VCSE Health Alliance – Update Bulletin – February 2024
February 2024
Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Voluntary Sector Network
(Formerly the VCSE Health Alliance)
New name and new steering group
You’ll notice the new name at the top of this bulletin, we are now the ‘Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Voluntary Sector Network; Together for Healthier Communities’. Please bear with us as we go through the changeover period; we’ll be updating the webpage and producing some new publicity materials with our new brand.
Not only do we have a new name, but we also have merged our Partnership Development Group and our Representatives Group to form a new Steering Group. This group will make key decisions, work alongside members, and be responsible for leading our strategic review later this year.
January’s Health Alliance meeting
We were delighted to have a good number of members join us at March Library for our January meeting. Andrea gave us an overview of how the Integrated Care Board, Integrated Care System and Integrated Care Partnership work. We discussed how the voluntary sector fits with this and how we can increase our profile. Learn more about this by watching Kit Connick’s last year’s explanation to a Trustee session.
The meeting also heard from Michael at Cambridge CAB about how the Health Alliance data project is progressing and from Health Alliance reps about the work they have been doing. Our next meeting is online and will focus on building partnerships and consortia. See below. We hope to have more information about our community grant scheme very soon.
Raising the profile of the voluntary sector
The template for the ICB internal and external newsletters has been circulated to our members. Please do take up the offer. The more that we can showcase the fabulous work of the sector the more we can build knowledge and awareness of our value across statutory partners. Keep up with all the news from our ICB by signing up for their newsletters here. Debbie can send you the template if you missed it the first time around.
Quality workshops
Thank you to everyone who has signed up for our quality workshops. There are still places available for the Ely workshop on 15th February. We are offering £200 for attendance and preparation. Please note that this will be paid to your organisation. Contact Debbie to book your place.
At the workshops, we will assess our maturity using a Quality Development Tool, a process developed by our sector with support from NHS England. The main point of this is to co-produce an action plan that will take our Network to the next level of development.
Health and Wellbeing Network
February’s Health and Wellbeing Network will have a digital focus. With the increased use of digital communications and the changeover of landlines to digital by the end of 2025, what impact will this have on the people we support? Will Plant (CCC Digital Strategy), Karen Igho (Healthwatch community researchers’ findings) and Rosie Veitch (library services) will discuss the current picture and the support/options that are available. Book your place here for 13th February: https://forms.office.com/e/BeQPiLyjN4
Health Alliance meetings
Here are the dates of our future meetings, please put them in your diary. If you would like to suggest a theme please contact sandie@huntsforum.org.uk. We are also keen to get members to Co-Chair meetings on their theme of interest.
- 28th February 9.30-11.30 Building partnerships Zoom
- 17th April 1-3 Health Alliance business Peterborough
- 22nd May 10-12 Theme St Ives Corn Exchange
- 26th June 1-3 Health Alliance business Zoom
- 24th July 1-3 Theme In person venue TBC
- 11th Sept 9.30-11.30 Health Alliance business Zoom
- 16th October 10-12 In person TBC
- 13th November 1-3 pm Health Alliance business Zoom
- 11th December 9.30-11.30 Zoom
See here for more information about the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Health Alliance. You can also find the notes from the January Health Alliance meeting on this page.
Spread the word!
Last but not least, please pass this newsletter on to your team and other groups and organisations who may not yet be Health Alliance members. Anyone wishing to join should email Debbie Debbie@huntsforum.org.uk.