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A MAP OF INDEPENDENT ADVOCACY ACROSS SCOTLAND

ARGYLL AND CLYDE ADVOCACY

NHS ARGYLL AND CLYDE

NHS Argyll and Clyde, incorporating Lomond and Argyll Division, Inverclyde Division and greater Renfrewshire Division

There are five local authorities within Argyll and Clyde NHS Board area:
Argyll & Bute Council
East Renfrewshire Council
Inverclyde Council
Renfrewshire Council
West Dunbartonshire Council

Advocacy Planning Process

The Argyll & Clyde Advocacy planning and implementation group consists of commissioners from the NHS Argyll and Clyde, Trusts and Local Authorities, advocacy project managers, committee/board members and some service users. However, the planning structures are about to change.

NHS Argyll and Clyde is moving towards an integrated healthcare system with greater devolution of responsibilities to three new Divisions and four new Community Health Partnerships. The current advocacy planning structure will be reviewed in order to ensure an effective fit with new planning and service delivery mechanisms.

Throughout the new process Argyll & Clyde are committed to ensuring that both service providers and users continue to be represented and involved in the advocacy planning process. The advocacy planning and implementation group should seek representatives from education, children services and housing.

Advocacy Organisations in Argyll and Clyde

Project details

• Independent
• Collective Advocacy
• Mental health service users and carers

• Argyll and Clyde Health Board Area

+ this amount is split into four quarterly payments.
A further 7,747 has yet to arrive from all other funding partners for 2003/04

Project details

• Not independent
• Managed by the Renfrewshire Carers Centre (Princess Royal Trust for Carers)
• Professional and volunteer advocacy
• Carers
• Renfrewshire
• To be evaluated in 2003 by ASA

Project details

• Independent
• Collective advocacy
• People with a mental health disorder
• Dykebar Hospital

Project details

• Independent
• Citizen advocacy
• For all community care client groups
• East Renfrewshire
• See also 'other funding' project details for Greater Glasgow

Project details

• Not independent
• Managed by Inverclyde Community Care Forum through a Voluntary Management Committee
• Professional and volunteer advocacy
• For adults over 18 with a community care issue
• Long stay hospital discharges
• Inverclyde area
• To be evaluated in 2003/04 by ASA

Project details

• Independent
• Professional and volunteer 'issue based' advocacy
• For all community care users and others at risk of exclusion, the service currently prioritises adults with learning disabilities, adults who use mental health services and frail older people
• West Dunbartonshire, Argyll and Bute
• To be evaluated in 2003 by ASA

Project details

• Not independent
• Managed by Ace Advocacy (Enable)
• Professional advocacy
• Long stay patients who are awaiting discharge
• Merchiston Hospital
• Evaluated by Advocacy 2000 in March 2002

Project details

• Not Independent
• Managed by Renfrewshire Association for Mental Health
• Professional and Volunteer Advocacy
• For all adults who have a community care issue
• Renfrewshire area
• To be evaluated by ASA in 2003

Total Local Statutory Funding for Argyll and Clyde Advocacy in 2003/4

*This figure of 20,893 is also cited in the NHS Greater Glasgow detail

*The amounts for the client groups cited above indicate specific provision, however generic advocacy provision tends to prioritise people with mental health problems, learning disabilities, acquired brain injuries, dementia and other community care service users, so in real terms the amounts spent on these groups will be higher than indicated for the separate groups listed above. This detail will be addressed in future editions of the Map.

Gaps in Independent Advocacy

• Vulnerable children and young people (including carers)
• Carers
• Homeless people and those with addiction
• People from ethnic minority communities
• People with physical disabilities
• Citizen and collective advocacy

Priorities for Development

• For the purpose of this Map not all funding partners submitted funding figures beyond the current year 2003/04, this needs to be addressed. All funding partners need to ensure that three-year funding agreements are written into Service Level Agreements, albeit that funding is reviewed on an annual basis
• Securing funding to place existing advocacy projects on a sounder footing
• The development of advocacy for people with a mental health disorder to meet the requirements of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003
• Investigating and developing advocacy for children and young people
• Improving advocacy services to carers
• Ensuring that funding is provided to develop independent advocacy in the community for ex-residents of Merchiston Hospital
• Investigate ways and means of developing citizen and collective advocacy
• Raising awareness and understanding of the role and value of advocacy amongst service providers
• Ensuring that advocacy providers and people using advocacy services are at the forefront of the independent advocacy planning process

Conclusions

Planned developments stated in the Argyll & Clyde three-year Independent Advocacy Plan have been curtailed as a result of the financial difficulties faced by NHS Argyll & Clyde. The lead commissioner for NHS Argyll and Clyde has kept all advocacy providers informed throughout this period of financial uncertainty. All projects have been funded to the same level as 2002/03 and now receive a proportion of an additional 75,000 from NHS Argyll and Clyde which has been split accordingly across all advocacy projects.

Despite the financial constraints there have been a number of key achievements:

• Independent citizen advocacy provision has now been commissioned in East Renfrewshire
• Funding has been secured to evaluate advocacy provision in the area.
• Lomond & Argyll Advocacy Service has achieved independent status, and Renfrewshire Association for Mental Health Advocacy Service are now considering independence
• There continues to be a commitment to hold annual stakeholder days on independent advocacy, both service providers and users continue to be consulted
• The annual review of independent advocacy included an innovative approach in recording the difference advocacy has made to those accessing it.

NHS Argyll & Clyde and its Local Funding Partners are to be commended for their continued investment in advocacy, however there are concerns amongst the advocacy providers regarding future financial commitment. NHS funding remains uncertain for 2004/05, but commitments to three-year funding at current levels is expected. Projects are concerned, however that funding constraints will limit their capacity to develop services further.

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