BBC File on Four - Radio 4 - Tuesday November 9th 8pm
- Thread starter roger1941
- Start date
About charities running public services? I think this is the link. It's still on air...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00vrvv0
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00vrvv0
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A programme well worth listening to! From what I gather from the programme the Alzheimer Society is centralising all its work from their London Offices.
The AZ Society has closed 236 branches of the Alzheimer Society throughout the country. Local volunteers who have worked for their local Alzheimer branch for many years have had all their hard won funds transferred to Head Office in London. Quite a few of the local organisations had raised considerable sums of money which they intended on spending on their own local area where the money had come from in the first place. Some local members have left the Alzhheimer Society in disgust at this and set up their own local charities. They now have to start from scratch building up what they feel the Alzheimer Society have taken from their local area.
The Alzheimer Society London office is in the most pretigious part of London, with lovely views overlooking the Thames and Tower Bridge and housed in a luxurious office block. From this Head Office they anticipate directing and supporting any local services, and tendering for the lucrative contracts which large charities such as themselves are anticipating.
Is this what the Big Society is all about?
xxTinaT
The AZ Society has closed 236 branches of the Alzheimer Society throughout the country. Local volunteers who have worked for their local Alzheimer branch for many years have had all their hard won funds transferred to Head Office in London. Quite a few of the local organisations had raised considerable sums of money which they intended on spending on their own local area where the money had come from in the first place. Some local members have left the Alzhheimer Society in disgust at this and set up their own local charities. They now have to start from scratch building up what they feel the Alzheimer Society have taken from their local area.
The Alzheimer Society London office is in the most pretigious part of London, with lovely views overlooking the Thames and Tower Bridge and housed in a luxurious office block. From this Head Office they anticipate directing and supporting any local services, and tendering for the lucrative contracts which large charities such as themselves are anticipating.
Is this what the Big Society is all about?
xxTinaT
The programme also pointed out that good governance procedures of charity organisations is essential, especially vigorous accounting checks. More than one quarter of all charities file their accounts late. The 10 biggest names in charity organisations had no policy for reporting fraud yet all of these charities had suffered cases of fraud in the past 12 months.
The Charities Commission who oversee all charity organisations have recently had a 27% cut in their budget. They now do not know if they will have the funds to police charities as they will not have the facilities to investigate fraud. They have stated that they will only be able to investigate if there are large amounts of monies involved. The police would have to take up cases which the Charities Commission would be unable to investigate, yet the police themselves have also had drastic cuts in their own budgets.
Several pretigious organisations such as the Prince's Foundation for Integrated Health have been closed after fraudulent transactions for over a year and syphoning off of funds have been discovered.
The programme also stated that if national charities such as the Alzheimer Society take on sub contracting work for local services, many local charities would be driven out of business.
The Big Society!
xxTinaT
The Charities Commission who oversee all charity organisations have recently had a 27% cut in their budget. They now do not know if they will have the funds to police charities as they will not have the facilities to investigate fraud. They have stated that they will only be able to investigate if there are large amounts of monies involved. The police would have to take up cases which the Charities Commission would be unable to investigate, yet the police themselves have also had drastic cuts in their own budgets.
Several pretigious organisations such as the Prince's Foundation for Integrated Health have been closed after fraudulent transactions for over a year and syphoning off of funds have been discovered.
The programme also stated that if national charities such as the Alzheimer Society take on sub contracting work for local services, many local charities would be driven out of business.
The Big Society!
xxTinaT
Can any of the mods tell me what the rationale is for dropping posts on the new threads section please? How many posts do you allow before you move them off? Or do you do it by periods of time?
TinaT
TinaT
The second post on this thread has the link.
The programme is thought provoking and made me wonder what all these transformations will really mean for us all. Is the age of Big Brother really here I wonder?
Will local people who have an interest in helping their fellow sufferers have any place in it? After all, this is how many of the large, national charities were first started by local people deciding to help their fellow man.
xxTinaT.
The programme is thought provoking and made me wonder what all these transformations will really mean for us all. Is the age of Big Brother really here I wonder?
Will local people who have an interest in helping their fellow sufferers have any place in it? After all, this is how many of the large, national charities were first started by local people deciding to help their fellow man.
xxTinaT.
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Wow, suddenly all the posts which were dropped off have reappeared like magic! Has the system been playing up ~~I wonder?
xxTinaT
xxTinaT
Posted this last remark and now we are back to just the very latests posts again. The system must be on the blink tonight.
xxTinaT
xxTinaT
Charities are going to be our new councils providing public services.Same fat cat salaries, perks,pensions,plush pads,expensive cars.NO change there then.
