<![CDATA[Cllr Paul Bell | Working for Telegraph Hill - Latest News]]>Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:19:16 +0000Weebly<![CDATA[Sleep Walking into Nixon's America]]>Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:58:12 +0000http://www.paulbell.org/1/post/2012/01/sleep-walking-into-nixons-america.htmlIn these bad times, politicians and in particular the Labour Party needs to be the voice of those being attacked by a nasty Conservative led coalition. I do despair as there are some decent people in the Lib Dems, but the parliamentary Lib Dem Party are the rats being played a tune by Pied Piper Cameron. The problem is that most of us will become the victims in one way or another. Personally, I will be the victim of NHS changes, but many others will see their lives turned upside down by people who are reforming the country to expand the difference between the rich and poor; squeezing the middle class out of democracy, as why would you vote when you are worried about losing your job? We are going down the American route, but more alarmingly, the American Nixon route. 

Nixon reformed the American healthcare ‘system’ to introduce the HMO – Health Maintenance Organisations, which are insurance companies who find ways of not paying people’s claims, leaving them in desperate debt and without treatment. Without treatment…well you can fill in the blanks. As I have previously written, the chilling words are always on the lips of these less than human individuals who say, ‘pre-existing medical condition’ followed by ‘your claim has been rejected’. Children, the elderly, the sick, the disabled are left without treatment in the pursuit of profit.

I pour scorn on all those people who advocate this health-care system. It is a death sentence to people and a blight on civilisation.

You do not need to take my word for it. I would recommend you have a read of this blog: http://onegpprotest.org/

British people must start to resist more or end up blindly sleepwalking into Nixon’s America. ]]><![CDATA[Council Questions for 25th January Council Meeting: Haberdashers Free School Proposal, Drumbeat & Gun Crime]]>Tue, 10 Jan 2012 01:04:27 +0000http://www.paulbell.org/1/post/2012/01/council-questions-for-25th-january-council-meeting-haberdashers-free-school-proposal-drumbeat-gun-crime.html_Haberdashers Free School Questions

What analysis has been undertaken on the impact of this free school proposal at Haberdasher's Askes in Telegraph Hill on St James Hatcham, Edmund Waller, Kender, Turnham and John Stainer local primary schools? If not, why not?

What consultation has taken place with other local primary schools, including the wider community in the area, to gather their opinions, before the council makes a public statement supporting the free school, as the Haberdasher’s literature suggests we do?

What assessment has been carried out to show whether there is sufficient and suitable outdoor play provision and indoor spaces/facilities that are appropriate to younger children at the proposed Haberdasher's site for a free primary school?

Drumbeat Questions

If the Council has a duty to avoid compulsory redundancies, (according to the Member’s Briefing on 5th January 2012), what evaluation has taken place to avoid compulsory redundancies from Meadowgate, Pendragon and CIT?

How has it been evaluated and determined that the current staff at the existing schools and CIT do not have the right skills and experience to work at Drumbeat?

Have the staff appraisals and/or development reviews of the existing staff demonstrated - since the proposal to setup a new school in the 2007 Special Educational Needs review - shown that the current staff do not have the right skills for the new Drumbeat school? If they have not, then how has it been determined that they do not have the right skills, hence the need for staff to apply for the posts in the new school?

Can parents of students at Meadowgate and Pendragon Schools be assured that their preferred placement will be honoured following the closure of the schools and that there will be sufficient appropriate staffing in place to meet their needs?

Why has the position changed for staff at the ASD Outreach Service, now known as the Communication and Interaction Team (CIT) when a report entitled Strengthening Specialist Provision Programme, dated 22 March 2011 and presented to the CYP Select Committee, in point 9.1.8 states: "The current plan is for the ASD outreach service, now known as the Communication and Interaction Team, to transfer to the new school when it opens". The same report also states in point 9.2.3 that the next steps are to "Progress plans to transfer CIT to the new ASD school once it opens".

Gun Crime Questions

On 3rd January, there was an armed robbery on the Honor Oak Estate and yet again ward councillors were not told of a gun incident and had to learn about it when out knocking on doors. Would the relevant cabinet member please explain why Telegraph Hill Ward councillors were not told and why? ]]><![CDATA[Discounted and Free Insulation from Lewisham Council]]>Wed, 04 Jan 2012 08:00:06 +0000http://www.paulbell.org/1/post/2012/01/discounted-and-free-insulation-from-lewisham-council.html_There is a borough-wide insulation partnership scheme which launched at the start of September last year.  Telegraph Hill Ward is now eligible and officers will contacting residents to try and make sure as many people as possible find out about and take up the scheme.   

They are working in partnership with Saving Energy Ltd to offer Lewisham residents discounted rates for insulation, cavity wall insulation is free and loft insulation is free if the home has less than 60mm of insulation, otherwise it is £179.  These costs are flat rates irrespective of the size of the property, resident circumstances or current energy supplier.  

