Health Alliance Meeting – 6th December 2023
Read about what was discussed at the December Health Alliance meeting.
Read about what was discussed at the December Health Alliance meeting.
This month’s well attended Health Alliance meeting invited Heather Noble (South Place MD) and John Rooke (North Place MD).
Heather explained that they were not NHS but were all partners from across the patch. As well as North and South Place there is Mental Health and Learning Disability, as well as Children and Maternity business units. It is an evolving landscape with a matrix of activity. The South Place covers all of Cambridge, South and East Cambs, as well as touching on Royston
The aim is to align the system so that care becomes personalised and proactive and to work with the priorities that have been agreed by the Integrated Care System (ICS). Having “what matters to me conversations” to ensure that the population voice is heard.
The voluntary sector, as well as having some representation on some ICS boards, can be actively involved at Integrated Neighbourhood (IN) level. Integrated Neighbourhoods are based around a PCN footprint. At this level there is better understanding of the population- hyper local and this can enable a reduction in health inequalities.
John explained that the North area covered Peterborough, Hunts and Fenland but due to the nature of the landscape there is some relationship with Lincolnshire and Norfolk too.
The North aim to keep vulnerable people healthy and well for longer but this applies to general population too. They are looking at where people work and live to see what can be brought to them the aim being to bring equity of access.
A broad spectrum of partners are focussing on older frail people, complex children, learning disability (ensuring good quality health checks are undertaken) and childhood immunisations.
Alliance members were then given the opportunity to ask questions.
What does it look like for the individual? Some examples were given:
Heather told the group about the winter wellness project where 100 people were highlighted from PCNs who were at risk during the winter. ‘What matters to me’ conversations were had with those people and support was offered where needed re heating grants etc , connecting lonely people and one person had a vacuum bought upstairs so it lessened the risk of her falling whilst carrying it up and down the stairs.
How can we optimise contact with the voluntary sector who are often the most trusted people for individuals?
There is a need to make sure the voluntary sector is meaningfully engaged at IN level. In the North Place there are good links but it’s not so good for prevention. South Place are finding capacity is a problem for organisations and some neighbourhoods are yet to be established.
It was suggested that neighbourhoods could produce a newsletter to report what is happening in each area. At present the public have little knowledge of what is happening and what is there for them.
It was suggested that the Health Alliance might want to keep an open invitation for Heather or John to attend future meetings. Heather and John both asked to be invited to meetings and would attend whenever they could.
JOY/Social Prescribers
Debbie fed back the results from JOY/Social prescriber questionnaire that was sent around and feedback from Meet Your Social Prescriber Event. There are still not many organisations signing up to JOY. There is lack of understanding of its benefits/use, some hesitancy about getting many referrals, some organisations that have signed up have heard nothing since.
Social prescribers are referring into organisations but not always appropriately. There doesn’t appear to have any follow up system (ie did the referred person make use of the service/organisation). Social prescribers often refer people in and that person has not been told of waiting lists etc and thus are disappointed if they do not get helped immediately. There is no extra funding for the extra referrals.
Sandie will write up a report and meet with a few organisations for fully case studies. There will be a repeat of the “meet your social prescriber” event later in the year.
Winter Monies planning
There has been some talk about planning ahead for this this year however John Rooke thought that there probably wouldn’t be any extra this year due to monies that had been put through the system for unplanned care.
The group thought that it would have been some stock projects that could have been picked up and ran with at short notice if this, or other funding streams became available at short notice. Sandie agreed to devise and circulate a form to gather interest and ideas.
Healthier Futures fund
Andrea Grosbois reported that there had been a fair bit of interest in this. The process will be as follows:
CCF will review the applications and make sure they are applicable- they have been regularly updating the Q&As on the website to help organisations.
The district and county councils will then make some recommendations.
There will then be a judging panel- they will be given some support in what being on a panel means. The voluntary sector will be represented on the panel.
Julie (CEO of Hunts Forum) welcomed everyone to the meeting and thanked POSH for letting us use their venue. Julie explained that a Health Alliance Director had been appointed and they would be taking the reins from today- Sandie Smith was introduced.
