Your Health Your Care Your Say

Gateshead LINk Survey

“Nobody asked me”

Does this sound familiar?

This is a story about four people: Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody.

There was an important job to be done and Everybody was asked to do it.

Everybody was sure Somebody would do it.

Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.

Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody's job.

Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realised that Everybody wouldn't do it.

It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when actually Nobody asked Anybody.

This is Everybody’s chance to Have their say about Health and Social Care in Gateshead and help to design the best services for Everybody !

The survey should take between 5 and 20 minutes depending onthe amount of information you would like to give.

We will not contact you as a result of your participating in the survey and all responses are anonymous and confidential.

Click below to take part

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/yourhealthyoursay

 Survey ends 31st march

Gateshead LINk

Making the Transition to

HealthWatch

In the White Paper 'Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS' (July 2010), the government stated their aim to "strengthen the collective voice of the patients and public".  One way in which they are doing this is by the creation of local HealthWatch to replace LINks. 

Gateshead LINk is currently in transition and working towards the establishment of HealthWatch in October 2012.  Local HealthWatch will be a new independent consumer champion whose job will be to gather and represent the views of the public.  Some of the things that HealthWatch will do will be the same as the LINk including:

promoting involvement

obtaining views

monitoring health and social care services

making reports and recommendations

carrying out Enter & View visits

There will be some new and different responsibilities for local HealthWatch which will include:

providing information to support patient choice

serving as representative on local Health & Wellbeing Boards

providing members of the public with access to NHS complaints advocacy (from 2013)

HealthWatch online community launched

An online community has been set up by the Care Quality Commission to get feedback from people about the development of HealthWatch.

The community has been created to gather views about setting up HealthWatch. It is open to anyone. Through the on-line community people can feed in their views about HealthWatch and influence how it is set up.

If you would like to register to join the community and you haven’t already, please email healthwatch@nunwood.com

 You will then receive an email asking you to register.

Join Gateshead LINk online today! its Free

fill in your online form here

download LINks explained leaflet (easy read version)

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What's New

CQC Acting Together

Get involved in checking services and make a difference!

Acting Together’ is the name the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has given to involving people as Experts by Experience in inspections of health, mental health and social care services.  This new and important partnership has meant that all around the Country people who have experience of services or who care for someone are being called on to play a central role in improving support and services.  Now, people who have personal experience are making an important impact on how services are checked and are judged to be up to standard.  By carrying out inspections of services with an inspector, they are valued members of the inspection team and are paid for the visits, or other work they do. 

What do you need to do become an Expert by Experience? 

To become an Expert by Experience you need to have personal experience of using services or of caring for someone.  You will need to complete an application and personal profile form which we will send to you. We will also arrange a Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) check, ID badge and training for you.  But most of all you need a commitment to making a difference. And knowing that being an Expert can be a life changing experience not only for you but for everyone who uses services!  What should you do if you want to find out more?  If you want to make a difference and you have personal experience of services or are a family carer we are really keen to hear from you.  You can:  Write to Choice Support, 100 Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7XA. Or email us on ExpertsByExperience@ choicesupport.org.uk

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Autism Questionnaire

Maria Hall, Gateshead resident and parent of a young adult, who is on the Autistic Spectrum has created a questionnaire regarding improving services in Gateshead. You can complete the above questionnaire and your input will assist in improving services in Gateshead.   Completion of the survey is expected to take about 10 minutes of your time. You may omit any question you prefer not to answer.  Participation in this project is anonymous. Furthermore, all information you provide will be considered confidential. The data collected will be kept secure while the findings are evaluated and then will be securely destroyed.  

If you are interested in participating in this study, please return the completed questionnaire to 17, Valley Crescent, Blaydon, Gateshead, NE21 4HJ by Friday 3rd February 2012. 

If you have any questions or concerns about this research, or would like additional information to assist you in reaching a decision about participation, please feel free to contact me on 0191 4409932.

In addition to this I would also like to inform you that there is an Autism Working Group, made up of parents/ carers, council officers, health staff and voluntary organisations. It meets monthly at Gateshead Civic and its aim is to develop and monitor delivery of the Autism Strategy in Gateshead.

In addition, in 2011 Gateshead Autism Group was set up to support, and be a voice for those affected by Autistic Spectrum Conditions including their parents, carers and families. It is a voluntary organisation, we meet once a month at Gateshead Carers Association our next meeting is 16th February 11am until 1pm. We are holding a conference on 2nd April at Gateshead Advice Centre, Davidson Building, Swan Street, Gateshead. NE8 1BQ, where we also have our offices.  There is also a focus group session on 9th February at the Civic in Room S21 from 10am until 12 noon, all  those  with ASC or living  or working with someone with ASC, are welcome.

