Notes of the Bamford Monitoring Group Meeting
Friday 2 October 2015
Ormeau Baths, 18 Ormeau Avenue, Belfast
Members at the meeting:Brian Sinnamon, Carer
Catherine McGroggan, Service User
Ursula Campbell, Service User
Jean Hale, Service User
Lisa Jane Henry, Service User
Paul McFall, Service User
Francis McKenna, Service User
Pascal McKeown, Support via Mencap / Present:
Jackie McNeill, Patient and Client Council
Briege McAlister, Patient and Client Council Gerard McWilliams, Patient and Client Council
Nigel Warbuton, Patient and Client Council
Aidan Murrary, HSC Board
Item / Welcome and Introduction / Action
/ In the absence of John, Brian chaired the meeting and welcomed everyone.
Item / Apologies / Action
/ John McKee, Carer, Pat McDowell, Carer and South Eastern HSC Trust representatives.
Item / Notes of the last meeting / Action
/ The notes of the last meeting were approved.
Item / Matters Arising / Action
/ 1. Regional Adult Group membership – local service user. Jackie updated the group on this item. It was explained that this matter was wider than the regional adult group and that the BMG/PCC required reassurance that each sub group had adequate service user/carer representative. Initially when these groups were set up, BMG members were asked to attend as a temporary provision until the HSCB and PHA established their own users/carers. Following a meeting between Maeve Hully, Jackie and Stephen Bergin (PHA), it was agreed that a further meeting be arranged with Jackie, Maeve, Stephen Bergin, Aidan Murray and Molly Kane to gain reassurance that service users and carers have a ‘voice’ on all sub groups and find out how BMG can input/learn about sub group work.
2. Update BMG Recruitment – Jackie informed the meeting that one application has been received to date and she encouraged members to distribute the application forms that they received to people that may be interested in joining the group. Closing date for applications is 16 October 2015. It was agreed that a flyer be drawn up and forwarded to all community and voluntary groups in our database.
A letter will be sent to all members whose four year membership term expires in April 2016 asking if they would like to continue for a further year. / Briege
Members
Briege
Item / Consultations / Action
/ 1. The Delivery of Learning Disability Day Services for people living in Belfast – BHSCT.
Brian advised the group that he had attended a meeting in Edgcumbe Resource Centre and gave an update. Pascal said there is a lot of concerns in West Belfast, the Trust seems to own the property that is to close. Brian said that the main recommendation coming out of the document was the closure of Fallswater Day Centre. The Carer’s main concerns included, people being removed because an assessment is made, that day opportunities other than a resource centre, might be more appropriate to some people and they feel that this is going to be forced on them. They had not seen or had any confidence that these day opportunities are actually being worked on and expanded. For example in East Belfast area the Orchardville Society was mentioned and the Junction Club which is under the auspices of Edgcumbe, but they are already under pressure and there did not seem to be any indication that any resource was actually going to be allocated to them to create day opportunities. There are people with complex needs in schools at present who are going to need resource centres, and some carers think that their loved ones are going to be removed from Edgcumbe in order to facilitate the other clients. Not convinced that if a client tries a new day opportunity and it does not work out that they will get back into the resource centre. Concerns that this is purely a cost saving exercise. The question was asked what will be done with the money that is saved by closing Fallswater, will it be reallocated into provision of day services on a sustainable basis? The impression was that it will be offered up as savings. Carers are suspicious that the proper safeguards will not be there when their loved ones goes to a day centre they are safe and risk assessments need to be completed. If they had the reassurance that funding was going to be provided to enable these day opportunities to work in the long term they would push more towards the ‘open door’. Gerard asked if someone is using 5 day services and they may be cut down to 3 days, how best is that person going to get the support for the time they are not there.
Ursula said that people in the Northern area have had their rural transport cut because of funding. They are getting to their day opportunity once a week now instead of three times. Brian supported Ursula’s issue, in that there was no point in trying to create a day opportunity at a particular location if you cannot get transport to it.
Lisa Jane said she goes to Triangle three days a week and it is very good.
Pascal informed the group that DRD have a current consultation on Accessible Transport Strategy up to 2025 at present and the BMG might want to look at it. Briege to source link for this and forward to members.
Jackie will draft a response to the Belfast Trust consultation and this will be shared with members for any additions.
2. The Delivery of Mental Health Day Services for People living in Belfast – BHSCT
Paul said he has attended 3 meetings and the same issues/themes that have been discussed at the Learning Disability meetings were raised. The people were very emotional and have fears that they will have to access treatment/services by going through A&E again. Are the hubs that have been set up got the resources to continue?
Jackie will draft a response and this will be shared with members for any additions.
3. The Future of Norfolk Court Supported Living Schemes – NHSCT
Catherine said this is one of the supporting housing schemes in Rathenraw in Antrim, this is deemed for people who require more support in the community when they are discharged from hospital. Catherine said she could find out more about this. Jackie said she would contact the Manager of the home to see what effort is being made to make sure service users/carers have a chance to share their views. / Briege
Jackie
Jackie
Jackie
Item / Christmas / Action
/ Jackie asked the members if they wanted to have lunch at the December BMG meeting. Members said they would like this. Jackie to check with Maeve/Louise if this is ok. / Jackie
Item / Guest Speaker - Bria Mongan, Director of Adult Care and Prison Healthcare, South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust / Action
/ Brian informed the meeting that the South Eastern Trust representatives would not be attending the meeting. An email was received this morning, apologising for the short notice but they were doubled booked. Members were very disappointed as the meeting time had been changed to accommodate their attendance. It was agreed that a letter be sent to the Trust. Jackie to draft this. / Jackie
Item / Updates / Action
/ 1. Future Planning for Elderly carers of someone with a mental illness - Jackie updated the meeting on the background to this project. Aidan then informed the group of discussions held with the University of Ulster.
