The public consultation for the South Gloucestershire Suicide Prevention Strategy 2019-2021 is now open. The closing date for responses is the February 1st, 2019.
Continue reading “South Gloucestershire Suicide Prevention Strategy Consultation”
South Gloucestershire
Have your say – changes to community services
Community health services across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) are currently being reviewed, before they are put out to tender next year.
Continue reading “Have your say – changes to community services”
Volunteer for our S. Glos Sitting Service
You could make a real difference to a carer in your community.
Continue reading “Volunteer for our S. Glos Sitting Service”
Further Consultation on Talking Therapies Services
Earlier in the year, we were contacted by Bristol North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) about their consultation on Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT).
Continue reading “Further Consultation on Talking Therapies Services”
National State of Caring & Short Breaks Survey
Dear Carers, please find links below for two important surveys for you to fill out.
Continue reading “National State of Caring & Short Breaks Survey”
Feed carers views and needs into The Social Care Green Paper
You may be aware that the Government will be releasing a green paper in the summer about the future of social care.
Continue reading “Feed carers views and needs into The Social Care Green Paper”
Carers Week Open Meeting – June 14
Bookings for Carers Week 2018 are now closed.
Have your say about healthy lifestyle and wellbeing services in South Gloucestershire
Do you look after a friend, spouse, child or relative with an illness or disability? If so, you are an unpaid carer.
Sirona Care & Health Survey (South Gloucestershire)
Sirona would like to hear your views, good or bad, on the services they deliver.
Continue reading “Sirona Care & Health Survey (South Gloucestershire)”
South Gloucestershire Housing Survey: Housing needs for the over 55s
South Gloucestershire is faced with a growing ageing population over the next 5-20 years as life expectancy increases and people from the post-war ‘baby boom’ reach old age. The likelihood of being disabled and receiving care increases with age.
Continue reading “South Gloucestershire Housing Survey: Housing needs for the over 55s”
Urgent Care Strategy Meeting – March 21
Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (BNSSG CCG) will be producing an urgent care strategy which will set out their future plans for commissioning urgent and emergency care across the whole area. The CCGs’ aim is to ensure that their population has access to the best care from the right person in the best place and at the right time.
There will be a workshop to capture local people’s thoughts and the reasons for choosing a particular urgent and / or emergency care service. The aim is to highlight areas where the system is not working and where the patient and carer experience is poor, as well as identifying the areas where urgent and emergency care services are working well.
Update: If you can’t attend the meeting on 21st March, but would like to feed into this important strategy, please fill out the following short survey: BNSSG Urgent Care Strategy Survey
Details of the workshop are:
Date: Wednesday 21 March 2018
Start & Finish Time: 10 am until 12 noon
Venue: Brook Way Activity Centre, Brook Way, Bradley Stoke, BS32 9DA (Meeting Rooms A&B)
To book, contact: Pennie Jones, Patient & Public Involvement & Equalities Officer
Tel No: 0117 9474441
Email: penniejones@nhs.net
GP award scheme launched
We have recently launched a new award scheme for GP practices in South Gloucestershire to show how ‘carer and dementia friendly’ they are.
Focus Groups for Carers on Talking Therapies
Talking therapies services (otherwise known as Improving Access to Psychological Therapies – IAPT) are being recommissioned and redesigned in Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset. IAPT services provide support for adults who are experiencing low mood, anxiety and depression, stress, excessive worry or difficulties controlling emotions. These therapies are sometimes known as ‘talking therapies’. Typical treatments include cognitive behavioural therapies, mindfulness, counselling, couples therapies, psychodynamic therapy, psychosexual therapy, and group-based support.
We’d like to invite you to attend a focus group so that we can make sure that your views on how these services could be improved, what should be included in the redesign and also, any positive experiences that you or the person you care for have experienced (if any) around talking therapies.
Continue reading “Focus Groups for Carers on Talking Therapies”
Have your say on Healthy Lifestyle and Wellbeing Services in South Gloucestershire
South Gloucestershire Council’s Public Health and Wellbeing Division are working with other partners to develop more integrated and accessible healthy lifestyle and wellbeing services and support. They want to hear your views on what a new service model should look like.
They are hosting three stakeholder workshops in January for anyone interested in helping to shape services for the future. If you are interested please register via the link below:
Wednesday 17th January, 1.30-3.30pm, The Batch, Warmley
Register here!
Thursday 18th January, 10am-12.00pm, Coniston Community Centre, Patchway
Register here!
Wednesday 24th January, 6.30-8.30pm, South Gloucestershire Council Offices, Badminton Road, Yate
Register here!
You only need to attend one of these events. Three have been put on in order that as many people as possible can be involved.
For further information please contact:
Tel: 01454 864005
Email: healthylifestyles@southglos.gov.uk
Have your say on the re-design and re-commissioning of Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Services
Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) is a programme to support people of all ages who are experiencing low mood, anxiety and depression, stress, excessive worry or difficulties controlling emotions. These therapies are sometimes known as ‘talking therapies’. Typical treatments include cognitive behavioural therapies, mindfulness, counselling, couples therapies, psychodynamic therapy, psychosexual therapy, and group-based support.
