Northumberland LINk
Welcome to Northumberland LINk, the place to have your say on health and social care services in Northumberland.
You can join the LINk as an individual or an organisation, and take part in gatherings in your area. You can choose to get more involved and play an active part in looking onto issues and making recommendations for change, or you can simply receive regular updates, and register your views whenever you have something to say. a
Get an update on our activities in the Feb 2010 Newsletter
How to join Northumberland LINk
Visit the Calendar page for information about forthcoming meetings and events
Visit the News page or the items on this page for a catch-up on topical issues and the e-library for notes of all our meetings
Have a look at what's happening with our action learning project focussed on Transport and Access
See what we're working on in priority issues task groups on the Transformation of care, Transition to adult services, Pharmacies, Dual Diagnosis issues and youth involvement in the LINk.
Read about our plans to work in partnership with diversity groups to widen the reach of the LINk
Voices into Action - Care Quality Commission Guide for LINks and other partnerships
This guide spells out the part that we can play in the Care commission's assessment of health and adult social care 2009-10.
North of Tyne Strategic Plan - feedback from Chris Reed, Chief Executive
Dear colleague
We contacted you last autumn to seek your views as part of our reworking of the NHS North of Tyne five year strategic plan. You may have attended the event at St James Park in November when we asked about how our objectives should be prioritised you may have contributed in another way.
We are now feeding back on how the comments we received have influenced the plan, which is available on our website http://www.northoftyne.nhs.uk/publications/strategic-plan The final version will be considered by our board in late March, but before then we hope you will take the opportunity to have a look at it so that you can see how we have responded to the feedback we received not just during the autumn but over the past year.
Over the next six weeks we will be actively seeking further views on the reworked plan from all of our stakeholders. We would be very happy to receive comments by email or letter; these should be forwarded to Philip Couser, Associate Director of Planning here in Bevan House (phillip.couser@northoftyne.nhs.uk).
When you look at the latest version of the plan you will see that it is very different to the document signed off by our board in March 2009. While the direction set last year remains the same, we have reflected the changed financial climate and the greater focus on delivery and as such both the tone and the structure have altered significantly. There is a strong focus on driving out waste and improving efficiency so that we can maintain our momentum in improving the health of and services for people living in Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland.
I hope you find the plan of interest and feel that it addresses the key challenges we face in shaping healthcare to meet the needs of the people we serve.
Yours sincerely
Chris Reed
Chief Executive
T he Big Care Debate:
Shaping the Future of Care Together
The Green Paper Shaping the Future of Care Together sets out the government’s proposals for a new National Care Service. Views are invited on what care and support services should be available for adults, who will deliver them and how, and how to fund these services. The consultation process is nearly over!
To find out more, you can visit the Big Care Debate website
Want to see results of government inspections of local services in Northumberland?
Follow this link - One Place
New Transport and Access LINk launched!
Our new experimental project was successfully launched on Friday 16th October, with over 40 local people and officers attending a special event to help shape how the project can make a difference to transport and access services in the county.
For more information, visit the Transport and Access LINk section of our website.
Election of Chair for Northumberland LINk
Elections for the role of Chair for the Northumberland LINk are now complete and we are delighted to annouce that Cynthia Atkin has been elected. Cynthia's background and her views on the chairing role can be found here
Improving hospital services for Northumberland and North Tyneside
NHS North of Tyne has approved proposals by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to invest £200 million over the next ten years to improve hospital services, at its board meeting held on 23rd October. More information on the News page
Bill Ashbridge
We are sorry to report the recent death of Bill Ashbridge, who as a LINk steering group member played a very active role, and will be much missed for his passion, integrity and willingness to take action on behalf of people in the health and social care system. Thank you Bill.
What is the LINk?
Local Involvement Networks were introduced in April 2008. One of the aims behind LINks is to provide more people with the chance to shape local care services. Existing members of Patients’ Forums are well placed to be involved early on in the setting up of LINks, but LINks are to be formed of a much wider base and the Government has urged Local Authorities seek the involvement of people involved LINks in user and carer groups, and representatives from the wider voluntary and community sector too.
Priorities agreed by the LINk membership to inform the workplan for 2009/2010 are:
- Improving transitional arrangements, particularly from child to adult services.
- Dual diagnosis & complex needs issues.
- The 'transformation' agenda- independence & rehabilitation.
We would welcome your comments on the draft governance document of the LINk.
You can find minutes of meetings and future events by following the links.
LINKs Exchange
For more background to the LINks movement visit http://www.lx.nhs.uk/
For more details please contact
Newcastle Heritage Partnership
C/O Ben Smith
Historic Environment Section
Strategy Housing, Planning & Transportation
Regeneration
Newcastle City Council
Civic Centre
Barras Bridge
Newcastle upon Tyne
Tel: 0191 277 7194
info@northumberlandlink.org.uk
www.northumberlandlink.org.uk