Many of you may already know Sandie- Sandie was previously the CEO of Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Peterborough so had been part of the first discussions with the ICS and has a great knowledge of the Health and Care system. Sandie started on the 1st of June and has a one-year part-time contract. She will be working to further the Health Alliance’s involvement with the ICS and to promote the good work that has already been achieved. She will continue to be supported by Debbie and will be chairing the meeting going forward.
Sandie plans to meet with many of the Health Alliance members, particularly those who have been involved as reps or as part of the task and finish groups. If you would like to discuss anything with Sandie please email her sandie@huntsforum.org.uk or Debbie debbie@huntsforum.org.uk
Andrea Grobois, Assistant Director of Community Strategic Partnerships, was introduced- Andrea has been in post for 8 weeks. Andrea will be attending the Health Alliance meetings going forward and will be ensuring the voluntary sector have an equitable voice in the ICS and will help address challenges. Andrea is contactable via email a.grobois@nhs.net
The action log was reviewed, and there were some updates.
The governance review had taken place, and 2 of the boards that the Alliance have reps attending have been merged with no notice to those involved. For the Alliance, this could mean over-representation. Andrea and Sandie will discuss this. It was also noted that this meeting came with 600+ pages of papers which is a massive ask. (action 34)
A safeguarding task and finish group have met, the meeting went well, and members discussed safeguarding training in the sector. It has been agreed that Sandie will draft a safeguarding action plan. (action 35)
There is willingness from North and South place partnership for a joint meeting with the voluntary sector to discuss the Hewitt report. The next steps would be to co ordinate this. (action 43)
Jenna Lusk from POSH talked about the charitable foundation’s involvement in the community and the aim to help people stay healthy and as mobile as possible. Jenna explained that the projects they run are wide ranging and funding is sought from various areas. Some projects include Yoga, Chair based exercise, walking football, healthy goals sessions, and a time out social group. Many activities take place at the football ground but there are opportunities to take some projects into the community which they do. The team often link with other organisations to enable projects to happen and have good links into Cambridge United’s foundation too.
Debbie gave feedback from the Health Inequalities task and finish group. The 3 projects that were undertaken have now been completed. Debbie had used the projects as an opportunity to speak to attendees about the ICS priorities- what did people feel about them? What do they feel is needed to achieve them? What is missing?
Debbie reported that the project that had been undertaken on the Oxmoor with families had sparked interest from other areas in the county.
The meeting then went on to look at some of the goals from the voluntary sector strategy. Sandie will be focussing on some of these going forward and Andrea will support if there needs to be ICS input.
Under Goal 1 the group discussed the funding available for the VCSE sector. The Healthier Futures Fund is the monies that are available at present and organisations will need to get their bids in for August. There have been a few questions raised.
Organisations are being encouraged to sign up to the JOY app but there is some hesitation on this. Organisations are already reporting that some have been overwhelmed by the number of new referrals they are receiving and more complex cases (no finance to support) The social prescribers often make a referral without understanding what an organisation can offer.
The Alliance members agreed that it would be good to find out who has signed up to the JOY app and if they had any implications they could share. Maybe the impact is not as expected. Debbie will ask all on mailing list for feedback on this.
The Health and Wellbeing Network have hosted a few “Meet Your Social Prescriber” events which have been popular and there is another one on 4th July 1pm on line (see link below)
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/656740457387
Social prescribing will be added to next agenda.
Sharon Allen shared: She is part of a small advisory group working with Alessandro Bosco (ab2984@medschl.cam.ac.uk) who is part of a small research team supported by colleagues from Eastern Academic Health Science Network and ARHC. The focus of Alessandro’s work is investigating health inequalities for people needing to access medication for palliative and end of life care, particularly out of hours.
It will be really helpful to engage in dialogue with people who have had this experience, particularly those from marginalised communities and are particularly keen to engage with people in Peterborough and Fenland.
They want to share a leaflet on anticipatory medicine currently in use. The leaflet provides guidance on anticipatory medication in the community and should target end of life care. The idea would be to explore with members of the public their ideas and views on the leaflet.
