CVS Fife - 23-27 Randolph Street, Buckhaven KY8 1AT (Map)
T: 01592 567001 - F: 01592 567009 - E: cvsfife@cvsfife.org
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Jessie Roberts - CHP Representative Dunfermline and West Fife
Jessie Roberts is the voluntary sector representative for the Dunfermline & West Fife CHP. She was first elected in June 2005 and was recently re-elected following a competitive election. When she stood for re-election she gave the statement below as her ‘personal manifesto’ for election. This outlines his skills and experiences that he felt would allow him to be a good voluntary sector representative.
Jessie has attended many CHP meetings since her election and has provided many verbal report and written reports:
- Report November 2005 (MS Word)
- Report April 2007 (MS Word)
- Powerpoint Presentation
She can be contacted to offer support and guidance on issues regarding Dunfermline & West Fife CHP activities as can Lyndsay Macadam at CVS Fife. Jessie will also be at the next Dunfermline & West Fife Health & Wellbeing Forum if you wish to meet her there.
Her contact details are:
Springfield House, 15/16 Springfield
University of Dundee
Dundee
DD1 4JE
T: 01382 345154
F: 01382 227464
E: j.e.roberts@dundee.ac.uk
W: www.dundee.ac.uk/pamis
What is PAMIS?
PAMIS is a registered charity and a member of the Scottish Consortium for Learning Disability. We work in partnership with families caring for a child or adult with profound and multiple learning disabilities and with professional staff from a range of agencies.
We offer families practical help, advice, training and information, as well as the opportunity to meet other families and to work together to influence policy and services, both at local and national levels.
Our commitment is to ensure that:
- people with profound and multiple learning disabilities are valued and receive all the support they need to realise their full potential
- the knowledge and experience of family carers is recognised and their views are fully taken into account in service development
Knowledge and experience
Background and training: I have worked for PAMIS since 1994, firstly as co-ordinator for Tayside, but for the past six years as co-ordinator for Fife. I am a qualified social worker, and prior to my employment with PAMIS, was a hospital social worker for seven years, firstly in an acute general hospital and then attached to a learning disability hospital, supporting people in the community as well as those then living in the hospital and their families.
Current post: I cover the whole of Fife for PAMIS, visiting families and attending meetings and case conferences. I run training workshops in Fife for families; to date many have been on health-related topics such as: Moving & Handling Awareness, Epilepsy, and Managing Medication. This has involved close partnership with staff from NHS Fife and Fife Council, such as physiotherapists, OTs, dieticians, pharmacists and speech and language therapists.
People with profound and multiple learning disabilities have very complex health problems; through my work, I have acquired some knowledge of a wide range of health disciplines and of the structure of the NHS. PAMIS works with both children and adults, so we also have to be familiar with services across a wide age range.
I am a member of a number of Fife planning and consultation groups, relating to health and social care services. For example, I am now a member of 2 advisory groups for the new Victoria Hospital Project in Kirkcaldy: the User Group and the Disability Forum. I also facilitate a family carers’ group.
Nationally PAMIS works with families and professionals to influence policy. Together with family carers, I was a member of the national Reference Groups for the Health Needs Assessment Report: People with Learning Disabilities in Scotland (2004) and the Scottish Executive’s Promoting Health Supporting Inclusion: the national review of the contribution of all nurses and midwives to the care and support of people with learning disabilities (2002). In addition I am a member of the Scottish Consortium for Learning Disability’ Health Group and, together with a colleague, wrote a Medication Record for family carers.
With family carers, I have made joint presentations to local and national conferences about the needs of people with profound learning disabilities.
Commitment to the Voluntary Sector
For the last 2 years, I have represented the voluntary sector on the Dunfermline and W Fife Community Health Partnership Committee. The development of the CHPs has I think proved an excellent opportunity for the voluntary sector to engage with the changing picture of local health care as the principles of Delivering for Health are applied to local issues. I have attended 10 of the 11 formal meetings of the Committee to date, and all of the 10 Development meetings, and have presented 5 written reports to the DWF Health and Wellbeing Forum. I was also a member of a CHP group which helped to develop the Public Partnership Forum. Currently I am working with the NHS locality manager for Dunfermline on access for the voluntary sector to the facilities at the new Linburn Road Health Centre.
If re-elected, I will continue to invest the necessary time for meetings and to try to ensure that the interests of the full range of voluntary sector agencies are represented. The CVS Fife’s register of interest in particular issues will be a useful way of involving other agencies directly. The DWFCHP has made excellent progress in several fields of importance to the sector and the families we work with– for example the PPF, a health information website, a new respite service for adults with complex needs, a new health centre and 2 new dental care centres. Further funding for the new mental health partnership between the NHS and the voluntary sector (formerly the New Ways Project) is also now in place.