Posted on: 22 March 2024
The West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership has become the first ‘Keep it Local’ ICS in the country following agreement at the Partnership Board. The Partnership now joins the five local authorities across West Yorkshire who are ‘Keep it Local’ Councils.
In the face of pressures on health and social care, this national initiative is focused on how the NHS works with its partners to prioritise supporting, partnering with and commissioning local Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector partners. We recognise how local VCSE partners produce high-quality people-centred services with intrinsic social value that is a vital for a progressive integrated care system with unique expertise and insights to reduce health inequalities in communities.
We will adopt the principles and approach outlined by Locality in their new report, Keep it Local for Better Health: How Integrated Care System can unlock the power of communities, launched in February 2024.
The West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership will be supported by Locality over the next 12 months to embed the ‘Keep it Local’ approach building on the excellent practice we already have for working with the VCSE sector as outlined in our memorandum of understanding between the ICB and the VCSE sector in West Yorkshire and our strategic VCSE Alliance known as the Power of Communities.
Cathy Elliott, West Yorkshire ICB Chair said:
‘Keep it Local’ complements the vision and behaviours of our West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership. The NHS has long faced challenges in tackling health inequalities in our local communities, and we are facing incredibly challenging financial pressures in health and care at a time when public needs have increased. The ‘Keep it Local’ principles of prioritising local partnerships and investment help to support our health and care work in collaboration, especially via our Memorandum of Understanding on effective working with the VCSE sector and fulfilling our fourth purpose as an integrated care system in contributing more broadly to local social and economic development. Through ‘Keep it Local’ I am pleased that we’re building on how we want to continue to innovate and transform as a Partnership.”
Kim Shutler, VCSE Member of the NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board and Senior Responsible Officer for the Power of Communities Programme said:
“We welcome the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership becoming the first ‘Keep it Local’ Integrated Care System in England. We know that our local VCSE organisations, particularly our grassroots and small organisations, are experts in developing services to tackle health inequalities and key to prevention and generating good health and wellbeing in our communities. That is why the NHS in West Yorkshire have invested in the VCSE sector. However, VCSE organisations operate in increasingly difficult environment. A truly ‘Keep it Local’ approach will make it easier to support and work with our local VCSE organisations and increase local spend to invest in our local economy.”
Tony Armstrong, CEO of Locality said:
“We are delighted to welcome West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership as the first Keep it Local ICS in the country. With all five councils in West Yorkshire already part of the Keep it Local network, the region is a true trailblazer for community power in public services.
“We look forward to working with the ICS over the next 12 months to turn the six principles into practice. There is clear evidence that by following these principles areas can deliver better services for local people, reduce pressure on public services, and invest in the local economy. They are also perfectly placed to help achieve other ICS priorities, including shifting to prevention, tackling health inequalities, achieving broader social and economic development, and embedding the VCSE sector within the local health system.”
The six principles of ‘Keep it Local’ are a key contributor to achieving the strategic ambitions of the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership:
1. Think about the whole system not individual service silo
2. Co-ordinate services at a neighbourhood level
3. Increase local spend to invest in the local economy
4. Focus on prevention now to save costs tomorrow
5. Commit to our community and proactively support local organisations
6. Commission services simply and collaboratively so they are “local by default