Community Health Councils Landing In Birmingham?

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Captured Using Telescopic LINk Fade-ar Plus Intuition

It was spotted orbiting over Birmingham UK . Neither man, nor aeroplane, nor bird - it was a Local Involvement Network (LINk) body (of health monitors) - slowly fragmenting and burning up suitlessly without enough resources and LINk oxygen as it entered into Birmingham Council bureaucracy and the political atmospheres of the new building of the HealthWatch giant rocket . Yes it is certainly rocketing LINk .

It will be all things to all citizens and will take a whole populations concerns on board . Or will it ? Will it lift off ? Will it be too heavy with its lead weighted ambitions ? Will it be mobile enough and will it be over-captained with far too many compartments? You ask good questions ...... !

Sources reveal to us that there was a Health Adult Overview Scrutiny Committee meeting at the Birmingham Council on 13th July 2011 . One Labour Councillor (from Birmingham South) there reportedly said of the Birmingham LINk :

"The LINK is dead in the water " - "HealthWatch should be moved on with " -

- and words to the effect that :

"Community Health Councils as a model are desireable so long as they are well run and professionally staffed ."

So now you know what is partly likely to happen because of the failure of the Birmingham Local Involvement Network and its poorly dis-unified un-strategic LINk Core Group (now virtually de-commissioned) i.e. it is likely that a set of institutions that were always predominantly white and middle class in Birmingham will resume in time. The CHC's - with a few sprinklings of politically correct Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) groups ?

Once again white middle class dominion rules ?

A council related document towards the shaping up of HealthWatch that is circulating, does show also predominantly white middle class (a South Birmingham bias ) Councilllors too will have the reins over the shape of HealthWatch . This is in a city with over 50% people who are BME.

Does anyone who is Black and Asian feel really confident about that ? Get in touch - we'll hear you out - leave a comment . We are not happy about this development of Birmingham white middle class white re-surgence of influence either . This is fair comment too on what we have seen so far .

In the HealthWatch Project Initiation document we have seen it says :

"Communications and Engagement plan (June-July)

1. Commissioners, councillors and other key decision makers engaged in discussions

2. Key decision makers include Cllrs Anderson, Tilsley, Rudge, D Alden and Bedser; Peter Hay (Strategic Director); Denise McLellan (Cluster Chief Executive) and the Public Health Transition Board. "


These are the people who will shape your Birmingham HealthWatch in the future. There's no doubt some of these folk have real ability, but are they representative of all Birmingham - really ? What happened to Asian and Black representation right at the top?

No-one is certain about the survival of proper monitoring methodology either that holds both Council and NHS to account . After all the Council are pretty much in control of the HeathWatch budget and its likely sponsored HealthWatch CHC model is still remote ..You might bet though it will be dominated by South Birmingham interests and mind sets .

We are probably looking at more years of post CHC, post PPI, and post LINks, tumbling group chaos, instead of a simple format for citizen training all lay people who want it, in their various local groups, into how to examine services delivery levels and failures and remain independent so they cannot be bought off by subtle favours from services with allegiances to mainly one professionalized class in Birmingham.

Is the CHC a social "analogue" model in a Birmingham society that is woven with many layers and in need of modernisation both socially/mentally ? The CHC model was in itself top down and corporate and frankly would it with a few tweaks somehow guarantee that a crisis like Mid Staffs would not happen ? What was the failure there ? Just poor systems of monitoring? Or was it "collusive" turnings of heads away from more obvious problems more outspoken people were trying to bring attention to ? Was it a situation where vision was locked out by all who wanted not to see it ?

Beware a mono-cultural approach .

HealthWatch Birmingham bottom up localism ?

Not a chance !

More to be a lord and ladies
Middle Class "made-ies " dance ?

Lets see if we are wrong ..

UW

Birmingham Gets Targeted By Mobile DWP Sherlocks

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Its true ! Sherlock Holmes is on his way to Birmingham with a mean machine mobile squad of experts to look at all the benefit claims in Perry Barr and nearby Kingstanding Birmingham . We'll show you the DWP material later claiming this .

What is striking about both of these places is they are traditional working class areas that lost out when de-industrialisation gradually took place all around the Perry Barr area from the years of Margaret Thatcher right through to the promises of things "can only get better" with Tony Blair . There is a lot of knackered up people in these areas.

Now the motto is "Things can only get bitterer" as benefit claims are reviewed and reviewed till the new terror comes home . The new terror is a jobless economy and busted up working class that is not going to magically recover because politicians desire it . Yet the pressure is on to be seen to be "doing something" . It makes good press though and it does point to a genuine unresolvable anxiety that somehow the country just aint going to make it without a "working class" ... Can you remake a working class from the disabled or the unhealthy ? More to the point - who will make and sell what ? Who will compete with low wages in China and India ? Who will magically reinvent the 19th century free market conditions of europes ascendancy which carried on into the 20th century and has now ended in the 21st with masses of invented money and masses and masses of borrowing and banking debt .. ?

