engage oct/nov/dec 2011 issue 9 stoke-on-trent …btckstorage.blob.core.windows.net/site1364/(issue...

EngAGE

Stoke-on-Trent Fifty+ Forum

Oct/Nov/Dec 2011

Issue 9

In this issue….

Pg 2 September 2011 SOT 50+ Forum

Pg 4 Forum Committee Update

Pg 5 Outreach Report

Pg 6 July 2011 SOT 50+ Forum

Pg 8 UHNS Focus Group

NHS Mystery Shopper

Pg 9 NSPC “Deeds Not Words”

Pg 10/11 Older People‟s Housing

This time the newsletter contains reports on not one, but two meetings of the 50+ Forum. The

EngAGE team wanted to try out a “morning-only” meeting and this took place in July. The

attendance was encouraging, and the November meeting will again be just for the morning.

It was a sadness to all of us when Clare Dawson‟s father, Alan, died suddenly in July. He and

his wife Cynthia had helped the Forum as volunteers, and our sympathy goes to Clare,

Cynthia and all the family.

We have welcomed a new member to the EngAGE team. Zoe Barnes, from Stoke, has

replaced Clare Dawson as the Support Worker. She has written about herself on page 3.

Frances Chadwick, EngAGE Coordinator

WE HAVE MOVED! You can now find us at :

EngAGE Stoke-on-Trent

Freepost RSSY-JJTE-TYGJ

Palace Chambers

21 Stafford Street

Hanley

ST1 1JW

Tel: 01782 200736

[email protected]

www.engagestokeontrent.org.uk

Stoke-on-Trent Fifty+ Forum

Wednesday, 30 November 2011, 10am - 12.30pm

Breathe City Church, Leek Road, ST2 8BY

An introduction to the new Clinical

Commissioning Group for Stoke-on-Trent

Our speaker will be Jane Tipping, Senior Commissioning

Manager – Mental Health and Specialist Groups

Booking is essential - please call the EngAGE team on 01782 200736 or email

[email protected]. Spaces are limited so book your place early!

2 Issue 9/2011 ● EngAGE Stoke-on-Trent ● [email protected] ● Tel: 01782 200736

Issue 9/2011 ● EngAGE Stoke-on-Trent ● [email protected] ● Tel: 01782 200736 3

The Stoke-on-Trent Fifty+ Forum. Photograph courtesy of Bill Jeynes.

The Stoke-on-Trent Fifty+ Forum at

The Bridge Centre

105 members of EngAGE came together at

the Bridge Centre for the September

meeting. Several local services and agencies

had information stands, and members were

glad of the chance to gather useful

information.

Clare Dawson introduced herself to the

Forum as the new Outreach Worker. She also

introduced Zoe Barnes, who has joined the

team as the Support Worker. Bill Jeynes

stepped down as Chair of the Forum

committee, and Clare presented him with a

voucher as a sign of our appreciation for all

his work.

There was only one topic for the presentation

and discussions – Adult Social Care services in

Stoke-on-Trent.

Two senior managers from the City Council,

Amanda Evans and Joanne Wilkes, gave a

short presentation. The national Government

requires councils to produce annual reports

about all their services. Amanda and Joanne

are involved in producing the report on Adult

Social Care services for the period April 2010

to March 2011.

Adult Social Care services might be provided

by the City Council or by other organisations.

These services include home care, day

centres, residential homes, respite care,

having Telecare or a piece of equipment,

having a Direct Payment and choosing your

own care or support services.

Joanne and Amanda explained that the

Forum‟s feedback would be included in the

report, and would also help to influence

improvements and developments in Adult

Social Care services.

There were three group discussions sessions.

As usual, facilitators at each table recorded

everyone‟s comments and contributions.

The questions for discussion were:

How easy is it to find information about the

services/support provided by Adult Social

Care?



What is your experience when requesting

support from Adult Social Care (for you,

someone you care for, or someone you

know such as a neighbour)?

If you are in receipt of adult social care

support, or know someone else who is, do

these services improve quality of life? Are

there other services/activities not currently

available as options through social care

that could support people?

The main question-and-answer session took

place after lunch, when Hugh Evans, an

Assistant Director at the City Council, joined

Joanne and Amanda. Andy Day, a

member of the EngAGE Steering Group and

Collette Cooper from The Saltbox, were also

on the panel.

Many people present did not know about

Adult Social Care services and had never

tried to access them. Joanne and Amanda

gave Forum members the telephone number

for the Social Care Contact Centre: 0800 561

0015. Some of the staff who answer the

„phone speak minority languages such as

Punjabi.

