20121108 autumn 2012 speakout newsletter - Care Quality ...

speak out
SpeakOut E-bulletin
Autumn Edition 2012
News from the Network
Community Network
joins SpeakOut
Phone Friendship
Groups Providing
Mental Health
Support.
Combating social
isolation has
traditionally
involved self-help groups where patients
regularly meet to discuss their problems
and coping mechanisms. These group
sessions have proved very successful
in providing mutual support and
understanding for those participating
in the group. However, at Community
Network we operate a variation of this
type of self-help group where - instead of
group members meeting face-to-face, the
sessions are conducted over the telephone.
For twenty years Community Network
has helped vulnerable people overcome
feelings of social isolation by using the
technology of telephone conferencing
to set up and run telephone support and
befriending groups. We have worked with
many organisations serving a wide range of
beneficiaries including older people, single
mothers, the long-term sick, the disabled,
carers, refugees – and those living with
mental illness.
A telephone befriending group allows
6 to 8 people to regularly link up on the
telephone for up to an hour to discuss how
they are feeling, any concerns they may
have or simply chat with others and make
new friends. A trained group facilitator is
responsible for each group to ensure it runs
smoothly and that all group members find
the experience beneficial.
Community Network funds this work
through a combination of grants and the
sale of telephone conferencing services. As
a social enterprise, all proceeds from the
teleconferencing business are ploughed
directly back into the telephone friendship
groups.
For further information contact
Community Network on 0845 619 9992
News from the Network
page
Recent SpeakOut
Consultations and
Reviews
page 3
Experts by Experience
News from CQC
page 4
CQC Publications
page 6
Other items of interest
page 7
Contributions from Clare Delap, Jane Golden, Jez Buffin and SpeakOut Network
Congratulations to Salma Lokat from
Mashriq Resource Centre, Mohammed
Hanif from Al-Hayat and Samina Naz from
the Saheli Group who all became Experts
by Experience. Experts by Experience are
people with experience of using health
and social care services who are recruited,
trained and supported to help the Care
Quality Commission on inspection visits.
Two other SpeakOut members - Mary
Birch, from OLGA, and Mary Broughton,
from OPAG/SEEFA - were already appointed
as experts before they joined the Network.
York Independent Living Network is looking for volunteers
If you have some spare time on your hands
and would like to get involved contact YILN
Asian Disabled Association
Karnail Sodhi and colleagues from Asian
Disabled Association have been fundraising
to help children fleeing the war in Syria.
They climbed Ben Nevis in October to
raise money raised which will go towards
medical costs.
Karnail is appealing for sponsorship.
Brent Advocacy Concerns: BAC
The Management Committee of Brent
Advocacy Concerns (BAC) recently
announced its decision to make the
Coordinator, Richard Downes, redundant,
despite the group providing advocacy
support to disabled people in Brent for more
than 20 years.
This was a difficult decision for the
Committee as Richard has worked for BAC
for 21 years, actively advocating on behalf
of disabled people in Brent. The Committee
would like to take this opportunity to
publicly recognise Richard’s dedication and
commitment and to thank him for all his
hard work.
Tel: 0795 2501 894
Email: admin@yiln.org.uk
If you would like to make a donation,
however small, it would be greatly
appreciated.
Please contact Karnail directly either by
email KSS10@aol.com or telephone on
07576340520.
In the meantime the organisation
will be run by volunteers so that BAC can
continue providing advocacy free of charge
at the point of delivery. BAC is looking
for more volunteers to fundraise, provide
advocacy etc.
If you can help then contact: Brent
Advocacy Concerns, Willesden Centre for
Health and Care, Robson Avenue, London,
NW10 3SG. Phone 020 8459 1493
You can read Richard’s Disability Arts
Blog: http://disabilityartsonline.org/Rich-
Downes
We wish Richard the very best for the
future

News from the Network continued
TOFF organises over 50s Conference
SpeakOut
makes
another
film
SpeakOut E-bulletin
Spring Edition 2012
Contributions from Clare Delap, Jane Golden,
Jez Buffin and SpeakOut Network
News from the
Network
page 1
Consultations
and reviews
page 2
CQC news
page 4
CQC publications
page 5
Other
publications
page 6
Other items of
interest
page 6
Reimbursements
and payments
for service user
involvement
page 7
Fifteen people from six SpeakOut groups came to
London to CQC’s head office to make a film which was
shown at the Healthwatch launch on October 1st.