Any member organisations who think they could facilitate a focus group that Alessandro can attend and hear people’s experiences and ideas for how we can improve things. If any Health Alliance members think they could support with bringing a group together or have other information or ideas that could support with this work please contact Alessandro direct.
The Next Health Alliance meeting is July 12th 9.30 on Zoom – contact debbie@huntsforum.org.uk
To learn more about the Health Alliance and the health agenda CLICK HERE
This month’s meeting was chaired by Julie Farrow, CEO of Hunt’s Forum. A welcome and a round of introductions were made as there were several new attendees.
Julie apologised for the change in the agenda due to the proposed speaker being unavailable at the last minute.
From the action log a question was raised around the State of the Sector survey (produced by CCVS and Hunts Forum).
Although the survey has ended, the full report and analysis is still to be completed. Once this has been done this will be shared with anyone who would like it and put on the Support Cambridgeshire website.
A future discussion is planned to see how more workforce data could be collected. The ICB People Board is looking at the workforce and it seems like a good time for the VCSE to be included.
Instead of the speaker, Julie proposed a discussion around the Hewitt Review and shared a synopsis slide deck with the group. The Hewitt review looked at the oversight and governance of the ICS arrangements.
Read the paper HERE
A link to the full review is below.
It was agreed that understanding how this applies in our area and which recommendations would be taken up was important for the voluntary sector going forward.
The recommendation of 1% increase in funding for prevention (often an area the voluntary sector organisations are involved with) over the next 5 years sounds positive. Still, without knowing what the start point is or understanding if the monies are being drawn from other health areas, it is difficult for the Alliance members to have confidence in the proposal.
It was agreed that it would be good to have a meeting with the ICS and the voluntary sector so the route going forward was clearer. Julie agreed to try and get this arranged. It was also suggested that reps that attend ICB committees also refer to the review, where appropriate, during meetings to get more incite.
Attendees felt there was still some disconnect in this ICS between North and South place, with both doing things differently- could this exacerbate the health inequalities within our region? Both directors for North and South Partnerships are being invited to future Health Alliance meetings (subject to their availability)
Julie then gave a brief update on the Healthy Futures Funding that has been launched and is being managed by Cambridgeshire Community Foundation (CCF). This programme makes £2 million available to Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) partners across the area to deliver health and well-being improvements for local people, their neighbourhoods and communities. The minimum amount is £50k and it maybe that a few organisations will want to come together to apply.
Applications are open from the 1st May to see more details-www.cambscf.org.uk/healthier_futures_fund
Hunts Forum, PCVS and CCVS will be supporting groups to make applications for funds- a meeting between these organisations and CCF on what support and how it will be delivered is planned. More information will follow soon.
Julie also mentioned that each district has also received monies for tackling prevention and supporting community engagement. Each district is using this money in different ways.
Health Alliance successful in gaining Secretariat funding from the ICS – this funding will support the following:
Julie asked that any organisations interested in the above get in touch with her.
As the ICS committees have not met since the last Alliance meeting any updates for these will be shared later.
The tackling inequalities group have three projects
The skills swap event has taken place with an attendance of 16 (a few no shows) with an age range between 7 and 92. Debbie was able to have some conversations with attendees about the priorities for the ICS and capture their views and where they feel there are gaps in provision.
St Neots Integrated board has met, and 3 priorities were chosen- Prevention, Mental Health and Access to services (primarily a directory).
Huntingdon/ A1 has agreed 2 hub areas in principle- Coneygear Centre (Oxmoor) and Sawtry- The plan is to engage with existing groups to identify gaps in provision. There will be liaisons with HDC, too so that there is not duplication.
Fenland IN have some engagement events planned in the libraries and have secured some funding to run some cooking sessions.
Debbie explained that she is attending as many of the IN meetings as possible and linking them in with local voluntary sector organisations. As Debbie is not attending any IN in Peterborough or Cambridge it would be useful if other Health Alliance members attended these. They could give updates at the meeting or via Debbie.
Some organisations wondered how they could be involved. The list of known contacts would be reshared after the meeting, and if anyone had an interest in a specific project, Debbie is happy to do an email introduction to the leads.
