Notice Board

Manchester Health Priorities Survey
As part of it's Talking Health programme, Manchester Primary Care Trust is seeking people's views on its priorities for improving health in the city. The huge health inequalities between Manchester and the rest of the country are well known - and those between different parts of the city itself. The PCT has set ten major priorities and is asking for ideas and views about what should be done on each of them. They have emphasised that it does not mean stopping funding for any existing services or other areas of work but simply highlights what we believe will make the most difference to local people’s health. To feed in your views, click on the link to the online survey below.
Link: Manchester PCT priorities survey
Link: Talking Health website

CRB Checks for Volunteers
In June, 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

Third Sector Survey
The Office of the Third Sector is carrying out a Third Sector Flexibility Survey addressed to third sector organisations that are currently delivering public services or have been involved in their delivery in the last 12 months. The survey is a follow up to the Cabinet Office publication “Excellence and Fairness: Achieving world class public services”. Through it the Office for the Third Sector aims to improve its understanding of what supports and drives innovation in Third Sector public service delivery.  If your organisation is currently involved or has been involved in public service delivery in the last 12 months, please take the time to complete the survey and return it by 8 September 2008. Click here to complete the survey. Please return this survey even if it is incomplete. All answers are valuable.
Link: Cabinet Office - Third Sector Survey

Manchester Infrastructure Support Survey
Manchester City Council has launched a consultation survey on the support services currently available for voluntary and community sector organisations. These are currently being provided by Novas Scarman Trust   The information provided will identify how the current service is being used and gaps in provision - which will shape the tender for the new contrct for this work. MACC strongly encourages all local voluntary sector organisations to take part in this survey: there is a clear need to develop the range of support available to the sector and this is the big opportunity to communicate that message to the people who commission the service. Follow the link below to take part. The deadline is 30th September 2008.
A hard copy of the questionnaire can be downloaded from the City Council website or is available from: The Third Sector Team, Corporate Performance Group,  Manchester City Council,  PO Box 532, Manchester M60 2LA   tel: 0161 234 3141.
Link: City Council Infrastructure Support Survey

Urgent Care in Central Manchester
Manchester Primary Care Trust, working with Central Manchester Practice Based Commissioning Group and Manchester City Council, is developing a full specification for urgent care services in Central Manchester. They are asking providers including the voluntary and community sector to contribute to the "design stage" - this will ultimately shape the service specification. If you're interested in contributing to this, you should contact the Greater Manchester Commissioning Business Service (link below) by 20th August 2008.
Download: urgent_care_reform.pdf
Link: Greater Manchester Commissioning Business Service
Link: Manchester PCT - Urgent Care Programme

Consultation on GP out of hours services in Manchester
Manchester PCT is planning to re-contract for the provision of GP services which operate outside normal opening hours. They have set up a short online survey to gather views on some of the key ways the new provider should operate. To take part, please click on the link below.
Link: Out of hours survey

Flouridation in Greater Manchester
As you may have heard in the media, discussions are currently taking place about water flouridation across Greater Manchester. This is partly in response to the very poor levels of dental health in the area. The debate is still in its early stages and there is a legal requirement to undertake public consultation before any action is taken. Manchester Health Watchdog have produced an information update which is available >HERE<.