Filming on the day went smoothly with everyone
keen to get started and appreciating the opportunity to
meet Anna Bradley, Chair of Healthwatch.
Network members challenged Anna about access to
services with questions such as:
“Will Healthwatch have any teeth?”
“Who will listen to people like ‘us’”
“How will Healthwatch tackle complex concerns such
as lack of service provision and support in relation to
substance abuse?”
“What will be the relationship between local Healthwatch
and Healthwatch England?”
All groups were well prepared and Anna gave
excellent responses and got everyone fired up for their
part in the film!
News from the Network
CQC eQuality
Voices group
Mohammed Hanif from Al-Hayat attended
the second meeting of the eQuality Voices
Group at Sadlers Wells in London which was
co-chaired by Kay Sheldon (CQC) and Abina
Parshad-Griffin (Group member).
The meeting was split into 3 sessions.
The first session looked at feedback from
the 8 monitoring groups in relation to
the main findings and recommendations
for the CQC, including any positive and
negative key points about the process for
the afternoon session. There then, followed
a group discussion with Dame Jo Williams
relating to the ‘Department of Health
Performance and Capability review of CQC’.
The afternoon session involved an
evaluation around the eQuality Voices
Terms of Reference and whether the group
was making a difference; could it make
a difference; how it would do this. This
involved the Group members in one group
and CQC staff in another. The two groups
came back together to discuss and agree
on what to take forward for the future.
CQC Children and Young People’s group
Aisha Tanveer was one of the young people
who attended the CQC Children and Young
People’s working group at Sadlers Wells
in London. A member of the Nottingham
Saheli Group she writes:
“Yesterday morning at school we
had a rather in depth debate on the
atrocious crimes of society against the less
fortunate, the entire stigma against older
generations, sexism, and of course the
capitalism that brainwashed us all. Whilst
I was all for arguing full-fledged on either
of these matters, I was appalled that no
one had mentioned the insufficient and
inadequate support provided for those
among us who have special needs in any
shape or form. No, they all argued, we are
in a developed country with human rights
and a justice system no ill could come.
How very wrong they were.
You may be slightly surprised by the
criticism of a 16 year old but this full heated
aggression came from attending the
Sadler’s Well Conference in London which
speak out
was put together by the CQC in order to
engage young representatives in their work.
I found the day to be incredibly
beneficial as it really opened my eyes to
areas and prejudices in society and care
that I probably had not dwelled on before
or even made the slightest attempt to look
at. Actually going there and having my
voice being heard was truly amazing as it
gave me an insight to all the possibilities
that are there in the future. The most
inspiring thing was meeting people who
had special needs and have had to deal
with huge bureaucratic systems such as,
the young girl who couldn’t go to university
because they couldn’t accommodate her
wheelchair. You never realise the negative
light of things until you are actually shown
it!
I thoroughly enjoyed the event and
would like to thank CQC for letting me be
a part of the day. It really hit home and I
decided to make a change. I wondered why
somebody didn’t do something to make a
change, then realised I am that somebody!”
Thank you for all the positive comments about the newsletter.
Here is what you have said:
‘The newsletter is looking great’
Asian Disabled Association (ADA)
‘I think the newsletter looks great and is
a good read’
Mike Reed, CQC Public
Communications Manager
‘The newsletter is very impressive.’
Kay Sheldon, CQC Board member
Awaaz FM spread the word
Ali Beg, Awaaz FM
Community Radio Project
Manager writes:
In June Awaaz FM were invited by Southampton
Voluntary Services to talk about their membership of
SpeakOut and about the work that they have been
doing on behalf of the Care Quality Commission at the
Disabled and Older Persons Forum.
They attended the forum and spoke of their
association with CQC and how they had come to join
SpeakOut. They also had a chance to talk about many of
the other groups in the Network and the importance of
diversity within SpeakOut.
Thirty groups were present at the Forum and there
were lots of questions at the end of the presentation
with many groups expressing an interest in working with
CQC in future consultations and reviews.
We also spoke about the Home Care survey and
groups were keen to log on the internet to fill in the
online survey.
Sara Cain senior communications officer for
Healthwatch was very pleased with all contributions and
the final product:
“Many thanks to all the people from SpeakOut
groups who took part and helped to make this film for
our Healthwatch launch – your thoughts on Healthwatch
will be used to promote our work with communities.”
