Brent Advocacy Concerns step in to fill the PIP advice gap

Brent Advocacy Concerns are still waiting for details of their future accommodation with GPs due to move into their space at Willesden Centre in April.

Meanwhile John Healy told me that they are very much in demand:

On resuming my voluntary work after the holiday, I felt overwhelmed by over 30 emails that needed replying too. My fellow trustees  have concentrated their efforts on sorting out our office move.

I have never experienced such demand with most of the requests being from disabled people needing help with claims for PIP (personal independence payments) or help with appealing their failed PIP claims.   

Brent council have awarded several contracts for providers to undertake this work but it seems to me that disabled people in Brent are either not aware of them or they cannot access them.

Babylon on-line triaging not coming to Brent

From the Health Service Journal LINK
 
Commissioners in London have ditched a planned pilot of Babylon Health’s primary care app after patients in a test “were typically most interested in using the app to speed up GP access, rather than [using] the symptom checker”.

Clinical commissioning groups in north west London were testing Babylon’s app as a tool for reducing GP attendance, by triaging patients online.

North West London Collaboration of CCGs confirmed it had “considered” piloting the Babylon app but it was dropped after tests with patients.

A spokeswoman told HSJ:

“The CCGs considered the merits of this app as a tool to help manage demand on GPs – particularly through the symptom-checker feature.

“We worked closely with patients to find out what demand there was for the app. We found that patients were typically most interested in using the app to speed up GP access, rather than the symptom checker.”

A Babylon spokesman said:

 “Discussions were held after Babylon was selected in a competitive procurement exercise as the best technology to trial in GP practices across North West London. Subsequently a decision was taken not to fund the pilot.”

The CCG collaboration comprises Brent, Central London, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow and West London.
 
A CCG collaboration spokeswoman also said:

 “The information gathered from talking to patients was successful in informing the ongoing work of the sector as we explore this area further.”

It comes after a board paper for the CCG collaboration, dated 25 October, said that in the test of the app patients “effectively manipulated the system in order to secure GP appointments”.

The collaboration has, since this piece was first published, stated that this board paper was incorrect, and amended it.

The new paper says:

 “The board was updated on the evaluation work undertaken to inform a decision of whether to initiate a pilot with Babylon to see if the technology could drive reductions in demand for GP appointments.

“Work over the summer with focus groups to gather insights around perceptions had raised a concern that patients who might use the app could mainly do so because they believed it would get them faster access to GP appointments.

“The focus groups had also commented that there is a risk of some people gaming the symptom checker to achieve a GP appointment.

“The insights gathered therefore revealed that the symptom checker in particular was unlikely to reduce demand on GP services. This reduced the intended benefit of the system significantly. Following questions and further discussion, the board agreed not to proceed to the pilot stage.”

Another board paper from the chief executive of the CWHHE CCG group, in North West London, also dated October, said the app was tested with a “small group of patients” – the test “spanning six patient focus groups and a wide demographic area” in September. The plan had been to move later to a wider pilot involving about 16 GP practices.

Babylon, along with several emerging competitors, is a private company that provides on demand video GP consultation and a chatbot style symptom checker from a smart phone app.

The Babylon app is available privately for a monthly fee but is increasingly also being offered free to NHS patients through their GPs.

Babylon, headed by Circle founder Ali Parsa, is also heavily involved in several national projects with NHS England that, if successful, could lead the company to playing a major role in delivering online NHS services.

Concerns about Babylon’s role in the NHS increased this month after the company launched GP at Hand, a collaboration with London GP practices that will make its video consultation freely available to any NHS patient that switches to participating practices.

GP at Hand has been accused, mostly by GPs, of “cherry picking” relatively healthy patients and excluding those with more complex health needs.

A week after the service was announced, the London local medical committees passed a motion calling for a halt to the deployment of online GP services in the NHS until there was more robust evidence they benefited patients.

The north west London testing was part of the CCGs’ aim to use online consultations to reduce GP demand, as outlined in the area’s sustainability and transformation plan.

The Babylon project was funded by Health Education England with much of the assessment work carried out by Imperial College Health Partners. These organisations will continue to research alternative digital tools for accessing GPs in north west London.

A collaboration spokeswoman said: “The information gathered from talking to patients was successful in informing the ongoing work of the sector as we explore this area further.”

An HEE spokeswoman said the organisation had worked on a pilot with the CCGs and ICHP looking at digital solutions to free up time for busy practices, as well as how staff could be trained to use new technology. She added: “There is ongoing evaluation of this work and HEE continues to work with the STP and the CCG in looking at transformation of the workforce.”

Babylon’s full statement to HSJ said:

 “The NW London CCGs’ collaboration board paper item ‘NW London Babylon Pilot: Emerging findings’ is factually incorrect and deeply misleading.

“No pilot was ever carried out, nor any agreement signed with Babylon for such a pilot. Discussions were held after Babylon was selected in a competitive procurement exercise as the best technology to trial in GP practices across North West London. Subsequently a decision was taken not to fund the pilot.”

Babylon said in a further statement to HSJ this week:

“We have no assurances that any meaningful and robust user tests were ever carried out, and Imperial College Health Partners were not involved in any such testing.”

Brent Council cancels joint venture with HUB for 'commercial reasons'

From Inside Housing LINK

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Brent Council has cancelled a development vehicle it had proposed to form with developer Hub for “commercial reasons”.

A report to be submitted to the council next week LINK notes that the joint venture “is not proceeding at this time” and that the council as a result is focusing on a smaller housing programme in Wembley.

Brent had been in negotiations with Hub over forming a joint venture or a development vehicle aimed at delivering 651 homes, 215 of which would be affordable.

