News Archives | Page 19 of 26 | Voluntary Impact Northampton

The ICS and the VCSE – the MOU

15 Jul 2022/by Sophie Negus

The ICS in Northamptonshire became a formal construct on the 1^st of July 2022. NHS guidance requires a Memorandum of Understanding between the system (the ICS) and the VCSE. This is effectively a set of high-level principles about how the system and the VCSE should work together. The Northamptonshire draft MOU can be seen here

It is envisaged that this MOU will be signed off by both the North and West Health and Wellbeing Boards in September of 2022.

VIN would encourage all VCSE organisations to read and understand the shared principles and undertakings which form part of this document.

Any comments about the MOU should be sent to the VIN CEO at Russell.rolph@voluntaryimpact.org.uk by close of play on the 5^th of August 2022.

ICS Implementation Guide on the VCSE and the ICS

14 Jul 2022/by Sophie Negus

NHS England have produced a Guidance Note entitled Building Strong Integrated Care Systems Everywhere (GN PAR 905)

It is attached for information and can be seen here

It provides excellent context for the ICS generally, but pages 14 – 16 talks specifically about VCSE involvement at a system and local level (Point of Place Delivery).

It also mentions an Alliance Model for the VCSE, which in Northamptonshire rests with the VCSE Assembly and its Thematic Groups. For more information about the Assembly and how to get involved contact the Assembly Project Officer at:

kerri@vcseassembly.org.uk

The conclusion of this Guidance states what for many of us operating within the VCSE is obvious, but it is worth restating:

The voluntary, community and social enterprise sector is key to the creation of successful integrated care systems. NHS England and Improvement are committed to supporting systems to build effective local partnerships everywhere. We hope this guidance will help local leaders to strengthen their arrangements, building on learning from around the country.

Please take the time to read and understand this Guidance.

Public Engagement within the Integrated Care System

14 Jul 2022/by Sophie Negus

Public engagement is a principal plank of the new Integrated Care System or ICS. Each ICS across the UK (including Northamptonshire) will need to work directly with communities on issues of Health Inequality and tailor bespoke solutions for and with them. This is likely to happen most at a localised level, through the concept of Local Area Partnerships (there will be 17 of these in total across both West and North Northamptonshire).

Local Area Partnerships will consist of household populations of between 30,000 and 50,000.

It is a requirement of the ICS to engage with communities and engage well. It stands to reason that if you engage well, communities understand and can, on occasions, mobilise support.

The Draft Public Engagement Strategy for Northamptonshire can be found here: Get involved | Integrated Care Northamptonshire (icnorthamptonshire.org.uk)

This new Integrated Care Website also provides details of the newly constituted Integrated Care Board (or ICB) – which is effectively the Governance of the System at a strategic level.

The Public Engagement Strategy is currently in Draft format awaiting ratification by both the North and West Health and Well-being Boards in September of 2022.

Contract signing begins new era for mental health services in Northamptonshire

14 Jul 2022/by Sophie Negus

Contracts have been signed to officially confirm ‘collaborative’ status for Integrated Care Northamptonshire’s Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism (MHLDA) programme.

This momentous occasion – which cements the next phase of work to deliver better outcomes for our county’s population – was marked with a special signing session at Berrywood Hospital in Northampton .In attendance to complete the signing of the contracts were Toby Sanders, Chief Executive of NHS Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board (NICB), and Angela Hillery, Chief Executive of Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT).They were joined by MHLDA programme leads Anne Rackham and Morgan Price, Andy Willis, a former service user who is now a MHLDA lived experience lead, and David Williams, Director of Strategy and Partnerships for NHFT.

Collaboratives provide a legal framework for organisations to work together in partnership to design and improve services to meet the needs of communities as part of an integrated care system.

The formalisation of the MHLDA programme’s collaborative status means an outcomes-based contract is now in place for service providers in Northamptonshire to work jointly towards shared ambitions, with the priorities of service users and their families at the heart of strategic planning.