Why does everyone presume charities are wonderful, good doers providing free services.I am relatively new to this third sector and from what I have seen you scratch my back and I`ll scratch yours.
There are some local charities doing this right,however,charities are the new growth industry and that scares me too!!!
In fact everything to do with social care is scaring me right now.
Why does everyone presume charities are wonderful, good doers providing free services.I am relatively new to this third sector and from what I have seen you scratch my back and I`ll scratch yours.
There are some local charities doing this right,however,charities are the new growth industry and that scares me too!!!
In fact everything to do with social care is scaring me right now.
Yes, charity organisations are certainly big business nowadays with senior staff getting very smart offices and large salaries. Everything has its price in modern society.
I only hope that the Big Society does not mean that volunteers who are working freely are not given the respect that they both deserve and have earned.
Some charities still have very active local branches such as the RSPCA with volunteers doing most of the work and directing their own operations. They manage to keep their local focus very much to the forefront whilst being supported quietly from their national organisation.
Perhaps this is because there are no lucrative contracts to be obtained in this field of work, therefore no salaried staff with large salaries and plush offices to protect.
Still at least we have this forum from the Alzheimer Society to air such views. Freedom of speech is the vital life blood for the democracy we live in. Without lively debate we are just sheep following the shepherd.
TinaT
I only hope that the Big Society does not mean that volunteers who are working freely are not given the respect that they both deserve and have earned.
Some charities still have very active local branches such as the RSPCA with volunteers doing most of the work and directing their own operations. They manage to keep their local focus very much to the forefront whilst being supported quietly from their national organisation.
Perhaps this is because there are no lucrative contracts to be obtained in this field of work, therefore no salaried staff with large salaries and plush offices to protect.
Still at least we have this forum from the Alzheimer Society to air such views. Freedom of speech is the vital life blood for the democracy we live in. Without lively debate we are just sheep following the shepherd.
TinaT
Charities
Charities are big businesses. I just switch off when ever I hear young men on TV pontificating about Alzheimer's. I'm thinking: "How many have cared for a loved one in their own home?" My experience with big charities/business is the waste of junk mail trying to sell me all sorts of insurance. Who do you think pays for the TV Adds? When I was a carer and sought simple help that cost nothing, I either got a bunch of paper to fill out or was passed on to different departments. They had no idea what 24/7 caring consisted of. When you have the washing, ironing, cleaning, cooking, shopping and caring for a loved one incapable of doing anything for themselves, you don't have time to deal with some of these 'charities.'
Charities are big businesses. I just switch off when ever I hear young men on TV pontificating about Alzheimer's. I'm thinking: "How many have cared for a loved one in their own home?" My experience with big charities/business is the waste of junk mail trying to sell me all sorts of insurance. Who do you think pays for the TV Adds? When I was a carer and sought simple help that cost nothing, I either got a bunch of paper to fill out or was passed on to different departments. They had no idea what 24/7 caring consisted of. When you have the washing, ironing, cleaning, cooking, shopping and caring for a loved one incapable of doing anything for themselves, you don't have time to deal with some of these 'charities.'
How well you have expressed my own feelings Padrig. I'm afraid that the centralised, large charities will become just one more impersonal obstacle for carers with the usual paper work to frighten and flummox, leaving those of us at the blunt end of caring still waiting for help and support. Nothing changes really, just the headings on the bits of paper.
Perhaps charities need 'critical friends' trying to point out that they are not improving things but merely continuing past patterns. At least when the local authority was giving direct services, we could deal with local people. As I say nothing but the name changes.
xxTinaT
Perhaps charities need 'critical friends' trying to point out that they are not improving things but merely continuing past patterns. At least when the local authority was giving direct services, we could deal with local people. As I say nothing but the name changes.
xxTinaT
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Hi Tina
Volunteers have been at the heart of Alzheimer's Society for 30 years and will continue to be the bedrock of our success.
Most of our volunteers are supportive of changes which are already allowing us to reach more people across the country with a wider range of services.
Where money has been donated to a local service with the understanding that it will only be used to fund local activities or for a specific purpose, then of course we will honour that commitment. However, all funds raised are raised for the Alzheimer's Society and our management structure is designed to ensure that the organisation can be held accountable for their use.
Our priority is, and will continue to be, to ensure that services are available where and when they are needed.
We chose our central office in London on the basis that it was the lowest cost building that met dementia friendly specifications. 150 staff based in this office support more than 7000 staff and volunteers throughout the country.
