CCVS Community Network Lunch
Your chance to have an input into the PCT’s strategic commissioning plans

Tuesday 20th January 2009 from 2pm in The Longley Exhibition Room, NEW Crawley Library, Southgate Avenue, Crawley, RH10 6HG.

Since it was formed the new county wide PCT has been working on its plans for commissioning services. The first stage of this process is to identify the health and care needs of the people of West Sussex and the PCT is seeking views on its strategy to improve the health and wellbeing of people in West Sussex. The Strategy – called the strategic commissioning plan – sets out how the PCT intends to tackle health priorities over the five years from April 2009, The SCP contains a number of goals and commitments, identified as priorities based on strong evidence of where health need is greatest in the county.

This interactive workshop, run by Alison Hempstead, Programme Director, Cancer and Planning, will look at the first stage of the process. We are keen to involve as many local organisations as possible in influencing the health outcomes that the PCT will be working towards.

The second stage of the process will be to contract with different services to provide local health care. The PCT is working with WSCC on developing a framework for procurement from the voluntary sector for the next stage in the commissioning cycle and we will be seeking to engage on that in the New Year.

We believe that this first workshop is a vital step in the commissioning process, your opportunity to ensure that the needs of your clients are taken into account. If you would like to book a place, please contact Rachel Skidmore, EESI Project Worker, c/o CCVS, The Orchard, 1-2 Gleneagles Court, Crawley, RH10 6AD OR E-mail: rachel.skidmore@crawleycvs.org

CCVS Community Network Lunch
All you ever wanted to know about the Compact & National Indicator 7

Wednesday 4th February 2009 from 1.15pm to 3.15pm in The Longley Room, The Orchard, 1-2 Gleneagles Court, Brighton Road, Crawley, RH10 6AD.

The Compact has been around for the last ten years and is currently being reviewed both nationally and locally here in West Sussex. This is an opportunity to try and influence the process and ensure that the revised document and its supporting architecture reflect the needs and aspirations of local voluntary and community organisations. Locally, this process is being linked to the Local Area Agreement (LAA) and the adoption of National Indicator 7 (NI.7) which sets a requirement on local statutory bodies the requirement to create an 'environment for a thriving third sector'.

The Network Lunch will comprise a presentation about NI.7 and its relationship to the Compact. This is also your opportunity to develop your ideas through a workshop and the chance to express your thoughts through feedback and discussion.

To book your place, please TEL: 01293 657000 or E-mail: office@crawleycvs.org

Please note, please bring your own sandwiches. Tea and coffee will be provided. There is no visitor parking at the Orchard, except for disabled visitors, but there is some free two hour parking in the road outside and in neighbouring roads.

Crawley OpenHouse ...
needs your help!

Winter is fast approaching and Crawley OpenHouse desperately need blankets and non-perishable food donations. If you can help, please TEL: 01293 447702.

Partnerships for Older People Project (POPP)
Project Update

The Partnerships for Older People Project has now been up and running for five weeks. The project was launched on the 16th June at the Crawley Older Persons Event and has already proved a success in helping to prevent older people from becoming isolated in the community and supporting them to maintain their health and well-being. The POPP team of 13 are engaging with the community, discovering all that is going on and identifying gaps in services:

Networking - Gathering all local community groups, faith groups, charities, 11 sheltered housing schemes, 3 extra care schemes and doctors’ surgeries as well as Councils, PCT and Benefits Service to share information and plan together.

The Crawley Neighbourhood Network team have worked with over 50 groups in and around the Crawley area. So far, 20 volunteers have emerged from these groups - mostly from the BME Community!

Sustainability - Assisting funding and business links for all groups to provide long term financial security and sustained service provision. Aims to involve enterprise developments to seek new innovative ways of sustaining services.

The Business Link Team is working on sustainability for over 100 groups and projects.

Engagement - Workers are active in every district of Crawley, partnering existing groups, doctor’s surgeries, schools, councillors and local community leaders. This team are assisting marginalised and disadvantaged communities. Four workers are specifically helping Asian and African community groups and working with charities that help people with various impairments.

The Crawley Engagement Workers are in all districts of the town discovering all that’s going on as well as identifying gaps.

Projects like the computer course, language class and friendship centre for older people are in full swing.

The Crawley Neighbourhood Network team can contacted on 01293 657160.


Community Partnership Team

This team has brought together a nurse, social workers, pension advisors, a Health Trainer and Community Link Workers who take individual referrals and will undertake an assessment of need and seek to help in finding solutions. They will also be holding informal drop-in clinics around the town to test individual well-being. The needs exposed in these ‘POPP IN’ clinics will be passed to Mike Nicholls, the Crawley Network Coordinator who, with his team, will work to sustain existing services or even develop new ones.

The Community Partnership Team has helped over 60 individuals so far. They can be contacted on 01293 895380.