Our Work
The LINk's role is to represent the views of the people of Cumbria, so it’s the issues that matter to you that will determine our priorities.
We are able to contact individuals through our membership database and a wide range of Third Sector organisations and groups through the various networks we have established connections with. The more people that join our LINk the stronger and more influential it becomes.
Here are some of the LINk'scurrent work topics:
Personalised Care
If there is anything you would like to contribute over concerns about personalised care then please contact us.
More information is available on the Cumbria County Council Website about personalised care, please follow the link to find out more.. www.cumbria.gov.uk/adultsocialcare/iCT/default.asp
The South Lakeland Autism and Asperger's Support Group answersome frequently asked questions about direct payments. Please follow the link to find out more www.southlakesautism.co.uk
Dentistry
Over the past two years we have been watching what is happening with the dentist situation in Cumbria. We have seen four new dentist practices open in West Cumbria and one in Kendal. There are more about to open in Carlisle.
We raised the issue of no dental practice in Longtown, north of Carlisle and managed to get NHS Cumbria (PCT) to add Longtown to their tender document.
We are also interested to know about your experiences. Do you know what to do if you have no dentist but need emergency treatment, have you used the emergency dental centres, are you on the waiting list for an NHS dentist, if you have an NHS dentist are you happy with the service they provide.
Contact us either by phone or by email with your experiences.
If you are not on the waiting list for an NHS dentist you must complete a registration form to be added to the waiting list. You can download the registration form by following this link. www.cumbria.nhs.uk/YourNearestServices/Dentist/Home.aspx
Disposable Incontinence Pads
Incontinence is a condition that affects a number of people and in Cumbria our health services provide a continence service to help people manage the condition and make sure that they get the right treatment and support. You have told us that some people are finding it difficult to manage with the allocation of free disposable pads.
We conducted a survey contacting the service users and carers to find out their views. The report for this survey can be downloaded here or you can contact the LINk support team to request a copy. The response from NHS Cumbria (PCT) was that they would like to involve more people in the future around service development and that if people are struggling with their current supplies they should request a re-assessment.
If you would like more information about incontinence the continence foundation web site contains a wealth of information on the subject. www.continence-foundation.org.uk/
West Cumberland Hospital
The plans to rebuild and refurbish the hospital are now underway. The LINk has set up a Task Group of interested people to watch what is happening at the hospital, gather people's views and make recommendations to the Trust.
Watch this short video clip tv3cumbria.weebly.com/
We ran a survey in May 2010 at the hospital where we asked patients and visitors for there views on the disruption caused by the demolition work being carried out, the changing of the one way system etc. The results from this survey can be downloaded here or you can request a copy by contacting the LINk Support Team at the address below or e-mailing link@cumbriacvs.org.uk ‘
Contribute to our Work Plan
If you have an issue that you would like the Cumbria LINK to consider when planning its work, please tell us what it is. Email: link@cumbriacvs.org.uk
The minutes of the AGM held in October 2009 can be viewed here as well as the Annual Report:
- AGM October 2009 (34Kb pdf)
- 2009 Annual Report (1.9Mb pdf)
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