As you may be aware, Paul Burstow, Minister of State for Care Services, has announced a series of learning sets, run by a consortium of the Department of Health’s Voluntary Sector Strategic Partners (see attached letter). These are designed to build on existing good practice in LINks and provide opportunities to learn what can be done better and how this can be achieved.
The learning sets will be a great opportunity to share and embed best practice across all LINks in the run up to local Healthwatch. They are ideal for LINks members who wish to gain more confidence and enhance their skills, as well as those who are new to LINks and want to improve local patient experiences and outcomes, give a voice to those who are seldom heard and hold commissioners and providers to account.
The workshops are taking place across England between February and June 2012. They are free to attend, reasonable travel expenses will be paid and lunch will be provided.
What will people learn?
In each geographical area there will be five workshops which will all have an action learning element. Each of these will focus on a particular theme, as follows:
- Leadership – focusing on the leaders’ roles in implementing best practice in their LINk and in the work they do.
- Enter and View – focusing on sharing good practice of experience in delivering enter and view.
- Representation - addressing how to ensure accountability, building relationships with partners, and being a “critical friend” to relevant decision makers, particularly as representatives on Health and Wellbeing Boards.
- Engagement - addressing effective methods for reaching seldom heard groups (people with learning disabilities for instance) as well as groups that are often under-represented (such as black and minority ethnic groups or travellers).
- Influencing strategic decision makers - focusing on how LINks can work with and challenge commissioners and providers to improve patient experience and patient outcomes.
| London – Set 1 | ||||
| Date | Time | Theme | ||
| 29th February | 10am–2pm | Leadership | ||
| 13th March | 10am–2pm | Representation | ||
| 28th March | 10am–2pm | Engagement | ||
| 17th April | 10am–2pm | Influence | ||
| 15th May | 10am–2pm | Enter & View | ||
| London – Set 2 | ||||
| Date | Time | Theme | ||
| 26th March | 10am–2pm | Leadership | ||
| 2nd May | 10am–2pm | Engagement | ||
| 8th May | 10am–2pm | Enter & View | ||
| 18th June | 10am–2pm | Representation | ||
| 26th June | 10am–2pm | Influence | ||
Please note places are limited so please contact the K&C LINk office on ph: 020 8968 7049 or rbkclink@hestia.org
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