Guest guest Posted November 8, 2007 Report Share Posted November 8, 2007 That is shocking! On 8 Nov 2007, at 14:46, reeta chaudhry wrote:this company has actually management to faclitate numerous redundancies with district nursing across the trust. the company had aprroached via E mail our director and when she did not respond the company actually threatened to contact the chief exc with thier proposals how to make mass savings regardsReetaJudy Kara <lushrestaurant (DOT) co.uk> wrote:As Health Visitors teams we are just having our work evaluated by a company called Meridian, by means of number of face to face contacts, distances travelled, time between visits, paper work etc (it seems to be a time and study evaluation and does not take into account quality). I was wondering if anyone else has been through the Meridian process and what were the outcomes for you? We have been assured that no redundancies will be made but needless to say there is some scepticism regarding this! Judy Kara HV__________________________________________________ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 8, 2007 Report Share Posted November 8, 2007 I did attend Maddie Blackburn's session and no doubt the presentation will be able to be downloaded from the CPHVA website very soon. I quizzed Maddie about some of the difficulties we are experiencing within our Safeguarding structures where I work. We have been reorganised and as a result posts have been reduced (rationalised I think they call it). When we were inspected earlier this year out PCT was Core 2 compliant -I'm not sure we would be now. Interestingly Maddie reported that 4 PCT's were not C2 compliant last year . Core Standard 2 states "Health care organisations protect children by following national CP guidance within their own activities and in their dealings with other organisations" C2 is in the domain of safety (there are 24 core standards) in the Standards for Better Health (DH). The Healthcare Commission conduct annual inspections on these and can conduct national review and reports and regulate NHS and Independent Healthcare Hospitals, What I naively was unaware of is that they have Regional and National Safeguarding leads for both Children and adults. They have a helpline anyone can ring if they are concerned over safeguarding standards, complaints are taken very seriously and investigated, they have assessors who deal with such enquires. As a result they may decide to do spot checks on a PCT. This is an additional resource I was unaware of which I think needs to be flagged up to practitioners that this is an additional route the can use if they feel their concerns are not being addressed within the PCT's The helpline number is 020-7448-0856. Their website is also worth a visit at http://2007ratings.healthcarecommission.org.uk/homepage.cfm You can look up your PCT and see how they did. PCTs also have to meet the JAR staying safe element which they are also monitored on. There is also an email address you can use to email concerns and that is children@... I think this is potentially a very powerful tool practitioners can use if they are concerned over standards and safety VBWMaggie Re: Meridian Dear Judy and all I hope the 'basic requirements' for a funding model for health visiting, published in the November edition of Community Practitioner, will help to offset some of the wilder speculations of management companies that have no understanding of what is involved in practice. I wrote the final version of the paper, but the model was developed after several months discussion and collaboration with lots of practitioners (including on Senate), so I think it does have quite good 'sign-up' from health visitors; I will be interested in any other feedback. A second paper about implementation and impact is due to come out in next month's journal. Of course, those who would prefer to deliver a cut-price service may have no interest in what constitutes agreed 'good practice,' but the idea is just to set a marker against which assessments (e.g. of what constitutes a reasonable time to spend on home visits; what dilution of skillmix is acceptable etc.) can be genuinely made. I hope it helps. It is worth bearing in mind the Healthcare Commission, as well, who have started to become quite interested in the excessive risks around the health visiting service. They attended the CPHVA conference and I was sorry to have missed Maddie Blackburn's paper. Did anyone else hear her? best wishes On 7 Nov 2007, at 11:31, Judy Kara wrote: As Health Visitors teams we are just having our work evaluated by a company called Meridian, by means of number of face to face contacts, distances travelled, time between visits, paper work etc (it seems to be a time and study evaluation and does not take into account quality). I was wondering if anyone else has been through the Meridian process and what were the outcomes for you? We have been assured that no redundancies will be made but needless to say there is some scepticism regarding this! Judy Kara HV sarahcowley183btinternet http://myprofile.cos.com/S124021COn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 8, 2007 Report Share Posted November 8, 2007 Thank you Maggie. Very helpful.On 8 Nov 2007, at 23:37, Maggie Fisher wrote:I did attend Maddie Blackburn's session and no doubt the presentation will be able to be downloaded from the CPHVA website very soon. I quizzed Maddie about some of the difficulties we are experiencing within our Safeguarding structures where I work. We have been reorganised and as a result posts have been reduced (rationalised I think they call it). When we were inspected earlier this year out PCT was Core 2 compliant -I'm not sure we would be now. Interestingly Maddie reported that 4 PCT's were not C2 compliant last year . Core Standard 2 states "Health care organisations protect children by following national CP guidance within their own activities and in their dealings with other organisations" C2 is in the domain of safety (there are 24 core standards) in the Standards for Better Health (DH). The Healthcare Commission conduct annual inspections on these and can conduct national review and reports and regulate NHS and Independent