Does it matter ? Politicians have got the fox in sight ... Ride it to ground, and rip it apart with the hounds ... Amazingly 19th century isn't it ... Over to the DWP's own text below :

[QUOTE from 8th July DWP Press Release]

"Benefit cheats are being warned today that a new Mobile Regional Taskforce to combat fraud will be visiting their area. This new team will target all high risk postcodes across the country re-examining claims for benefits and Tax Credits.

The Taskforce is the latest crack-down on benefit fraud by the Department for Work and Pensions and HMRC alongside local authorities, and cheats are being urged to admit their crimes and pay back the money before they get a knock on the door.

Lord Freud, Minister for Welfare Reform said:

"The new Taskforce is our latest weapon in tackling welfare fraud on the front line. We are sending a clear warning that if you are fiddling the system, you will be caught. Welfare fraud is a crime and takes money away from the most vulnerable.

"People who are receiving the correct benefits and Tax Credits have absolutely nothing to fear. But if people have deliberately not told us of a change in circumstances, they should do so now, before the team comes knocking at their door.

"Alongside the Taskforce we are bringing in the Universal Credit which will simplify and automate the benefits system. This will make it much easier to catch people who make false claims."

People who tell the Department about a change in their circumstances before they are found out by the Taskforce will have to repay the money they owe, and, depending on the seriousness of their action, may face an additional punishment. Anyone who doesn’t take this opportunity and is found by the Taskforce to be committing welfare fraud could be prosecuted and fined or imprisoned.

David Gauke MP, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury said:

"This government will not tolerate money which is meant for those in genuine need being siphoned off into the pockets of cheats and fraudsters.

"The new taskforce delivers on our commitment to tackle benefit fraud and together with the extra £917 million we have re-invested in HMRC sends a very clear message."

The Taskforce will start on 25 of July in the Perry Barr and Kingstanding area of Birmingham. People can also report a cheat on the National Benefit Fraud Hotline number 0800 854 440 or online via: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/benefit-thieves"

Now For The July Birmingham UK Protests At Cuts

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By A UserWatch Correspondent

There is a public meeting called for on July 20th 2011 in Broad Street Birmingham UK and it is a protest about £33 million spending cuts being targeted on disabled people and others in vulnerable groups .

Considering there has been a High Court case rolling back of Birmingham City Council's ambitions to cut £51 million, and a lot of it on disabled people categorised as within substantial needs, this looks like an evolution to a road to defeat to the Tory/Liberal held City Council .

It will not happen just yet - but it will happen, as other types of squeeze occurs on the disabled population who have some robust law to protect them coupled with welfare benefit changes that look set to actually claim lives and have done so already according to mental health charities (See also the suicide of Paul Willcoxson aged 33 )

UW

Birmingham Local Involvement Network Gets Reduced

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Tied To Action ? Or Is It A Jailed Approach ?

The Birmingham Local Involvement Network, a statutory health monitoring body, has only been funded lately for 7 of its Action (health monitoring) Groups according to sources and a text we have been sent. The funding in place for the Action Groups is only for the months of July , August , September-end . From Oct there will be a new contract and a new Host and there is likely to be new governance in place .

The Birmingham City Council have not funded the LINk Core Group which appears to have become an over-bureaucratic body riven with dissenters and some say it has been "useless" in terms of having any real role . The Action Groups appear to have proven that action is what counts and inward looking bureaucratic meetings do not . Its wastes money and time .

The function of the LINk Core Group was to manage the strategic directions of the overall LINk but it has not enamoured itself to the Council it appears . Neither did it succeed in creating a credible link between "elected" Core Group members and their suitability to be aiding the strategy of the Action Groups . This has been a topic of conversations in several Birmingham circles that have criticised the LINk Core Group .

The email text from Birmingham City Council regarding the reductions of support to just the Action Groups is below :

"Dear LINk Member,

We have now negotiated with Gateway Family Services, the existing Host organisation, for continued LINk Host maintenance for the Birmingham LINk to cover the three months from 1 July to 30 September 2011. We have established continuation of support for those LINk Groups that contribute to health or social care outcomes. On this basis, support for up to one meeting per month has been agreed for the following Groups:

Birmingham East and North Action Group
Enter and View
Heart of Birmingham Action Group
Older Persons Action Group
Mental Health Action Group
University Hospital Birmingham Action Group
Women's Health and Maternity Action Group

We would like to see all of these Groups working towards achieving benefits in health and social care in line with a work programme that is based on evidenced local need. The wider governance arrangements will be revisited once the new Host's contract has started in October. This approach has been agreed and endorsed by Councillor Sue Anderson.

