CIVIL SERVICE PENSIONERS' ALLIANCE

1. Group Officers

2. Group Meetings
 
The next General Meeting for Group Members will be held on WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 26th 2007, Commencing 1.00 p.m in the LOUNGE, CENTRAL METHODIST HALL, OLDHAM ST. MANCHESTER. This Meeting will be a MANDATING MEETING to instruct our Delegates (John Eastwood and Muriel Snell) to the CSPA National AGM in October.
 
There will be a further General Meeting on WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31st 2007 Commencing 1.00 p.m. in the same venue. This Meeting will be a Report Back from the National AGM. It is also hoped that we will be able to combine this Meeting with a further presentation on the future of the NHS across Manchester.
 
3. National AGM
 
The CSPA National AGM will be held on Oct.10th and 11th 2007 at a Hotel in Coventry. We will be represented by John Eastwood and Muriel Snell. We have three Motions on the Agenda. The first initiates a debate to change the way Local Groups are funded. Instead of the present system which has Local Groups sending out annual letters asking for donations, it proposes that a sum of money (£3 is proposed) is added to the Annual National Subscription and then rebated to local Groups. The Motion instructs the Executive to examine the practicalities of the scheme and report back to next year's AGM. The second Motion instructs the Executive to look at what action (including legal action) is possible on the issue of Government mis-using National Insurance Contributions to fund "capital projects" instead of increasing Basic State pensions. The third motion instructs the Executive to carefully monitor any local proposals on Congestion Charging and to oppose anything which is not in the Members best interests. The other major debate which will take place will be about the Executive's proposal that we should create a "Pensioners Political Party" and seek to stand Candidates in the next General Election.
 
We will be holding a Mandating Meeting on Sept. 26th to instruct our delegates (full details of all the motions for debate will appear in the Autumn issue of the Pensioner) and we will report back on what happens at a General Meeting on Oct. 31st.
 
4. N.H.S.
 
On July 18th 2007 we held a General Meeting which was addressed by Paul Mainwaring, Chair of the Greater Manchester Patients Council. He made a number of interesting points concerning future plans to develop the NHS. These included:-
 
a) The NHS is being reformed against a background of people living longer, greater demands for treatment as a result of better diagnosis, many buildings being out-dated and in the wrong place in respect of where people live and transport facilities;
 
b) The new general principle is to look towards prevention rather than cure;
 
c) Expert "Patient Trainers" are being introduced who will visit patients with long-term conditions in their own homes to give expert advice and training on treating those conditions. Equipment will be provided for patients to use in their own home rather than regularly visiting a hospital, conditions like dialysis, diabetes were mentioned;
 
d) One of the problems that has been identified is that Consultants do not get enough serious cases on which they can hone their skills and develop new procedures. The answer may be to "merge" particular specialisms onto one site. So that serious cases from a greater area will focus on particular sites. He cited Oldham as specialising to become a northern version of Christies and Rochdale to specialise in heart conditions. He stressed, however, that these "Speciality Units" will be for SERIOUS cases only. Normal cases will continue to be treated in existing hospitals. The transfer to a "Speciality Unit" will, therefore, be a medical decision;
 
e) Existing A&E Departments will continue to exist and treat patients as they do now but there will be additional "Super A&E"s which will treat serious accident or emergency cases. Since, almost be definition, if the condition is serious an ambulance will attend, the decision to take a patient to a "Super A&E" will normally be taken by the Paramedic (who will have direct T.V. Links to the Consultants at the Hospital) on medical grounds;
 
f) New "Super G.P. Centres" to be created by merging up to 4 existing G.P. Practices. Within these "Super Centres" there will be up to 30 G.P.s . Patients will be seen by the first available G.P on a "drop-in" basis. Within each site G.P.'s will specialise so that you will be able to get specialist advice without going to the hospital and almost on a "drop-in" basis Each Practice will have diagnostic equipment on site eg X-Ray, Blood Testing without going to the hospital. Each Practice will have NHS Dentists, Pharmacy,, Chiropodist,, Speech Therapist, Hearing Therapist, physical training (Gym) attached. The possibility of running (free?) bus services from these centres to hospitals and between hospitals is being considered. Claims for travel expenses can include close relatives;
 
g) Patients will have greater choice as to where they go for treatment (ie they will be able to request that their G.P refers them to a particular hospital);
 
h) Primary Care Trusts have Boards of Lay Directors and we have asked how we can get involved with these;
 
i) It is anticipated that the next serious issue will be obesity;
 
j) No changes will be made to existing services until the new service is up and running;
 
k) Government decisions on a number of important initiatives are expected in the next few months and we are seeking a further Meeting with Paul Mainwaring for Oct. 31st.
 
5. INTERNET BULLETINS
 
We are placing this notice on the CSPA national website www.cspa.co.uk This is a new initiative which is being trialled for the Manchester Area (and perhaps 3 or 4 others). We would be interested in your views as to whether it is a useful service.
 
P.S.
I have now confirmed that Paul Mainwaring, Chair, Greater Manchester NHS Patients Council, will address the Meeting on Oct. 31st on the latest developments on the future of the NHS.