Healthcare Hospitals, What I naively was unaware of is that they have Regional and National Safeguarding leads for both Children and adults. They have a helpline anyone can ring if they are concerned over safeguarding standards, complaints are taken very seriously and investigated, they have assessors who deal with such enquires. As a result they may decide to do spot checks on a PCT. This is an additional resource I was unaware of which I think needs to be flagged up to practitioners that this is an additional route the can use if they feel their concerns are not being addressed within the PCT's The helpline number is 020-7448-0856. Their website is also worth a visit athttp://2007ratings.healthcarecommission.org.uk/homepage.cfmYou can look up your PCT and see how they did. PCTs also have to meet the JAR staying safe element which they are also monitored on. There is also an email address you can use to email concerns and that ischildrenhelathcaremissioners.org.uk I think this is potentially a very powerful tool practitioners can use if they are concerned over standards and safety VBWMaggie Re: MeridianDear Judy and allI hope the 'basic requirements' for a funding model for health visiting, published in the November edition of Community Practitioner, will help to offset some of the wilder speculations of management companies that have no understanding of what is involved in practice. I wrote the final version of the paper, but the model was developed after several months discussion and collaboration with lots of practitioners (including on Senate), so I think it does have quite good 'sign-up' from health visitors; I will be interested in any other feedback. A second paper about implementation and impact is due to come out in next month's journal. Of course, those who would prefer to deliver a cut-price service may have no interest in what constitutes agreed 'good practice,' but the idea is just to set a marker against which assessments (e.g. of what constitutes a reasonable time to spend on home visits; what dilution of skillmix is acceptable etc.) can be genuinely made. I hope it helps. It is worth bearing in mind the Healthcare Commission, as well, who have started to become quite interested in the excessive risks around the health visiting service. They attended the CPHVA conference and I was sorry to have missed Maddie Blackburn's paper. Did anyone else hear her?best wishesOn 7 Nov 2007, at 11:31, Judy Kara wrote:As Health Visitors teams we are just having our work evaluated by a company called Meridian, by means of number of face to face contacts, distances travelled, time between visits, paper work etc (it seems to be a time and study evaluation and does not take into account quality). I was wondering if anyone else has been through the Meridian process and what were the outcomes for you? We have been assured that no redundancies will be made but needless to say there is some scepticism regarding this! Judy Kara HVsarahcowley183btinternethttp://myprofile.cos.com/S124021COn sarahcowley183@...http://myprofile.cos.com/S124021COn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 Forwarded on request Hi I unsuccessfully tried to post the comment below on Weds in response to Judy's posting. It seems because my email address has changed I can't now post. That doesn't matter but its such an important topic can you post it for me please: May I say I would advise you to be very sceptical Judy. Meridian input is there to make cost savings. I would advise you to involve your union asap, if its Unite/CPHVA then contact dave.munday@... Also look out for the excellent papers by Cowley in the Community Practitioner Nov and Dec which will help you to make your case. CPHVA also has materials in the campaign and hv section of our website which may be helpful. More to follow! Good luck Cheryll Acting Lead Professional Officer Unite/CPHVA Dr Cheryll Acting Lead Professional Officer Unite-CPHVA 33-37 Moreland St EC1V 8HA 01243 430545 Cheryll.@... Your chance to register for 2007 Unite/CPHVA Annual Professional Conference - PLEASE click http://www.m-dixon.com/profileproductions/registration.php?event=HV07 <http://amicorexs002/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.m-dixon.com/profil eproductions/registration.php?event=HV07> Join your colleagues in Torquay on the English Riviera - 31st October - 2nd November 2007 at this year's conference - To download a full conference programme please visit http://www.profileproductions.co.uk/upload/CPHVADeleBrochure1 <http://amicorexs002/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.profileproductions ..co.uk/upload/CPHVADeleBrochure1> ***************************************************************** This e-mail and any files transmitted with it are private and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this e-mail in error, please return it to the address it came from telling them it is not for you and then delete it from your system. ***************************************************************** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 19, 2009 Report Share Posted May 19, 2009 Just to lighten the mood a bit (although it seems justifiably bleak), someone sent an offline message to me, headed 'Meridian Productivity Review,' and instantly diverted it into my junk mail folder!Who says computers have no emotional intelligence?!On 19 May 2009, at 23:06, Helen colyer wrote:Hi That was really interesting to hear that your colleague had fought against being Meridianised. In Norfolk we are just about to have Meridian looking at our productivity and we too have only just introduced SystmOne. It does seem overkill all this interest in productivity when we have hardly got used to S1. S1 in itself has taken a toll on staff morale as they have had to cut down on visiting to get back to the office to spend time inputting on the computer. It highlighted just how many staff had been writing records up in their own time before S1 which they can’t do now away from their base. I now understand why Meridian is getting involved if it is an Eastern SHAdirective. I do question just what is wanted from health visiting staff if it is just numbers they are concerned about; surely we