Whether its in North or West Northamptonshire, Local Area Partnerships (or LAPS) are going to be an important component part of the new Integrated Care System (ICS) which became a reality in Northamptonshire from the 1^{st of} July 2022.

ICS Local Area Partnerships Identified | Voluntary Impact Northampton

There will be 17 LAPS in total across the County, geographical areas with population sizes ranging from 30 to 50,000.00. These LAPS will drive Placed Based Delivery and will focus on the Wider Determinants of Health – those factors such as poverty, housing , employment and education which all impact on a community’s ability to be healthy (both physically and psychologically).  Whilst the concept of LAPS is still being developed (beyond geographical size) what values they work to and how they will operate should be interesting. Early indications from both sovereign authorities (North and West) suggest the following:

• Community voice and engagement should always be at the heart of any LAP operation.
• Mobilising existing community assets (organisations, individuals, and buildings) will be crucial to their success.
• Involvement of collectives, groups, networks, and residents and utilising their knowledge and experience will be an important deciding factor in how LAPS make decisions.
• LAPS need to be flexible in their delivery whilst understanding the often-unique circumstances of their local area.
• LAPS will evolve and develop over time and will be learning and sharing experiences.
• Who sits where within LAPS and why is still a live and active discussion to be developed over the next 6 months.

Look out for further engagement on the LAP concept by visiting this news section regularly.