To the University of Nottingham, the Innovation Park, Jubilee Campus. The space-age looking Sir Colin Campbell Building there (photo above) is the venue for a consultation between NHS East Midlands and representatives of the Voluntary and Community Sector in the region, on "Liberating the NHS". I'm there, representing the Regional Equality and Diversity Partnership (REDP), along with Tonia Frew from Leicester LGBT Centre and Liz Harrison from Leicestershire Centre for Integrated living (LCIL).
The event is hosted by Maqsood Ahmed, Head of Inclusion for NHS East Midlands. This is the third time I've been at a meeting addressed by Maqsood, who was guest speaker at Leicester Council of Faiths AGM in October.
Around 40 people are in attendance, representing a variety of organisations, such as:
African Institute for Social DevelopmentAlzheimer's SocietyAWAAZ, Asian Mental Health Resource UnitBassetlaw District CouncilBME Community Development ProjectCentre for Social JusticeCitihealth NottinghamDerby Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustDerbyshire FriendDerbyshire Mental Health Services NHS TrustEast Midlands Cancer NetworkLeicester Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender CentreLeicester LINkLeicestershire Centre for Integrated LivingLincolnshire LINksLincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation TrustNHS East MidlandsNHS Leicester CityNHS Lincolnshire PCTNHS Nottingham CityNHS Nottinghamshire CountyNottingham University GroupNottinghamshire County CouncilNottinghamshire Healthcare NHS TrustNottinghamshire Royal Society for the BlindUniversity Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust
Opportunities and challenges in the ongoing restructuring of the NHS which are of particular relevance to organisations like ours were front and centre of our discussions here today, such as:
- embedding inclusion and equality into new structures: Department of Health; NHS Board; GP consortia; Health Watch England; local Health Watch.
- role of voluntary sector; supporting groups with protected characteristics.
- effectively engaging diverse patients, carers, excluded groups and those with protected characteristics.
- measurement and accountability of equality outcomes.
REDP is the only organisation from the Voluntary and Community Sector exhibiting today. Normally we have to fight for space at events like these. At EMAS's "Community in Unity" event at Nottingham Council House at the start of November last year, we had to make do with half a table top.
At the end of the session, I'm given five minutes to introduce REDP, say why we're here and encourage further involvement in our project. This appears to be received positively, with a number of strong contacts and definite leads.
- George Ballentyne - Leicester Council of Faiths
To view George's blog, please click here
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