The Patient Panel gives you the chance to make the services you care about better.

If you are interested in any of our community services, such as health visitors or community hospitals, this is your chance to let us know what you think of them.  We will listen to your views and work together to improve the way that we care for people like you!

Your opinion can make a real change, and you can get involved as much or as little as you want.  Your travel expences will be paid, and you will receive full support to share your experiences.

The Panel will soon start meeting regularly, and we are looking for people like you to tell us what you think!

We look forward to hearing from you - this is your chance to make a real difference to the services that are important to you, while gaining new skills and meeting new people!

To get involved, please contact:

Tom Magill

tom.magill@wpct.nhs.uk

0208 812 7644
07775 908 282

For further details on how to sign up [ F.A.Q ]

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The London CIC (Community Interest Company)
of Deaf and Disability Organisations

London Councils is a key funder of services for Deaf and Disability groups in London. In 2006 GLAD (Greater London Action on Disability) closed down and London Councils was concerned that there would be a gap in the provision of policy, campaigning and capacity building services for Deaf and Disabled people’s organisations (DDPO’s) in London.

A consultation event was held at London Councils in June 2006 to canvas the views of different Deaf and Disability groups in London and as a result of this an independent Steering Group was set up to work with London Councils to develop a new organisation.

The Steering Group has met every 2 months since 2006 and has driven the process forward, recruiting consultants to undertake extensive work with DDPO’s to find out exactly what types of strategic support services are needed and how they should be provided.

The consultation work was jointly funded by London Councils, City Bridge Trust and City Parochial Trust.

The consultation work undertaken by Equal Ability on behalf of the Steering Group and London Councils showed that the services needed by DDPO’s in London are;    

• Strategy and policy work, campaigning on behalf of 
  disability organisations and disabled people     
• Coordinating consultation responses and campaigns     
• Capacity building support for local organisations, 
  building relations with funders and CVS’s to help
  groups access funding and services     
• Sharing best practice and expertise between local 
  organisations, especially small groups with no funding     
• Advice and support for partnership working and local
  networks that link to other borough
• Specialist advice, resources and information    
• Fundraising support and help to negotiate
  commissioning processes, contracts and Service
  Level Agreements (SLA)   
• Accessible training on general and specialist topics

The organisation has been set up as a Community Interest Company (CIC). This is a form of Social Enterprise that will invest any profit made back into activities that directly benefit Deaf and Disabled people’s organisations in London.

The CIC structure enables it to be flexible about the way it generates its income so that it will not be in direct competition with the frontline organisations it has been set up to support. Income generation will also enable the organisation to be independent of the requirements of funders so that it can campaign on issues that really matter to the Deaf and Disability sectors in London.

The organisation operates under the Social Model of Disability and Cultural Model of Deafness.

The Consultants produced final recommendations in January 2008. London Councils has been working to implement these with the support of the Steering Group, registering the organisation with Companies House, starting the recruitment process for a Chief Executive and Chair and organizing a launch event.

London Councils has agreed to provide funding of £285,000 per year for four years to support the development of the London CIC, additional funding of £121,740 over 2 years has been provided by Capacity Builders Improving Reach Fund for a specific project working to address the barriers faced by Black, Minority Ethnic and Refugee disability organisations in accessing voluntary and statutory support services.

The London CIC wants to work with all Deaf and Disability organisations in London.

For further information about how to get involved or get support contact Clare Kiely 0207 934 9549, clare.kiely@londoncouncils.gov.uk

Further information about the consulation work and development of the London CIC may be found in the Grants section of the London Councils website, www.londoncouncils.gov.uk in the 'latest' section.

Details & Application to become a Board Member. (pdf doc)

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