You can see the film by visiting the following link
http://www.healthwatch.co.uk/news/people-tell-ustheir-views-about-healthwatch-england
You can also keep up to date with Healthwatch
developments by visiting the new web-site for
Healthwatch England at www.healthwatch.co.uk.
Groups who took part: Saheli Project, Nottingham;
Equity Partnership, Bradford; Bradford Association of
Visually Impaired People; Asian Disabled Association,
Derby; Map Squad, London; Awaaz fm, Southampton.
“‘What a great newsletter!’
Rose Sibley, CQC Involvement Officer
‘Thanks for the newsletter - I thought it
looked great and hopefully will be read
by a good many people.’
Sue Towers, Senior Designer CQC
We have also had really positive feedback about our new web-site www.
speakoutnetwork.org. Have you visited it yet? It is a great place to keep
abreast not only of what is happening across the Network but also with what
is happening across the wider health and social care agenda. You can also post
your own news and announcements on our members page.

Recent Speakout Consultations And Reviews
CQC Strategic Review
Over the last 6 months CQC have been
consulting a range of stakeholders around
developing their strategic priorities for the
next three years. While there has been general
consensus on CQC’s strategic direction
there were some also different views.
Several SpeakOut groups took part
in the review and raised issues that were
pertinent to their communities such as the
importance of:
• working in partnership with local
organisations, such as SpeakOut groups, to
gather more information at a local level
• raising public awareness of CQC and
providing information in a way that is easy
to understand, empowering people to
make an informed choice
• gathering the views and experiences of a
range of people from different cultures and
backgrounds
The above themes are reflected in CQC’s
proposed strategic priorities.
Over the summer ADA, Binoh and Al Hayat all commented
on CQC’s Equality and Human Rights Impact Assessment for
the Judgement Framework that CQC are planning to use. Lucy
Wilkinson, Equality and Human Rights manager gave feedback
regarding their contribution saying:
“I think this has worked extremely well. The responses are
considered and interesting. It appears that the respondents agreed
with the overall ‘direction of travel’ in terms of the compliance
model but flagged issues associated with ensuring essential
standards are met for people with specific protected characteristics
- either due to lack of data collection from providers or lack of
probing from inspectors.”
CQC executives thanked SpeakOut for
their involvement:
“Thank you to everyone who
contributed to the first stage of CQC
strategy review. A summary report is
now available on online community.
http://www.cqc.org.uk/organisations-weregulate/get-involved/join-our-onlinecommunities-providers.
The next phase of the strategy review
has started. More details are available on
the CQC website. http://www.cqc.org.uk/
thenextphase. CQC’s vision of success is
a health and social care sector where more
services provide care that meets national
standards of quality and safety. This means
that more people will receive better care.
The consultation paper is asking your
views on seven specific questions:
• how CQC regulates services.
• how CQC manages its independence.
• how can CQC measure its own impact.
• CQC’s relationship with the public and
Equality and Human Rights Impact Assessment (EHRIA)
CQC Investigations Leaflet
Five SpeakOut groups were recently involved
in checking a new CQC leaflet that
is designed to inform the public about the
way that CQC carries out its investigations.
CQC has investigation powers to look into
the delivery of services if there are concerns
about the care that people are receiving.
Comments made by groups included:
“visuals could be more colourful” “...
like the way pictures back up the words”
“the leaflet is informative, clear and well
presented” “your views on the care you get
is important - suggest change this to crucial
or absolutely necessary” “leaflet is easy to
follow with a diverse range of pictures”
Some groups commented on the lack
of colour and how they felt some of the
images were out of date.
Groups asked whether this information
would be translated into languages other
than English, or other formats such as
audio.
Holly Daniels, CQC Accessible
Communications Officer provided very
positive feedback about the work:
“Thank you to all the groups who took
part in this task and for your feedback on the
easy to read version of our information sheet
with organisations that provide care.
• CQC’s role in the complaints system.
• CQC’s responsibilities in relation to
mental health services
The strategic review will continue until
December 2012 and CQC would like your
further input by responding online at
www.cqc.org.uk/thenextphase or by email
to: CQCTheNextPhase@cqc.org.uk
Or you can post your feedback to:
CQC The Next Phase
CQC National Customer Service Centre
Citygate, Gallowgate
Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4PA
Copies of all the relevant documents are
available at
http://www.cqc.org.uk/thenextphase
including both easy read and audio
versions.
