Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICS VCSE Strategy action plan 2025-27

Action Owner: ICB/VSN/CVS

Short-term actions (Year 1): Development of a system-wide Compact, accountability model and annual action plan that sets out principles and common approaches for how statutory bodies collaborate to support and fund VCSE organisations.

Medium-term actions (Year 2): Work with partners to understand where the system invests in the VCSE sector to identify risks to the delivery of ICS system priorities from gaps in investment or service in communities of geography, service and/or interest.

Longer-term actions (Year 3): Work with Integrated Care System (ICS) partners to identify funding sources (including through external funding, reducing duplication or repurposing existing pots) to better support the delivery of ICS priorities, supporting prevention / early intervention/health inequalities agendas.

Action Owner: VSN

Short-term actions (Year 1): Collate and share the annual pipeline of collaborative VCSE project proposals with ICS partners, including Place Partnerships, in preparation for future funding opportunities or to address system challenges and priorities.

Action Owner: ICB/VSN/CVSs

Short-term actions (Year 1): Support a greater understanding within the VCSE sector of the health and care funding landscape and priorities, including implementation of procurement changes with the national Provider Selection Regime (PSR), to drive greater collaboration with the sector.

Medium-term actions (Year 2): Work with ICS partners to ensure commissioning processes are simplified (in line with PSR and national guidelines), identifying opportunities to embed ‘grants-first’ principles and offering routes to market for greater diversity of VCSE providers, reducing systemic inequalities.

Longer-term actions (Year 3): Development of a framework/mechanism that is understood by all partners supporting grants vs commissioning, related to the size and complexity of activity, with a common approach to demonstrating impact.

Action Owner: VSN/ICB

Short-term actions (Year 1): Embed a process for conducting an annual strategic review of impact and effectiveness of VSN, using the NHS Quality Development Tool to aid annual update of action plan.

Medium-term actions (Year 2): Work with the ICB health economics and evaluation function to identify frameworks and methodology for evaluating social return on investment.

Longer-term actions (Year 3): Review of ICS VCSE strategy delivery and impact, and develop future strategy and associated action plans.

Action Owner: VSN

Longer-term actions (Year 3): Develop a VSN members’ charter led by members to support relationship and trust building.

Action Owner: CVSs/VSN

Medium-term actions (Year 2): Promote consortia development advice and case studies for VCSE organisations looking to deliver services in collaboration.

Longer-term actions (Year 3): Increased number of VCSE consortia developing innovative solutions to local challenges and funding applications/offers.

Action Owner: VSN

Short-term actions (Year 1): Develop a mechanism for regular analysis of VSN membership to identify gaps and target areas to increase membership diversity and reach.

Action Owner: VSN/CVSs

Medium-term actions (Year 2): Implement findings of CVS faith research to expand reach and strengthen relationships with faith groups in VSN.

Longer-term actions (Year 3): Increase the reach, diversity and engagement of faith groups as VSN members.

Action Owner: VSN

Longer-term actions (Year 3): Annual review of the effectiveness of the VSN Steering Group and Terms of Reference.

Strategy Goal 2 – Embed the VCSE sector as a respected and equal partner in the ics

Action Owner: ICB/VSN

Short-term actions (Year 1): New VSN reps and CVS staff members offered training by the ICB governance team to understand structures, processes and approaches to risk. Similar induction for ABU reps.

Action Owner: CVSs

Medium-term actions (Year 2): Review representation training course and discuss issues and needs at VSN steering group meetings.

Longer-term actions (Year 3): Identify training gaps in the sector that could be supported by ICS partners.

Action Owner: VSN/ICB

Medium-term actions (Year 2): Joint training opportunities are made available across the sectors, with VCSE input into training development and promotion.

Longer-term actions (Year 3): A consistent approach to engaging with the VCSE is included in ICS organisational development programmes.

Action Owner: ICB/CVS/VSN

Short-term actions (Year 1): VCSE sector rep is a full voting member on the ICB.

Medium-term actions (Year 2): Engage with the sector to gather a mandate for the ICB representative role.

Longer-term actions (Year 3): VCSE influence evidenced across all ICS partners, including all Accountable Business Units (ABUs).

Action Owner: ICB/VSN

Medium-term actions (Year 2): Increase the number of VSN reps at ICB committees/decision-making groups to two per committee. Systematically use intel and case studies from the VCSE sector to demonstrate impact and drive change.