Julie briefly updated people on Goal 2- There was not much time for discussion due to the active discussions previously- However some of the goals on this are covered by previous discussion such as training opportunities.
There is no meeting planned for May as there are several Bank Holidays. The next meeting will be the 14th June 2pm and is an in person meeting being held at Peterborough Football ground.
Have you heard about the ICS? Did you know it replaced the CCG? Don’t know what either of these acronyms refers to? Are you confused by all this talk on health changes but don’t understand how this impacts you as a resident of Cambridgeshire, let alone your community group?
Health and Wellbeing Meeting
We understand, so we have set up this short and informative network session where you can update your understanding and grasp how this can link with you as a resident and community group/ charity in Cambridgeshire. You will learn more about the Integrated Care System (ICS), how it works, and what Intergrated Neighbourhoods are. Plus how your voice can be heard about the health needs you seeing in your community.
This session will be held on the 18th of April at 2:00 pm, and anyone interested is welcome to attend.
If you like to know more, then why not sign up HERE
Support Cambridgeshire website pages
We understand that sometimes page after page of health information can be challenging. Therefore, Support Cambridgeshire have taken the information as a community group which you need to know and put it on two pages. The ‘ICS page’ explains the basic structure and outcome of the system, with the ‘Health Alliance page’ explaining the VCS board, which reports, supports and engages the voluntary sector in discussion and decisions which impact our communities.
What you might not know is that as an integrated partner in the ICS, the voluntary sector has a strategy on how it is going to work with health, and the Health Alliance is currently carrying out the goal set out in that. If you would like to know more, then click HERE
Members from the Health Alliance group met again on Wednesday, 8th March. Due to COVID-related restrictions, the meeting was changed to online. Although the numbers were slightly down on previous meetings, all the members actively contributed a lot of feedback and gave a great representation on behalf of the voluntary sector.
Julie Farrow, CEO of Hunts Forum, again chaired the meeting. Julie gave an update on the ‘Action Log’, which is a log documenting all the actions that have risen from previous Health Alliance group meetings that need further investigation or action on behalf of the group.
It was noted that a good percentage of actions had been completed and archived. However, more actions are added after each meeting – to read the latest update and find out the group’s current priorities, please email Debbie Drew, our Project Officer (Health) debbie@huntsforum.org.uk
Representative Boards update
Julie confirmed to the group that the ICB is currently reviewing their Governance regarding the VCSE sector representation at their different boards. They asked for feedback from VCSE Representatives, which Julie has been able to collate and pass across, highlighting some of the frustrations the representatives have experienced to date. An example of some of these issues include;
We continue to have a good number of Representatives feeding back regularly from attending the various ICB boards and committees. We currently have representation on the following ICS boards & committees.
Full details of these reports can be seen on our Health Alliance webpage each month. Click here to read the latest reports.
Integrated Neighbourhoods update
Debbie gave an update from the Integrated Neighbourhoods – she confirmed that both St Neots and A1 Huntingdon launched recently and are now in place. They join Fenland, Fenland South and Wisbech Integrated Neighbourhoods.
Debbie updated the group with the great community initiatives & projects which continue to be run by Fenland and Wisbech INTs.
Julie updated the members on the progress of the three key projects and the task-and-finish groups which support them. The ICB funds these projects to help support the Health Alliance’s partnership development activities. These are:
Tackling Inequalities – the task and finish group created a project to look at the ‘ask’ from families within the Oxmoor and Wisbech area. The feedback from this project highlighted two immediate inequalities & needs.
A third area of inequality was discussed around mobility for the elderly, and a potential future project was signposted. The project would include ‘chair-based yoga’ lessons. A tutor has been identified, and the group is already established. Funding to cover an introduction 6-week course has been proposed.
Partnership Development – the task and finish group met recently discussed and agreed the following:
At this point in the meeting Julie outlined the secretariat resource ask
The total ask was £60k which the ICS is supportive of this but had a couple of questions which were taken to the T&R Group but are also being brought here.