Questions to the panel highlighted:

The Council, the NHS and Voluntary

Organisations in the City need to work

better together

There is concern over the quality of care

that can be delivered in a short home-

visit.

There is a need for information in other

languages, and for someone to visit minor-

ity groups to tell them about services.

People who receive care services are

those who have “substantial or critical

needs”, and the criteria for assessment

are set nationally.

There is concern over the impact of re-

ducing the number of beds available at

the UHNS.

People can get information by „phone,

via the Council‟s website, and face-to-

face in the “one stop shops”.

If you would like to receive paper copies of

the Forum Minutes and Feedback

then call 01782 200736, or write/email

to the address on the front of this

newsletter.

EngAGE has a new Support Worker!

Zoé pictured with one of the teddy bears from Age UK.

Joanne Wilkes and Amanda Evans from

Stoke-on-Trent City Council at the Fifty+ Forum.

Photograph courtesy of Bill Jeynes.

I have been part of the EngAGE Team for two months and have loved every minute of it! I am privileged to be part of an amazing team and en-joy working with Frances and Clare. I attended my first Fo-rum in September and had the great pleasure of meeting some very wonderful people. I look forward to meeting many more of you in the future.

Take care and goodbye for now

Hello! My name is Zoé and I am the new Sup-port Worker for EngAGE. I am Stoke City born and bred, and proud of it! At any time you can find me at Breathe City Church having an amazing time, cheering on my football team (Stoke City of course!) or snuggled somewhere with brew and a good book!

In August this year, I went to Uganda with 18 people from BCC to help to build a children‟s facility in Lwantama where as a church, we sponsor over 140 children through Compas-sion UK. Age UK‟s Knitting Groups donated over 150 knitted teddy bears for the project making many children very happy!



We agreed that the facilitator cannot

always do the writing down of people‟s

comments as well as everything else. It can

be helpful if someone else in the group

takes responsibility for this.

Ann said: “I knew I was capable of doing it,

but not how well. I want to be as good as I

can be, and as adaptable as I can be, to

give everyone who attends the best day

possible.”

Written by Ann Owen, Forum Committee

member, and Frances Chadwick,

EngAGE Co-ordinator

Facilitators are very important to the success

of the 50+ Forum. Some Forum members

have volunteered to be facilitators at recent

meetings, and during August several of us

took part in two training workshops run by

Penny Vincent from Staffordshire University.

These workshops gave us a basic idea of

what facilitating a group is about, and

showed us the skills that we need. It became

clear that a facilitator needs to be and do a

great many things. Their role includes

welcoming people, being a “diplomatic

head” who keeps the discussion together,

keeping an eye on the time, making sure

everyone who wants to speak can do so,

and much more.

Facilitator Training Workshop

Fifty+ Forum Committee Update by Bill Jeynes, Chair.

Dear Forum friends, as this is my last newsletter

message as Chair of the Committee I would like to

thank you for the support you have given to me and

the Committee and for the send off you gave me at

the last Forum.

I have enjoyed my period as Chair, but sometimes if

you have too many commitments you end up not

doing any of them very well. However, it is my

intention to attend as many Forums as I can to see

old friends.

Please support your Committee and the EngAGE

Team as they have your interest at heart and put in

a lot of time and effort to help you. When people

ask me what the Forum is about, I reply, “You”,

because the people and their needs are the Forum.

Take care and keep warm throughout the winter

and get your flu jabs! Bye for now.

Bill Jeynes (left) with Clare Dawson (right)

Stoke-on-Trent

Fifty+ Forum

Stoke-on-Trent

Fifty+ Forum



EngAGE Outreach Work Often people weren‟t aware of what social

groups took place in their own area. Instead

of word-of-mouth, people talked about be-

ing able to access a list of social activities in

the City. It was suggested that the City

Council should provide this as part of their

Adult Social Care service.

Well, I have thoroughly enjoyed visiting

everyone over the last three months and

have even taken part in some gentle

exercise routines, (although I‟m not as supple

as some of you and do question the „gentle‟

bit!). It has been encouraging to hear that

at each community group there is someone,

or several people aware of EngAGE and the

Stoke-on-Trent Fifty+ Forum. Many thanks to

everyone that I spoke to; your thoughts and

opinions are very important in helping to

strengthen the credibility of the Stoke-on-

Trent Fifty+ Forum, and all your feedback will

be included in the September 2011 Forum

report to the City Council. Take care, and I

look forward to the next few months‟

EngAGE Outreach work.

