A recent British Medical Association’s (BMA) report explains how doctors can use their expertise to act as community leaders to tackle social determinants of health and explores how these factors that impact on health and well-being for which there is little control.  Download the report from below and click to read the full article.
 

Social Determinant Report

In recognising that it is important for people who use health and social care services to have both a local and a national voice and because LINks across the country including Croydon LINk, have done such a good job, the government has decided that we now need to do more to help local people. 

As Croydon LINk we:

• Help more people to get a voice in their local health and social care
• Give people’s views on what local health and social care services are like
• Give people’s views on any changes that might be made to local health and social care services
• Go and look at how health or social care services are doing if they think this is needed (this is called “Enter and View”)

We will keep doing all these things but in addition during this transition year as Croydon Shadow Healthwatch we will also:

• Help people – especially people who find it difficult - to choose what kind of health and social care services are right for them
• Give information to HealthWatch England if there is a problem with local health and social care services, so that it can be checked
• Sit on the local Health and Wellbeing board, which will make sure that choices made by local doctors (GPs) about local health and social care are the best ones and make sure public health gets better in Croydon.

To see relevant annual reports click here

New Chair and Vice-Chair for Croydon Shadow Healthwatch

 
Following on from the recent ballot held amongst the Croydon Shadow HealthWatch Steering Group, Frederick Clarke of Mighty Men of Valour has been elected as Chair of Croydon Shadow HealthWatch.  Dudley Edwards of Imagine Mental Health has been elected as Vice-Chair. They will hold these positions until the end of March 2012.  Frederick and Dudley can be contacted on localvoices@croydonlink.org.
 
The other members of the Steering Group are, Fatima Koroma, Guy Pile-Grey, Janet Grant and Tracey Hague

• Ask service providers to provide information and expect a response
• Enter and view premises where public health and social care services are being provided
• Make recommendations on what needs to change and expect a response
• Refer certain matters to Croydon Council for further action
   

• Everyone will have the chance to say what they think about local health & social care services
• It will give you a chance to be involved in checking how well those services are being run
• It will feedback your opinions so we can bring about change