Learning Disability – HSC Board was asked to consider running the training for HSC staff and carers again as there were comments from last year’s work that some of the sessions had not the correct people at them. Good representation from parents and carers but not enough support managers, social workers or nurses. The University of Ulster have agreed, in principal, to run further training courses across NI. They did not think it would be a problem in putting the information from the planning for the future lever arch file, onto NI Direct. Further work with NI Direct is required to get this completed.
Aidan said that the University did not think there was the potential for running the course or converting the information for mental health carers. They thought there was sufficient difference, it would not carry across, it would seem too much like an artificial survey add-on to the product. Jackie still felt there was potential to expand this for mental health carers and suggested setting up a meeting with CAUSE, University of Ulster, Aidan and PCC to discuss this further.
Aidan said that they had got the money for the Learning Disability for Older Carers, they did not get the money for Mental Health initiatives.
Jackie informed the group of an event being planned for January to highlight the success ref funding for learning disability carers and to ask Trusts about how they planned to use this funding. Aidan said the Needs Assessment of the Housing Executive are planning an event in January. Jackie to make contact with Mary McDonnell in the Housing Executive to get further information.
Ursula asked if the training would include new nurses – Jackie said the training was on future planning and would involve social workers working with parents to try and think of the future care for their son/daughter. Key workers would be involved which may include nurses.
Pascal informed the meeting that the University of Ulster is running a series of events in January on the retirement options for people with a learning disability.
2. Ten Involved – Catherine has been working on this project and the interviews are now complete. It aims to establish good and poor practices when a service user is asked to sit on a working group at strategic level. The findings will be collated and distributed.
3. Bamford Evaluation – this is part of the 3 year plan and is being conducted by the DHSSPS to evaluate the effectiveness of Bamford since its implementation. There is a questionnaire for carers of people with a learning disability – once this is received copies will be sent out to members for distribution.
The Sensemaker tool ran in 2012 and is being rerun again to capture stories of people with mental health issues. There was a training day run by Public Health Agency for data collectors, each Trust is to collect approximately 200 stories. Sensemaker will be launched on World Mental Health Day, 10 October 2015. Jackie said if any BMG member would like to be a data collector this can still be arranged and to let her know. Stephen Bergin is to send a flyer to Jackie on the sensemaker tool and the PCC will promote this on Facebook/Social Media, etc.
Focus Groups – the list of dates were emailed prior to the meeting and there were hard copies available for members to promote as widely as possible.
Jackie will feedback to Lorraine Brown, DHSSPS the group’s comments – not getting the ‘whole story’, as not all themes are covered in each Trust area and people will not travel excessive distances.
Gerard asked will the DHSSPS be collating the information gathered at the focus groups. Jackie said the Department will be writing up the findings and this will all be part of the Bamford Evaluation.
4. What Matters to Me
Jackie circulated the draft
report to members and shared
some of the high level findings,
and asked members to forward
any comments within the next
week.
The report is going to PCC
Board meeting later this month.
Paul Schofield, Research
Manager would like to produce
an easy read version of the
report and asked Jackie to find
out if any of the BMG members
would be interested in helping
out with this task. Ursula,
Jean, Lisa Jane and Gerard put
their names forward. A sub-
group meeting will be set up in
due course.
It is planned to have a launch
of the report at the Hive group
in Belfast. Once the date has
been agreed it will be circulated
to BMG members. The report
will also be circulated to HSC
organisations, etc, to inform
them of service users and
carers views in relation to
learning disability services.
Such evidence will also be used
for the Bamford Evaluation.
5. 3 Year Plan
Jackie talked through the current projects to date and spoke briefly about projects for next year. It was agreed to do a project involving young people with either a learning disability or mental health illness. Ideas were welcomed, the transition from children to adult services and eating disorders were two proposals. Another planned project is carer’s assessments for both learning disability and mental health – are they making a difference for people. A third project for next year is Psychological Therapies. Jackie highlighted the on-going work on this through the Hubs – a pilot is now taking place in every Trust area to ensure people get quicker access to psychological support, again this is funding dependent. Jackie asked members if they had any new ideas for projects to email them to her.
Paul thinks we need to look at supported living accommodation for people with mental health issues, they are being discharged into nursing homes. It is not appropriate for young people in their 40s and 50s to be asked to reside in an old people’s home. Ursula said that Alcoholics are being put in the same supported housing as people with mental health issues in the Northern area, they need to get the appropriate accommodation. / Briege
Jackie
Briege
Jackie
Members
Item / Risk / Action
/ Gerard raised the issue of Day Centres possibly closing and if clients are moved into Day Opportunities do their benefits change.
Item / AOB / Action
AOB
......
...... / · Annual Mental Health Conference ‘Dignity in Mental Health - World Mental Health Day Saturday 10 October 2015 at the Ulster University, Magee Campus, Londonderry, Northern Ireland – email details to members .
· Jackie asked members if there was anything they felt we should be doing in conjunction with World Mental Health day. She asked if anyone was willing to assist. Unfortunately, no one responded.
· Pascal Informed the group that
she is leaving Mencap and Lisa
Jane will have a new support
worker, Christine Mulvenna –
Pascal will forward details to
Briege/Jackie. Brian thanked
Pascal for her contribution and
help to BMG over the past few
years and wished her well in her new position with AgeNI. / Briege
Item / Next Meeting
/ Friday 6 November 2015 at 11.00am Ormeau Baths, 18 Ormeau Avenue, Belfast.
END