Clare Dawson, EngAGE Outreach Worker

The last three months have been incredibly

interesting and have generated some lively

debates amongst the 22 community groups

that I‟ve visited. People highlighted Social

Care and Help at Home as priority services to

enable them to live independently and stay

in their own home. Help with everyday tasks

such as shopping, cleaning or cooking were

raised by many community groups as priority

services that can make a big difference in

managing day-to-day living.

People receiving care at the Centres of Ex-

cellence, St. Michael‟s and The Meadows,

thought the day reablement services were

crucial in helping to “manage and look after

yourself properly when you go home”. How-

ever, the majority of community groups I vis-

ited weren‟t aware of the services provided

by Adult Social Care or by Voluntary Organi-

sations in the City. As a consequence, peo-

ple that I spoke to often relied on their family

or close friends to provide support for them in

their home. For people who did have sup-

port in place, they raised concerns about

the number of different carers who would

visit them in one week. Relatives of people

receiving care discussed how they thought

vital information was not being adequately

communicated between care workers such

as a person may be diabetic or have food

intolerances.

Amongst the discussions that have taken

place with community groups, being able to

access social activities was highlighted as a

vital service. As one gentleman said “we

need social activities most of all. When

you‟re on your own, it makes a big differ-

ence.” Clare with her mum and dad who volunteered

at the Stoke-on-Trent Fifty+ Forum.

Photograph courtesy of Tony Jones.





The Stoke-on-Trent Fifty+ Forum. Photograph courtesy of Bill Jeynes.

The Stoke-on-Trent Fifty+ Forum at

Joiners Square Community Centre

By the time you read this newsletter, the

Switchover will have taken place, and we

hope it has gone smoothly for all our readers.

Martin Chadwick from Beat the Cold ex-

plained that his staff can carry out free home

energy advice visits. Many members signed

up for a visit on the day. If other

readers would like to have a visit,

please contact Beat the Cold on

01782 683813.

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue were warning

about a possible fire hazard with Beko fridges

with certain serial numbers. Anyone who has

a Beko fridge is advised to contact their

nearest fire station.

The meeting in July was an experiment.

Previous meetings have been “all-day”

events, with lunch provided. The EngAGE

team wanted to try holding a morning-only

meeting, and this took place on 28th July at

Joiners Square Community Hall. 84 members

attended. This level of turn-out was very

encouraging, given that there would not be

a buffet lunch.

Members tell us that they value both the op-

portunity for consultation (“having your say”)

and the useful information that they can pick

up at Forum meetings. In July, the informa-

tion came from the Digital Switchover Help

Scheme, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue and

Beat the Cold, the local fuel poverty charity.





The main speaker at the Forum was Ben

Boyd from North Staffordshire Combined

Healthcare NHS Trust. Ben had recently

joined the Trust as Business Manager for

Older People and Learning Disability Ser-

vices. He brought two colleagues with him

who joined him for the question-and-answer

session. They were Dr Ben Udeze and Daryl

Gwynett. They had come to inform and to

consult the Forum about the proposal to

close Bucknall Hospital and relocate services

to other settings.

Combined Healthcare are proposing to

make changes affecting four services for

older people:

1. “Complex needs service”, which provides

high-level support for people with

conditions such as dementia or

Alzheimer‟s disease, would transfer to 15

beds at Harplands Hospital.

2. “Organic assessment”, which covers

assessment of people in the earlier stages

of conditions such as dementia and

Alzheimer‟s disease, would move to

Harplands with an increase in bed

numbers from 15 to 20.

3. “Functional assessment”, covering people

experiencing periods of feeling mentally or

emotionally unwell, or with conditions such

as depression or bipolar disorder, would be

delivered via enhanced community

teams, supporting people in their own

homes rather than in a hospital setting.

4. Rehabilitation care, currently provided at

Harplands Hospital and at Summers View

in Tunstall, would move to community

beds in the Sutherland Centre, Longton,

and Summers View.

Ben explained that the proposals are

intended to lower costs and to provide

better care in more appropriate settings.

Group discussions focused on the likely

impact of the changes on older people and

their carers, and the priorities for the best

community-based support to older people

who experience mental ill-health. In

response to questions, Ben Boyd and his

colleagues explained that the community-

based service would not be “9-to-5”, that

community-based staff would have enough

time for traveling and providing care, that all

services provided by the NHS are free, and

that they needed to work to improve the

public‟s awareness of the support that is

available.

A pilot scheme has been tried in Newcastle-

under-Lyme that Ben said had been well-

received. Referrals from GPs are dealt with

much more quickly – patients have an

assessment within 48 hours.

The EngAGE team sent notes of all the

discussions to Ben Boyd, together with follow-

up questions. We emphasized how

important it was that any new arrangements

should not make things worse for carers, and

that people were concerned about “out-of-

hours” services.

