News
To View the Banes Compact documents on Principles of Commissioning and Principles of Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) Representation got to:
http://www.thecareforum.org/voluntary_sector/banes.php
A report from the National Audit Office indicates that the gap in life expectancy between the poorest and wealthiest parts of the population in England as a whole is continuing to widen, despite a target set by the Labour government in 2000 to narrow the gap.
Speaking on the BBC ‘Today' programme, Dr Sam Everington, GP in Tower Hamlets in London, said that the government needed to address the fundamental cause of ill health. "What I would argue is what you need is a much bigger and wider role for GPs, so in our centre we provide a hundred different projects which includes a job advisor," he told Today presenter John Humphrys. "The evidence is absolutely clear, that if you get somebody into work or if you get them trained almost in anything you will improve their health."
BMA President Sir Michael Marmot, who recently published a wider independent review into health inequalites, said he was not surprised by the new findings and that there were "persistent inequalities" in areas including income and health. He added that the scale of the problem in London could be seen by taking a journey on the capital's Underground system. For each Tube stop east from Westminster, he said, "you lose a year of life expectancy".
The NAO looked at 70 of the most deprived parts of England. It found that people are living longer in all areas but life expectancy is increasing more slowly in poorer districts.
See more and hear the podcast here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8782000/8782181.stm
See the National Audit Office report here: http://www.nao.org.uk/publications/1011/health_inequalities.aspx
Grant Funding Opportunity for VCS Organisations
Could you support Bristol's Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) to thrive?
New Email Reference Group in North Somerset
The Care Forum has set up a new email reference group for the North Somerset Mental Health Local Implementation Team (LIT). For more details go to North Somerset page
New! B&NES Carer Services Provider Forum
This new forum meets four times a year and is open to all who provide or commission services or who are interested in the provision of services to carers in B&NES. At each meeting there is a topic of discussion, usually generated by national or local policy relevant to carer services providers, and the opportunity to ask questions, share information and network with other providers.
At the first meeting the 28 participants agreed the terms of reference for the forum and heard about each other's services: The Care Network's name is being changed to The Carers Centre on 12 June and there will be a launch event; Way Ahead can provide respite and additions to services; Crossroads Care Wessex works with people with mild to moderate dementia and all carers of service users, including children. It can be quite innovative about services provided, including emergency respite.
Angela Smith, the lead officer for carers at the council, told the meeting that the council had put in a successful bid to the Department of Health (DH) to become a demonstrator site for carers breaks services. The DH is looking for innovative schemes. The bid is around leisure, learning and fitness opportunities and we are one of twelve sites in the country which is piloting breaks. The emphasis in the bid was on the opportunities that carers had told us they wanted outside their caring role. Sports and active leisure services will do 1:1 training sessions with carers. The learning element is about giving carers the opportunity to pursue a new skill or hobby, or gain employment if they want to. The carer needs to be in B&NES or caring for someone in B&NES. Activities are free to them and of their own choice; examples have included buying a fishing licence and training to be a volunteer for the National Trust. The project runs until March 2010.
Angela then gave a presentation on the draft carers' strategy and triggered a vigorous discussion in small groups: meeting notes
Future meetings dates and topics:
Thursday 15 July 2010 - support for providers for community care commissioning round in September: information and the opportunity to ask questions
Thursday 21 October 2010 - review of the Give Us a Break Scheme, which needs to be evaluated
Wednesday 16 February 2011 - opportunity for providers to put forward their views on what services they would like to see commissioned in the future.
All meetings will be held at St Luke's Church Hall, Wellsway, Bath.
For more details about the forum, its terms of reference, meeting notes, future meeting dates, or to join the forum go to B&NES PAGE
Bristol ChangeUp Consortium's response
The Care Forum has written a response to the Council's draft strategy on commissioning voluntary and community sector infrastructure support. At a meeting of the Bristol consortium on 17 December 2009, it was agreed that all members of the consortium support and endorse this paper. The paper is therefore a response from the Black Development Agency, Social Enterprise Works, The Care Forum, Volunteering Bristol and Voscur.
Most of the points made in the response are generic to the sector, however, some are specific to health and social care.
When you have read the response, if you have any queries please contact Kate Oliver, 0117 958 9336, kateoliver@thecareforum.org.uk
The official consultation period has now closed, but if you would like to make any further comments please direct them to Keith Houghton, keith.houghton@bristol.gov.uk