PPlog

A very good friend, Sandie Bailes, who is a fellow service user wrote this - and gave me permission to publish it. Social Workers take note!!!!!!!!!!!!! IS IT WORTH IT? I have been passionate about Personalisation in both care and health since I joined NCODP. My sheer joy at the thought of being able to choose my care – whether it be actual folk to do the caring or strategies and things in place to make my brain boogie – could waltz my wellbeing star off it’s page! But then this joy is scuppered by the grey folk who simply do not understand or are unwilling to take on board Personalisation. It’s not all grey folk; some are warriors and fight my corner but some simply do not want to see me smile; do not wish to join me in my world of sparkling rainbows and chocolate cuddles. My aim is to be just Sandie; I am a unique human being; MS is only part of me – it’s not all of me. I look to my PB to enhance and enrich each wonderful day; I look to it to enable me to carry on with the vo...

A friend from our Parish Council casually asked if I'd be interested in a meeting involving 'future health care' at South Norfolk (District) Council. I was and foiund out that: Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust is currently the new provider of community services (nursing, occupational therapy etc) in our 'not so local' area. Here in Thurlton we're relatively fortunate to be served by one of three satellites of the South East Community Team based in which is based in Wymondham. However, our satellite team is based in Chedgrave - a marked improvement on previous services, usually based in Norwich or Wymondham. But when the new Commissioning Manager for South Norfolk, Chris Coath spoke, he revealed something of a snag: Being in the extreme south east of Norfolk, right against the Suffolk border, half the patients (I'll say 'patients' rather than 'service users' for the sake of populist clarity) are registered with the Beccles GP ...

Last Saturday the Annual General Meeting of the Norfolk Coalition of Disabled People took place. A generally happy throng turned up to a very comfortable and well equipped venue (Poringland Community Centre) resulting in a relaxed and productive day. In the open mike session - where everyone in the room is asked to identify themselves and say what activities or issues they'd been involved in during the year - I opted to declaim the exploitation by public authorities of volunteers to take the place of professionals and other paid employees; both destroying the quality of service received by disabled people and helping to take away the means, for people with families, of making a living. I couldn't have been more pleased with the reception I had with many people supporting what I was saying and several people seeking me out to talk about it afterwards. Foundations for a campaign, perhaps. On the sadder side, during the open mike session, quite a few people told us about how they...

I was in outpatients today, seeing technician about an unstisfactory knee brace. He wouldn't listen to what I was saying and I had to assert my rights for an equal say. He then took the matter to my treating consultant who saw my on my own and tried to bully me by telling me I had been 'aggressive' with his technical staff - an attitude which would not be tolerated in patients in line with their staff protection policy. I had some difficulty getting a word in for myself but eventually managed to get in edgeways. Putting in my own case I asked him if he thought I was being 'aggressive.' by speaking up for myself as patient rights says I should be able to. He agreed I was not, but there is a fine line between assertiveness and aggression! I told him I had done nothing different in communication with his technician. His attitude softened. Seeing the technician again I took up the matter of 'aggression' with him and, his own attitude softened. He said "Oh f...

You will have seen this report is offered and promoted as a wonderful development in adult social care statistics. BEWARE It is the worst kind of propaganda: you will see, if you read the process section (which most people tend to skip), the report honestly criticises itself for having shaky samples and returns parameters. What it doesn’t mention is the huge flaw in the process: ASKING LOCAL AUTHORITIES TO CARRY OUT THE WORK FOR THE SURVEY. That invites the introduction of all sorts of negative variables. IT IS RECOMMENDED THIS REPORT GOES STRAIGHT IN THE BIN. Heddwch. Mike.