Patient's Forum Breaks Out Userwatch Told

Userwatch has had it confirmed that a statutory Patient's Forum in London tired of the chopping and changing of the PPI policies of the DoH and its poor support for patient and public involvement has broken out of the uncertainty-cycle by declaring itself independent. In an agreement with those in charge at the London Ambulance Service Trust the forum has formed a company limited by guarantee and is set to continue its valuable liaision work without interruption from Goverment :

Click on the image (left) to enlarge in your browser.

Its full statement reads :

Tuesday January 9^th 2007 -

Patients Forum Says ‘No Minister’!

A Statutory Body established by Parliament to monitor the London Ambulance Service (LAS), has rejected attempts by Secretary of State, Patricia Hewitt to abolish it. The abolition proposal contained in the recent ‘Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill’ will set-back patient and public involvement in the NHS and hamper efforts to improve patients’ services, say Forum members. Legislation to abolish the highly successful and popular Patients’ Forum will be ignored by Members of the Forum, who will instead continue to monitor the LAS on behalf of patients in the same way and seek funding from other sources.

Said Forum Chair, Malcolm Alexander:

“Forum Members are doing a great job, have strong links with communities and patients across London and have developed strong and effective links with the LAS. The Government’s abolition plans would destroy the Forum and set back patient and public involvement. Our Members are committed to working with patients and the public to improve NHS services and have no time for the Department of Health’s repeated reorganisations. Our Members have decided to resist the Secretary of State’s abolition plan and continue their work to improve ambulance services and to represent London’s patients and the general public in the NHS.”

For more information please contact Malcolm Alexander, Chair of the Patients’ Forum for the LAS or Mary Arayo, Vice Chair of the Forum. Malcolm Alexander: 0208 809 6551 or 07817505193 (m)

also email :

Patientsforumlas@aol.com

UserWatch is aware that the Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Patient & Public Involvement Forum is keenly watching events and currently is looking at trying to help mental health patients obtain a robuster and more independent patient voice mechanism in Birmingham ...

See also stories below at Nick Green's independent PPIFO site

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Health Committee PPI Inquiry: Some submissions

Draft submission The Purpose of PPI and the Design of LINks from Martin Rathfelder of Socialist Health Association

Mike Cox makes detailed recommendations. On the creation of LINks, recommendation 3.2, he says "CPPIH should be immediately removed from the re-organisation process and this should be conducted by a federation of service users and carers." Mike wants better treatment of disabled service users. His criticisms were claimed to be defamatory and CPPIH lawyers closed down his PPEyes website. He includes his dossier of CPPIH Incompetence.

Mandy Lawrence is critical of the running and organisation of Mental Health PPI. Secretive Trust members have been present at meetings "who use bureaucracy and red tape to block questions and concerns". Mandy's blog addresses these questions further.

Neil Woodnick submits Forums were "ill conceived from the start" with "significant departure from the policy originally discussed in the House.". The minister, David Lammy, advised the Health Committee that support for Forums was to be outsourced: these "FSOs failed completely to promote Forum awareness".

Paul Tovey "Patient & Public Involvement In Mental Health The Ethos And Realities And Evolving LINks". While focussing on long term mental health Paul asks for LINks that can commission research.

PPIFO submission "Patient Safety and the Autonomy of LINks". Thanks for the improvements.

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