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New Venue for QE Services

Gateshead Health NHS Trust is now providing services within the new Blaydon Primary Care Centre.  You are invited to come along and learn more about the services that will be being provided which will include rheumatology, orthopaedics, vascular cardiology, ultrasound, gynaecology and more services to follow.  Come along on 1st February 2012, 4pm-6pm and speak to doctors, clinicians and governors. 

click on the image above for map

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NHS South of Tyne & Wear Acute Paediatric Services

On 7th December 2011 a public consultation was launched, inviting parents, health professionals and the general public to give their views on the future of services for acutely sick and injured children across Gateshead, South Tyneside & Sunderland.  Full details of the consultation can be found by clicking on the image above.  The consultation ends on 31st March 2012. 

There will also be two consultation events in Gateshead

2pm, 1st February 2011 @ Blaydon Rugby Club, Hexham Rd,

Swalwell, NE16 3BN

& 6pm, 16th February, @ Caedmon Room, Gateshead Central Library, Prince Consort Rd, Gateshead, NE8 4LN

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Proposed Changes to Motability Scheme – Have Your Say

Changes will be made to the motability scheme as of 1st Jan 2012 may mean that drivers will only be insured on a motability car if they live within 5 miles of the disabled of the disabled child/person to whom DLA has been awarded. This could impact on:

children living in residential school/care

families where parents have separated & live more than 5 miles apart

families where grandparents/othe relatives provide care but live 5 miles away

Every Disabled Child Matters (EDCM) are looking at case studies of families that may be affected. Please e-mail northeast.office@cafamily.org.uk if you think you may be affected by these changes and comments will be passed to EDCM. 

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Gateshead LINk Annual Event 2011

Presentations

For those who were unable to attend the Gateshead LINk Annual Event 2011 at the Masonic Hall in Gateshead on 7th December 2011 you can download the two presentations given on the day here and here. 

Keep Warm & Well

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Is your care up to standards?

The Prostate Cancer Charity need your help to build a picture of what quality care looks like for men with prostate cancer.  They know that men face a postcode lottery when accessing prostate cancer services across the country. This is not acceptable.   They would like to work with you to make improvements where they are needed most. To do this, they are identifying standards of quality care that all men with prostate cancer deserve - at every stage of their journey.

You can help by telling them what quality prostate cancer care means to you by taking part in our survey. Anyone with experience of prostate cancer is welcome to take part, whether you have been diagnosed with the disease or are a friend or family member of someone who has.

To take part in the survey and read more about our quality care project, please visit www.prostate-cancer.org.uk/qualitycare. If you would like a paper copy of the survey please ring 0208 222 7182.

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Launch of Healthwatch England

CQC has published the set-up plan for

HealthWatch England - the national consumer champion that will give voice to the collective views of the people who use NHS and social care services in England. 

Above is the press release and the set-up plan.  

The establishment of the HealthWatch England committee as part of the CQC board is subject to the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill currently before Parliament.

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Local Involvement Networks (LINks)

Annual Reports 2010-2011

This report brings together information on resources, activity and outcomes from the Local Involvement Networks (LINks) annual reports of 2010-11. As this was LINks’ third year, comparisons have been made with the previous years’ (2008-09 and 2009-10) data.

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Wellbeing Information Directory Launched

The new online Wellbeing Information Directory has been launched.  This new resource provides a directory of local services that can help individuals and communities to look after their own physical and mental wellbeing. Comments and feedback are important to help the development of the directory. If you know about something that you think should be in the directory, or have any other observations, please contact admin@wellbeinginfo.org or ringing Washington Mind

on 0191 417 8043 directly.

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Access the leaflet Crisis Resolution & Home Treatment Team Gateshead (Information for Service Users & Carers) produced by NTW NHS Foundation above to find out more about the role of the Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Team in Gateshead. 

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Tyneside Women’s Health Annual Report for 2010 – 2011

 The report focuses heavily on feedback from service users and referrers in relation to mental health outcomes.  The report also contains a table highlighting the needs that first time service users presented, throughout the year.  TWH has had a huge 25% increase in women coming for support compared to the previous year and early indications for this year suggest that these numbers are set to increase further.  Please note that the annual report is available for download from the TWH website (www.tynesidewomenshealth.org.uk) and you can also download a leaflet explaining their work. 