have progressed from tick box exercises. Helen Cowleysarahcowley183@...http://myprofile.cos.com/S124021COn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 20, 2009 Report Share Posted May 20, 2009 You've got a very sensible computer !I need information about the Data Protection act, what I've read seems incomprehensible, can anyone help? I'm waiting to hear back from the Unite rep but time is passing. My Meridian Observation day is this Friday. The Observer, a clerk working for the PCT who's been trained by Meridian, will input data about what I'm doing every 2 minutes into a programme on her laptop. She's also been instructed to record any comments I make that she thinks are relevant, and to prompt me for more comments if necessary. My name and pay band will be entered on the observation record.All the fields have to be filled in, including the comments boxes. The information is then e-mailed directly to Meridian at the end of the day. As I understand it no one else will see it or have a copy. How can I be sure that what I've said and done will be accurately reflected in Meridian's review?Does the Data Protection Act allow the Observer to send this information directly to 3rd party (ie Meridian) without my permission? The other HVs have gone along with it so I'll be the only one making a fuss and need to be sure of my facts. If the law allows it to be sent without me agreeing I feel I should be given a copy. Hoping the combined wisdom of Senate can shed some light on this.  From: Cowley <sarahcowley183@...> Sent: Tuesday, 19 May, 2009 23:47:39Subject: Re: Meridian Just to lighten the mood a bit (although it seems justifiably bleak), someone sent an offline message to me, headed 'Meridian Productivity Review,' and instantly diverted it into my junk mail  folder!Who says computers have no emotional intelligence? !On 19 May 2009, at 23:06, Helen colyer wrote:Hi  That was really interesting to hear that your colleague had fought against being Meridianised. In Norfolk we are just about to have Meridian looking at our productivity and we too have only just introduced SystmOne. It does seem overkill all this interest in productivity when we have hardly got used to S1. S1 in itself has taken a toll on staff morale as they have had to cut down on visiting to get back to the office to spend time inputting on the computer. It highlighted just how many staff had been writing records up in their own time before S1 which they can’t do now away from their base.  I now understand why Meridian is getting involved if it is an Eastern SHA directive. I do question just what is wanted from health visiting staff if it is just numbers they are concerned about; surely we have progressed from tick box exercises.  Helen Cowleysarahcowley183@ btinternet. comhttp://myprofile. cos.com/S124021C On Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 20, 2009 Report Share Posted May 20, 2009 I'm not surprised you find it incomprehensible . But there is a body responsible for translating it all, an information commissioner who was very useful in the olden days of 2001 when we were running the Mayday campaign to try and keep health visiting in statute. Does anyone remember contact details? On 20 May 2009, at 08:58, Owen wrote:You've got a very sensible computer !I need information about the Data Protection act, what I've read seems incomprehensible, can anyone help? I'm waiting to hear back from the Unite rep but time is passing. My Meridian Observation day is this Friday. The Observer, a clerk working for the PCT who's been trained by Meridian, will input data about what I'm doing every 2 minutes into a programme on her laptop. She's also been instructed to record any comments I make that she thinks are relevant, and to prompt me for more comments if necessary. My name and pay band will be entered on the observation record.All the fields have to be filled in, including the comments boxes. The information is then e-mailed directly to Meridian at the end of the day. As I understand it no one else will see it or have a copy. How can I be sure that what I've said and done will be accurately reflected in Meridian's review?Does the Data Protection Act allow the Observer to send this information directly to 3rd party (ie Meridian) without my permission? The other HVs have gone along with it so I'll be the only one making a fuss and need to be sure of my facts. If the law allows it to be sent without me agreeing I feel I should be given a copy. Hoping the combined wisdom of Senate can shed some light on this. From: Cowley <sarahcowley183btinternet> Sent: Tuesday, 19 May, 2009 23:47:39Subject: Re: MeridianJust to lighten the mood a bit (although it seems justifiably bleak), someone sent an offline message to me, headed 'Meridian Productivity Review,' and instantly diverted it into my junk mail folder!Who says computers have no emotional intelligence? !On 19 May 2009, at 23:06, Helen colyer wrote:Hi That was really interesting to hear that your colleague had fought against being Meridianised. In Norfolk we are just about to have Meridian looking at our productivity and we too have only just introduced SystmOne. It does seem overkill all this interest in productivity when we have hardly got used to S1. S1 in itself has taken a toll on staff morale as they have had to cut down on visiting to get back to the office to spend time inputting on the computer. It highlighted just how many staff had been writing records up in their own time before S1 which they can’t do now away from their base. I now understand why Meridian is getting involved if it is an Eastern SHA directive. I do question just what is wanted from health visiting staff if it is just numbers they are concerned about; surely we have progressed from tick box exercises. Helen Cowleysarahcowley183@ btinternet. comhttp://myprofile. cos.com/S124021C On Cowleysarahcowley183@...http://myprofile.cos.com/S124021COn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 20, 2009 Report Share Posted May 20, 2009 , not sure who helped in 2001, but this is possibly an area that Margaret Eames of the UKPHA sig might, perhaps, be willing to advise upon (cc'ed)? Margaret, does this DPA issue sound within your area of