Not only will these responses be useful for the Compliance
Model EHRIA, they will be useful for the evaluation of Equality
Diversity and Human Rights in reviews of a compliance project
that I am leading which will look at some of the more detailed
issues about the compliance model in relation to Equality
Diversity and Human Rights.
Kathryn Breeze, from CQC’s Design team echoed Lucy’s
comments: “The comments received have been extremely useful in
further understanding the impacts across the different groups. We
are currently taking these on board to understand what action we
need to take, especially regarding the impacts on carers.”
about our investigations.
This is an important document
which will hopefully support people with
communication access needs to understand
why we are visiting their service.
Your feedback was positive with lots of
valuable suggestions which have helped us to
improve the easy to read document.”
Groups who commented were: Map
Squad, Asian Disabled Association, Binoh,
Al Hayat, Leicester BME Elders Forum.

News from CQC
Jo Williams resigns as
CQC Chair
Healthwatch launch
Healthwatch England was launched
by Anna Soubry, Parliamentary Under
Secretary of State on 1 October 2012.
In a specially commissioned short
film for the launch, SpeakOut groups and
members of the public who use health and
social care services talk about their views
on what Healthwatch England should
achieve.
Commenting on SpeakOut’s involvement
Anna said:
“The involvement of SpeakOut at this
time is very important for Healthwatch
Safeguarding matters
to everyone
If you are concerned
about the safety or
protection of a child or
a vulnerable adult you
should contact your Local
Authority Social Care
department. You can get
this information from:
http://www.direct.gov.
uk/en/Dl1/Directories/
Localcouncils/
AToZOfLocalCouncils/
DG_A-Z_LG.
If you can’t get through
to your council, you can
call CQC on 03000 616161
or email: enquiries@cqc.
org.uk
!
Jo Williams, CQC Chair announced her
resignation in August. In an email to CQC
staff she said
“It’s been a demanding and complex
role and there have undoubtedly been
challenges. But there is now clear evidence
that our work is beginning to have an
impact on the care that people receive.”
Jo thanked staff for their support during
her time as Chair and for their commitment
to improving care for people who use
services.
She stated she was optimistic about
CQC’s future - with a new 5 year strategy
review, a new Chief Executive and new
HealthWatch Chair in post she said:
“It’s a good time to step aside and for
a new Chair to continue to build on our
achievements.”
England. I would like to thank all of those
who were involved in the film about
Healthwatch. The film really helps to
communicate what Healthwatch is all about.
Healthwatch England looks forward to
working with more members of the SpeakOut
network in future.”
Watch the video here: http://www.
healthwatch.co.uk/news/people-tell-ustheir-views-about-healthwatch-england:
For more information about Healthwatch:
http://www.healthwatch.co.uk/
CQC started registering GPs and other
primary medical services from
April 2012.
While the registration process is
continuing CQC is also developing
processes for how they will monitor
compliance of services (which comes
into effect from 1 April 2013). The
Chair of HealthWatch
England announced
Anna Bradley has been appointed as the
Chair of HealthWatch England and a CQC
Board member.
“I am very excited about this opportunity
to represent and amplify the voices of people
who use the health and care system. I am
clear that those who run, commission, and
regulate services need to learn from the
people who use those services. HealthWatch
England will act as a champion for those
who sometimes struggle to be heard. I am
privileged to be determining the future shape
of the organisation - and determined that
it will make a genuine difference where it
matters most. My immediate focus will be
to identify strategic priorities for action, and
then to ensure that these inform real change
to the future of service delivery.”
GP Registration
Process
results of a pilot scheme to look at
what might work best will be published
later this year.
For more information:
http://www.cqc.org.uk/organisationswe-regulate/gps-and-primarymedical-services

Winterbourne View update
The 11 people that were charged following
the abuse uncovered at Winterbourne View
in 2011 all pleaded guilty in August this year.
Dame Jo Williams, Chair of the Care
Quality Commission said:
“This prosecution sends out a clear
message that care staff who abuse
vulnerable people will be charged and
brought before the courts.
“We are committed to do all we can to
protect vulnerable people – and we apologise
to patients at Winterbourne View, and their
families, for our failure do so quickly enough
in this case.”