Action Owner: ICB/VSN/CVSs

Short-term actions (Year 1): Support the development of the ICS values/behaviour framework to replace the ICS Leadership Compact. Identify how the new framework is embedded within the VSN structures and processes.

Medium-term actions (Year 2): Co-develop a code of conduct detailing the principles of good partnership working and what ‘equal partners’ means to be adopted and regularly reviewed across ICS structures and programmes.

Action Owner: ICB/VSN

Short-term actions (Year 1): Annual review of VSN/ICB Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

Longer-term actions (Year 3): MoU expanded to include wider ICS partners.

Action Owner: ICB/VSN/CVS

Short-term actions (Year 1): Annual review of C&P ICS VCSE action plan to identify need for ongoing and sustainable investment into VSN and develop a business case for longer-term recurrent funding.

Medium-term actions (Year 2): Resources for VSN and supporting infrastructure are committed on an ongoing basis.

Action Owner: VSN/ICB

Short-term actions (Year 1): Codesign of a standard system-wide approach for reimbursement and recognition of VCSE participation/rep time that covers time and other expenses of participating to ensure diversity of representation.

Medium-term actions (Year 2): Budget holders across the system adopt and provide consistent funding for VCSE reimbursement for involvement wherever possible, to encourage greater diversity of involvement.

Action Owner: ICB

Short-term actions (Year 1): Contribute toward the development of the ICB impact assessment process to ensure VCSE impact is considered and guidance on what ‘good’ mitigations look like.

Action Owner: VSN/ICB

Medium-term actions (Year 2): VSN works closely with the ICB VCSE lead to ensure the impact of the partnership is understood and shared through regular reports to ICB committees and wider comms channels.

Longer-term actions (Year 3): Identify opportunities for greater visibility, celebration and scrutiny of VSN impact through development of a People and Communities Engagement sub-Board committee.

Action Owner: VSN/ICB

Short-term actions (Year 1): VSN evaluate, celebrate and share the learning from the impact made by the sector from the Assura grant scheme, and Healthier Future’s Fund.

Medium-term actions (Year 2): VSN work with Integrated Neighbourhoods, district councils and other partners to explore how the VCSE voice is heard and embedded at a local level, and the full impact is understood.

Action Owner: CVS/VSN

Short-term actions (Year 1): Health and Wellbeing Network sessions to facilitate relationships and learning between the VCSE, Integrated Neighbourhoods, Primary Care Networks (PCNs) and other local partners.

Medium-term actions (Year 2): Identify opportunities and mechanisms to signal capacity within VCSE organisations (working with Integrated Neighbourhoods, WorkWell hubs and JOY) to inform referral pathways and future commissioning/funding applications.

Longer-term actions (Year 3): Identify opportunities working closely with Integrated Neighbourhoods to understand gaps in VCSE provision from social prescribers.

Action Owner: VSN/ICB

Short-term actions (Year 1): VSN includes health inequalities as a regular item at network meetings with updates and briefings on CORE20PLUS5 initiatives, Population Health Management, and CQC Health Inequalities Framework. Support the ICB with testing the new CQC Health Inequalities Framework, self-assessment and action plan development.

Medium-term actions (Year 2): Work with partners to support the identification and development of solutions to reduce demand on healthcare services, through supporting initiatives such as the High Intensity User programme, WorkWell and the implementation of New Care Model initiatives, e.g. digital enabler programme.

Action Owner: VSN/CVSs

Medium-term actions (Year 2): VCSE sector continues to feed into strategic workstreams that address health inequalities – including Health Inequalities Strategic Oversight Group, Health Inclusion Network and Health Inequalities PCN Network. VCSE shares local data and insights to support and inform discussions in these forums.

Action Owner: CVSs Short-term actions (Year 1): Increase the skills, confidence and understanding of the VCSE sector about the use of data and insights, including Health Economics.Medium-term actions (Year 2): There is a common yet proportional approach to data collection and shared access to data/insight, which is utilised for continual development and improvement.

Action Owner: VSN/Short-term actions (Year 1): Expansion of the VSN data catalogue project led by Cambridge CAB by widening the contributing VSN members.

Medium-term actions (Year 2): Work with the ICB data team to identify opportunities for VCSE data to contribute towards system data collection, e.g. annual health inequalities stock take, to improve local health outcomes. Develop a digital platform using NHSFuturess to enable VSN members to access the VCSE data catalogue, reports and learning.