expertise?? Warm regards, Woody. From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of CowleySent: 20 May 2009 19:03 Subject: Re: Meridian I'm not surprised you find it incomprehensible . But there is a body responsible for translating it all, an information commissioner who was very useful in the olden days of 2001 when we were running the Mayday campaign to try and keep health visiting in statute. Does anyone remember contact details? On 20 May 2009, at 08:58, Owen wrote: You've got a very sensible computer ! I need information about the Data Protection act, what I've read seems incomprehensible, can anyone help? I'm waiting to hear back from the Unite rep but time is passing. My Meridian Observation day is this Friday. The Observer, a clerk working for the PCT who's been trained by Meridian, will input data about what I'm doing every 2 minutes into a programme on her laptop. She's also been instructed to record any comments I make that she thinks are relevant, and to prompt me for more comments if necessary. My name and pay band will be entered on the observation record. All the fields have to be filled in, including the comments boxes. The information is then e-mailed directly to Meridian at the end of the day. As I understand it no one else will see it or have a copy. How can I be sure that what I've said and done will be accurately reflected in Meridian's review? Does the Data Protection Act allow the Observer to send this information directly to 3rd party (ie Meridian) without my permission? The other HVs have gone along with it so I'll be the only one making a fuss and need to be sure of my facts. If the law allows it to be sent without me agreeing I feel I should be given a copy. Hoping the combined wisdom of Senate can shed some light on this. From: Cowley <sarahcowley183btinternet> Sent: Tuesday, 19 May, 2009 23:47:39Subject: Re: Meridian Just to lighten the mood a bit (although it seems justifiably bleak), someone sent an offline message to me, headed 'Meridian Productivity Review,' and instantly diverted it into my junk mail folder! Who says computers have no emotional intelligence? ! On 19 May 2009, at 23:06, Helen colyer wrote: Hi That was really interesting to hear that your colleague had fought against being Meridianised. In Norfolk we are just about to have Meridian looking at our productivity and we too have only just introduced SystmOne. It does seem overkill all this interest in productivity when we have hardly got used to S1. S1 in itself has taken a toll on staff morale as they have had to cut down on visiting to get back to the office to spend time inputting on the computer. It highlighted just how many staff had been writing records up in their own time before S1 which they can’t do now away from their base. I now understand why Meridian is getting involved if it is an Eastern SHA directive. I do question just what is wanted from health visiting staff if it is just numbers they are concerned about; surely we have progressed from tick box exercises. Helen Cowley sarahcowley183@ btinternet. com http://myprofile. cos.com/S124021C On Cowley sarahcowley183btinternet http://myprofile.cos.com/S124021COn Email has been scanned for viruses by Altman Technologies' email management serviceEMERGING EXCELLENCE: In the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 2008, more than 30% of our submissions were ratedas 'Internationally Excellent' or 'World-leading'.Among the academic disciplines now rated 'World-leading' are Allied Health Professions Studies; Art Design; English Language Literature; Geography Environmental Studies;History; Music; Psychology; and Social Work Social Policy Administration.Visit www.anglia.ac.uk/rae for more information.This e-mail and any attachments are intended for the above named recipient(s) only and may be privileged. If they have come to you in error you must take no action based on them, nor must you copy or show them to anyone: please reply to this e-mail to highlight the error and then immediately delete the e-mail from your system.Any opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Anglia Ruskin University.Although measures have been taken to ensure that this e-mail and attachments are free from any virus we advise that, in keeping with good computing practice, the recipient should ensure they are actually virus free. Please note that this message has been sent over public networks which may not be a 100% secure communicationsEmail has beenscanned for viruses by Altman Technologies' email management service Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 20, 2009 Report Share Posted May 20, 2009 I spoke to Dave Munday at the CPHVA this afternoon, he wrote the 2007 Journal article about Meridian and has has a lot of experience with them. He said he thinks it's more about whether employers are acting unreasonably than the DPA. As I'm the only one who's bothered there's no chance of anyone taking much notice.He said we're at a disadvantage because we haven't got our own local CPHVA/Unite rep, someone from another area is overseeing us. A local rep might have been able to get involved at an earlier stage, let HVs know what was going on and negotiate with managers. Apologies if you're reading this and I've misreported you Dave, feel free to correct me., not sure who helped in 2001, but this is possibly an area that Margaret Eames of the UKPHA sig might, perhaps, be willing to advise upon (cc'ed)?Margaret, does this DPA issue sound within your area of expertise??Warm regards,Woody.From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of CowleySent: 20 May 2009 19:03 Subject: Re: MeridianI'm not surprised you find it incomprehensible . But there is a body responsible for translating it all, an information commissioner who was very useful in the olden days of 2001 when we were running the Mayday campaign to try and keep health visiting in statute. Does anyone remember contact details?On 20 May 2009, at 08:58, Owen wrote:You've got a very sensible computer !I need information about the Data Protection act, what I've read seems incomprehensible, can anyone help? I'm waiting to hear back from the Unite rep but time is passing. My Meridian Observation day is this