Further response from Gil Hitchon, 13th September
Dear Terry
Thanks for your letter dated 17th August. Sorry for the delay in
responding but an office move and our national stakeholder conference have
made large demands on my time over recent weeks.
I'm sorry that you feel there are problems with the Network Planning Group
but I don't see that is my place to seek to influence its operation.
Together is not claiming to be a service user-led organisation and
therefore it would feel completely inappropriate for me to try to influence
the Network Planning Group.
What we are contributing is expertise from within our own Service User
Involvement Directorate and facilities to help the Group progress its work.
I've no desire for Together to do more than that, but I do have a desire to
see an effective national network of service user groups established and
thriving. Terms of reference and how the Group operates, however, is for
it and the service user networks to determine.
You are suggesting that we might be looking to achieve a permanent
'hosting' arrangement for Together - this is not our thinking. What I hope
we can do is support the development of the National Network to the point
where it decides for itself what form of constitution (if any) it wants for
itself and is then established enough (governance-wise and financially) to
stand alone. On this basis, we have clearly accepted that we have a role
to play for a limited period of time in facilitating the establishment of
the Network.
You are misinformed in your belief that our 'current Manager of Together's
Involvement Directorate' (by which I assume you mean Anne Beales, who is a
Director and a member of the Corporate Management Team) will be running the
service. The co-ordinator of the Network, as I understand it, is someone
who will be recruited through open advertisement once funding has been
established. What we have offered is for Anne to supervise that person -
and her time for doing this will be charged to the Network at cost. That's
the only income we might derive from the Network. But if the Network wants
someone else to do the supervision, we have no problem with that. So let
me re-iterate that the interpretation you are putting on our motivation is
both untrue and inaccurate.
You are suggesting that I get involved in sounding out the perspectives of
the service user networks or funding such a piece of work. I have no
interest or legitimacy in doing that. Such an activity is for user
networks themselves to undertake and is what I assume will happen if
funding is achieved.
I still feel there is a brief window of opportunity for user groups to form
a National Network and have a national impact. If it's missed, I don't see
it returning. Because of this, I would encourage UKAN and other groups
still not participating in the work of the Network Planning Group, to join
in and make your voices heard through participation, rather than
complaining from the outside.
Yours sincerely
Gil Hitchon
Chief Executive
Together
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
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