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Southern Cross care homes: get the list

The Guardian newspaper has provided data analysis on Southern Cross' care homes showing what will happen to each home as transfers progress. 

access article here

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Quality Accounts 2010/2011

A Quality Account is a report about the quality of services provided by an NHS healthcare service. A Quality Account report is published annually by each NHS healthcare provider and made available to the public.  Healthcare providers have measured the quality of the services they provide by looking at:

patient safety,

the effectiveness of treatments that patients receive  

and

patient feedback about the care provided. 

Access Quality Accounts here for  

NHS South of Tyne & Wear Community Health Services South Tyneside Primary Care Trust,

Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust,

Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust,

and North East Ambulance Service NHS Trust

For more information on Quality Accounts

click here

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GATNET

(Gateshead Network Commissioning Consortium)

Gateshead LINk has received a presentation that gives an update on the situation with, and current structure of, GATNET (Gateshead Network Commissioning Consortium).  Access the presentation by clicking on the image above.   

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Personalisation Guide

Above is the final version of the Personalisation Guide following  which has now been accepted by  Gateshead LINk Steering Group.

Thank you to all for contributions to this guide. It has been a really great piece of joint working. The draft guide was well received at Gateshead Council Personalisation Partnership Board, and the final will be tabled on Wednesday 13th July. This is because we hope the guide will be used as a resource for both service users and Social Care Workers.  I will update you on the progress.  Kim Newton (Gateshead LINk Communications/Engagement Officer : 0191 4784103). Please circulate as appropriate. 

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Gateshead LINk Hospital Discharge Update - Pharmacy Pilot and Green Bag Projects

Last year, members of Gateshead LINk Hospital Discharge Working Group paid a visit to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital to look at the mobile dispensing unit and the "green bag" medicine scheme.

The QE have reported that both of these projects have proved a great success. They have 6 mobile dispensing trolleys in daily use at the moment - 4 are used to support the rapid discharge process on the surgical, medical and elderly care wards.  A further 2 trolleys are used for medicines management and electronic ordering on specific wards.  The green bag scheme which encourages patients to bring their own medication in from home is working very well. 

The hospital is now actively encouraging patients to bring their own medicines in from home. 

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Personal Budget - First Steps

Gateshead LINk in conjunction with Gateshead Carers Association, Sight Service, Gateshead Mental Health User Fourm, Headway Gateshead and GAIN have created a 'First Steps' leaflet explaining Personal Budgets.  Download a copy by clicking on the picture above.

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The CQC will be publishing a new leaflet that explains what essential standards of quality and safety people can expect in care homes. The leaflet will also be available for download from their website and we will send sample copies to all LINks. This follows their publication ‘What standards to expect from the regulation of your NHS hospital’ which you can find at www.cqc.org.uk/nhsguide

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Mental Health Matters Helpline

the Helpline is a team of highly trained and experienced support workers who use counseling skills to provide you with emotional support, guidance and information.  The Helpline is an invaluable resource available to every member of your community.  Why might you choose to call the Helpline?  You may be feeling low, anxious or stressed and feel talking to another person might help you cope.  You may be in extreme emotional distress and feel that there is nowhere else to turn.  You may be caring for another person and finding it difficult to cope.  Freephone 0800 0851718 (if you are hearing or speech impaired you can dial 18001 before the Helpline number to use Text Relay services) opening times 5pm-9am weekdays, 24 hours weekends & bank holidays, e-mail timeonline@mentalhealthmatters.co.uk. Download a copy of the information leaflet here. 

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NHS Choices - Your Health - Your Choice

NHS Choices is the online 'front door' to the NHS.  It is the country's biggest health website and gives all the information you need to make choices about your health.  Find out what NHS services are available in your area. You can search by postcode.

visit the NHS Choices website below 

NHS Choices

New members always welcome

Gateshead LINk is FREE and open to everyone. Join us and you will be part of an independent network that gives everyone a voice about health and adult social care in Gateshead.

You can participate in the LINk as much or as little as you wish. 

Call us and speak to the Gateshead LINk team on 0191 4784103.
You can also email on enquiries@gatesheadlink.org.uk

Join the LINk online at the top of the page.

back to top ^

‘Submit your health & social care issues and concerns to Gateshead LINk’

Gateshead LINk now has an Online Form where anyone can submit an issue/concern, relating to the delivery of health and social care services in Gateshead, to Gateshead LINk.  The information will be forwarded to the Gateshead LINk Steering Group who will look at the development of any trends in specific areas and make recommendations as a result. 

