Forum

Citation

Jenkins, D.K.G. (2012), "Forum", Social Care and Neurodisability, Vol. 3 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/scn.2012.56103daa.002

Forum

Article Type: Forum From: Social Care and Neurodisability, Volume 3, Issue 4

Welcome to the Forum section of Social Care and Neurodisability, your opportunity to post responses to articles 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.

Dr Keith G. Jenkins, CPsychol, CSci, AFBPsS, National Brain Injury Centre, St Andrew’s Healthcare, Northampton, NN1 5DG, Tel.: +44 (0)1604 616767, e-mail: KJenkins@standrew.co.uk

Volunteering, the best Olympics legacy?

When David Cameron, the Prime Minister, and his colleagues spoke about the Big Society, at the core of the concept were notions of voluntary service. I know from my work with Headway and its day services for people with an acquired brain injury, that volunteers are fundamental to maintaining such services. In my day job too, as a neuropsychologist in a neurobeahvioural rehabilitation service, the contribution of volunteers, often young graduates seeking clinical experience, is invaluable. I am also sure that in many other neurodisability settings, it is the volunteers that help fill the gap between resources and need. I understand that following the fantastic London 2012 Olympic Games, and the lauded contribution of volunteers in “making” the games, that volunteering is currently being viewed as a very good thing to do. Of course, it always has been, but perhaps a raised profile and value may prove to be the best Olympic legacy, especially if we can find more volunteers for our essential range of neurodisability causes.

Progress for Neurological Services Commissioning

On the 26 July, the NHS Commissioning Board confirmed that they will be establishing a strategic clinical network (SCN) for neurological conditions, under which dementia and mental health will also sit. The SCN under which neurology sits is one of only four SCNs announced, with the other three allocated to cancer, maternity and children’s services, and cardiovascular disease. The Neurological Alliance and their partners have campaigned hard for neurological conditions to achieve this degree of recognition. In the NHS Commissioning Board’s launch document, “the way forward: SCNs” (Published to NHS CBA web site, in electronic format only), the following commitments are included:

• •

  We will introduce a new type of network called SCNs. They will be established in areas of major healthcare challenge where a whole system, integrated approach is needed to achieve a real change in quality and outcomes of care for patients. SCNs will help commissioners reduce unwarranted variation in services and will encourage innovation.

• •

  SCNs will work on the guiding principle of engaging patients and the public in all their work, whether it is developing quality improvement bodies or providing an oversight of the network’s activities. The NHS CB is developing a universal approach to ensure that public and patient involvement is meaningful and effective. Other organisations, particularly those from social care and the voluntary sector, will also be important partners in SCNs.

• •

  CCGs will be able to use networks as a source of clinical advice and support in driving their quality improvement programmes locally.

I suggest that you and your local partners in using or providing services for people with neurological conditions look out for opportunities to become active contributors to the network. Also, do not forget to become involved with your local Clinical Commissioning Group. Hopefully, these new bureaucracies and ways of delivering services will provide fresh opportunities to shape and improve service provision. Of course, volunteers will again be essential components!

Forthcoming events/announcements

17 October, Hilton Birmingham Metropole. What is under the iceberg? Brain injury, commissioning and patient outcomes National Brain Injury Centre Conference 2012 (available at: www.stah.org/Portals/0/docs/17%20Oct%202012%20NBIC.pdf).

17-18 October 2012, Royal Hospital for Neurodisability, London. Positioning for Function.

29 October 2012, Royal Hospital for Neurodisability, London. Overview of the Principles of Assessment & Management of Patients with Disorder of Consciousness and Introduction to SMART.

29 October-2 November 2012, Royal Hospital for Neurodisability, London. SMART Assessor Training.

30 October-1 November, Brighton Hilton Metropole. 7th Dementia Congress 2012, available at: www.atdementia.org.uk/editorial.asp?page_id=324 #

4-6 November, Kenilworth. MS Trust Annual Conference, available at: www.mstrust.org.uk/professionals/professional-development/annual-conference/

5-6 November, York. Parkinson’s UK Research Conference, available at: www.parkinsons.org.uk/researchconference

8-10 November 2012, Nice – France. 2nd International Congress on Neurology & Epidemiology – “Impact of drugs on the natural history of neurological diseases”

13 November 2012, National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham. The 4th Annual UKABIF Conference, available at: www.ukabif.org.uk/ukabif-annual-conference

15 November, 4.30 pm-5.30 pm, Royal Hospital for Neurodisability, A Beginners Guide to Postural Management. 020 8780 4500 x5140 | Fax: 0208 780 4569 |pdenning@rhn.org.uk

23 November, Thistle City Barbican, The Rise and Fall of Cognition Across the Lifespan, First Annual Conference of the BPS Division of Neuropsychology. Event enquiry line: 01332 227773, available at: www.kc-jones.co.uk/lifespan

3 December 2012, MacFarlanes LLP, London EC4A 1LT. VIP Launch of New Diagnostic Algorithm and Management Guidelines for Encephalitis. For more information please contact the Encephalitis Society; e-mail: admin@encephalitis.info or call 01653 692583.

16 January 2013, Birmingham. Older people and people with dementia workshop. Royal College of Nursing, available at: www.rcn.org.uk/newsevents/events/forthcoming_events?result_103394_result_page=3

7-8 February 2013, London. 15th National Conference: Dementias 2013, available at: www.mahealthcareevents.co.uk/cgi-bin/go.pl/conferences/detail.html?conference_uid=339

6-10 March 2013, Florence. The 11th International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease & Parkinson’s Disease (AD/PD 2013).

7-8 March 2013, Valencia. International Conference on Recent Advances in Neurorehabilitation, available at: www.icranconference.com/

8 March 2013, Gloucestershire, APIL Brain Injury Conference, available at: www.apil.org.uk/event-details.aspx?ID=2026

Brain Injury Social Work Group bursaries

Each financial year Brain Injury Social Work Group Ltd will be offering two exceptional bursaries of £1000 for international conferences and 16 bursaries of £500 to attend training and conferences in the UK (available at: www.biswg.co.uk/html/bursaries.html).

And finally

If you would like your event(s) featured, send an e-mail with details at least three months before the event to allow for publication lead times.

If you have any 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.

Dr Keith G. Jenkins