Action Owner: ICB

Medium-term actions (Year 2): Link the data project to the digital Insight Bank run by the ICB-led system-wide Participation and Involvement Network Group, to support the sharing and collation of system insights and data.

Action Owner: VSN

Short-term actions (Year 1): VSN develop an action plan for identifying priorities, opportunities and challenges to VCSE data sharing, including around data sharing agreements, IT, information governance, etc.

Medium-term actions (Year 2): Support the development and implementation of the Digital Enablers Programme (Digital Front Door), amplifying the voices of communities in the project and ensuring inequalities aren’t exacerbated. VSN works in partnership with ICB to implement more equal ways of accessing IT systems and data, which supports improved health and wellbeing. System-wide mechanisms and processes in line with GDPR are developed for sharing data and insight, at a system and local level, that includes soft data and outcomes from VCSE.

Action Owner: ICB/VSN

Short-term actions (Year 1): VCSE contribute to the deployment, understanding and usage of the ICB Outcomes Framework across VCSE plans.

Medium-term actions (Year 2): Ensure future VSN action plans align with the ICB Outcomes Framework.

Longer-term actions (Year 3): VSN to work with ICB/Place/social impact organisations to explore how the VCSE can better measure and demonstrate impact.

Action Owner: VSN/CVS/ICB

Short-term actions (Year 1): VSN develops and deploys awareness resources and training to improve ICS partners’ understanding of the nature, value, governance, systems and benefits of the VCSE sector. ICB System leadership training includes materials and modules on the VCSE sector and is co-developed and evaluated from a VCSE perspective. VCSE awareness training for ICB new starters and managers’ induction training. Training offer to the VCSE sector to improve understanding of the health and care landscape. VSN leads research on the value of the VCSE sector, working with all ICS partners (see Yorkshire and BOB ICSs for examples).

Action Owner: ICB

Short-term actions (Year 1): VSN team, infrastructure organisations and members continue to give feedback on proposals but are increasingly engaged at an earlier stage of ICB planning, as identified in the ICB Combined Impact Assessment Process.

Action Owner: ICB/VSN

Medium-term actions (Year 2): Support review of ICS People and Communities Engagement Strategy delivery and development of an action plan supported by clear governance routes for regular review and scrutiny. Support implementation of the ICS People and Communities Engagement Strategy action plan to ensure the voices of local people and communities are embedded throughout ICB decision-making. Support the development of a new ICS People and Communities Engagement Strategy.

Action Owner: VSN

Short-term actions (Year 1): VSN continues to share information about the VCSE sector through a wide range of dedicated and regular communication channels to ensure a wide reach of impact. Creation of regular updates on VSN projects and progress to share through ICS channels.

Medium-term actions (Year 2): Development of a digital collaboration platform using NHS Futures, to enable greater reach of the VSN and opportunities for collaboration.

Longer-term actions (Year 3): Strong, open communication channels deployed across all ICS partners including key organisations such as the County, District, Town and Parish Councils to share best practice and access to information.

Action Owner: ICB

Short-term actions (Year 1): Ensure the ICS Workforce Strategy and the reviewed ICS VCSE Strategy align. Terms and conditions start to align, facilitated by realistic funding and commissioning. Development of VCSE workforce data sets and resources to explore the feasibility of combining with ICS workforce data to support the One Workforce approach. Terms and conditions align further, and One Workforce equally includes VCSE partners.

Action Owner: ICB/VSN

Medium-term actions (Year 2): ICS job descriptions and appraisals include relationship building with partners in the VCSE sector. Embed VCSE sector representation in recruitment processes for ICS leadership appointments. Job descriptions and appraisals of VCSE leadership roles include relationship building with ICS partners. Relationship building across and within partners in the ICS is recognised and rewarded as essential for the career progression of ICS leaders and staff.

Action Owner: VSN/ICB/CVS

Medium-term actions (Year 2): Support the ICB/ARU research project, including recruitment of volunteers to the study, to support the sustainability and enhancement of our volunteering workforce. Review research findings and identify opportunities for implementation.

Action Owner: VSN/ICB

Short-term actions (Year 1): VSN conducts a survey to see how many VCSE people have taken up learning opportunities and understand the barriers to greater uptake.

Medium-term actions (Year 2): Develop pro-bono skills and offer as part of volunteering day to ICB staff.

Longer-term actions (Year 3): Build shared experience and understanding through the VCSE/NHS Mentoring Programme. Extend the mentoring scheme across other NHS trusts following successful evaluation. Extend the mentoring scheme across wider ICS partners.