
(If you would like your organisation to be added to this directory you can contact the team by email at: mymanchesterservices@manchester.gov.uk.)
Link: www.manchester.gov.uk/MyManchesterServices

New national umbrella group
A new organisation called National Voices to bring together groups of health and social care patients, service users and carers to give them a stronger collective voice in policy-making at a national level. This seems to fill a gap which MACC has long identified in engaging with the policy and decision makers at Westminster. Further details can be found on their website:
Link: National Voices

DAST newsletter
The Drug and Alcohol Strategy Team at Manchester City Council (known as "DAST") has released the first edition of a new quarterly newsletter for groups in Manchester interested in issues for carers and families of people with substance misuse problems. This edition includes a questionnaire to gather the views of carers and service users which will inform the DAST's future work.
Download: catalyst_july08.doc
Link: About DAST

Worforce Development 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. Click on the link below to download a copy.
Download: nw_hsc_funding_guide.doc

Adult Social Care Workforce Development
In October, the Government will be publishing a strategy for the development of the workforce delivering health and social care services for adults. It will cover workers in all sectors - public, private and voluntary. In moving to services shaped around the user under the "Personalisation" agenda, the range of people who deliver those services is going to change, so this strategy should be an indication of how far these changes are expected to go. The Department of Health has produced an "interim statement" to give people some ideas of what will be in the final strategy.
Link: Department of Health

CRB Checks for Volunteers
In June 2008, the Office of the Third Sector released guidance to make clear what groups using volunteers need to do about Criminal Records Bureau checks. This is intended as a reply to concerns that some volunteers are being put off by the CRB check process. Obviously, organisations do need to manage risks in people doing voluntary work with children or vulnerable adults and there are some legal requirements but this new guidance tries to explain where a formal CRB check fits with other steps such as interviewing, training and getting references.
Link: Guidance on CRB Checks for Volunteers (pdf)
Link: Criminal Records Bureau

NHS Next Stage Review
As you'll have seen in the national media, the final report of Lord Darzi's "NHS Next Stage Review" has now been published which "sets out a vision for an NHS with quality at its heart." It includes a number of messages which would be expected such as increased emphasis on (i.e. by spending money) prevention of illness, choice and control for patients, changes to the system under which new drugs are approved for NHS use. Perhaps one of the most telling features in terms of the direction the Government wishes the NHS to go is the introduction of personal budgets for people with long term conditions - based on the same model which is currently being rolled out within social care services.
Link: Department of Health - Darzi Report
Link: King's Fund briefing on Darzi Report

Carers Strategy 2008
The Government has published its short-term agenda and long-term vision for the future care and support of carers. It's accompanied by a £255 million investment to implement some immediate steps alongside medium and long-term plans in areas such as respite,  health checks and young carers issues.
Link: Department of Health
Link: Manchester Carers Forum

Shifting the Balance of Care to Local Settings
The Department of Health commissioned The King's Fund, in partnership with Loop2, to undertake a simulation-based project to understand how a shift in the balance of care from hospital to community settings could take place. This report shares the learning that emerged from this project.
Link: The SeeSaw report

Self Directed Support Discussion Document
MACC has produced a discussion document on the future funding of social care services and the development of Self Directed Support. It's available in the Reports section or via the link below.

Link: MACC paper on Self Directed Support (word)