Self Directed Care
Supporting & Empowering People with Health Needs
Promoting take up of direct payments, individualised budgets amongst BME communities & Improving capacity of BME health & social care service providers across London boroughs of Hounslow, Ealing, Brent & Hammersmith & Fulham.
BME Self Directed Care Project launched in May 2009 is commissioned to:
•increase awareness & take up of direct payments, personal budgets & self directed support amongst BME communities amongst people with substantial health needs, disabilities & their carers across 4 West London boroughs of Hounslow, Ealing, Brent & Hammersmith & Fulham.
• increase access to advice, information, advocacy and increase independence & choice for people with substantial health needs & their carers.
•improve capacity & develop long term sustainability of BME service providers within health & social care market.
Self Directed Care improves personal choices, independent living, health & wellness. Self Directed Care Project aims to increase awareness and take up a Direct Payments, Individualised Budgets & Self Managed Care Support amongst Black Minority & Ethnic (BME) people with substantial health needs or disabilities and their carers across London Boroughs of Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Hounslow.
The project increases access to advice, information and advocacy; and also improving capacity of BME organisations and health and social care providers to support people with substantial health needs, disabilities and their carers.
We have built a BME Health Providers Consortium to improve inter organisational collaborations, develop or offer services to clients across different communities and boroughs, explore opportunities for social enterprise and contracts in health and social care market and amongst others.
Self-directed support is the name given to a way of redesigning the social care system so that the people who get services can take much greater control over them.
The project seeks to improve engagement between NHS, commissioners, allied health professionals, third sector and BME communities, and also increases choices to access culturally appropriate services and culturally appropriate care planning, commissioning and brokerage services.
Services and Activities
Information Workshops
workshops & open meetings on self-managed/directed care targeted at individuals with substantial health needs & their carers, BME community groups & third sector agencies engaged in supporting people with disabilities or in health & social care sector.
Information Advice & Guidance Support including:
•open sessions using specialist advisers to increase awareness of personal budgets & direct payments hosted at various community events & centres
• supporting community organisations to improve quality & standards or to increase their advice information & advocacy related services.
•a regional campaign to increase awareness of personal budgets & direct payments
•engaging BME voluntary & community organisations & disseminating information leaflets in different localities & communities
•a confidential information & advice service on personal budgets & direct payments related issues including support to carers.
Self Direct Care Advisers
One to one & bespoke support to enable people to understand eligibility criteria, access personal budgets & direct payments & to manage their own care support packages.
Seminars: Self Directed Care/ Direct Payments/ Personalisation/ Promoting Social Enterprise's
seminars to promote social enterprise within health & social care sector particularly amongst individuals entrepreneurs & small businesses. 176 individuals from 68 organisations attended these seminars in 2010
Engagement with NHS & other health & social care service commissioners & bodies on issues affecting BME communities
Development of cross borough, regional and national services & programmes to address health inequalities
Race & Health Seminar
This seminar held on 25 March 2010 focused on theme of Equality in NHS Service Delivery & Supporting communities in promoting race equality. Speakers included Barry Mussenden, Deputy Director, Equalities, Department of Health.
BME Health & Social Care Providers Consortium
TAHA have launched the BME Health & Social Care Providers Consortium during 2011.
This Consortium will bring together BME community groups & organisations providing health & social care activity & services & interested in working together to develop partnership & consortia approaches within new commissioning framework and to deliver services.
See link under BME Health & Social Care Providers Consortium
Interested in joining?
for further information please contact:
Balraj Purewal on 020 8811 1501 email:director@taha.org.uk
TAHA acknowledges funding from Department of Health Third Sector Investment Programme: Innovation Excellence & Service Development Fund
For further information or to organise an event to create more awareness of direct payments, individualised budgets in your community, local area, or borough contact us on:
Self-Directed Care Advisers
tel: 020 8811 1501 tel: 020 8571 7928
email: selfmanage@taha.org.uk or selfdirectedcare@taha.org.uk
We greatly welcome your feedback and comments on the service we provide. Please feel free to take a minute to complete our feedback form.
The information you provide will be strictly confidential but will help make sure we provide the best and effective service to you.
Thank You.