The partnership is scheduled to run until September this year.  We will be door-knocking in each ward for a couple of weeks, with the potential to adjust this if take-up is higher or lower in each ward than anticipated.  Qualified surveyors will be going around each ward putting a letter through the door of properties they think could benefit from loft or cavity wall insulation. 

The letter has information on how to sign up if people would like an appointment, or they don’t want to be contacted again.  If Saving Energy Ltd haven’t been contacted, they will go back a couple of days later and door knock properties so they can talk to residents, explain how the scheme works and either do a survey of the property there and then or arrange a date and time to come back. 

Information will also be circulated through borough-wide communications methods and if people are in a different ward they can also call up and make an appointment, there's no need to wait until we reach their ward.   

Lewisham Council is keen to make sure that as many residents as possible get their homes insulated to help them reduce the cost of their energy bills and reduce the environmental impact of their home.  Attached is a flyer which has the freephone number - 0800 954 9689 - to call for people to get a free survey to assess how much insulation is needed.
lip_flyer.pdf
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]]><![CDATA[Exploding the Myths around Public Sector Pensions]]>Thu, 03 Nov 2011 19:05:56 +0000http://www.paulbell.org/1/post/2011/11/exploding-the-myths-around-public-sector-pensions.html
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I need say nothing here, as the TUC has said all that needs to be said. For an informed view, click HERE.
]]><![CDATA[Pledge Card - Against Sainsbury's Local in New Cross]]>Sun, 30 Oct 2011 15:20:49 +0000http://www.paulbell.org/1/post/2011/10/pledge-card-against-sainsburys-local-in-new-cross.htmlTake a look at the Pledge Card to stop a Sainsbury's Local on Lewisham Way.
pledgecard.pdf
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]]><![CDATA[Barack Obama's Stepmother Owes Her Life to the NHS]]>Wed, 12 Oct 2011 00:02:37 +0000http://www.paulbell.org/1/post/2011/10/barack-obamas-stepmother-owes-her-life-to-the-nhs.htmlBarack Obama's stepmother joined in the debate, saying that she owed her life to the NHS. Kezia Obama, 66, who now lives in Bracknell, Berkshire, suffered chronic kidney failure on a visit to the UK seven years ago.

She told the News of the World: "I was very down at the time but luckily I was here in Britain, in what was then a foreign country to me, where the doctors, nurses and surgeons cared for me like I was their own child. It's very simple. I owe my life to the NHS. If it wasn't for the NHS I wouldn't have been alive to see our family's greatest moment – when Barack became president and was sworn into the White House."

This story was first reported in 2009.

]]><![CDATA[Write to the Queen to ask that she does not give Royal Assent to the Health & Social Care Bill]]>Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:16:24 +0000http://www.paulbell.org/1/post/2011/10/write-to-the-queen-to-ask-that-she-does-not-give-royal-assent-to-the-health-social-care-bill.htmlThis government has no electoral mandate to make changes to the NHS. This is especially true if you consider that the World Health Organisation last year rated the NHS as one of the most efficient and best health services in the world.

Therefore, please write to Her Majesty and ask her to refrain from giving Royal Assent to the bill if it passes the Parliamentary stages.

The address to write to the Queen is:

Her Majesty The Queen, Buckingham Palace, London SW1A 1AA ]]><![CDATA[Using Audioboo for my latest news...]]>Fri, 23 Sep 2011 14:26:48 +0000http://www.paulbell.org/1/post/2011/09/using-audioboo-for-my-latest-news.htmlI've decided to trial using Audioboo for latest my news. Being dyslexic adds many additional steps to writing articles, e.g. checking, rechecking and checking again. Therefore, given that I have very few problems opening my mouth, this method may result in more articles in a regular timeframe.

Thanks to Delores for introducing me to it.
You can access my Audioboos from my home page or by clicking on the QR below.
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]]><![CDATA[Full Council Motion on Private Care Providers]]>Thu, 30 Jun 2011 17:35:16 +0000http://www.paulbell.org/1/post/2011/06/full-council-motion-on-private-care-providers.htmlHere is what I said at full council last night to support my motion (in red)...

“In light of the serious concerns regarding the care provided by some private providers, this Council calls on the Executive Directors for Community Services and Children and Young People to advise on the measures being taken to ensure the quality of care provision in all care homes used by the borough and calls upon the Care Quality Commission and OFSTED to implement a programme of non-announced inspections of all care homes providing residential care facilities for people with disabilities and older people.”

Furthermore, it calls upon the Healthier Communities Select Committee to undertake a review of Lewisham's commissioning, monitoring and the arrangements for the inspection of these services.

Because commissioning is a political and not just a technical issue, the involvement of elected members is critical. Councillors have a statutory duty to put in place arrangements that will result in the continual improvement of service delivery with reference to economy, efficiency and effectiveness (Local Government Act 1999).