Julie proposes if no one else is prepared to hold the funds that Hunts Forum continues with this function for the time being.
Those present voted to accept the proposal unanimously.
Securing Funding and External Investment – the task and finish group met recently and reported on the main points raised below;
Potential 4th New project and task & finish group
Julie proposed that the group consider creating a new ‘task and finish’ group to investigate leading a ‘safeguarding’ training certification which can be accessed & recognised across all partners.
More details on how this might work to follow.
Strategic Goals
The meeting continued with Julie updating members on the progress of the second of four strategic goals, as mentioned in the VCSE strategy.
Goal 2 – Embed the VCSE sector as a respected and equal partner in the ICS
Although we have made a lot of inroads in achieving progress in Goal One, it is fair to say we haven’t been able to achieve the same level of progress in achieving our short objectives as highlighted in Goal 2 – Embedding the VCSE sector as a respected and equal partner in the ICS.
The following table shows the areas highlighted in amber and green where we have had success, specifically around representation, data collection and investment in building partnership structures.
However, it was flagged (in red) during the meeting that there were still key areas we still needed to address. These included.
Julie again reiterated that more participation from the VCSE sector is needed to join the Health Alliance and help raise the group’s profile. If anyone is interested in attending future meetings or knows of anyone else, please email debbie@huntsforum.org.uk to register.
Julie concluded the meeting by highlighting two funding opportunities which are about to be launched targeting the VCSE sector. These include;
The next meeting is scheduled for 12th April between 9.30 am – 11.30 am online.
Members from the Health Alliance group met again on Wednesday, 8th February, online. We had a good turn-up of members from volunteer organisations, which gave a good representation of the VCSE sector.
The meeting was chaired by Julie Farrow, CEO of Hunts Forum. Julie gave an update on the ‘Action Log’, which is a document listing almost 30 tasks the Health Alliance group has identified in previous meetings that need further investigation or action with the ICS or ICB.
The action log previously raised a question about Jargon busting. Debbie Drew, our Project Officer (Health) shared with the Alliance this https://www.cpics.org.uk/jargon-buster
Although a lot of progress has been made so far with members offering support and involvement in attending the numerous ICS boards, Julie reiterated that as a group, we needed more individuals from the voluntary sector to engage and share information and priorities from the ground level. We have a great opportunity now to highlight to the ICS the key issues and frustrations facing the VCSE sector and our communities.
Julie then introduced Paul Taylor, Primary Care and HR Service, Staff Support Hub Lead.
Paul gave a presentation introducing the Staff Support Hub (SSH). The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough SSH are one of 40 hubs set up during COVID national. These hubs were initially set up to help individuals in Social Care & Health, including the volunteer sector, whose mental health was being affected during COVID. Paul explained that Cambridgeshire & Peterborough came ‘late to the party’ and thus only launched their SSH services around 18 months ago.
Paul went on to give a full presentation on the impact of the SSH, which so far has helped in the reduction of sickness and health for staff from across Health & Social Care. Whilst mental health, including stress and anxiety, are still the biggest reasons for being off sick, the team at SSH are pleased to announce that Cambridgeshire and Peterborough have the 6th lowest workforce sickness rate in the country.
The Staff Support Hub has supported the following activities in our region:
To access the video showing Paul’s full presentation to the group
Unfortunately, Paul confirmed that a decision had been made by NHS England to cease all funding for the SSH nationally from the end of March 2023. However, as Cambridgeshire and Peterborough programme started late and thus had money left in the budget, they will be able to keep operating a full service until September 2023.
However, from 1st of April, they will need to cut back on some services, including the Helpline and will be forced to bring it in-house, and will be monitored by existing staff. For full information about the reduced services, please refer to their website www.staffsupporthub.org
Strategic Goals
The meeting continued with Julie updating members on the progress of one of four strategic goals, as mentioned in the VCSE strategy.
Goal 1 – Support and enable a vibrant and thriving VCSE sector to play its part
We have come a long way since the sign-off of the strategy some 10 months ago. Although some progress feels very slow, the Health Alliance group has made some significant inroads in improving the relationship between the VCSE sector and the ICS.