If you would like to receive paper

copies of the Forum Minutes and

Feedback then call 01782 200736, or

write/email to the address on the front

of this newsletter.

Ben Boyd speaking at The Stoke-on-Trent Fifty+ Forum.

Photograph courtesy of Bill Jeynes.

8 Issue 9/2011 ● EngAGE Stoke-on-Trent ● [email protected] ● Tel: 01782 200736 Issue 9/2011 ● EngAGE Stoke-on-Trent ● [email protected] ● Tel: 01782 200736 9

Health services in North Staffordshire

and Stoke have commenced a Mystery

Shopper programme as part of their

joint commitment to improve patient

experience.

Mystery Shopper is a customer feed-

back tool used to assess the quality of

services. Volunteers are needed who

are currently a patient or a carer living

in North Staffordshire or Stoke, receiving

health services or attending appoint-

ments. Participants will receive training

for which they will receive travelling

expenses. After a mystery shopper has

had contact with a healthcare service,

which might be through an

appointment, a letter or phone call,

they will be asked to complete a simple

questionnaire about the service they

have received, which will take about 15

minutes.

The identity of the mystery shopper re-

mains anonymous.

This information will then be reviewed to

find examples of what is being done

well and where improvements can be

made to services.

For more information,

please contact:

Amanda Boyd -

Mystery Shopper

Programme

Manager

on 01782 652774

by e-mail

[email protected] or

visit www.combined.nhs.uk and

complete a registration form.

Mystery Shopper Looking to

Bag Volunteers UHNS Focus Group 12 August 2011

A group of about 20 people met to discuss the

following questions:-

How do you think we can improve access includ-

ing car parking, signposting and making the envi-

ronment accessible to all?

What improvements do you think can be made to

achieve better standards of cleanliness, house-

keeping, and

environment and how will we go about this?

How do you think we can improve the

culture, attitude and communication within the

Trust?

The comments and suggestions covered several

sheets of paper and surprisingly, or perhaps not, all

the groups came up with similar answers.

Here are a few:

Car Parks: Make the concessionary Parking

Permit more widely known.

Have “meet-ers and greet-ers”

Ensure that toilets are checked regularly

Staff should respect patients and visitors and

remember that they are in an unfamiliar

environment

Each discussion group was facilitated by a senior

member of staff from the hospital, including the site

manager for Sodexo, the private company who pro-

vide catering, porter, linen and cleaning services.

They recorded all comments and contributions, and

promised to consider all that was said.

The meeting ended with an opportunity to sample

lunch from the hospital kitchens. We had been

asked to order our lunch in advance, and the meals

arrived in a special trolley. Some people found their

meals very tasty, whilst others found them disappoint-

ing.

The meeting was a worthwhile experience and we

look forward to seeing how the new hospital works in

practice.

Written by Christine Hemsley, Fifty+ Forum member,

and Frances Chadwick, EngAGE Co-ordinator

http://www.combined.nhs.uk

8 Issue 9/2011 ● EngAGE Stoke-on-Trent ● [email protected] ● Tel: 01782 200736 Issue 9/2011 ● EngAGE Stoke-on-Trent ● [email protected] ● Tel: 01782 200736 9

10 Issue 9/2011 ● EngAGE Stoke-on-Trent ●

Stoke-on-Trent City Council‟s „Older Persons Panel‟

Pensioners‟ Convention

Research for EngAGE

Grey Power – the North Staffs Pensioners‟

Convention – are undertaking a project for

EngAGE on care for older people in their

own homes in Stoke-on-Trent.

This is to give older people an opportunity to

say what they think on this issue. The

information that is gathered will form the

basis of a report that will help to give older

people a voice, will help to inform the public

about the care needs of older people and

start a debate about how we as a society

should respond to those needs.

Andy Day, the Co-ordinator at NSPC, will

carry out most of the interviews by

telephone.

The Tenant Involve-

ment Team at Stoke-

on-Trent City Council

are looking to

re - l aunch the i r

„Older Persons Panel‟ and are looking for

council tenants who are over 60 years of age

to join up and help to direct the services that

they receive.

The panel will be able to look at services

provided specifically for older people in

Council accommodation and point out

improvements that could be made to help

older people live more independently. They

will also look at how services for everyone

can be tailored and improved to suit the

needs of older people where necessary.

The Tenant Involvement Team will make all

necessary travel arrangements for you so

that you are not left out of pocket for

coming along and helping to improve these

services. The team can pay for petrol

expenses or arrange a taxi to deliver to and

from meetings.