However, the recent cases of two private sector providers has shown how fragile some parts of the private sector is and as Lewisham commissions these services it has a duty make sure that the residents are benefiting from the best possible care.

The recent outing of Castlebeck to the media by Panarama, a company that Lewisham places two residents out of the Borough and its sister company Barchester which runs Westwood House in Sydenham, has demonstrated the pitfalls of some larger private sector providers. Furthermore, the example of Southern Cross is particularly bitter to swallow as for executive short term gain they sold their profit portfolio and leased it back, thereby potentially destabilising the group…but why would they care, the public sector will always pick-up the tab. Right?

However, the inhumanity in the Winterbourne View unit [Castlebeck], near Bristol made me sick to my soul and it is not acceptable for the private sector to simply wash its hands of its responsibilities, by apologising. But as with all things in life, bad practice has to be discovered and cannot simply be found. The Winterbourne unit is purportedly an assessment hospital for adults with profound learning disabilities or autism, but most of the patients had lived there for more than a year – each at a cost to the public purse of £3,500 a week.

For those here who did not see the programme, here are some of the recorded incidents:

In one scene in the programme, a male support worker seems to goad a female patient to throw herself out of a second-floor window. He says: "Go on, do it now I'm here. I'd love to see you try it: you will go flying. … When you hit the floor, do you reckon you will make a thud or a splat?"

In another scene, a second male support worker is seen to act as a Nazi camp commandant, repeatedly slapping a patient across the face with a pair of leather gloves and saying: "Nein, nein, nein!"

Staff, sometimes with qualified nurses watching, used forms of restraint that an expert described as closer to martial arts rather than any approved technique.

A female patient is seen pinned beneath a chair for more than 30 minutes with one support worker sitting in the chair and keeping his foot on her wrist, while a second worker kneels on her legs.

So what of my motion? Well I am told that the Care Quality Commission is responsible for the inspection of care homes, but this organisation has recently been rolling back its inspection and monitoring provision.

The Care Quality Commission conducted 2,008 site visits between the beginning of October 2010 and the end of March 2011, compared with 6,840 for the same period 12 months earlier – a 70% fall. [Community Care May 2011].

In February 2011, Adult care directors sought "urgent" talks with the Care Quality Commission over concerns that a new ratings system for providers will reduce scrutiny of services, to the detriment of users.

The government has proposed replacing the quality ratings system, under which the CQC graded all registered providers as poor, adequate, good or outstanding, with a voluntary "excellence standard" for the best providers, in consultative plans to overhaul the adult care performance system.

However, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services warned that the proposed system failed to provide the same degree of "assurance" and transparency as quality ratings.

CQC is also now under more scrutiny since the Panarama programme; critics have seized on the fact that the CQC's annual budget of £164m is 30% less than the combined funding of the organisations it succeeded in 2009, even though it is being expected to do more. As well as NHS trusts, care homes, care agencies and dental practices, the body is due next year to start regulating GP practices. According to Dame Jo Williams, chair of the Care Quality commission each of the full quota of 900 inspectors – and until recently there have been up to 130 frozen vacancies – handles a mixed portfolio of some 50 different provider units and makes judgment calls, based on evidence of relative risk, about when and how often to visit. Bad practices can therefore be missed.

Even in the unlikely event of the CQC receiving a big boost to its budget, Williams emphasises that the primary responsibility for safeguarding the welfare of people in the care system will always rest with the care provider. "My challenge,” she says, “is to every provider who watched that programme is: 'How do you know that the people you are offering services to are getting a service that protects them, promotes their welfare and helps them develop and enjoy a quality of life?' However, all commissioners have a role to play.

So how do we make sure that Lewisham residents have confidence in a private sector, whose motivator is profit. Well that is where Lewisham has the responsibility. It is worth noting that the CQC has admitted inspecting Winterbourne View three times in the past two years.

The examples of Southern Cross and Castlebeck do not fill me with confidence; but more importantly, if the council commissions services it has a responsibility to make sure the private sector is performing not just for best value, but the quality of the care. Making profit out of the care needs of older people or people living with disabilities I believe to be wrong, but that is the society we live in. What we should not do is let the pursuit of profit undermine the quality of care. ]]><![CDATA[NHS 63rd Birthday Demo, 5th July at 5:30pm]]>Tue, 28 Jun 2011 16:31:34 +0000http://www.paulbell.org/1/post/2011/06/nhs-63rd-birthday-demo-5th-juky-at-530pm.htmlDate: Tuesday 5th July

Time: Assemble 5.30pm March depart 6pm

Starting point: Savoy Street, Strand, WC2E

Route: The Strand, past Trafalgar Square down Whitehall, Finishing point and Rally: Old Palace Yard, opposite the Houses of Parliament

nhs_london_demo_5th_july.pdf
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