Focus for Action
Rutland LINk gives local people an opportunity to voice their concerns, identify the causes and work on realistic plans to improve the services we receive.
"Focus for Action" is a NEW group that identifies and responds to Health & Social Care issues in Rutland that concern YOU. "Focus for Action" needs you to share your knowledge and experience of the range and quality of services provided by the NHS (hospitals and GPs) and the Local Authority (social care).
At our meetings, users of health and social care services can share their concerns. Once the main areas of concern are identified, priorities can be set for follow-up work. We will then work with the relevant authorities to draw up solutions, which will provide users with the services they need.
Members of Focus for Action have been working hard to address health and social care issues. So far we have achieved the following:
1. Ambulance Services
We held a large Ambulance event in May where speakers from East Midlands Ambulance Service, Ambuline Limited and Voluntary Action Rutland Transport Scheme informed us about the changes that are taking place in the ambulance services across Rutland and the whole East Midlands. They also answered questions raised by Rutland LINk members who were present as well as tackling those issues that had been identified at the first Focus for Action meeting.
We shall continue to monitor the changes in Ambulance Services so if you feel that you would like to feed back your experiences – good or bad - please let us know.
2. Areas in which Social Care needs improvement
a) Hospital discharge – this is an ongoing piece of work but so far we have obtained the discharge policies from all the main hospitals servicing Rutland and we have the Matron of Rutland Memorial Hospital coming to talk to the group later in the year about the processes there.
We hope that by understanding what should happen and what is actually happening, we will be able to identify the gaps and work with the hospitals to find solutions.
b) Delay in organising physiotherapists and occupational therapists – members of Focus for Action have met with representatives from Rutland County Council and the NHS to talk through the issues faced by people when there is a delay in these services or when they are not offered at all. The meeting was a starting point and as a result Rutland LINk has been asked to have representatives at meetings around the discharge process and therapy pathways.
We believe that this is the start of a good working relationship between Focus for Action members and the Health and Social Care service providers in Rutland.
3. Issues about dementia care for sufferers and carers
Rutland LINk has joined forces with Leicestershire LINk to create a joint Dementia Task Group. So far they have held a Dementia workshop where the Dementia Pathway was mapped out and attendees discussed what they would like to change and where they felt there were gaps in the service.
The Dementia Task Group now has representatives on each of the work streams working on Dementia Services.
If there are other issues that you would like addressed, then please come along to the meetings or contact Jenny Darlow on 0116 229 3018 or email jenny@communitiesinpartnership.org.uk