Useful Links
The Princess Royal Trust for Carers - 020 7480 7788 or visit www.carers.org
The Princess Royal Trust for Carers provides advice and guidance for carers.
Social Care & Health (Formally Social Services) contact Social Care Direct - 0845 850 50 10.
Direct Payments - 0191 384 9111.
This is an initiative to enable individuals to purchase their own care, or if you are a parent to purchase care for your child.
PALS - 0800 328 9155 (freephone)
Each Primary Care Trust and NHS Trust has a Patient Advice and Liaison Service. Sedgefield Primary Care Trust’s PALS Officer is Kathleen Sheehan.
Independent Complaints Advocacy Service (ICAS) - 0845 120 3732 or visit www.icas-network.com
ICAS is an independent complaints and advocacy service who have staff employed locally by Citizens Advice and they are independent of the National Health Service (NHS).
Carers UK provides information and advice on all aspects of caring to both carers and professionals.
One Parent Families - www.oneparentfamilies.org.uk
Information for lone parents caring for a child with additional needs.
Social Care & Health has a dedicated team of staff whose priority is to maximise benefits to individuals and to represent those who have had their claims rejected or their benefits reduced or removed. Please contact your local office.
Derwentside Telephone No: 01207 291536
Durham & Chester-le-Street Telephone No: 0191 383 6081
Easington Telephone No: 0191 518 6043
Sedgefield Telephone No: 0191 370 887
Wear Valley/Teesdale Telephone No: 01388 744430
For further in formation visit www.eaga.co.uk and click on site map and scroll down to Apply for grant - Engalnd - Warm Front.
County Durham LINk
Members’ Event is a Success!
The newly formed County
Durham LINk (Local Involvement Network) held it’s first members’ event on
Tuesday 30th September 2008 at Durham County Cricket Club which was
a resounding success with over 140 members attending.
The day was facilitated
by Ross Cowan who was involved in supporting the Early Adopter Project (a pilot
of the LINk) in County Durham. Members
present overwhelmingly supported the adoption of the proposed County Durham
LINk Structure, Terms of Reference and Management Committee membership
Structure developed by the LINk Interim Steering Group.
The members were also asked to discuss in workshop groups
the main health and social care issues that they had identified as part of the
registration process for the event. The
information from the groups will be used to develop and initial work programme
for the LINk over the next six to twelve months.
LINks are able to:
Obtain the views of
people about their needs for, and experience of, local health and social care
services
Enable people to monitor
and review the commissioning and provision of care services
Enter and ‘view’ certain
local health and social health and care services
Make known the views of
local people and make reports and recommendations
Develop positive working
relationships with those responsible for commissioning, providing, managing or
scrutinising local health and social care services.
LINk membership is open
to anyone who lives or works in County Durham.
If you are interested in becoming a member or require further
information, please contact the team on 01325 327431 or visit
www.linkcountydurham.co.uk