Forum

Citation

(2011), "Forum", Social Care and Neurodisability, Vol. 2 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/scn.2011.56102daa.005

Forum

Article Type: Forum From: Social Care and Neurodisability, Volume 2, Issue 4

Welcome to the Forum section of Social Care and Neurodisability, your opportunity to post responses to papers from previous issues and to raise awareness of forthcoming events, consultations, policy initiatives, etc. This edition of Forum has been compiled by Dr Keith Jenkins, who looks forward to your responses by e-mail or post.

Keith G. Jenkins, CPsychol, CSci, National Brain Injury Centre, St Andrew’s Healthcare, Northampton, UK.

Tel:+44 (0)1604 616767

e-mail: KJenkins@standrew.co.uk

“The Big Society”

If like me you are involved with delivering services from the charitable sector, in my case Headway East Northants, you are probably experiencing the other side of the Government’s Big Society Agenda, that is, the big funding cuts! Although involved in delivering a sorely needed day activity-based social rehabilitation service for adults with an acquired brain injury, our local authority funding has been reduced and the criteria that need to be met by individuals to secure funding have been tightened. In common with many charities, we are now looking to raise funds from donations and events as we cannot rely upon the statutory sector to help us make ends meet or to support us in delivering services to people that need them. Sadly, unless charities with a stake in providing care across the neurodisability spectrum find ways to work together, we may find ourselves competing for ever dwindling statutory funds and public donations. Can the government’s Big Society idea help?

The three key areas highlighted in the 2011 Big Society Awards were:

1. 1.

   Promoting social action. People being, and being encouraged to be, more involved in their communities through giving time, money and other resources.

2. 2.

   Empowering communities. Local people taking control of how things are done in their area and being helped to do this by local government and others.

3. 3.

   Opening up public services. Public sector organisations and individuals demonstrating innovative ways of delivering public services and charities, social enterprises and private companies showing new ways of delivering public services.

Clearly, there are opportunities to be seen to respond to the idea of a Big Society as many neurodisability charities and service providers will already be heavily invested in volunteer support and accessing funding through partnership arrangements. However, becoming heavily involved in functions previously carried out by local government, for example, assessing for and rationing access to services, may represent a threat to previous notions of independence and the ability to campaign against perceived unfairness in care provision. The future is uncertain but perhaps one thing is already determined, that is, we need to change significantly to meet the challenge of less funding in the face of more need.

Why not tell me how you feel about these issues or how your particular area of neurodisability is being affected.

For the Big Society Network see: www.thebigsociety.co.uk/about-us/

Forthcoming events/announcements

London, 25th January 2012

‘Employment and Support Allowance Workshop’ presented by Paul Sandford. For details and bookings contact Katie Pennington at Irwin Mitchell LLP at: www.katie.pennington@irwinmitchell.com

Birmingham, 29th February 2012

Child Brain Injury Trust Annual Conference ‘Risky Business’ Follow the link to book: www.childbraininjurytrust.org.uk/services_cands.html

London, 19th March 2012

‘Goal Setting for Social Workers’ presented by Dr Grahame Simpson contact Chloe Hayward at: www.chloe_hayward@hotmail.com, www.biswg.co.uk

Edinburgh, 21-24 March 2012

The International Brain Injury Association’s 9th World Congress. Details at: www.internationalbrain.org

Melbourne, Australia, 16-19 May 2012

7th World Congress for NeuroRehabilitation. For details see: www.dcconferences.com.au/wcnr2012/. Deadline for papers and symposia 14 October 2011.

Campaigning opportunities

A manifesto for acquired brain injury

Responding to the message from Keith Willett, National Clinical Director for Trauma, that the next two years represent an opportunity for developing rehabilitation services, the UKABIF is seeking to develop a common voice or “Manifesto” for all acquired brain injury stakeholders to focus their campaigning.

National Voices Response to the Health and Social Care Bill 2011

National Voices is the national charity coalition for health and social care. It aims to strengthen the voice of people who come into contact with the NHS and care services, and of the voluntary organisations that work for them. Its broad membership, rooted in people’s experience, represents millions of people and covers a diverse range of health conditions and communities. It claims to be the only organised and representative national voice of the broad public interest in health and social care, and its events and campaigns do appear to attract political interest:

1. 1.

   National Voices has welcomed the government’s vision of Putting Patients First, and wants to see it implemented through the Bill as effectively as possible.

2. 2.

   National Voices participated fully in dialogues during the “pause” in the Bill and welcomed both the report of the NHS Future Forum, and the government’s response.

3. 3.

   National Voices also argue that it is necessary to strengthen some of the provisions of the Bill still further, including:

   • •

     commissioners’ duties to individual patient involvement;

   • •

     commissioners’ duties to obtain expert advice; and

   • •

     commissioners’ duties to collective public involvement.

4. 4.

   National Voices also wish to signal to the committee some areas in which the new or amended clauses give rise to further questions or concerns with regard to the operation of the new structures, and the secondary legislation and guidance that may follow. These include:

   • •

     the date for the establishment of HealthWatch;

   • •

     how the clinical networks and senates will operate;

   • •

     the nature of the mandate to the NHS Commissioning Board; and

   • •

     the regulations for governance of clinical commissioning groups.

For full details of the National Voices response see: www.nationalvoices.org.uk/sites/www.nationalvoices.org.uk/files/National%20Voices%20Memorandum%20to%20the%20Public%20Bill%20Committee%20040611.pdf

And finally

If you have any information, questions or opinions that you would like to share with the wider neurodisability community, why not send them into Forum. I look forward to hearing from you.