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Kingston Disabled and Older People's Forum
Kingston Disabled and Older People's Forum
Kingston Disabled and Older People's Forum is the principal way in which the Council seeks to consult with disabled and older people in the Borough. It is run in partnership with Kingston Primary Care Trust and Kingston Hospital.
Please email Francis.Arokiasamy@rbk.kingston.gov.uk.
About the Forum
Kingston Disabled and Older People’s Forum is a new way for disabled and older people to be involved in the development of local services provided by the Council, Kingston Hospital and Kingston Primary Care Trust (PCT). It is led by the Council.
The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 imposes a duty on public bodies, including local councils and health bodies, to promote disability equality, partly through the production of a Disability Equality Scheme. The Schemes should be based on disabled and older people’s priorities for existing and new services, so that more services meet the needs of local disabled and older residents. This is why we set up the Forum, which met in June 2006 to inform the Council's, PCT's and hospital's equality schemes, and met again in October 2007 to review progress on the schemes' action plans.
The Forum helps us to understand what disabled and older residents think of the whole range of Council services and local health services - from refuse collection and the state of our roads to community care services and libraries, as well as primary care and hospital services, so we know what improvements are needed.
The Forum can also help us identify and overcome barriers that prevent disabled people from making successful applications for employment within the public sector locally.
How can I be involved?
Although it is called a ‘Forum’, meetings and events are infrequent and it is quite possible for members to be involved without coming to meetings. Forum members can choose how they would like to receive communication: by letter, email, via the website or by phone (although it may be necessary to back up phone calls by letter or email). We do our best to provide information in members’ preferred format. If you do come to a meeting or focus event we reimburse your travel expenses.
What issues will the Forum be involved in?
Members of the Forum can be involved in any issues that affect them as disabled and older people living in Kingston. The Forum helps us to understand the needs of our residents so that we can plan appropriate services.
What’s in it for me?
The main benefit to Forum members is a sense of involvement and the satisfaction gained from helping to make local services better for disabled and older people living in the Borough. You get your expenses paid, of course, if you can attend focus events.
How much of my time does it take up?
We realise that members need to be able to vary their involvement according to other commitments, variations in their health or other considerations. Members are asked to make every effort to respond to material sent to them, but if circumstances mean that they are unable to respond to all communications that will not be a problem.
What if I have to go into hospital for a few weeks?
That’s no problem – just get involved again when you come out. The key to this project is flexibility.
But I can’t find accessible transport to take me to meetings!
If this is a problem for you, and you want to attend a meeting, we will try to help you identify accessible transport; for example, as your expenses will be paid you may be able to use a taxi. But if you really can’t travel, that’s no problem – just phone, email or write your response to the material we send.