Fw: Bulletin 20.8.10

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: David Conlon <info@uip.org.uk>
To: info@uip.org.uk
Sent: Fri, 20 August, 2010 15:38:28
Subject: FW: Bulletin 20.8.10

Hello

Please find the latest Bulletin from NSUN

Items of interest include:

 

Information: Policy Update.  Mental Health strategy.

Consultation: NHS White Paper

Consultation Events on the Health White Paper.  Booking deadline for the Birmingham event is today Friday 20th August but contact the organisers to se if there are any places available. I have attached the booking form that includes more information on the event.

Information: Big Society Cameron's speech

 

David Conlon

 

Users in Partnership-West Midlands Community Interest Company

Unit 1 Talisman House, 47 Bath Street, Walsall, WS1 3BX.   EMAIL: info@uip.org.uk. WEB: www.uip.org.uk 

 

 

NSUN Bulletin: 20.8.10

 

 

 

Information: Policy Update

 

In the light of the government freeze on expenditure the National Mental Health Development Unit (NMHDU) work is due to come to an end in March 2011. This means that the different work programmes are planning work (and involvement) only up to March 2011.

 

We know that at the same time as this is happening there is a lot of policy change which will prompt consultation:

·         Carers' Consultation / Carers' Strategy (see item 4 below)

• Big Society
• National Mental Health Strategy ('a refine' of New Horizons)

 

The new Mental Health Strategy is to be produced (in the next 2-3 months) which will broadly follow New Horizons thinking, and as soon as we know more, we will share this with you.

 

The NHS White Paper, Equity and excellence: liberating the NHS, sets out the Government's long-term vision for the future of the NHS. The vision builds on the core values and principles of the NHS - a comprehensive service, available to all, free at the point of use, based on need, not ability to pay. The white paper can be seen at

http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_117353

 

 

Consultation: NHS White Paper

 

Two key areas of the consultation on the NHS White Paper, 'Equity and excellence: liberating the NHS' has been launched.

'Commissioning for patients' and 'Increasing democratic legitimacy in health' are closely linked. Together, they set out the strategy for the commissioning of health, care and wellbeing. GP consortia and local authorities will work in partnership to ensure services across the NHS, social care and public health are joined up to provide improved outcomes for patients, users and the public.

The consultations are seeking views on how the proposals can be best implemented and are open until 11 October.

Further information on the White Paper is available at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Healthcare/LiberatingtheNHS/index.htm

 

Consultation Events on the Health White Paper

 

The White Paper on Health has the potential to create one of the biggest changes to the structure and function of the NHS since its creation in 1948.  Within the White Paper there are 5 consultations which are all open until early October.  Although the 'what' in the White Paper has largely been decided, the 'how' is very much still being shaped.

During September, Regional Voices will be hosting events in 9 locations across the country for the third sector. 

These will give you the opportunity to learn more about the proposed changes through the White Paper as well as having the chance to attend three interactive consultation workshops during the day to discuss issues in depth and to provide feedback directly to those leading on the consultations from the Department of Health.

Further details can be found on the Regional Voices website at www.regionalvoices.net or by calling 0113 394 2304 (text phone users add prefix 18001 to access BT Type talk).

The events will:

• Raise awareness among the third sector of the proposed changes in the Health White Paper
• Help third sector organisations understand how the White Paper will impact on their work.
• Identify some of the cross cutting issues of particular relevance to the sector
• Provide a forum to develop understanding of the role of the Third Sector in emerging health structures
• Provide direct feedback to the Department of Health on the consultation areas

Dates and Venues

North West	Manchester	7th September (provisional)
South East	Winchester	8th September (confirmed)
London	Lewisham	10th September (confirmed)
South West	Exeter	14th September (confirmed)
West Midlands	Birmingham	17th September (provisional)
Yorkshire & Humber	Leeds	20th or 27th September (provisional)
North East	Newcastle	22nd September (confirmed)
East Midlands	Nottinghamshire	23rd September (confirmed)
East	Cambridge or Peterborough (to be confirmed)	24th September (date confirmed)

 

 

Information: Big Society

 

For the speech, see

http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/speeches-and-transcripts/2010/07/big-society-speech-53572

 

On July 19^th David Cameron announced 4 areas for his Big Society vision. These are being called the Vanguard Communities because apparently they are not 'pilots' or 'initiatives', they are a 'big advance for people power'. In his speech in Liverpool the Prime Minister described the 3 strands of the Big Society agenda: social action, public service reform and community empowerment. These will be achieved through:

www.number10.gov.uk <http://www.No10.gov.uk

·     Decentralisation - from government to neighbourhoods

·     Transparency - giving people the information they need to take action e.g. precise crime data will give people the power to hold the police to account, and opportunity to take action to address local problems themselves

·     Providing finance - paying public service providers by results to avoid waste, and connecting private capital to investment in social projects through the Big Society Bank

The Vanguard Communities

The 4 areas chosen probably give a bit more insight into to where all this is going. These are Liverpool, rural Eden Valley in Cumbria, the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and the outer London Borough of Sutton and Cheam. In Liverpool a volunteer scheme will help to keep museums open for longer hours and there are plans for social enterprises for film production and digital media. Eden Valley will enable a community buy-out of a pub, community broadband access and building a renewable energy generation project. Windsor and Maidenhead want participatory budgeting for the parks budget, delegating budget to streets and devolving more power to Parishes. In Sutton communities want greater freedom to implement sustainable transport schemes, facilitate greener living and create a young peoples project that invests in the community. The government will give these communities the support they need through:

·     Constructive response to all requests for new rights and powers to take control of their towns, villages and neighbourhoods

·     Dedicated support from civil servants to help break down any bureaucratic barriers that are encountered

·     A 'community organiser' to help each community coordinate local support and involvement in its plans. A Daily Telegraph article on this says that officials will identify local residents with aptitude for Big Society projects to be trained as community organisers. So before you get press ganged you can find out more about community organisers at www.citizensuk.org 

 

The communities chosen to form the Big Society 'vanguard' had already approached government with their ideas for taking over assets. The government also wants to hear from other individuals and groups who feel they are encountering unreasonable barriers to making changes that benefit their community. The message here seems to be don't expect any great detail or frameworks from government on how to get involved in Big Society - just get on with building it.  To date there's no government money earmarked for community groups involved, but there might be the possibility of a bank loan ……………..

The Big Society Bank

The government target is to open the Big Society Bank by April 2011. It will be a wholesale bank that will work and invest its funds through existing intermediaries like social investors and community lenders (like Charity Bank, Triodos, Social Investment Business etc) who will then increase access to finance for frontline, social organisations. Funding will come from private sector investment and dormant bank accounts. By April it has been suggested that the bank could have £60 - 100 million from dormant accounts. However The Financial Times has reported that banks are proving slow at using current legislation allowing them to access funds that have been untouched for 15 years or more. The general idea is that loans from the Big Society Bank will stimulate sustainable community action.

 

National Citizen Service 

Another Big Society launch last week was the National Citizen Service (NCS). This is seen as a way in to the Big Society for 16 year old school leavers. The programme is voluntary, and is intended to help young people to develop useful skills and attitudes for getting engaged with their communities and becoming active and responsible citizens. A pilot scheme for around 10,000 young people is planned from June to September 2011. A programme is anticipated to last for 7-8 weeks and combine residential and community activities.  The government is carrying out a tendering process to deliver the pilots from early August. They are looking for organisations who can deliver NCS pilots at a range of scales so that different approaches can be piloted. The Cabinet Office website has more information about the programme and the tendering process www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk (scroll down the page to find - the direct link isn't working yet) 

New planning and education policies also have a Big Society element. The Community Right to Build may let you bypass planning permission to develop new homes, business or community premises. How this will work is still being debated but information will be posted on www.communities.gov.uk/righttobuild

 

In the mean time why not set up a school? Information about setting up Free Schools can be found on the Department for Education website (formerly Children, Schools and Families) www.education.gov.uk/freeschools

 

So, people locally (and organizations) are already asking:

·     What do we know about the emerging environment for voluntary and community organisations?

·     How is this going to affect the way we work?

·     What do we need to do about it?

 

 

 

 

If you would like to include any information in future NSUN bulletins or you have feedback on content and style please email info@nsun.org.uk or telephone

0845 602 0779

 

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