Andy says: “Anything you tell us is strictly

confidential and we will not publish any

names in the report. Please take part if you

can.”

If you would like to take part, and you are a

Stoke-on-Trent resident aged 50 or

over, you may contact Andy via the

Grey Power Link-Line on 01782 201728.

The report should be completed by January

2012.

Members of the Tenant Involvement Team

would like to hear your views about what

subjects should be discussed, and how

meetings should be run. This feedback will

help the team to ensure that the meetings

make a real difference in the lives of older

people who live in a council property.

If you would like to join the Older Persons

Panel, or would like more information, please

call one of the team on the numbers below.

Emma Fear

Tenant Involvement Manager 01782 234709

Mark Bourne

Tenant Involvement Officer 01782 238515

Claire Baranowski


Paul Capewell



10 Issue 9/2011 ● EngAGE Stoke-on-Trent ●


Should I Stay or Should I Go?

90% of people over retirement age live in

housing that is not specifically designed for

older people. There is a growing interest in

retirement housing but people need help

and support when considering the options

for moving home in later life. Here are a few

suggestions about how to take a clear, hard

look at the idea of moving home:

Make two lists next to each other of

everything you like and dislike about your

current home.

Think about your realistic housing options,

write down those which best meet your

likes and dislikes.

Think about what you need to stay put

and the circumstances that may cause

you to need or want to move home,

consider the options.

Talk to someone completely impartial about

the pros and cons - in Stoke-on-Trent

organisations like Age UK and Revival can

help. Access to information is essential to

establishing your realistic housing options.

Understanding what is available and

considering the various possibilities before a

crisis is less stressful than a rushed, last minute

decision.

A few sources of information that may be

useful are:

Why Stoke-on-Trent LINk is vital to the City and

why we must all promote Local HealthWatch

It is highly likely that HealthWatch will replace

the existing LINk organisation in October

2012. HealthWatch will have all the existing

powers and responsibilities of the LINk as well

as further duties. The LINk is the ONLY

independent organisation with statutory

rights to try and protect your health and

social care rights. A very brief summary of

performance over the past year includes:

A major report on patient experience at the

UHNS; many Enter and View visits to check

on conditions at hospitals and in Care

Homes; a survey into the difficulties

encountered by people attending the Eye

Clinic; an on-going investigation looking at

End of Life Care; a major report into local

dementia care („In our own words‟ report);

the DREEM project which will track recovery

in the field of mental health; City wide events

on both health and social care issues;

consultations held to involve and engage

with the people of the City on various topics.

Please visit the new website:

www.stokeontrentlink.org.uk

or call us on 01782 416575.

Elderly Accommodation Counsel

The charity offers advice and

information about housing and

care options for older people.

Website: www.housingcare.org

Telephone: 0207 820 1343.

Care & Repair England

The charity has produced a free

information pack, „Your Housing in

Retirement‟.

Email: [email protected]

Telephone: 0115 950 6500.

The First Stop Advice

The First Stop charity has

produced a comprehensive guide

to all types of accommodation and

support services available to older

people in England.

Website: www.firststopadvice.org.uk

Telephone: 0800 377 7070

http://www.stokeontrentlink.org.uk

http://www.housingcare.org/

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.firststopadvice.org.uk/

Action for Blind People have moved premises

and expanded their services for the City‟s

visually impaired residents.

New facilities include a Resource Centre (open 10.30-2.00, other

times by appointment) stocked with a range of clever gadgets to

help people with sight loss communicate and to get out and about.

A Computer Training Room, staffed by a technology expert has

been designed to help people with sight loss in vital areas of

technology such as using email, shopping on the internet, accessing

services and reading printed information.

Action‟s local team also offers support and advice about a range of

issues such as welfare rights, concessions e.g. blue badge, housing

and employment.

The new premises also hold monthly coffee mornings, Equipment

Days, Creative Writing and Craft Classes and opportunities to attend

their empowerment course „Moving Forward with Sight Loss‟.

Action For Blind People

The Forecourt

12 Albion Street

Hanley

ST1 1QH

T: 01782 215755 [email protected]

www.actionforblindpeople.org.uk

Volunteer Cardiac Support Team

The Staffordshire & District Zipper Club provides support, reassurance and practical advice

for heart patients, their families & carers. Their volunteer hospital visiting team regularly vis-

its the local cardiac ward and departments to provide support and they provide a home

visiting service if required. The Staffordshire & District Zipper Club also meet socially every

month. Non-members are most welcome to go along.

To contact the Zipper Club, please telephone 01782 342116 or 01782 320055.

All calls are completely confidential.

Alternatively you can email [email protected]

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