LTCA working for people with long-term conditions
LTCA is the umbrella body for national voluntary organisations in the UK working to meet the needs of people with long-term health conditions
Our Vision A world where people affected by long-term conditions have control over their lives and can live them to the full.
Our Mission To ensure people affected by long-term conditions have access to the services and support they need and can be active participants in determining their care.
News
An update on the Final Darzi Report & the Draft Constitution
Monday 30 June saw the publication of Lord Darzi's final report, ‘High Quality Care For All', on reforming the NHS. The report follows his interim report ‘Our NHS, Our Future', published in October last year, and the publication of the nine Strategic Health Authorities' reports over the past few weeks. The final report is accompanied by, and makes reference to, a draft NHS Constitution, which the Department of Health will be consulting on over the summer.
Lord Darzi's report is available at http://tinyurl.com/6nod9h
For LTCA member organisations, perhaps the most important over-arching elements are the commitments for the NHS to provide services that are of a high quality, that are safe, and, via the draft constitution, have patient choice enshrined as a right. On the specific recommendations; the restatement of the commitment to provide care plans, and to pilot personal health budgets for people with long term conditions are welcome, although the specific details of how this will be achieved are unstated. The draft constitution contains both rights and pledges, which are underscored by seven NHS values. The consultation will take place over a 14 week period (ending on 6 October), and LTCA will be seeking members' views in the following weeks, with a view to producing an alliance response.
Further information on the NHS constitution is available at http://tinyurl.com/69e2m7
In broad terms, LTCA broadly welcomes Lord Darzi's report and its recommendations. Members can access a full briefing document on the NHS Next Stage Review (including the draft NHS Constitution) here.
Further information will be sent shortly on LTCA's plans for responding to the review, and on developing a response to the consultation on the draft NHS Constitution. As always, any comments that you have, or any information about member organisations' reactions and responses will be gratefully received.
Finding the Balance
A LTCA/ABPI paper and consultation document. The key issues involved in balancing, for ourselves as patients and carers, the benefits and risks of medical treatments and a consultation on the way forward.
The document lays out central themes that lie within the larger concept of benefit and risk in our personal health decision making. It translates these themes into practical examples and suggests ways forward through a range of manageable initiatives involving a variety of stakeholder partnerships.
An electronic copy of the document may be accessed here. Paper copies may be obtained by contacting either the LTCA or the ABPI.
LTCA Conference & AGM 2008
The 2008 LTCA Conference and AGM took place on May 20.
Delegates were given presentations by Harry Cayton, Chief Executive of the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence and Gary Belfield, Director of Commissioning at the Department of Health. This year's breakout sessions covered information for self-management, user-involvement in the voluntary sector, and social care. Completing the day's programme was a question time session, chaired by Richard Vize, editor of the HSJ, with Conservative Shadow Health secretary, Andrew Lansley, Liberal-Democrat Health spokesman, Norman Lamb, and LTCA Chief Executive David Pink.
Notes and presentations from the day are available here.
Job vacancies in the Alliance
Some job opportunities with LTCA's member organisations are listed here.