Friday. The Observer, a clerk working for the PCT who's been trained by Meridian, will input data about what I'm doing every 2 minutes into a programme on her laptop. She's also been instructed to record any comments I make that she thinks are relevant, and to prompt me for more comments if necessary. My name and pay band will be entered on the observation record.All the fields have to be filled in, including the comments boxes. The information is then e-mailed directly to Meridian at the end of the day. As I understand it no one else will see it or have a copy. How can I be sure that what I've said and done will be accurately reflected in Meridian's review?Does the Data Protection Act allow the Observer to send this information directly to 3rd party (ie Meridian) without my permission? The other HVs have gone along with it so I'll be the only one making a fuss and need to be sure of my facts. If the law allows it to be sent without me agreeing I feel I should be given a copy. Hoping the combined wisdom of Senate can shed some light on this. From: Cowley <sarahcowley183btinternet> Sent: Tuesday, 19 May, 2009 23:47:39Subject: Re: MeridianJust to lighten the mood a bit (although it seems justifiably bleak), someone sent an offline message to me, headed 'Meridian Productivity Review,' and instantly diverted it into my junk mail folder!Who says computers have no emotional intelligence? !On 19 May 2009, at 23:06, Helen colyer wrote:Hi That was really interesting to hear that your colleague had fought against being Meridianised. In Norfolk we are just about to have Meridian looking at our productivity and we too have only just introduced SystmOne. It does seem overkill all this interest in productivity when we have hardly got used to S1. S1 in itself has taken a toll on staff morale as they have had to cut down on visiting to get back to the office to spend time inputting on the computer. It highlighted just how many staff had been writing records up in their own time before S1 which they can’t do now away from their base. I now understand why Meridian is getting involved if it is an Eastern SHA directive. I do question just what is wanted from health visiting staff if it is just numbers they are concerned about; surely we have progressed from tick box exercises. Helen Cowleysarahcowley183@ btinternet. comhttp://myprofile. cos.com/S124021C On Cowleysarahcowley183btinternethttp://myprofile.cos.com/S124021COnEmail has been scanned for viruses by Altman Technologies' email management serviceEMERGING EXCELLENCE: In the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 2008, more than 30% of our submissions were rated as 'Internationally Excellent' or 'World-leading'.Among the academic disciplines now rated 'World-leading' are Allied Health Professions Studies; Art Design; English Language Literature; Geography Environmental Studies; History; Music; Psychology; and Social Work Social Policy Administration. Visit www.anglia.ac.uk/rae for more information. This e-mail and any attachments are intended for the above named recipient(s) only and may be privileged. If they have come to you in error you must take no action based on them, nor must you copy or show them to anyone: please reply to this e-mail to highlight the error and then immediately delete the e-mail from your system. Any opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Anglia Ruskin University. Although measures have been taken to ensure that this e-mail and attachments are free from any virus we advise that, in keeping with good computing practice, the recipient should ensure they are actually virus free. Please note that this message has been sent over public networks which may not be a 100% secure communications Email has been scanned for viruses by Altman Technologies' email management service Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 20, 2009 Report Share Posted May 20, 2009 I don't know if the Information Commissioner's Office website is any help. It says the Information Commissioner's Office is the UK's independent authority set up to promote access to official information and to protect personal information: http://www.ico.gov.uk/ It has a guide to the Data Protection Act for organisations. It says The Data Protection Act gives you the right to know what information is held about you, and sets out rules to make sure that this information is handled properly. Reference to this might help delay things whilst you get more information. www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk where the full code is available. See Contact Us for FAQs and a queries Helpline on 08456 30 60 60 or 01625 545 745 or write to Information Commissioner’s Office Wycliffe House Water Lane Wilmslow Cheshire SK9 5AF >>> Owen <t.owen80@...> 20/05/2009 08:58 >>> You've got a very sensible computer ! I need information about the Data Protection act, what I've read seems incomprehensible, can anyone help? I'm waiting to hear back from the Unite rep but time is passing. My Meridian Observation day is this Friday. The Observer, a clerk working for the PCT who's been trained by Meridian, will input data about what I'm doing every 2 minutes into a programme on her laptop. She's also been instructed to record any comments I make that she thinks are relevant, and to prompt me for more comments if necessary. My name and pay band will be entered on the observation record. All the fields have to be filled in, including the comments boxes. The information is then e-mailed directly to Meridian at the end of the day. As I understand it no one else will see it or have a copy. How can I be sure that what I've said and done will be accurately reflected in Meridian's review? Does the Data Protection Act allow the Observer to send this information directly to 3rd party (ie Meridian) without my permission? The other HVs have gone along with it so I'll be the only one making a fuss and need to be sure of my facts. If the law allows it to be sent without me agreeing I feel I should be given a copy. Hoping the combined wisdom of Senate can shed some light on this. ________________________________ From: Cowley <sarahcowley183@...