The following table shows the progress we have made in achieving our short-term goals to-date.
We now have around 100 organisations actively involved within the VCSE sector. However, more work still needs to be done, and the Health Alliance group need more organisations to help further raise the profile of the VCSE sector and highlight all support we need.
Integrated Neighbourhoods update
Debbie gave an update from the integrated neighbourhoods she attends but is awaiting the priorities from others in Cambridge and Peterborough. St Neots launched their Integrated Neighbourhood on 7th but there are still several others due to be launched this year.
Representative Boards update
We continue to have a good number of Representatives feeding back regularly from attending the various ICB boards and committees. Full details of these reports can be seen on our Health Alliance webpage each month. Click here to read the latest reports.
Finally, Julie finished the meeting with an update to the members on the three projects funded by the ICB to help support the Health Alliance activities in developing the partnership. These include:
Tackling Inequalities
A meeting was held last week. A verbal summary was given on the main points discussed and agreed during the meeting. These include;
Partnership Development
This project group hasn’t met yet, but high on their agenda they will be looking at the following issues;
Securing Funding and External Investment
This group met last week, and a verbal summary was given on the main points. These included;
The next meeting will be on 8th March and will be a face-to-face meeting held in Cambourne between 2 pm – 4 pm. If you would like an invite, please email debbie.drew@huntsforum.org.uk.
On the 11th of January 2023, the Health Alliance group met again, face-to-face and online, via the hybrid facility at the Maple Centre. The meeting attracted a lot of new faces and was deemed a successful way to hold the meeting and will be adopted again later in the year.
Julie Farrow, CEO of Hunts Forum, chaired the meeting. She opened the meeting by introducing Graeme Hodgson, Adult Social Care Commissioning Manager at Cambridgeshire County Council, who came and delivered a presentation on Care Together: Happy at Home, which is a programme designed to offer support to older people to continue to live at home, with a good quality of life, for longer.
Graeme Hodgson, Care Together: Happy at Home
Care Together: Happy at Home
Graeme confirmed the launch of their new programme, Care Together, Happy at Home project. Care Together is looking to encourage local communities and partners to design and develop local services to enable the older and less able population to fulfil their wish to remain independent at home for as long as possible.
Graeme announced that Cambridgeshire County Council is keen to work with local partners, including micro-charities and social enterprise organisations, to deliver a locally ‘place-based’ solution to reach as many ‘vulnerable ‘people in the community who need the most help & assistance.
There are four ways for the VCSE to access the Care Together funding and work with the County Council to set up the best provision for delivering the care needed. These are:
Graeme explained that the Care Together project has been launched recently and he is actively looking to work closely with Health Alliance members to gain further insights from the volunteer sector. He is keen to identify the current ‘gaps’ in areas of poor delivery and encourage micro-providers to get more involved.
Graeme’s presentation on the launch of the Care Together programme can be accessed here.
Julie confirmed we have a good number of Representatives feeding back regularly from attending the various ICB boards and committees. Full details of these reports will be made available on the Health Alliance webpage in the next few weeks.
Finally, Julie gave a presentation updating the members on three projects funded by the ICB to help support the Health Alliance activities in developing the partnership. Some monies from the original 200k are still available. Julie requested that members utilise this opportunity to get more involved in each project and join one of the task groups to help the group allocate the remaining monies in the best way possible. These projects are:
The next meeting will be held on 8th February and an online meeting between 9.30 am – 11.30 am. If you would like an invite, please email debbie.drew@huntsforum.org.uk.
The Health Alliance group met online on the 14th of November to update the members on the progress made by the ICS and VCSE sector in working together to deliver the goals as set out in the VCSE Strategy.
The meeting was chaired by Kathryn Shepherdson, Deputy CEO of Hunts Forum; It was good to see another healthy representation from across the voluntary sector.
Kathryn opened the meeting by introducing Nicci Briggs, Chief Financial Officer at the Integrated Care Board (ICB), who came and spoke about her role and responsibilities and how funding is transferred across the sector.