Gateshead LINk

Annual Report 2010-2011

Gateshead LINk has published its Annual Report for 2010-2011, click on the above image to access a copy.   

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Download a copy of the Gateshead LINk e-bulletin

for 23 January 2012

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Gateshead LINk Newsletter

Winter 2011/12

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Our Gateshead Website

A Voice for Gateshead Online

OurGateshead.org aims to be the source of information about community and voluntary groups in Gateshead.

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Don’t forget to register your Gateshead group with GVOC

GVOC provides support and advice to voluntary and community organisations in Gateshead.  This service is delivered in a number of ways: click here to find out more. Register FREE today and receive support for your Gateshead voluntary/community group.  Click on the logo above to access membership form. 

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Patient Opinion

Your story can change the

NHS. 

Bust the JARGON! 

Fed up of hearing jargon, and confused about the terms used relating to health and social care in Gateshead.  Download our easy to use

Jargon Dictionary

and cut out the jargon talk.

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VONNE Briefing Sheets

VONNE has produced 2 new briefing sheets on the new health and wellbeing boards and links with JSNAs.  Click above to access them.

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Having Trouble Finding Health Information in Other Languages?

A searchable database of quality approved health information in other languages. The database holds over 1,700 resources. You can search via 'keyword' or 'language'.

Lanuages include Farsi, Bengali, Sylheti, Dari, French, Turkish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Arabic, Polish, Portuguese, Amharic, Punjabi

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the next

Patient, User, Carer, Public Involvement (PUCPI) Meeting

is

Monday 6th February 2012,

10am-12noon, Team View, TVTE,

Gateshead

for more info contact

Gillian.Mason@sotw.nhs.uk

agenda

more dates here

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the next Local Engagement Boards are:

16th March 2012, 10am-12.30pm, Gateshead Old Town Hall

then

6th July 2012, 10am-12.30pm, Gateshead Old Town Hall

more dates here

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Gateshead Advice Centre

Gateshead Advice Centre offers you free, quality advice :

- confidential

- independent and impartial advice

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HealthTalk Online

Healthtalkonline is the award-winning website of the DIPEx charity. Healthtalkonline lets you share in more than 2,000 people's experiences of health and illness. You can watch or listen to videos of the interviews, read about people's experiences and find reliable information about conditions, treatment choices and support. 

Click here

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Have Your Say at Gateshead LINk's Blog

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Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme

You may be able to claim a refund under the 'Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme' (HTCS) of the cost of travelling to hospital or other NHS premises for NHS-funded treatment or diagnostic test arranged by a doctor or dentist.

visit NHS Choices Website

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Moneysavingexpert.com

A recent poll by MoneySavingExpert.com found that people suffering from mental health issues are almost five times as likely to have severe debts as everyone else.  A new 40 page booklet, supported by among others Mind, Rethink and CAPUK, has now been made available for people with mental health problems.  It deals with how to handle debts, working with banks, debt counselling and whether to declare a condition.  There is also a checklist to help with cash management and reducing outgoings.  The booklet is available free from MoneySavingExpert.com

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Safe, Sensible, Social Grants

NHS South of Tyne and Wear are giving £50,000 in small grants of up to £5,000 on behalf of the NHS Trust, South of Tyne & Wear.  Does your group have ideas or projects around tackling alcohol related health, crime or educational issues? 

If so don’t hesitate! 

Contact Victoria@gvoc.org.uk for applications assistance or call Victoria Clark on 0191 4784103.  Don’t delay decisions made in a matter of weeks.    

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Department of Health Live Consultations

Current consultations from the DofH

click here

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NECS provide an inclusive, accessible and innovative community counselling and ‘crisis intervention’ service to families and individuals across Gateshead. The service is preventative, lessening the impact on traditional healthcare organisations and interventions help prevent family breakdown

First time on the net? 

Need some pointers on using computers and the internet?

access

bbc connect website

for lots of activities, video guides and printable pages on the site to help you get started and feel more confident.

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Gateshead Health NHS Trust Foundation Website

here

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The Limbless Association provides information and support to the limb-loss community. We aim to support people of all ages and backgrounds through a variety of existing programs and services

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Check out the BBC's Disability Website Ouch!

www.bbc.co.uk/ouch 

BBC Ouch Disability website

delivers a feature length column to explain the government's proposals to replace the DLA with personal independence payments

click here

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Check out

BBC Democracy Live website

and find out more about

our democratic process

click here

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Multifaith Calendar 2012

here

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Gateshead LINk is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites