Skip to main content

Peter's Rant about SU exploitation

Peter Beresford has a very pointed and valuable entry on his blog (click on the title of this piece to go there). This is my comment on his essay.

Well said Peter - much applause.

Do you remember me asking you about the other national network group at the SoL 10th birthday conference? Your answer was, in so many words: the more the merrier!

I was looking at the points in your text and thinking hmmmmm, why does this vibrate like that?

But it's so fundamentally sad because while we need to build a cohesive and concerted voice and shouldn't be criticising each other, the the people you talk about (and I and others say the same things in a variety of ways) are wreckers of user involvement.

And there are other anomalies difficult to reconcile. I'm currently wrestling with the incidence of members of local PPI Forums having conflicts of interests which compromise PPI Forum independence in the form of membership of the very trust they are set up as the forum for (see my PPlog: http://micoxpplog.blogspot.com)
From the outset I've been obstinately insisting that PPI is the best opportunity for the furtherance of user involvement this and last century and that PPI should be run by service users for service users. But close involvement with PPI reveals many active committed Forum members who act independently and in concert with users - the carers of users who, technically, must have a legitimate claim to being service users themselves. But then sadly (and I know there are reasons) there is this damaging divide between us.

What do you think?

Comments

Unknown said…
Mike,
There will always be single issue members joining Forums/LINks and they can be very destructive regarding moving forward with workplans. It needs a strong Chair person and regulatory powers to ensure this doesn't happen.
regards,
Neil Woodnick (Camden PCT Forum)
1 September 2007 at 02:01
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The DLA and Workfare Scandals.

This ConDem Coalition is exploiting the apparent helplessness of disabled people by taking essential money away from them and forcing vulnerable people, for example, people with mental health difficulties. I remember, when I was a practising social worker, the horror experienced by service users when they received a letter summoning them to undergo a medical examination (25 miles away in Norwich). Some became absolutely terrified at the prospect and the stress of having to get to and face the appointment led to one or two relapses and hospital admissions. Against local authority policy, I always took them to the appointment, went in with them and supported them through the interview acting as advocate. The doctors at these reviews were employed by the Benefits Agency and usually retired from practice. They were also usually empathic with the service user and mostly helped to reduce the terror of the interview. The new 'Workfare' reviews which every DLA claimant will have to und...
2 comments
Read more

SURVIVOR HISTORY NEWSLETTER

>From Andrew Roberts Secretary Survivors History Group http://studymore.org.uk/ studymore@studymore.org.uk telephone: 020 8 986 5251 home address: 177 Glenarm Road, London, E5 ONB Survivor History Group Summer 2012 Newsletter The July London meeting of the Survivors History Group will be held on Wednesday 25.7.2012 from 1pm to 5pm at Together, 12 Old Street, London. Everybody is welcome and refreshments will be provided. The September meeting has had to be moved from a Wednesday to Thursday 27.9.2012 (subject to approval by this Wednesday's meeting) because of the availability of a room at Together.   -------------------------------------------------------------------- The agenda for the July meeting will be drawn up at the beginning of the meeting, but it will include Peter Campbell's regular report back on the research he is leading on the history of Survivors Speak Out and discussion of material received from other people about Survivors Speak Out.  Rick Hennelly has se...
Post a Comment
Read more
Self Advocate’s Support and Action Group Wednesday 08 February 2023 Time: 12:30pm-2:30pm https://us06web.zoom.us/j/97471173675 Meeting ID: 974 7117 3675 1. Present Andrew Ray Olcay Russell Phil Sarah 2. Apologies: Jenny Firielle Chris Peter Vicky Andrew welcomed everyone to the meeting. Our last meeting was 8th February. 3. Check-in Andrew asked how everyone was feeling. Everyone shared how they were feeling and their news. 1 Firielle: told us about her acting work. She finished her tour with the play Milk and is now doing a performance with Dark Horse. They are currently touring. Russell: said he had just been to a face-to-face speaking up meeting, which was really good. He also told us that Joanne won the Derek Russell Award for Outstanding Leadership at the North West Self |Advocate’s conference. Peter: said he has been well. He told us about some of the jokes and play on words that he works on. He shared some that he had worked on earlier. Ray: said he has h...
Post a Comment
Read more