After the events of Winterbourne
View CQC carried out a full review of their
systems and processes that showed failings
in the way whistleblowers were involved
and how the information passed by them
was processed the information.
As a result CQC have made significant
changes to various areas of their work
to ensure that they are better placed to
respond to concerns of whistleblowers in
order to protect vulnerable people.
This includes:
• follow-up on action plans when services
aren’t meeting government standards.
• build new ways to work with local
safeguarding teams.
• analyse safeguarding alerts so we can
spot trends in care.
CQC Works with Stonewall
Dame Jo Williams went on to say:
“Winterbourne View was a watershed
moment for CQC. We did not respond as
we should have and we have offered our
apologies to the patients and their families.
“We have been honest about our
limitations at the time and willing to learn
from them. We carried out an urgent and
thorough internal review to strengthen our
processes and to ensure that we are better
placed to play our part in protecting people in
vulnerable care situations.”
Health and social care services must take
into account the sexual orientation of
people using their services and must avoid
any form of discrimination in order to comply
with Government standards.
Lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB)
people must feel safe and confident when
receiving care services.
Stonewall, a charity that campaigns for
LGB equality, has produced a guide for care
and support organisations about working
with older LGB people.
The guide provides information on:
Your rights under the Mental Health Act
Most people receiving mental health care
do not have their rights restricted. However,
in some instances this happens to protect
the person receiving treatment and others.
Detention in hospital:
Find out what to expect if your rights are
restricted if you’re suffering from a mental
illness and are detained under the Mental
Health Act for assessment or treatment in
a hospital.
http://www.cqc.org.uk/public/what-arestandards/your-rights-under-mental-
health-act/information-people-detainedhospital
Community treatment orders:
Find out what to expect if your rights
are restricted if you’re being discharged
from hospital and are given a community
treatment order (CTO).
http://www.cqc.org.uk/public/what-arestandards/your-rights-under-mentalhealth-act/information-people-subjectcommunity-treatment-orders
CQC Chief Executive
David Behan said:
“There is much for
all the organisations
involved with
Winterbourne View
to consider. I will
ensure that the Care Quality Commission
responds fully to all the recommendations
for CQC. We will continue to work with other
organisations to improve communications
and sharing of information to ensure we all
protect those who are most vulnerable.”
• the law
• supporting older LGB people
• tips and case studies for care homes,
domiciliary services, health care services,
housing providers and councils
• involving LGB people in service provision
CQC is working with Stonewall as part of
their Health Champions Scheme (which
supports NHS organisations to improve
services for LGB people) to develop the way
they monitor services’ compliance with
standards relating to equality.
How do CQC Mental Health Act
Commissioners visit and protect people
whose rights are restricted in hospital.
http://www.cqc.org.uk/public/what-arestandards/your-rights-under-mentalhealth-act/what-can-mental-health-actcommissioner

Past CQC
Consultations
You can access previous CQC consultations
by clicking on:
http://www.cqc.org.uk/public/sharingyour-experience/consultations/pastconsultations#Regulatorymodel
Involving people
who use services –
Experts by Experience
Find out how CQC involves people who use
health and social care services known as
Acting Together visits.
http://www.cqc.org.uk/public/sharingyour-experience/involving-people-whouse-services
You can contact the CQC in a variety of ways:
2012 Community Mental Health Survey
15,000 people have shared their experiences
of outpatient clinics, crisis home treatment
centres and of day-to-day living and
community mental health services in the
latest community mental health survey
carried out between July - September last
year (2011).
The majority of participants said they
were treated with dignity and respect and
were involved in decisions about their care.
People said they had trust and confidence
in their health or social care worker and
were able to contact their care coordinator/
lead professional if they had a problem.
However, the results also showed that more
than a quarter of those prescribed new
medication in the last 12 months had not
been told about the possible side-effects;
over a tenth said that they had not been
given information in a way that was easy
to understand; whilst a third of those not
looked after within the Care Programme
Fill in the online webform: https://webdataforms.cqc.org.uk/Checkbox/contactus.aspx
Call the National Customer Service Centre: 03000 616161 - between 8.30am and 5:30pm Monday to Friday.
Write to: CQC National Customer Service Centre, Citygate, Gallowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4PA.
