Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership has shared an update on the progress of their collaborative work with the VCSE (voluntary, community and social enterprise) sector.
The VCSE Collaborative is dedicated to realising the potential of the VCSE sector through systemic integration within the design, planning and delivery of health care across Humber and North Yorkshire communities.
Notes from the VCSE Collaborative’s latest monthly meeting indicate that planning for 2023/24 was a key item on the agenda, with focus on the VCSE sector’s role in this. With all ICSs tasked to submit their plans for the coming year by the end of March, it was confirmed that a group of Place and Collaborative directors has been formed and will meet fortnightly to develop the ICS plans, with the VCSE programme director to be in attendance.
The Collaborative discussed social prescribing and noted that the VCSE Programme Director has been involved in conducting a review to determine what social prescribing looks like across the region, its impact and the challenges faced. The review is to be presented to the ICS Executive Committee in coming weeks to highlight the current picture and provide the opportunity to suggest solutions to challenges.
A Social Prescribing Link Worker (SPLW) Conference is also being planned for early February, providing an opportunity to consult directly with SPLWs to form part of the review. It is hoped that the event will also provide “an opportunity to influence the future of social prescribing and explore how the system can support”, in addition to providing a development and networking opportunity for colleagues across the ICS.
The Collaborative shared how it has received funding from the ICS to allow VCSE organisations to pilot one-off Personal Health Budgets to service users, which will enable service users to access agreed support for their individual health needs. Representatives will be meeting to establish the criteria for this model and to discuss how this pilot could support the wider PHB work across the organisation.
Finally, a volunteering project is set to take place following the securing of funds from the Workforce Investment Committee. The project is designed to gain insight into volunteering practices, recruitment processes and the deployment and management of health and care volunteers.
