NHS England recently published the Joining up care for people, places and populations white paper. It sets out plans for Place Boards in Integrated Care Systems, building on the Thriving Places guidance published jointly with the Local Government Association in September 2021.

Place as a concept is going to be hugely important, not just for people and communities, but for the VCSE who regularly work at a point of place and are perhaps best placed to talk about the issues of place, and possible solutions. It is also where people are likely to feel the impact of Integrated Care.

The paper sets out that Place Boards will need to be established by spring 2023 and aim to bring together partner organisations to make joint decisions, plan, and pool resources. They are expected to “think housing and community” as they develop and include a focus on early intervention and prevention. However, in stark contrast to previous NHS integrated care guidance, there is worryingly little direct reference to the role of the VCSE sector.

The Government is seeking responses to the paper by April and NAVCA intends to respond in consultation with members. As VIN is a member of NAVCA we will be attending the question-and-answer session on the 23 of March 2022 between 11am and 12.30pm. I am inviting organisations to read the hyperlinked documents contained herein and if they have questions, please let me know at Russell.rolph@voluntaryimpact.org.uk by close of play on the 21st March 2022. I can then pose these at the session and report back.

It’s worth noting the content remains subject to the Health and Care Bill passing into law, and the breadth of areas for consultation suggest there’s still a lot of planning (and debating) to take place before that happens.