Pensioner Action is commissioned by Brighton & Hove NHS to provide groups that can be consulted by statutory services on matters of policy and practice. The Lay Assessors Scheme is commissioned by Brighton & Hove City Council to assist with quality control of independent home care services.

Both authorities will be changing in 2011 to a tendering system, i.e. putting contracts for services out to competitive tender.  While there is no guarantee that Pensioner Action will win the new contracts, we think it offers unique services, and we hope to succeed.  What is clear is that the funding authorities will require Pensioner Action to demonstrate more rigorously that it provides value for money.

The current funding is in any case only enough to run four neighbourhood groups.  There is considerable demand for new groups in several areas of Brighton & Hove, and there are many existing older people’s lunch clubs that would benefit from a regular channel of information on things like pensions and benefits, housing and health developments, and transport and community safety.

In addition, we would like to recruit and train a team of volunteer advocates who would offer members individual help with resolving problems with services. So we are keen to expand and are applying to a number of trusts for additional funds.

We also welcome contributions from private individuals, and have a separate fund for these contributions that is used for things that we have no funding for, e.g. training volunteers, publicity, and older people’s events.

If you wish to make a contribution, please send it to Mandi Sherratt at Impetus, and make cheques out to BH-Impetus. If you would like to contact us about how you can support Pensioner Action, please ring Mandi on 01273 229004 or email her at mandi.sherratt@bh-impetus.org

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