The proposal was to transfer both council land and land owned by Hub into the vehicle. Part of the point of the vehicle was to use it to purchase Network Rail land, as homes built on land sold directly to councils don’t count towards Network Rail’s quotas.

The cabinet voted in June last year to endorse the proposal, with full details to be decided in a following meeting.

It now intends to continue with a smaller development programme on the other, non-Network Rail sites.

The council also provided seed funding of £1.6m to the project, aiming to secure £8m of grant funding from the Greater London Authority (GLA) for land acquisition.

One of the sites to be funded with GLA money, Ujima House, was purchased in June last year after the approval of the plans. 

Inside Housing has asked Brent Council about its alternative plans for funding this purchase.

Barnet Unison launch great recycling video and song

Bobby Moore to disappear under advertising again

The tunnel today with original tiling covered

A section of the original tiling

The panels are seen by Stadium, Arena & LDO visitors using Wembley Park Station

Brent Council is to enter a new 4 year contract with Wembley City Estate Management to sell advertising space on the walls of the pedestrian underpass to Olympic Way beneath the Bobby Moore Bridge.

Wembley City Estate were the previous agent and Brent claims they submitted the best value bid that will increase Council income.  Financial details of the contract have been withheld from public scrutiny.

The historic tiling which illustrates many sports, has not been viewable for several years. The tiling is still in place but concealed beneath a dressing on which the advertising is placed. Recently this has most often been used for the London Designer Outlet or the life style luxury flats recently built in the area.

Brent says that it will be able to specify the nature of the advertising and ensure that it is line with its advertising and sponsorship code.

Brent set to approve pilot dockless bicycle hire scheme

The Brent Cabinet is set to approve a pilot dockless bicycle scheme for the borough which would last for one year before review. As the name implies dockless bikes do not require any additional infrastructure and the officer's report LINK says such a scheme would not impact on the present cash generating parking bays in the borough.

Hirers would book the bikes by mobile phone app and 'leave them in an appropriate place'. What constitutes an appropriate place is not explored. Some councils just mark a section of pavement or have special bollards mounted on the pavement.  Brent hopes to learn from the mixed experience of other councils who have already adopted similar schemes.

It is hoped that such a scheme would contribute to the London Mayor's Transport Strategy which aims that 80% of journeys by 2041 will be by foot, bike or public transport.

Call for volunteer teachers of English successful

Just before Christmas we carried an advertisement LINK asking for people to train as volunteer teachers of English for the Unite Community project that will set up classes in Brent.

Robin Sivapalan reports on the first training session:

--> We had a great teacher training session at the weekend, organised by Brent Unite Community and delivered by English for Action. 

In two days such a lot of content was covered, complex issues explored, and a strong team of colleagues formed. Nobody entered the room with no experience, and we have much to still learn as we go along. The EFA approach towards the teacher volunteers is exactly the one they encourage us to take towards the student participants: that respects prior experience, where we are all simultaneously teachers and learners at all times. 

We have one class confirmed, an intermediate class at CVS Brent, Wednesday afternoons. About 5 more are likely to be confirmed soon. Please let me know of any community groups, housing associations etc that would likely want one of our teachers to run a course with them. It is not an accredited ESOL course; it is a space for people to build confidence communicating in English in the situations where they need it; it is to create community; it is towards welcoming migrants into the local labour movement so we can campaign for social justice more united. 

If you want to become a teacher with us, we will run further training in the year. Please go check out the work English for Action are doing in the city, get involved, donate etc, as you can do with this local project in Brent too, especially by joining Unite Community, only £2.19 a month.
http://www.unitetheunion.org/growing-o…/communitymembership/

Wembley ASDA served with Noise Abatement Notice after waking residents at 6am

Since 6am this morning, an hour of this #noisepollution, still ongoing.@AsdaServiceTeam @Brent_Council @noise_abatement @NeighbourNoise @cutnoise @NFHiB @noiselimits @WembleyMatters pic.twitter.com/H5ivvptbGg

 January 9, 2018

Video filmed before dawn this morning

Angry residents contacted Wembley Matters this morning after they were woken at 6am by works on Wembley Asda's car park. The noise, accompanied by shouting, could be heard through double glazing. 

There have been long term problems with noise from Asda disturbing neighbours including the company's home delivery service, Click and Collect and sea gulls on the store roof.  The issue has been taken up through Brent Council, petitions presented, letters written but to no avail.

Cllr Michael Pavey (Labour, Barnhill) told Wembley Matters:

Asda have treated residents with complete disdain. Not only have they failed to reduce the noise they generate at antisocial times - they have refused to even acknowledge the problem. 

They have ignored correspondence, failed to attend meetings organised by Council Officers and have stated that they will only meet with councillors if residents are not invited. 

It is an astonishing display of arrogance by a company which is completely dependent upon the goodwill of its shoppers.

 As a result of this morning's complaints Brent Council have served a Noise Abatement Notice on Asda..

Martin Wood, Emvironmental Health Office wrote to residents this evening with the news:

Further to the noise incident this morning, I have spoken to Asda’s store manager, deputy manager, and to the company’s Compliance Incident Manager.

I have advised that Brent Council will be serving Asda Group Ltd with a Noise Abatement Notice on the basis that we believe there is a likelihood of a statutory noise nuisance arising from non-emergency maintenance works taking place at noise sensitive times.

The notice will be posted to Asda’s head office tomorrow. The notice prohibits the occurrence of a noise nuisance from non-emergency maintenance works and requires Asda to: Cease or cause to cease all non-emergency external store and car park maintenance works likely to constitute a nuisance to the occupiers of residential properties in close proximity to the store between, 9pm and 8am (Monday to Saturday) and 5pm and 10am (Sundays).