K&C LINk

Volunteers Needed to Review LINk Website

shall — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 19:51:33 +0000

Would you like to be part of a small team looking at website usability?

We are looking for four LINk members who can attend a meeting, reviewing usability of the Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and RB Kensington & Chelsea LINks websites.

The meeting takes place on Wednesday 29^th February from 11am-1pm at Hestia Head Office, Hounslow.

If you would like to be involved, please email brentlink@hestia.org, telling us in no more than 250 words “what you think makes a website usable”.

If you attend the review meeting, we will reimburse any reasonable travel expenses. You will also receive a £15 M&S voucher.

Closing date for applications is Wednesday 22^nd February but remember….please only apply if you are sure you can attend on Wednesday 29^th February in Hounslow from 11am – 1pm.

Any queries, please email brentlink@hestia.org

Health Watch Board Update

shall — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 19:43:44 +0000

Here is your chance to read the first monthly newsletter of the London Health and Wellbeing Board partnership support programme. It aims to help colleagues inLondonkeep in touch with the programme in between events and to provide updates on relevantLondonand national developments.

Click on link to newsletter

Nominations for Olympic and Paralympics tickets

shall — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 19:28:56 +0000

The Council is looking to reward our local heroes with free tickets for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Organisations are invited to nominate those who are an inspiration in our communities: young sporting champions who push themselves that little bit further; the coaches who support them in going the extra mile; and volunteers who give their time to make a difference. There are 50 pairs of tickets for each the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

A nominee will need to either work, live or regularly participate in activities in Kensington and Chelsea. They do not need to live in the borough, just to commit time and energy to the borough’s life.

Click on link for more information and to make your nomination

The closing date for nominations is 9am, Monday 9 April 2012.

FREE Training for LINk members

Paula — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 13:40:36 +0000

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
29^th February		10am–2pm		Leadership
13^th March		10am–2pm		Representation
28^th March		10am–2pm		Engagement
17^th April		10am–2pm		Influence
15^th May		10am–2pm		Enter & View
London – Set 2
Date	Time		Theme
26^th March	10am–2pm		Leadership
2^nd May	10am–2pm		Engagement
8^th May	10am–2pm		Enter & View
18^th June	10am–2pm		Representation
26^th 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

Patient and carer engagement in the London Cancer Alliance

Paula — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:52:26 +0000

The London Cancer Alliance has released a draft communication and engagement strategy – to view click here This document will outline how they intend to engage with key stakeholders, such as GPs, patients and carers.

If you have any comments on this document, can you please forward them to K&C LINk before the 20^th of February (Pages 10 – 11 focus specifically on patients and carers).

As a reminder, this organisation if authorised, will lead on the development of cancer services forNorth West, South West and South East London. For this reason it is important to embed the patient and carer voice into this organisation. For a reminder of what the London Cancer Alliance is, please click here.

Furthermore, it would be helpful to know if you think patient and carer engagement is currently effective. If not, what can be done to improve this? To offer your thoughts, please click here.

Stakeholder letter re two GP practices in Kensington and Chelsea

shall — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 09:44:05 +0000

Re: Patients registered with Dr O’Rawe, 80 Cambridge Gardens, W10 and Dr Bronsdon, Kensington Palace Surgery, W8

Family doctors, Dr O’Rawe and Dr Bronsdon, are resigning from medical practice on 31 March 2012 and 30 April 2012 respectively.

NHS Kensington and Chelsea, together with NHS North West London, the organisation responsible for GP contracts, now has to decide how patients who are currently registered at the practices can continue to access GP services in their local area.

Please click on link above to view letters to patients explaining the changes and asking their views on the options for future access to local GP services.

Job Vacancy: Age UK Expert by Experience

shall — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:16:42 +0000

Are you an older person? Do you care for an older person? Do you have experience of using social
and/or health care services for older people?

Age UKis currently seeking to recruit people with your
knowledge and experience to join our Acting Together
project as Experts by Experience.

This project runs until March 2013 and you will typically be asked to complete three or four inspections (full training will be provided) during that period. Wherever possible we will ask you only to work within your own region.

If you are interested in this position, please contact Pauline Johnson for an application form, full role description and job pack.
Tel: 020 3033 1067, Email: expertsbyexperience@ageuk.org.uk

Click on link for more information

The closing date for applications is 15th February 2012

The Forum – ‘OPERATION INTEGRATION: The Making of New

shall — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:37:33 +0000

The Migrant and Refugee Communities Forum have
launched a multimedia report about integration, successes and challenges, their context and history.

This report tells the story from the Forums’ perspective and how, for example, they came to know about thousands of migrant dentists. It gives voice to those who do most of the work of integration and hardly ever have a say: migrants and refugees, our new citizens.
click on link to view report

New Report by The Forum – ‘OPERATION INTEGRATION: The Making of New Citizens’

shall — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:31:30 +0000

The Migrant and Refugees Community Forum has launched their multimedia report about integration successes and challenges, our context and history.

This report tells the story from the Forum perspective and how, for example, to obtain information about thousands of migrant dentists. It gives voice to those who do most of the work of integration and hardly ever have a say: migrants and refugees, our new citizens.

This multimedia report includes the full report (PDF), online profiles of 8 migrants, over 20 video interviews on integration tipping points, and blog posts exploring international and local perspectives on integration.

click to view a full a copy of the report

Inner North West London Equalty Act Statement

shall — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:19:20 +0000

Inner West London Primary Care Trusts (NHS Hammersmith & Fulham, NHS Kensington & Chelsea and NHS Westminster) has published a report outlining how the meet its duty to publish information demonstrating compliance with the equality duties under the Equality Act 2012.

Click to view report