> Sent: Tuesday, 19 May, 2009 23:47:39 Subject: Re: Meridian Just to lighten the mood a bit (although it seems justifiably bleak), someone sent an offline message to me, headed 'Meridian Productivity Review,' and instantly diverted it into my junk mail folder! Who says computers have no emotional intelligence? ! On 19 May 2009, at 23:06, Helen colyer wrote: Hi That was really interesting to hear that your colleague had fought against being Meridianised. In Norfolk we are just about to have Meridian looking at our productivity and we too have only just introduced SystmOne. It does seem overkill all this interest in productivity when we have hardly got used to S1. S1 in itself has taken a toll on staff morale as they have had to cut down on visiting to get back to the office to spend time inputting on the computer. It highlighted just how many staff had been writing records up in their own time before S1 which they can’t do now away from their base. I now understand why Meridian is getting involved if it is an Eastern SHA directive. I do question just what is wanted from health visiting staff if it is just numbers they are concerned about; surely we have progressed from tick box exercises. Helen Cowley sarahcowley183@ btinternet. com http://myprofile. cos.com/S124021C On Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 21, 2009 Report Share Posted May 21, 2009 Dear Senators, Due to problems with my Blackberry, a few days travelling around England supporting members locally with their professional concerns and the odd conference I have only just picked up this thread, and as Theresa mentioned I had the opportunity to discuss her local concerns. Theresa is correct that we put information in the Community Practitioner Journal in October 2007 where I did a comment piece (It doesn't add upp) and also a new article (Members have no time for Meridian). This actually followed some work I did with Nursing Standard (august 29 :: vol 21 no 51 : 2007 p5 & september 12 :: vol 22 no 1 :: 2007 p13) looking at the serious concerns around PCT's employing management consultants. Following this I was informed that at one point Meridian were informing NHS managers and staff that I had an axe to grind with them. We also had a follow up piece in the CPJ (Making change happen in the land time forgot-Dec 2007). We also got a small piece in Private Eye (Health visiting Unkindest Cuts: No. 1203 Feb 2008). Guidance and information is also available in Shaun Nobles's excellent Unite campaign/media guidance (on the website). To reherse some of the information I put in my comment piece about management consultants, it is concerning and ludicrous that NHS managers (who are paid to manage services) bring in private companies to tell them how to manage services, with a possible view being that if you want to get rid of staff/services, pay someone to tell you to do it, and then when people complain you can shift the blame. Where areas have been able to fight off this approach easiest were those that had well organised staff sides who when approached by managers, circulated information like that mentioned above. In other areas where they didn't get to stop it, where they had the ability to be fully involved they had much better outcomes (with some colleagues even reporting it a positive experience in that it showed the need for more investment). There are however some places that have been seriously damaged by consultants and again to those I am trying to support the local members to fight back into better positions. I am happy to circulate any of the references mentioned above and wonder whether it would be best to email them to to attach? I will look into that. I appreciate that colleagues will always be concerned about raising issues with [senior] managers, however I always try to support any members that contact me to do just that and ultimately as [those that are] registered nurses we all must take a responsibility in doing that. As I raised in the most recent CPHVA annual report, where members do get together and fight against these issues (not just health visitors, but staff nurses, district nurses, community nursery nurses, speech and language therapists etc) the outcomes for members and clients are normally more positive. I hope that Senators that have been involved in some of these local campaigns would agree! For members it is so important to attend (or organise if not already running) local meetings, to let your regional Unite/CPHVA chairs know what is going on (their details are on the website!) by attending their regional meetings. As I mentioned all members that contact me hopefully get a response and some suggestions on what to do next. I also have to say that most people that have contacted me also have the option of me comming to local meetings (for example in the last 2 weeks I have been to Central Lancs, Central and Eastern Cheshire, Barking and Dagenham & Hounslow). Regards, Dave Munday Professional Officer Unite Parkgates, Bury New Road, Prestwich, Manchester, M25 0JW (m) 07918 630 700 dave.munday@... www.unitetheunion.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 21, 2009 Report Share Posted May 21, 2009 Thanks for this information Dave. I have uploaded all teh files you sent, and hope everyone has a link for each of the files. I think it is astrong message, that it is possible to either resist the more harmful aspects of this approach, or to even turn some of the information to good use, if everyone gets together in time. Thanks, too, to all have contributed so far. I don't think it will go away soon!On 21 May 2009, at 13:14, dmundayhv wrote:Dear Senators,Due to problems with my Blackberry, a few days travelling around England supporting members locally with their professional concerns and the odd conference I have only just picked up this thread, and as Theresa mentioned I had the opportunity to discuss her local concerns.Theresa is correct that we put information in the Community Practitioner Journal in October 2007 where I did a comment piece (It doesn't add upp) and also a new article (Members have no time for Meridian). This actually followed some work I did with Nursing Standard (august 29 :: vol 21 no 51 : 2007 p5 & september 12 :: vol 22 no 1 :: 2007 p13) looking at the serious concerns