A press release today from my good friend Malcolm Alexander of NALM about how this government ignores health volunteers. Following on from yesterday's news about how charities are being starved of funds it is further evidence of the hollowness of the 'Big Society' project.August 3rd 2011 - PRESS RELEASE
The National Association of LINks Members
Secretary of State forgets his "nothing about me without me" mantra
Andrew Lansley, Secretary of State for Health will today announce the details of 75 LINks (Local Involvement Networks, the local health and social care watchdogs, awarded Pathfinder status by the Department of Health to support their development to become Healthwatch organisations. LINks are set to ‘evolve’ into Healthwatch in October 2012 with greatly expanded duties. But whilst millions are being given by the government for the organisational development of Pathfinder Clinical Commissioning Groups (£7milion in London alone), Andrew Lansley has plans to give absolutely nothing to Pathfinder LINks.
NALM finds it incomprehensible that that whilst money has been found to be used by the DH for LINk Pathfinder evaluation, networking and shared learning with LINks, that no money will be given to the LINks individually to run their leading edge Pathfinder work.
NALM’s recent report ‘Evolution or Abolition’ showed that LINks, have suffered an average 24% budget cut, and some cuts as great as 70%
Malcolm Alexander, Chair of NALM said: LINks are run by volunteers and have a major role in monitoring the quality and safety of NHS and social care services from a user’s and patient’s viewpoint. To expect them to run successful Pathfinders with no additional money is frankly insulting to the excellent and committed volunteers across the country, who strive to make LINks a success. The launch of Healthwatch Pathfinders today is a hollow event. LINks have a vital role in monitoring services, and we expect the Secretary of State to value their great contribution, by funding the development of Pathfinders. We call of Andrew Lansley to show that the government values LINks and is committed to Healthwatch by producing funding that will enable them to development into powerful community organisations.
Malcolm Alexander
Chair
August 3rd 2011
Nalm2008@aol.com
Tel: 07817505193 / 0208 809 6551
Notes for editors:
Malcolm Alexander is the Chair of the National Association of LINks Members. He can be contacted on: 0208 809 6551 or 07817505193 or NALM2008@aol.com
Local Involvement Networks (LINks) were set up by statute in 2008 to give citizens a stronger voice in how health and social care services are delivered.
NALM is the national organisation of Local Involvement Network members and was formed on April 1st 2009. NALM aims to stimulate more powerful approaches to public and user involvement and build a major grass roots movement of LINks and LINks’ members which can influence government policy.
The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2008 established Local Involvement Networks (LINks) to promote and support the involvement of people in the commissioning, provision and scrutiny of local NHS and care services. They do this by monitoring services and obtaining the views of people about their experiences of care and making reports and recommendations about how services should be improved, to persons responsible for commissioning, providing, managing or scrutinising local care services.
The local HealthWatch Pathfinders will take on substantial extra duties such as providing information and signposting to the public who need help with understanding how the reformed NHS and social services structures work, and potentially supplying advocacy for those who need help complaining to the NHS about poor treatment.
LINks are made up of volunteers, supported by a small professional team. They have responsibility for scrutinising all health and social care services in a local authority area. They are tasked, by statute, with providing the voice of those who use our health and social care services.
Despite the mantra of "nothing about me without me" LINks were not included in the NHS Future Forum. LINks are already struggling even before they take on this extra Local HealthWatch work. Funding assigned to Local Authorities to support LINks from central government remains unchanged, but is not ringfenced and local authorities have made massive cuts to the budgets of many LINks up to 70%.
It is intended that Local HealthWatch be the voice of the user and patient, and a guardian of patient safety. LINks and Local HealthWatch should be the first line of defence against another Mid-Staffs, they have a right to inspect services, and this role becomes even more critical with the cuts to the CQC.
The decision of the Secretary of State not to fund Pathfinders, insults the goodwill of the volunteers who will run pathfinder Local HealthWatches.
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