CQC Publications
CQC Business
Plan 2012/13
The CQC 2012/13 Business Plan sets out
key actions, milestones and measures of
success for their three priorities which are:
Priority 1: Deliver and improve our
regulatory functions and other duties
Priority 2: Develop a new strategy
Priority 3: Manage our organisation, people
and resources
It also looks at the key deliverables
from the action plan and takes into
consideration the recommendations of the
Department of Health Performance and
Capability Review.
For more information:
http://www.cqc.org.uk/public/about-us/
our-performance-and-plans/our-strategyand-business-plan/business-plan-2012/13
Approach said they did not know who their
care coordinator/lead professional was.
Some respondents said that they had not
had a care review in the last 12 months.
A considerable proportion of respondents
also would have liked more support from a
member of staff with some aspects of dayto-day
living like finding work and accommodation
and getting advice on finances.
The full report is available:
http://www.cqc.org.uk/public/reportssurveys-and-reviews/surveys/communitymental-health-survey-2012
Review of Learning Disability Services
This review focused on services that provide
care for people with learning disabilities
and challenging behaviours across 150 NHS,
private care and social care services – (71
NHS Trusts, 47 private services and 32 care
homes).
CQC inspectors carried out unannounced
inspections focussing on 2 government
standards:
• care and welfare.
• safeguarding (protecting people’s health
and wellbeing, and enabling them to live
free from harm).
CQC inspectors were supported by 51
professional advisors and 53 Experts by
Experience. The findings show:
• 35 met both standards.
• 41 met both standards with minor
concerns.
• 69 failed to meet one or both standards.
Many failings are a direct result of care that
is not centred on the individual or tailored
to their needs. Safeguarding and appropri-
ate training in restraint techniques by staff
came up as key concerns.
CQC inspectors have returned to 34
services where there were serious concerns
and these services have provided CQC
with action plans on how they will meet
government standards.
Concerns relating to people’s safety
were passed onto the Local Authority’s
safeguarding team.
For the full report log onto:
http://www.cqc.org.uk/public/reportssurveys-and-reviews/themed-inspections/
review-learning-disability-services

Review of Dignity and Nutrition
for older people
This review is on-going and looks at
whether older people are being treated
with dignity and respect and whether
their nutritional and hydration needs are
being met.
Between March and June last year
CQC inspected 100 NHS hospitals. All the
inspections were unannounced. Of the 100
hospitals inspected:
• 45 hospitals were ‘fully compliant’.
• 35 met both standards but needed to
improve in one or both
• 20 hospitals were ‘non-compliant’ and
improvements were required
Some of the problems related to:
• Patients’ privacy not being respected – for
example, curtains and screens not being
closed properly.
• Call bells being put out of patients’ reach,
or not answered soon enough.
• Staff speaking to patients in a dismissive
or disrespectful way.
• Patients not being given the help they
needed to eat.
• Patients being interrupted during meals
and having to leave their food unfinished
Other Items of Interest
SpeakOut Network is mentioned in the
January issue of NHS North West’s E&D
Newsletter
Let us know – if you spot SpeakOut
getting mentioned!
Social Care, Service
Users and User
Involvement
Written by Dr Sarah
Carr, Senior Research
Analyst at SCIE and
former SCIE trustee
Professor Peter
Beresford this
book examines
the philosophy
and practice of
user participation,
drawing on specific examples in practice.
Contributions come from a diverse range of
perspectives including from older people,
children and young people, black and
ethnic minority people and lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgender people.
Since then a further 50 NHS trusts and 500
adult social care services (both nursing and
residential), mental health trusts and acute
trusts have been reviewed during 2012.
These inspections are carried out by CQC
inspectors, practising professionals and
Experts by Experience.
Once these inspections are finished
CQC will publish two national reports
summarising their findings.
More information can be obtained from:
http://www.cqc.org.uk/public/reportssurveys-and-reviews/themes-inspections/
dignity-and-nutrition-older-people
Review of
Maternity
Services
During the past decade the number of
babies born in England has increased significantly
putting maternity services under
pressure.
The 2011 NHS survey of maternity
patients found that most were positive
about the services they received and many
reported good access to care and a sense of
involvement in decisions about their care.
The survey also highlighted that poor care
of some kind was experienced by between
4 and 8% of women - the most common
concerns related to staffing levels, support
for staff, and care and welfare of patients;
and areas where support for women could
be improved, particularly during the postnatal
period when the mother and baby
start to settle into family life.