around PCT's employing management consultants. Following this I was informed that at one point Meridian were informing NHS managers and staff that I had an axe to grind with them. We also had a follow up piece in the CPJ (Making change happen in the land time forgot-Dec 2007). We also got a small piece in Private Eye (Health visiting Unkindest Cuts: No. 1203 Feb 2008). Guidance and information is also available in Shaun Nobles's excellent Unite campaign/media guidance (on the website).To reherse some of the information I put in my comment piece about management consultants, it is concerning and ludicrous that NHS managers (who are paid to manage services) bring in private companies to tell them how to manage services, with a possible view being that if you want to get rid of staff/services, pay someone to tell you to do it, and then when people complain you can shift the blame.Where areas have been able to fight off this approach easiest were those that had well organised staff sides who when approached by managers, circulated information like that mentioned above. In other areas where they didn't get to stop it, where they had the ability to be fully involved they had much better outcomes (with some colleagues even reporting it a positive experience in that it showed the need for more investment). There are however some places that have been seriously damaged by consultants and again to those I am trying to support the local members to fight back into better positions.I am happy to circulate any of the references mentioned above and wonder whether it would be best to email them to to attach? I will look into that.I appreciate that colleagues will always be concerned about raising issues with [senior] managers, however I always try to support any members that contact me to do just that and ultimately as [those that are] registered nurses we all must take a responsibility in doing that. As I raised in the most recent CPHVA annual report, where members do get together and fight against these issues (not just health visitors, but staff nurses, district nurses, community nursery nurses, speech and language therapists etc) the outcomes for members and clients are normally more positive. I hope that Senators that have been involved in some of these local campaigns would agree!For members it is so important to attend (or organise if not already running) local meetings, to let your regional Unite/CPHVA chairs know what is going on (their details are on the website!) by attending their regional meetings. As I mentioned all members that contact me hopefully get a response and some suggestions on what to do next. I also have to say that most people that have contacted me also have the option of me comming to local meetings (for example in the last 2 weeks I have been to Central Lancs, Central and Eastern Cheshire, Barking and Dagenham & Hounslow).Regards,Dave MundayProfessional OfficerUniteParkgates, Bury New Road,Prestwich,Manchester,M25 0JW(m) 07918 630 700dave.mundayunitetheunionwww.unitetheunion.com Cowleysarahcowley183@...http://myprofile.cos.com/S124021COn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 22, 2009 Report Share Posted May 22, 2009 Dear Thank you for remembering: I knew there was a person in charge of data Protection, but couldn't remember who! It would be interesting to see what Meridian make of a request to see what information they hold about named individuals. the chances are they anonymise it, so you would still be unable to challenge their interpretation of events. Bona fide researchers would be unable to get away with this form of 'press-ganging' of participants into a study.On 20 May 2009, at 23:15, Coles wrote:I don't know if the Information Commissioner's Office website is any help. It says the InformationCommissioner's Office is the UK's independent authority set up to promote access to officialinformation and to protect personal information: http://www.ico.gov.uk/ It has a guide to the Data Protection Act for organisations. It says The Data Protection Act givesyou the right to know what information is held about you, and sets out rules to make sure that thisinformation is handled properly. Reference to this might help delay things whilst you get moreinformation.www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk where the full code is available. See Contact Us for FAQs and a queries Helpline on 08456 30 60 60 or 01625 545 745 or write to Information Commissioner’s OfficeWycliffe HouseWater LaneWilmslowCheshireSK9 5AF>>> Owen <t.owen80 (DOT) co.uk> 20/05/2009 08:58 >>>You've got a very sensible computer !I need information about the Data Protection act, what I've read seems incomprehensible, can anyonehelp? I'm waiting to hear back from the Unite rep but time is passing. My Meridian Observation dayis this Friday. The Observer, a clerk working for the PCT who's been trained by Meridian, will inputdata about what I'm doing every 2 minutes into a programme on her laptop. She's also been instructedto record any comments I make that she thinks are relevant, and to prompt me for more comments ifnecessary. My name and pay band will be entered on the observation record.All the fields have to be filled in, including the comments boxes. The information is then e-maileddirectly to Meridian at the end of the day. As I understand it no one else will see it or have acopy. How can I be sure that what I've said and done will be accurately reflected in Meridian'sreview?Does the Data Protection Act allow the Observer to send this information directly to 3rd party (ieMeridian) without my permission? The other HVs have gone along with it so I'll be the only onemaking a fuss and need to be sure of my facts. If the law allows it to be sent without me agreeing Ifeel I should be given a copy. Hoping the combined wisdom of Senate can shed some light on this. ________________________________From: Cowley <sarahcowley183btinternet> Sent: Tuesday, 19 May, 2009 23:47:39Subject: Re: MeridianJust to lighten the mood a bit (although it seems justifiably bleak), someone sent an offlinemessage to me, headed 'Meridian Productivity Review,' and instantly diverted it into my junkmail folder!Who says computers have no emotional intelligence? !On 