In addition there has been provision for 4 consultation events over the 3 month period; the Birmingham LINk website will be maintained; the 0800 number will continue to operate; and, the insurance cover will remain at the same level as currently. Gateway will be processing LINk member expenses for activities that have been agreed in advance.

The Host is currently drafting a work plan for the three month period; further details will be issued once available. Many thanks for your continued interest and hard work in the LINk.

Head of Policy

Birmingham City Council
The Council House Extension,
2nd Floor,
Margaret Street,
Birmingham
B3 3BU"

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Mental Health Economics - Why Has The Sun Gone Square?

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Mental Health Economics UK

Finally it happened : with all the rest of world economy going insane, the Sun squared up and started to get letters going across its face . We discovered "Sun Text" ... It was all too predictable though ... Shine on brightly ? Nah.... Whine on brightly squarely we say ..

At UserWatch we had cosmic warnings long ago of this from "One-bar" the alien from the planet Electric, who told us bullshit particles were massing on Earth more than anywhere in the universe . We also have a pet wolf and polar bear in the UserWatch office who act as "instinct compasses" that have sniffed the human air and vomited often ...

"Everyone in the Galaxy comes to study Earth because of the colliding forces which create so many virtual bullshit particles that have a nature to spin about and lie in one direction or another or another or another " - stated "One Bar" the alien . "Its a question of Rantum Physics (a planet Electric discovery) .... "

"Its fascinating" said "Switch Off" (from the same planet) - " Earth's bullshit particles are so vigorous and wiggly, you could mistake them for snakes - is this why you had a Garden of Eden with a skin shedding character in the original tale ? "

At UserWatch we agree with the true-aliens - take the new snake-soap therapies in the UK designed to get everyone back to work when there is no prospect of competing with the China syndrome and the hungry migrators whose own blasted out countries have enough death-in-life particles so you have to run away from them.

Iain Duncan Smith (UK Dept of Work & Pensions Secretary Of State ) - him of the: "kill the disabily fekkers club" - with work massing gassing camps, which also produce work for a company who employ a post SS tribe of Doctor Clipboardmen, whose corporate name looks like "HATE-US" , has stated in the Daily Flail that immigration to Britain has soaked up a lot of the available jobs that no-one who is kicked off disability benefits can get because the "migs" have them ..

Picture Courtesy : Silvis Rivers July 2011

Can you blame the "migs" (migrators) ?

Who wants to live in cratered existentialism in fucking useless economic countries where lower-end but high-volume production has emigrated to a factory in Wing Wang where the Wangsters live ..... ?

Logically in the mental health economy UK - you get CBT Cog-native tribe therapy to recover from depression from being out of work, only to become more realistically depressed about your death in life because a Wangster has got a job you might have had ..... Unless you just married a royal or live with £20 notes defecating from your arse like a banker who really needs stuffing with two barrels of high velocity shotgun pellets ..

Can we save the Sun from going square ? Is there a physics to protect us ?

No ...

No more than we can control our global social economies to produce for real needs and not half a world of bullshit. Remember, economics is dominated by the cheapest unit-price and the cheapest cost of labour and then you'll remember our own demands create hell sooner or later for someone. You clever recallers - you have defeated the fashion of amnesia.

Who needs balance ? Contradictions are maintained and we make the politico-economic particle winds we are pushed along by .

Take the "new" now mainly failing mental health services in the "recovery" sectors - where under Labour (2000 - 2010) so many false bureacracies propped up a kind of false service economy in mental health which some of the fitter mental health "recovered" Users traded off. In that diversionary costly economy (£3 - 400 million est.) - front line delivery never saw patient choices in mental health , and though some "patient choice" budgets were piloted - they were minimal - designed right at the end of a Labour Govt that prefered system economics and mass delivery as though everyone exists as clonal Cog-native types .

We can never forget a web post by a well known "Mental Nurse" who claimed Cognitive Behavioural Therapy was just another "tool in the kit" .. Yeah ... To tighten the loose nuts no doubt ... Who needs individuality when you can have state-top-down mechanics with their engineered contradictions and threads which do not fit individuals .

Put the Car-gnitive workers back to work producing invisible cars ?

The reforming Carbon Dioxide company "CO2" - does not need more car workers but rather eco-workers to harness a simpler economics after the hyper wave of burned out over production. We all need a gentler existence that is not dealing with the post trauma of post industrial family life and its mass class alienations but that might mean making the Sun round again .

See-ing the circularities of nature and mass particle build up of contradictions is way way overdue . Will the Sun give us time ?

Will we ?

Lets say a prayer in purple ....