Norfolk LINk has announced it is to launch its new website this coming Thursday 14th. At the same time there is to be a “Public Meeting” to celebrate the 1st anniversary of the LINk on that day “...a chance to meet the newly elected members” they say.
Sick joke! For members of the public to attend that meeting from here they would have to travel in a good car for more than an hour to reach Swaffham which is about 60 miles away. And it is more for other ordinary people (the “public”) from Norfolk.
This effectively means this forthcoming meeting in Swaffham socially excludes and discriminates against disabled people.
The government paper “Planning your Local Involvement Network” said:
3.0 The primary role of a LINk is to provide a stronger voice for local people in the planning, design or redesign, commissioning, and provision of health and social care services.
3.1 Although LINks have flexibility about how they undertake their roles, there are a number of principles that should be common to all. These include: being accessible to all, including those with full-time jobs, those who feel excluded and those who might need support to participate
What generates pained laughter about Norfolk LINk is that the “public” label attached to this Swaffam meeting is empty - all this meeting can be is a cosy gathering of the Norfolk LINk Star Chamber with what ‘members’ remain - paid for by the scarce funds of the Host - money that could have been better used to reach out to service users, carers and the genuine public across Norfolk AS IS SUPPOSED TO BE THEIR FIRST PRIORITY.
In stark contrast I came across another good example (see my entry for 13th April below) of how it should be done today: At the side of the entrance to Beccles Tesco’s was an attractive and colourfully presented small (12ft x 12ft) marquee (which would not be expensive to buy) promoting World Breastfeeding Week. I asked the three personable people staffing the marquee if getting permission to set it up there had been difficult. “We just came here and asked inside and there was no hesitation.” They said.
Shame on this Norfolk LINk which is fast becoming more and more inward looking and self-congratulatory.
Sick joke! For members of the public to attend that meeting from here they would have to travel in a good car for more than an hour to reach Swaffham which is about 60 miles away. And it is more for other ordinary people (the “public”) from Norfolk.
This effectively means this forthcoming meeting in Swaffham socially excludes and discriminates against disabled people.
The government paper “Planning your Local Involvement Network” said:
3.0 The primary role of a LINk is to provide a stronger voice for local people in the planning, design or redesign, commissioning, and provision of health and social care services.
3.1 Although LINks have flexibility about how they undertake their roles, there are a number of principles that should be common to all. These include: being accessible to all, including those with full-time jobs, those who feel excluded and those who might need support to participate
What generates pained laughter about Norfolk LINk is that the “public” label attached to this Swaffam meeting is empty - all this meeting can be is a cosy gathering of the Norfolk LINk Star Chamber with what ‘members’ remain - paid for by the scarce funds of the Host - money that could have been better used to reach out to service users, carers and the genuine public across Norfolk AS IS SUPPOSED TO BE THEIR FIRST PRIORITY.
In stark contrast I came across another good example (see my entry for 13th April below) of how it should be done today: At the side of the entrance to Beccles Tesco’s was an attractive and colourfully presented small (12ft x 12ft) marquee (which would not be expensive to buy) promoting World Breastfeeding Week. I asked the three personable people staffing the marquee if getting permission to set it up there had been difficult. “We just came here and asked inside and there was no hesitation.” They said.
Shame on this Norfolk LINk which is fast becoming more and more inward looking and self-congratulatory.
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