Her Role & Responsibilities
Nicci is responsible for looking after the commissioning provision across the whole landscape and the different statutory responsibilities within the Integrated Care System (ICS) regarding the commissioning & performance of providers.
She looks after £1.7 billion system spending across the health allocation covering Mental Health, Acute Primary & VCSE sector. She sees her role as helping the ICS make decisions more quickly, offer more personalised care and remove existing barriers and boundaries that restrict care services around these critical areas:
Over the next two years, her top priorities will focus on ‘Health & Equality’ within the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough region and identify more significant opportunities to address primary care issues.
Nicci explained how the Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) sits alongside the ICB and is responsible for implementing the strategic direction for Social Care and Health. They also create the Health & Wellbeing Strategy and have input into key partnerships and coalitions with community partners such as the Better Care Fund (BCF) & Adult Care Discharge Fund.
Nicci explained that they are looking at a 6% growth in Care Services and see the NHS unpicking some of their larger funds to free up additional money to focus on localised care prevention and health & equality, mainly.
The ICB has created North & South Place partnerships that will work across our region and be responsible for delivering local care services and health & equality through Integrated Neighbourhoods Teams (INT), previously Primary Care Networks (PCN)
They are still in their infancy and not fully operational throughout the County, but they will eventually look at local issues and priorities for their patch and decide what actions need to be taken.
Nicci said that are three routes for the voluntary sector organisations to inform the ICB. Nicci recommended best routes to pass on information to the ICB are:
Data Collaboration Presentation
Michael Mitchel from the CAB then followed with his presentation exploring the idea of data collaboration between charities in Cambridgeshire. This was a piece of work commissioned from an earlier meeting. The CAB and Healthwatch agreed to collect data relating only to health and community care interaction.
Rachel Talbot and Michael asked for any feedback from Health Alliance members on what other data they might find useful.
The next meeting will be held on 11th January and a hybrid meeting (both online and face-to-face at The Maple Centre). If you would like an invite, please email debbie.drew@huntsforum.org.uk.
The Health Alliance group met on the 9th of November in Peterborough to update the members on the continual progress being made by the ICS and VCSE sector in working together to deliver the goals as set out in the VCSE Strategy.
The meeting was chaired again by Julie Farrow, CEO of Hunts Forum and was held at 100a Central Avenue in Peterborough. It was good to see some new faces attending the meeting from across the voluntary sector.
Julie opened the meeting by introducing Jane Coulson and Katerina Lagoudaki from the Integrated Care Board (ICB), who came and spoke about the ‘Let’s Talk’ survey the ICB is currently conducting. This survey has been developed to show insight and receive feedback from the public and voluntary sectors on key health and care issues affecting the community. It has now been running for five weeks and is due to close this week. The survey has received over 2200 responses so far.
The findings from this survey will add insight to the Joint Health & Wellbeing Integrated Care Strategy and help the ICS set objectives which will be included in their Operational Plan due March 2023.
The Operational Plan will focus on building the infrastructure to deliver ‘person-centred care’ within our local communities. It will lay out the following four key priorities for the ICS, which will focus on;
During the meeting, Julie received approval to sign off the Terms of Reference (ToR). This document reiterates the ambition of the Health Alliance group, stipulating the membership rules and aims and goals the group wishes to achieve.
Click here to open the Terms of Reference (ToR)
We have now completed the list of Voluntary Sector Representatives who represent the VCSE sector on many of the ICS Health boards and Committees, including the contact names of the Chair & Vice Chairs (where known).
Click here to open the VCSE Representation List.
The meeting concluded with Julie highlighting two areas of work the Group is currently working on – specifically ‘Health Inequalities’ and ‘Securing Funding’.
More action was agreed upon to investigate how much funding is currently coming into the VCSE sector, where the gaps were and if any external funding opportunities were available. Healthwatch and CAB agreed to look at what data was already held in the voluntary sector and report back to the Group.
Action points still ongoing
Any other business
Due to the extra bank holiday in May, it was proposed and agreed that we would not hold a meeting during this hectic month.
The 9th December meeting will be held online. If you would like an invite, please email debbie.drew@huntsforum.org.uk.
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