Northamptonshire NHSs are seeking VCSE assistance to help, support and improve Outpatient Care across the County.

They are already working together as a Health and Care Partnership System with patients, carers, and our local communities, but they now want to promote a series of small workshops where the views of VCSE Representatives and their Beneficiaries can be heard,

Why are they doing this?

They know that despite the innovations they have implemented and the re-design of some of the services they provide there continues to be several challenges.

• People wait longer than they should.
• That care is not always delivered locally or conveniently.
• There is limited coordination of care for a person, which results in multiple appointments that patients may struggle to make and is made more complicated when more than one service is involved.
• People being bounced between GPs and hospitals leading to confusion and needs not being met or delayed.
• There are inequalities in accessing support and health outcomes from different communities and individuals where the way they offer care does not work for them.

How can the VCSE be involved?

The next step for THEM is to complete a series of co-design workshops. These workshops will focus on “Access,” “Assessment,” “Treatment” and “Discharge from treatment/services/care and will be attended by patients, carers, staff, and other sectors working to provide services.

The workshops will take place over 8 non-consecutive days (2 days per pathway section) during May and June, with dates and venues to be confirmed. We want to hear from the many different perspectives of our local communities as your views will help to inform and shape the design of future planned care services so that they will work for you, your families, and your friends.

Your insights, views, and expertise are invaluable. You can participate as much or as little as you are comfortable with.

Opportunities include: –

• You can join a briefing group: This is an open virtual forum via Microsoft TEAMS that will be brought together as and when needed. In this group, you will be able to share your views and see the design ideas that are coming out of the workshops.
• You can act as an ambassador for the programme: you will be provided with briefings to share with your own communities and networks.
• You can express an interest in joining the co-design workshops and provide ideas and help design the blueprint itself. (Spaces may be limited due to room capacity).
• Or you may have a particular skill that you could offer to the team. For example – helping us to develop the materials for the workshops.

If you would like to be involved or require any further information, please email  Jayne Chambers (jaynechambers@nhs.net) or Cath Chisholm (cath.chisholm@nhs.net)

There is also a possibility that the VCSE could host 2 or 3 of these workshops. If this is of interest please contact russell.rolph@voluntaryimpact.org.uk