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Advocacy services

Advocacy is when someone supports you to speak up, or speaks on your behalf, to help you get the support you are entitled to. You can get help with someone to represent your views, secure your rights and obtain services you need during your social care assessment/review with care and support planning.

Care Act advocacy

If you are having substantial difficulty in understanding the process or communicating your views, wishes or feelings during our care and support planning processes, then you can ask an appropriate family member, friend or neighbour to speak on your behalf, if they are happy to represent your views. If this is not possible, then you may be eligible for advocacy and, in this case, a referral will be made to an advocacy organisation on your behalf.

Community advocacy

If you need advocacy for a reason other than that described above, you can contact the organisations listed below directly - they may be able to help or signpost you to the right place.

Further information

These two organisations provide advocacy in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland:

POhWER

The organisation called POhWER offers the following advocacy services in Leicester:

  1. independent mental health advocacy (IMHA)
  2. independent mental capacity advocacy (IMCA), including deprivation of liberty safeguards (DoLS)
  3. independent complaints advocacy service (ICAS )(NHS complaints advocacy).

What is the role of an independent mental health advocate (IMHA)?

An independent mental health advocate is an independent advocate who is trained in the Mental Health Act 1983. They support people to understand their rights under the Act. They also help people take part in decisions about their care and treatment.

Our advocates are not employed by the NHS or any private healthcare provider. They provide free, independent and confidential support.

You can find the POhWER independent mental health advocacy (IMHA) easy read leaflet here: POhWER easy read independent mental health advocacy.

What is the role of an independent mental capacity advocate (IMCA)?

An independent mental capacity advocate is an advocate who has been specially trained to support people with health and accommodation issues who are not able to make some decisions for themselves and do not have family or friends who are able to speak for them.

IMCAs do not make decisions and they are independent of the people who do make the decisions.

You can find  the POhWER independent mental capacity advocacy (IMCA) easy read leaflet here: POhWER easy read independent mental capacity advocacy.

How can you make a complaint about NHS care or treatment?

If you are worried about the health care you or someone you know is receiving, you can ask to speak to a doctor, nurse or manager at the service.

If your worry is about a service provided by an NHS trust such as:

  1. hospitals
  2. mental health services
  3. community health services and
  4. ambulance services,

you can contact their patient advice and liaison service (PALS).

PALS (which may also be known as 'patient experience' or 'service experience') can help you with this quickly and without having to make a formal complaint.

If you are still not happy after that, or if your worry is about something that has already happened, you may want to make a complaint. We are here to help.

You can find the POhWER NHS complaints advocacy easy read leaflet here : POhWER easy read NHS complaints advocacy.

To contact POhWER

  1. Please call 0300 456 2370
  2. Or email pohwer@pohwer.net
  3. Website: https://www.pohwer.net/leicester-city

Age UK

The organisation called Age UK offers the following advocacy services in Leicester:

  • independent Care Act advocacy

What is independent Care Act advocacy?

If you or someone you know is going through an adult social care process who is:

  1. finding it very difficult to understand the process or
  2. talking about their wishes, when there is no appropriate individual, they may benefit from the help of an independent Care Act advocate.

You can find more information about the advocacy support that Age UK can offer you, here - Care Act advocacy | Age UK Leicester Shire and Rutland

To contact Age UK Advocacy:

  1. call 0116 204 5110 or
  2. email: advocacy@ageukleics.org.uk.