The current contracts for IAPT jointly commissioned between Bristol and South Gloucestershire are delivered through 16 separate contracts as part of the model. Services are commissioned for all ages. Services are commissioned for adults only, with an additional 16-18 year old pathway to adult services.
Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Groups plan to re-design and re-procure a new IAPT service for people in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.
Have you say about this process via the following survey here. It is open until 12th January.
Carers Support Centre is planning to organise a focus group for mental health carers. If you are interested in taking part in this, contact Caroline McAleese.
Consultation: South Gloucestershire Better Care Stronger Communities Funding Review
South Gloucestershire Council is reviewing the impact of the services delivered by: Shopmobility, The Armadillo Senior Cinema, MS Therapy Centre Exercise Groups and WE Care and Repair to decide whether to continue or cease funding these organisations. If you have used or benefited from any of these services or know carers that have, please respond to the survey by 5pm, Wednesday 20 December 2017. Click here to learn more.
Consultation: South Gloucestershire Council Budget and Savings Programme – 2018/19
South Gloucestershire Council is consulting on its capital and revenue budgets, council tax levels for next year (2018/19), and its overall savings plan. It is proposed that 28% of this budget will go towards children, adults and health. The deadline for responses is 12 January 2018. Click here to learn more.
Consultation: South Gloucestershire Ageing Better Plan – 22/11/17
The aim of the Ageing Better Plan is to set out the guiding principles for all organisations working with older people in South Gloucestershire. The plan will set out South Gloucestershire Council’s priorities for the next 5 years and they would like everyone to contribute to it.
South Gloucestershire Council say about the plan, “The Ageing Better Plan brings together the outcomes and priorities that will guide our work to support older people (age 65+), the way we will measure our progress and how we will work to realise our ambitions. It is based on data, evidence and consultation with older people and wider partners across the area.”
There will be an event on Wednesday 22 November 2017, Yate Outdoor Sports Complex between 9.30am – 12.30pm.
You don’t have to book on to this – you can just turn up.
The consultation documents are available online here from your local South Gloucestershire library or One Stop Shop.
Have your say on GP services
Healthwatch Bristol and Healthwatch South Gloucestershire would like to know about your experiences of GP services in your area. You can do this by accessing the survey here.
For more information about Healthwatch in your local area, please contact: 0117 965 4444.
‘Get Involved’ Event: Thursday 16th November, 6-7.30PM
We are currently looking for more carers, or those that have recent experience of caring, who would like to be trustees or carer representatives.
Carers Support Centre – Bristol and South Gloucestershire (CSC) is a local independent charity that supports unpaid adult and young (children) carers and we are committed to being carer-led. This means that we want carers to be an integral part of our staff team, management and board of trustees.
In an increasingly challenging environment for carers, with social care and healthcare services facing difficult times, it is more important than ever that unpaid carers have an independent organisation to champion and support their needs.
Carer representatives have the opportunity to ensure that carer’s voices are heard by key decision makers both locally and nationally to make services work better for all carers. As a carer representative, you would be trained and supported to ‘get involved’ in a way that works best for you and your caring situation. For example; attending meetings, focus groups, providing feedback on consultations (either over the telephone or online). We work flexibly with carer representatives to find the best way of being involved that works for the individual, to ensure that the views of carers are heard by service providers.
We need your help to identify where we can make the most difference to carers’ lives and ensure that carer’s voices are heard.
Trustees are responsible for the governance of CSC and play a pivotal role in working alongside the Chief Executive and Senior Management team to ensure that that the organisation achieves its aims and objectives.
Trustees come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences and you do not need to have been a trustee before in order to apply.
We would like to invite you to our ‘Get Involved’ event to meet some of our current trustees and carer representatives, find out what’s involved and how you can apply.
- Thursday 16 November 6pm – 7.30pm
- Carers Support Centre, The Vassall Centre, Gill Avenue, Fishponds, Bristol, BS16 2QQ
- All welcome – call 0117 939 2562 or email CarolineM@carerssupportcentre.org.uk to book a place, or just turn up.
What level of commitment does being a Trustee or Carer Representative require?
There are a minimum of six trustee meetings a year with the possibility of some additional meetings. This commitment is likely to be a maximum of one day per month on average, dependent on the role.
Carer representatives normally attend around eight meetings a year which will need some preparation time too (with our support) before meetings. The time commitment is about half a day a month, dependent on the role.
We can also offer support and development opportunities in a range of skills for both Trustees and carer representatives.
Next steps
Please contact Keith Sinclair (Chief Executive Officer) email: KeithSinclair@carerssupportcentre.org.uk if you’d like to discuss the trustee role and/or receive an information pack, or Caroline McAleese (Carer Engagement and Involvement Lead) e-mail: CarolineM@carerssupportcentre.org.uk if you are interested in the carer representative role.