Friday Bulletin

1 Jul 2022/by Sophie Negus

Take a look at our latest Friday Bulletin to catch up with the latest VIN news, job opportunities and funding news.

Find the latest edition here

Systems and Structures of the ICS

30 Jun 2022/by Russell Rolph

25 VCSE organisations attended the latest virtual Network Session on the current developments within the ICS in Northamptonshire.

The slide deck can be seen here

What is the ICS?

It’s a way of providing better healthcare to the residents of Northamptonshire by working in a more integrated fashion, which includes the VCSE sector as key deliverers of services.

It works at a Point of Place, known as Local Area Partnerships or LAPS, which will serve population sizes of between 30 and 50,000.

It is a requirement of any ICS to work with and tailor services to local community needs and priorities.

Whilst there are 4 clinical priorities within Northamptonshire (shown in the slide deck) the ICS is about the Wider Determinants of Public Health.

Organisations are encouraged to read and digest the contents of the slide deck. Any queries, concerns, challenges, or opportunities should be relayed to VIN in the next 2 weeks by E Mailing info@voluntaryimpact.org.uk and placing ICS in the subject Line. These responses will be collated and relayed to the two Directors of Place within West and North Northamptonshire.

Community Foundation shares its Impact Report

27 Jun 2022/by Sophie Negus

The latest impact report from Northamptonshire Community Foundation can be found here: IMPACT REPORT FINAL 22.06.2022.pdf (ncf.uk.com)

Page 18 of the report (entitled voices from the sector) echoes many of the issues reported to VIN on a regular basis.

Sustainability moving forward is a real issue for our sector, with many smaller charities digging deep into their reserves to survive or at the point of closure. An increasingly competitive funding market makes it harder to access and maintain funds. Fewer funders now fund core activities and there is still the issue of funding short termism rather than funding longevity which gives organisations an opportunity to rebalance following COVID. The nature of volunteering is changing, with more volunteers attracted to short term campaigns or appeals rather than longer term commitments. With the cost-of-living crisis ever present, people at work are having to work harder for longer with little extra time to volunteer. Staff and volunteer fatigue within the sector is an ever present, as is the skill drain to other sectors exacerbated by the range of pressures on family household incomes.

VIN will continue to work with NCF and other funders in an attempt to draw these issues out and raise their profile. As we move into an Integrated Care System (with its emphasis on People and Places) VIN will work tirelessly to ensure the new constructs of Local Area Partnerships are the right vehicles for the work, properly represented with the ability to make changes at a local level which involves communities.

West Northamptonshire Council UKSPF Investment Plan Survey

24 Jun 2022/by Sophie Negus

West Northamptonshire Council is responsible for preparing a UKSPF Investment Plan, which will be submitted to Government by 1 August, to secure a 3-year core funding allocation of £5.4m.The primary goal of the UKSPF is to build pride in place and increase life chances across the UK. To this end, the Council welcomes ideas from relevant organisations to inform its Investment Plan. However, we expect this funding opportunity will be over-subscribed. There is no guarantee that investment proposal suggestions will be successful and/or included within the Plan.All responses must be submitted by 29th June at 5pm.The Council strongly recommends all consultees to familiarise themselves with the background information and associated national guidance documents provided on the government’s webpage here.To access the survey, please click here. Your responses will be treated as confidential and in compliance with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requirements.Please note that during the survey you will be prompted to upload a spreadsheet outlining the expected spend if you are proposing a project to fulfil the interventions of the Investment Plan. To access the spreadsheet please click here and for any other queries regarding this form, please contact maria.ioannou@hatch.com. For further questions, please contact West Northamptonshire Council at Economy@WestNorthants.gov.uk.

The Health Inequalities Plan 2022 – 2026

22 Jun 2022/by Sophie Negus

The Integrated Care System across Northamptonshire has published its Health Inequalities Plan.

This plan describes Northamptonshire’s vision to work with communities to ensure that people living in Northamptonshire have the opportunity to thrive, to access quality services providing excellent experiences and optimal outcomes for all.

The long-term ambition is to see: