The National Association of LINks Members Press Statement

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Toon Courtesy Of Art De Rivers


Below is a press statement we picked up and decided to publish :

The National Association of LINks Members


Healthwatch Pathfinders Starved of Funds

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 (NALM) call on 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 NALM Chair

NALM Creates Its Health Watch Visions

While Money The KID is in the Hangscape The Visions Come

But think about this before you read the National Association For Local Involvement Network Members (NALM) statement of vision for the future below :

What is "national" and "local" now really ? Is the internet evolution we have been heading towards where all the old Gov't institutions in-formationally merge and are made sense of at the point of the local computer ? Shared social seas of consciousness ? Who needs as much of the Newspaper-media now as we did 30 years ago ? Do we need "national bodies"? Who needs to lead who in a de-bureaucratised consumer driven health economy? Will Health Watch be local , or kind-of "centralised" in a local way by the Local Authority bureau-barons ... The tendency is always the massing of power even in a democracy because shoaling citizens may need protections from the shark State and the State wants to govern and demand obedience .. Its all going to play out in the next few years of pain where the weak and old will be picked off but who knows maybe the public will wake up in rage or vigour and creativity from the partial sovietisation of public services .

Coming up :
Its the decade of the
Growing wreathe
For the law of the jungle
Is underneath

Over to NALM

National voice for LINks’ members :

A VISION OF SUCCESS FOR HEALTHWATCH

Mission Statement for Healthwatch:

“Healthwatch is the consumer champion for health and social care services, giving a voice to local people, community and voluntary groups to influence the way their services are planned, purchased and provided.”

Successful local HealthWatch will be:

Influential: HealthWatch will be - and be seen to be – a key, valued and respected player working in partnership with local providers, commissioners, health and wellbeing boards, public health services and communities, to co-design and scrutinize local services on behalf of local people. Its credibility will be enhanced through the knowledge and experience gained in supporting individuals. HealthWatch will have good and effective links with local communities and with the voluntary sector and will have a duty to engage and involve. It will add value to local efforts to promote active citizenship, public health and community engagement.

Independent and well-resourced: HealthWatch will be – and be seen to be – independent and strong, and will be effectively managed, supported and equipped to reach into the community.

Supportive: Visible, accessible, and responsive, and providing valued support to individuals seeking help to understand and navigate local services, or to obtain redress. HealthWatch will clearly cover and be seen to cover both health and social care

Built on success: HealthWatch will not be a complete departure from current arrangements, but will build on local strengths in LINks, scrutiny, community engagement, advocacy and public involvement. It will draw on the expertise and commitment of LINks volunteers, while widening the pool of those involved. HealthWatch will add value to – and not undo - things that are already working well at local level. HealthWatch will continue to evolve in response to local needs, opportunities and circumstances, and not have imposed on it a fixed set of arrangements.

Supported: HealthWatch will thrive in an environment where there is a collaborative approach to the design, delivery and monitoring of services at local level and where commissioners and providers actively seek to involve patients, service-users and communities.

A successful National HealthWatch will be:

Independent, democratic and credible - and seen to be.

Intelligent – in its ability to gather, marshal and deploy local intelligence

Influential – with key national players, in particular the National Commissioning Board and CQC, based on its intelligence and connections.

Well-connected – to local HealthWatch whose work it will promote at a national level.

Valued by local HealthWatch – as a result of the support and guidance it provides and its influence with national players.

February 2011