The Highland Learning Disability Provider Forum (the Forum) aims to provide the opportunity for organisations working with people with learning disabilities in Highlands to:

  • Work together to share good practice and live issues.
  • Provide an opportunity for working in partnership with health and social care colleagues.
  • Contribute to the strategic development planning process.
  • Improve the quality of health for people receiving support.
  • Develop and sustain high quality personalised services that promote well being, independence, resilience, involvement and inclusion.
  • Improve skills and knowledge in the workforce

Representatives from NHS Highland regularly attend and contribute to Forum meetings.

Chairperson

Hazel MacDonald - Chairperson
Hazel MacDonald – Chairperson

The Forum is chaired by one of the members of the group, who is elected by Forum Members. The Chairperson chairs Forum meetings, help to draw up the Agenda with the Facilitator, identifies guest speakers to be invited, attends other groups and meetings and takes other appropriate action on behalf of the Forum and its membership as required.  Hazel Clark from Cantraybridge is the current Chairperson.  Vice-Chairperson is  Lindsay MacLeod from Inverness College.

Facilitator

Julie Ritchie – ARC Scotland

The Forum is facilitated by an ARC Scotland team member – Julie Ritchie. They are responsible for organising meetings, inviting guest speakers, taking minutes, maintaining a list of members and circulating information and papers to the members and other appropriate people connected to the Forum.

 

 

 

Meeting Dates

The Highland Provider Forum meet every two months on Zoom, usually on a Tuesday morning.  Julie shares the zoom meeting links and agendas for these meetings by email.  The Highland Provider Forum will meet in person for the first time since the pandemic started for their December meeting.  The majority of their meetings will continue to be on zoom as this is both time and cost effective for members.

If you are interested in attending these meetings please get in touch with Julie.

 

Government Policy

The Provider Forum keeps up to date with local and national information and activity around key Government policies:

The Keys to Life is the Scottish Government’s Strategy for improving the quality of life for people with learning disabilities. For more information visit keystolife.info.

The Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013 places a duty on local authority social work departments to offer people who are eligible for social care a range of choices over how they receive their support. More information at:

The way we plan and deliver health and social care services in Scotland is changing. Legislation requiring integration of health and social care came into effect in April 2016 and new Integration Authorities now have responsibility for over £8 billion of funding for local services which was previously managed separately by NHS Boards and Local Authorities. More information at Scottish Government – Health and Social Care Integration

 

Provider Forums

Local networks for organisations that provide social care for people with disabilities or other support needs in eight Scottish local authority areas:

Read more about Provider Forums