If you have any specific questions or concerns relating to what may be happening in your local area, I’d suggest that you contact your regional Alzheimer’s Society Area Office, who will have access to the most relevant and up to date information.
Best wishes,
Katherine
Thanks Katherine for the reply. I'm sure that the BBC radio 4 programme did their homework well as you have tried to do.
There were local Alzheimer Society volunteers on the programme and they certainly were disgusted by the closure of their local branch and what happened to the funds they raised. There is no doubt about that.
I notice that you have put together volunteers and paid workers in your figure of supporting 7,000. I believe from the programme it was over 2,000 paid staff within in this number.
There is no doubt that head offices in London are not cheap. Modest costs is not a word I would use myself in regard to a prime location in the centre of London! As to a building with a dementia friendly point of view, Anyone dealing with the disabled ensure that their premises are supportive of disabilities and these are not in prime locations.
It would have been good to hear from you what support across the country you are providing and at what cost?
I'm sure as a business you will go from strength to strength and will have put management into place to ensure this.
TinaT
There were local Alzheimer Society volunteers on the programme and they certainly were disgusted by the closure of their local branch and what happened to the funds they raised. There is no doubt about that.
I notice that you have put together volunteers and paid workers in your figure of supporting 7,000. I believe from the programme it was over 2,000 paid staff within in this number.
There is no doubt that head offices in London are not cheap. Modest costs is not a word I would use myself in regard to a prime location in the centre of London! As to a building with a dementia friendly point of view, Anyone dealing with the disabled ensure that their premises are supportive of disabilities and these are not in prime locations.
It would have been good to hear from you what support across the country you are providing and at what cost?
I'm sure as a business you will go from strength to strength and will have put management into place to ensure this.
TinaT
Social Change
I recall telling our GP years ago what I though of the system of care for Alzheimer's victims. I had just removed my wife from a NH and was asked why? "Because they are totally unfit for purpose plus for many patients they felt like prisons." I've mentioned that before on TP and it upset some readers. When asked what I thought was the alternative I suggested small units with-in communities where people live. The response: "That would be very expensive." My answer was; "Many people make 30, 40,50 miles and more round trips to visit loved ones. Then there's the staff, transport for food and other supplies, maintenance staff plus medical staff visits: that's a lot of transport." If such a home existed in my area I would be only too willing to visit daily to chat and help with patients. Local small units run for locals by locals and answerable to locals is what is required. But that would put a lot of men out of business. From what I read it seems that it's more than 90% women who have the experience from doing the caring. But then who's going to listen to me? Cutting back and making departments more efficient was my job with one of the biggest American firms; Lockheed.
I recall telling our GP years ago what I though of the system of care for Alzheimer's victims. I had just removed my wife from a NH and was asked why? "Because they are totally unfit for purpose plus for many patients they felt like prisons." I've mentioned that before on TP and it upset some readers. When asked what I thought was the alternative I suggested small units with-in communities where people live. The response: "That would be very expensive." My answer was; "Many people make 30, 40,50 miles and more round trips to visit loved ones. Then there's the staff, transport for food and other supplies, maintenance staff plus medical staff visits: that's a lot of transport." If such a home existed in my area I would be only too willing to visit daily to chat and help with patients. Local small units run for locals by locals and answerable to locals is what is required. But that would put a lot of men out of business. From what I read it seems that it's more than 90% women who have the experience from doing the caring. But then who's going to listen to me? Cutting back and making departments more efficient was my job with one of the biggest American firms; Lockheed.
Hi Tina,
The moderating team don’t have any influence over where a thread or post appears on the New Posts link, it’s purely down to timing. So every time a new post is added to a thread it goes to the top of the list, until someone posts to another thread and then it drops down a place and so on. Every time you posted on the thread to say ‘where has it gone?’ it would automatically go back to the top of the list.
Only if a thread or post were moved off the public forum by the moderating team would this affect the order of how things appear, but there was no moderation of this thread.
The way I understand it (and heaven knows I’m no computer whizz) the New Posts entirely depends on when you last visited TP, so if you’ve not visited for a while this may run to several pages. If you then log out and log back in 10 minutes later you may only see 2 or 3 threads if you click on New Posts. If you log out unintentionally you can catch up by clicking on Quick Links and then Today’s Posts.
I don’t mean to teach anyone to ‘suck eggs’ and you may be aware of all of the above Tina. Other members may not be aware of the New Posts function, so it’s helpful to explain it.
I understand that there may be other factors that come into play in the wee small hours, or there might have been some gremlins in the system last night, but none that I know of.