Since registration of NHS trusts (in 2010)
CQC has been looking at 141 NHS trusts
providing maternity and midwifery services.
The full report is available: http://www.cqc.
org.uk/public/reports-surveys-and-reviews/
surveys/maternity-services-survey-2010
Are you interested in being a patient or public representative for
health research?
The NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS
Foundation Trust and King’s College London are looking for patients
and members of the public in the South East London area to help us
with our research. This does not mean we want you take part in a
study as a research participant; instead we want your experience and
opinion to inform the research we carry out.
We offer free training and support to help you get to grips with
research, and opportunities to work in partnership with researchers
and clinicians and develop new skills and knowledge.
Please contact Laura Brannon, Patient and Public Involvement
Coordinator if you have any questions or would like to be a
representative for medical research.
Email: Laura.Brannon@gstt.nhs.uk

Other Items of Interest continued
NewsDirect is a free e-bulletin that keeps you up to date on what’s happening at NHS Direct. If you would like to get a copy click
the following weblink: www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/Commissioners/NewsDirect
Latest videos from Social Care TV
SCIE has launched four new Social Care
TV films on the theme of excellence. In
the films, experts, including people who
use services and researchers, comment
on filmed examples of services that are
providing excellent care. The films have
been developed from work SCIE has done
to identify outcomes that result from
excellent care: the three key outcomes are
having choice and control over day-to-day
and significant life decisions; maintaining
good relationships with family, partners,
Why you must
Act Fast
friends, staff and others and spending time
purposefully and enjoyably doing things
that bring pleasure and meaning.
The four films are entitled:
• Defining Excellence – What is Excellence?
• Defining Excellence – Excellence in
Domiciliary Care
• Defining Excellence – Excellence in
Residential Settings – Older People
• Defining Excellence – Excellence in
Residential Settings – Supported Living
To view the videos visit SCIE website:
http://www.scie.org.uk/socialcaretv
http://www.scie.org.uk/socialcaretv/videoplayer
A stroke is a ‘brain attack’, caused by a
disturbance in the blood supply to the
brain. It is a medical emergency that
requires immediate medical attention. So
recognising the signs of stroke and calling
999 for an ambulance is crucial.
The sooner somebody who is having a
stroke gets urgent medical attention, the
better their chances of a good recovery.
Transient ischaemic attack (TIA) is also
called “mini-stroke”. It is similar to a stroke
and has the same signs, but gets better
within 24 hours. However, it could be a
warning sign of a more serious stroke, so it
also needs to be treated as an emergency
by calling 999 immediately.
Rapid diagnosis of TIA allows urgent steps
to be taken to reduce the risk of having a
stroke. If you think you have had a TIA in
the past and have not sought treatment,
contact your GP.
Reducing your risk
Some people are more at risk of having
a stroke if they also have certain other
medical conditions.
This film focuses on an innovative approach
to widening access to leisure services
and equipment in Derbyshire.
http://www.scie.org.uk/socialcaretv/videoplayer.asp?guid=b9ff86e8-ff57-4696-a3f6-
6263592bfb12
These include:
• High Blood Pressure
• High Cholesterol
• Atrial Fibrillation (an irregular heartbeat)
• Diabetes
It is important that these conditions
are carefully monitored and treated.
The risk of having a stroke is higher
amongst people in certain ethnic
groups, including South Asian, African
and Caribbean. This is partly because
high blood pressure and diabetes are
more common in these groups.
There are also lifestyle factors that may
significantly increase the risk of having
a stroke. They include:
• Smoking
• Being Overweight
• Lack Of Exercise
• Poor Diet
• Exceeding The Recommended Daily
Alcohol Limit
Leading a healthy active lifestyle is vital
to help reduce your risk of having a stroke.
For more information on stroke and F.A.S.T.
please go to nhs.uk/actfast

News
speak out
Missed an
edition of the
SpeakOut
newsletter?
Want a copy?
This is now possible in both
audio and visual format from the
CQC website: www.cqc.org.uk/
node/161#SpeakOut%20network.
Would you like to share your news or have a story to tell? Contact Alia Syed on:
aliasyd@aol.com, Tel: 07812653370.
SpeakOut contact details:
speakout@uclan.ac.uk, Tel: 01772 895466
Compiled by Alia Syed
Contributions from Clare Delap, Jane Golden, Jez Buffin and SpeakOut Network