Press Release on cuts to Social Care and the VCS
MACC has issued the attached press release in response to Manchester City Council's proposed cuts to social care and services provided by the voluntary and community sector.
Public Health in Manchester
Below is an update we've received from David Regan, Director of Public Health about the changes to the Public Health services in Manchester. As previously announced, public health functions will soon move into the City Council. Click on the link to download the letter (PDF).
The Joint Commissioning Board and the Greater Manchester Cluster
New governance arrangements have been put in place for NHS Manchester joint commissioning of mental health, childrens, prisons and other specialist services. The document explains the role, purpose, membership and accountability for these arrangements and includes a map outlining the links between the different groups. It might be helpful to think of the GP consortia and the joint commissioning management board as equivalent to the old PCT and; The Greater Manchester Cluster ss equivalent to the Strategic Health Authority
‘Talking Dementia' Report
Following NHS Manchester's “Talking Dementia” event which took place earlier this year at Manchester Town Hall, a report is now available which feeds back on the discussions from the day.
Themes identified included:
• the key role that GPs play in identifying early symptoms, and a perceived need for improved training for GPs
• the need for better care in hospitals for those with dementia. Again a requirement for better training of staff was highlighted
• the need for consistency and reliability of home carers, backed up by a greater range of technology to be available to the patient
• considerable praise for the Admiral nurse service and a call to expand the service; and
• the importance of respite care and support for carers of people with dementia.
If you would like a copy of the report and presentation, email: [email protected], or telephone on 0161 765 4168.
Justice for All campaign
Justice for All is a national campaign group which has been formed to press for "free, independent advice and representation on legal matter". The group's membership includes well known national agencies such as Citizens Advice Bureau, Advice UK, Shelter, RNIB, Scope and Mencap. A particular focus for the campaign is access to support around welfare rights. At MACC we share the concern that access to advice is under threat at a time when the welfare system is undergoing major reform with many of the most vulnerable members of society at risk of losing the support on which they depend.
Professor Malcom Harrington's review of the Work Capability Assessment
This review found "clear and consistent critiscisms of the whole system", and evidence that the system can be "impersonal and mechanistic"; lacking transparency and that "poor communication between all parties contributes to poor decision making and a high number of appeals".
The full document is available below. Annex A 1 through 14 gives a clear summary of actions.
The government has fully supported the findings of the review see page 10 and 11 from the second link which is the governments response.
Link: The Harrington Review
Link: The governments response
Equality Act 2010
The Government Equalities Office has produced a series of guides on the new Equalities Act which has now come into force. As well as increasing rights for individuals and communities, this also places new responsibilities on all organisations providing services to members of the public - including voluntary sector. There is a particular issue for charities around the provision of services which are targetted at one section of the community (e.g. women-only): this is now acceptable if it is primarily about addressing a social imbalance. Below are links to the website and the summary guide for organisations.
Link: Government Equalities Office
Link: Summary Guide for Voluntary and Community Sector organisations
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.
MACC and the Local Involvement Network (LINk) have produced a briefing and position paper on this work and its context with other local developments. You can download the paper below.
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.
2009 Your Care Your Say
2009 Dignity in Care Campaign
What do we mean by Dignity?
2008 Reform of the Care and Support System
The Government is continuing to consult on the reform of the social care and support system. An event was held in Manchester in June where a number of stakeholders from across the Region were asked for our views, mainly on the future funding of social care.
2007 Genuine Partners Revisited
This report was initiated by the Greater Manchetser Older People's Reference Group, to gather evidence of older people's experiences of serving on multi-agencey partnerships, at the strategic level,to deliver the NSF for older people. The research Team included Michelle Cornes & Jill Manthorpe from King's College and Pauline Weinstein, an independent older researcher.
2007 The Future of Social Care
There is a national debate facilitated by the Caring Choices partnership, which is asking people's views on how social care should be funded in the future. These notes were taken from a meeting with older people in Manchester.
2007 Caring Choices Who Will Pay for Long Term Care
2003 In the Long Term Who Cares
A report on the launch of a campaign around the future of long term care for older people in Manchester.