Posted on: 21 May 2019
More than 80 voluntary and community sector (VCS) representatives from West Yorkshire and Harrogate, including Age UK, Bradford VCS Alliance, Touchstone and Community First Yorkshire attended a health and care partnership event in Bradford on Tuesday, May 21.
The West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership event, held at Kala Sangam, raised awareness of the NHS Long Term Plan (published in January 2019), its implementation and how the voluntary community sector could get involved as equal partners across the area.
Attendees received an update on the Partnership’s progress to date, including the development of the VCS plan and its focus on the Partnership’s priority areas, including preventing ill health, cancer, mental health, urgent emergency care, supporting unpaid carers and tackling health inequalities.
VCS organisations play an important role in the health care of the 2.6million people living across West Yorkshire and Harrogate. There are many examples of great work taking place in the six local areas (Bradford District and Craven; Calderdale, Harrogate, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield) from preventing ill health to cancer support.
One such example in Leeds is ‘The 5 Ways to Healthy Hearts’ prevention programme. This focuses on people with high risk of CVD. Its success is driven by a peer led community approach, and covers all aspects of health, including physical and emotional wellbeing.
In Wakefield, GPs, health workers and voluntary sector workers are involved in making sure people in care homes and supported living schemes have their health and social care needs met by partners working together.
Another example is the Calderdale Staying Well – where people take part in social activities, community health care services via a partner and VCS joined up approach.
The Cellar Trust in Bradford also work with NHS and council partners to join up care for people with mental health problems and in crisis. In Kirklees, Barnardo’s Young Carers Service, Better in Kirklees, LAB Project and Support to Recovery are delivering an ‘arts on prescription’ approach to include men over 40 who are experiencing depression and worklessness.
An approach in Harrogate has seen number of connecting care hubs adopting a community health assets approach.
You can see another example in the ‘Looking out for our neighbours’ campaign – which success to date is down to the involvement of VCS partners and community champions.
The event was led by Dr Soo Nevison, CEO for Community Action Bradford & District, and lead for West Yorkshire and Harrogate’s Harnessing the Power of Communities Programme. Guest speakers included Sean Raynor, South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust; Carrie McKenzie, Patient & Public Voice & Information, NHS England; Katharine Greathead, Leeds Community Foundation; Mark Hopley, Community First Yorkshire, and Tamsin Macdonald, Better in Kirklees Social Prescribing Service.
Rob Webster, CEO for South West Yorkshire Partnership Foundation Trust and CEO Lead for the Partnership said:
‘Our partnership includes the voluntary sector because they are fundamental to our future success. The sector is embedded in communities and has the ability to bring insight, connection, capacity and innovation to what we do. This is essential in an era when we are joining up care to better meet the mental, physical and social needs of people’.
Soo said:
"There is already good leadership from the VCS in the partnership’s work, including Healthwatch, but to make sure our work adds the greatest value possible we need more VCS organisations to be involved in the implementation of the NHS Long Term Plan and the Partnership’s plan for the next five years. I’m delighted that so many of our VCS colleagues came along today to continue on our journey together and I encourage more to get involved."
Pip Goff, Third Sector Lead for Local Care Partnerships, Forum Central, Leeds said:
"It was great to have so many fantastic colleagues from the VCS at the event – who are all committed to developing a thriving network of community and third sector organisations with the skills and expertise to provide help, support and services at a neighbourhood, grass root and wider level. We’re an important voice for Partnership working."
David Blythe from William Merritt Disabled Living Centre said:
"For me, coming to the event is all about being involved and informed so we can better support people with disabilities. It’s essential that the third sector has a voice and is part of the solution."