53. Evidence submitted by Hounslow Primary
Care Trust, West Middlesex University Hospital, Ealing Hospital,
Ealing Primary Care Trust, Hillingdon Primary Care Trust, Hillingdon
Hospitals, West London Mental Health Trust PPI Forum (PPI 141)
A STRONGER LOCAL
VOICE
Originally there were Community Health Councils
(CHCs). They were made up of 24 members who monitored NHS services
in the Borough. 10 members were appointed by the Local Authority,
10 by local voluntary organisations and four by the Secretary
of State for Health. Thus they were a fairly representative group
of people. Each CHC had a local office often in the high street.
CHCs were abolished because they were not sufficiently independent.
A Stronger Local Voice proposes to replace PPI Forums with LINks.
PPI Forums were set up by Act of Parliament
and are managed by the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement
in Health (CPPIH). The Forums have less powers than the CHCs and
they do not help patients with complaints, as this part was passed
to another organisation. Now these Forums are beginning to get
established they are to be abolished and replaced by LINks.
A Stronger Local Voice says that LINks are to
be set as follows: "Each local authority with social services
responsibilities will be funded to make arrangements for the establishment
of a LINK in its area," and thus the one issue of the CHCs
and PPI Forums not being organised by a political organisation
are swept under the carpet. Incidentally, this issue was one that
every discussion meeting in the consultation period agreed would
be a bad thing.
Local authorities and the NHS work together
in providing health and social care, so how can Local Authorities
be independent; and how much of the funding for the LINks will
be swallowed up by local authority administration costs. The money
provided to the local authorities to establish LINks must be ring
fenced for that purpose alone. It appears that appointments onto
the LINks could be at the whim of Local Council Committees.
If the new LINks do not have the power of access
premises providing NHS services, many Trusts will breathe a sigh
of relief. Without regular monitoring/inspections the LINks will
not have the information they need to help the Trusts to improve.
At this time all Trusts are saving money and having to make cuts
or reductions, monitoring visits to see how services are affected
at the point of delivery are so important.
Who will be the loser, the patient of course,
but the Government says the LINks will have greater opportunity
to discuss the issues and with more people. But without any powers
LINks will be just talking shops, with no real involvement in
improving the patient experience.
LINks need to be supplemented by a regional
and national organisation that would allow them to link into the
whole community in England. Then LINks could become the organisation
that the Government say they want. Even more important they could
become the organisation that the Public and Patients want and
deserve.
Members feel that if there was a real commitment
to patient involvement LINks would be strengthened and better
funded.
The Forums' Key Messages to the Government are:
— Ensure that LINks are independent.
— Give the statutory powers the Forums
have to LINks
— Strengthen legislation to ensure
that LINks have to be consulted.
— Support the LINks by word and deed.
— Support the Public and make a long
term commitment to PPI.
— Provide the necessary finance to
ensure that PPI can be done.
Geoff Morgan
West London Inhouse Forum Support Team
January 2007
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