19 May 2009, at 23:06, Helen colyer wrote:Hi That was really interesting to hear that your colleague had fought against being Meridianised. In Norfolk we are just about to have Meridian looking at our productivity and we too have only justintroduced SystmOne. It does seem overkill all this interest in productivity when we have hardly gotused to S1. S1 in itself has taken a toll on staff morale as they have had to cut down on visitingto get back to the office to spend time inputting on the computer. It highlighted just how manystaff had been writing records up in their own time before S1 which they can’t do now away fromtheir base.I now understand why Meridian is getting involved if it is an Eastern SHA directive. I doquestion just what is wanted from health visiting staff if it is just numbers they are concernedabout; surely we have progressed from tick box exercises.Helen Cowleysarahcowley183@ btinternet. comhttp://myprofile. cos.com/S124021C On Cowleysarahcowley183@...http://myprofile.cos.com/S124021COn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 22, 2009 Report Share Posted May 22, 2009 Hello Yes, researchers would have had ethical approval for the data they hold and what they intend to do with it. I wonder if Meridian have an ethical code or similar for their operations. Is there anyone in a position to enquire? If it can be demonstrated that harm has been done in collecting and using information there is a good case to ask them to modify their approach. I knew about the Information Commisioners Office as it has been used it to get information from the Welsh Assembly Government in relation to other non-health matters. There is a timescale involved in asking for information and getting a response from an organisation but it has proved very effective. >>> Cowley <sarahcowley183@...> 22/05/2009 13:06 >>> Dear Thank you for remembering: I knew there was a person in charge of data Protection, but couldn't remember who! It would be interesting to see what Meridian make of a request to see what information they hold about named individuals. the chances are they anonymise it, so you would still be unable to challenge their interpretation of events. Bona fide researchers would be unable to get away with this form of 'press-ganging' of participants into a study. On 20 May 2009, at 23:15, Coles wrote: > > > I don't know if the Information Commissioner's Office website is any > help. It says the Information > Commissioner's Office is the UK's independent authority set up to > promote access to official > information and to protect personal information: > > http://www.ico.gov.uk/ > > It has a guide to the Data Protection Act for organisations. It says > The Data Protection Act gives > you the right to know what information is held about you, and sets > out rules to make sure that this > information is handled properly. Reference to this might help delay > things whilst you get more > information. > > www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk where the full code is available. > > See Contact Us for FAQs and a queries Helpline on 08456 30 60 60 or > 01625 545 745 or write to > Information Commissioner’s Office > Wycliffe House > Water Lane > Wilmslow > Cheshire > SK9 5AF > > > > >>> Owen <t.owen80@...> 20/05/2009 08:58 >>> > You've got a very sensible computer ! > > I need information about the Data Protection act, what I've read > seems incomprehensible, can anyone > help? I'm waiting to hear back from the Unite rep but time is > passing. My Meridian Observation day > is this Friday. The Observer, a clerk working for the PCT who's been > trained by Meridian, will input > data about what I'm doing every 2 minutes into a programme on her > laptop. She's also been instructed > to record any comments I make that she thinks are relevant, and to > prompt me for more comments if > necessary. My name and pay band will be entered on the observation > record. > All the fields have to be filled in, including the comments boxes. > The information is then e-mailed > directly to Meridian at the end of the day. As I understand it no > one else will see it or have a > copy. How can I be sure that what I've said and done will be > accurately reflected in Meridian's > review? > > Does the Data Protection Act allow the Observer to send this > information directly to 3rd party (ie > Meridian) without my permission? The other HVs have gone along with > it so I'll be the only one > making a fuss and need to be sure of my facts. If the law allows it > to be sent without me agreeing I > feel I should be given a copy. > > Hoping the combined wisdom of Senate can shed some light on this. > > > > ________________________________ > From: Cowley <sarahcowley183@...> > > Sent: Tuesday, 19 May, 2009 23:47:39 > Subject: Re: Meridian > > Just to lighten the mood a bit (although it seems jus tifiably > bleak), someone sent an offline > message to me, headed 'Meridian Productivity Review,' and > instantly diverted it into my junk > mail folder! > > Who says computers have no emotional intelligence? ! > > > > On 19 May 2009, at 23:06, Helen colyer wrote: > > Hi > > That was really interesting to hear that your colleague had fought > against being Meridianised. In > Norfolk we are just about to have Meridian looking at our > productivity and we too have only just > introduced SystmOne. It does seem overkill all this interest in > productivity when we have hardly got > used to S1. S1 in itself has taken a toll on staff morale as they > have had to cut down on visiting > to get back to the office to spend time inputting on the computer. > It highlighted just how many > staff had been writing records up in their own time before S1 which > they can’t do now away from > their base. > > I now understand why Meridian is getting involved if it is an > Eastern SHA directive. I do > question just what is wanted from health visiting staff if it is > just numbers they are concerned > about; surely we have progressed from tick box exercises. > > Helen > > Cowley > sarahcowley183@ btinternet. com > http://myprofile. cos.com/S124021C On > > > Cowley sarahcowley183@... http://myprofile.cos.com/S124021COn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.