This month the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) is celebrating its one-year anniversary as a statutory organisation. In this blog Lisa Taylor, Health and Wellbeing Programme Director at VONNE, reflects on the last year from the perspective of the VCSE Partnership Programme.
The past 12 months have seen a huge amount of change, with significant challenges for the ICB itself, but also for VCSE organisations relating specifically to the ICB, including issues around contracts not being confirmed by the start of this financial year, and uncertainty around funding for certain projects.
Some of the structures within the ICB are still developing, which is difficult for the system itself, but also problematic when trying to align VCSE sector representation and input into the place where it is most needed. It is also extremely difficult for already-pressed VCSE organisations who are expending time and effort and seeing little change in return for their investment.
Although these issues, and others, are significant, there is a glimmer of light on the horizon that suggests we are moving towards a more joined up way of working, with greater recognition of the needs and abilities of the VCSE sector as an equal system partner.
The VCSE Partnership Programme has been working to support the integration of the VCSE sector within the various structures of the ICS for two and a half years. In the past 12 months, we have seen our programme structure tested by an issue raised at a sub-group meeting, which was escalated through the programme and raised at the ICB meeting by the VCSE representative. There have been no easy solutions or quick fixes, but there was a collective response from the ICB to the sector, and a plan to work together to ensure the situation doesn’t arise again at the end of this financial year.
We have also seen significant investment into the VCSE sector through the national Research Engagement Network Development (REND) programme, on which the Partnership Programme was bid partner alongside the ICB and key research organisations. This work channelled £84K from a total of £100K directly into the VCSE sector, with a focus on local VCSE organisations utilising their expertise to guide the approach to increasing the participation of children and young people in mental health research, which itself is a priority of the ICB that was identified by the multi-sector learning and improvement network. We are currently working on a bid to build upon this exciting work and further develop the potential and opportunities for VCSE organisations to drive research to benefit themselves and their beneficiaries.
Within the key strategic meetings of the ICB – the ICB, Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) and Area ICP meetings - VCSE representation has been required as part of the meeting structure, almost always from the outset, as the value of the intelligence and insight we can provide is recognised. At Area ICP level, this means that local delivery and infrastructure organisations will play a key part in strategic decision making.
All of the positives this past year have come from different sectors working together to plan and/or deliver solutions and different ways of working. Going forward, this is the change we need to build on most of all.
There is no denying that everyone in our Integrated Care System wants to improve the health and wellbeing of the people in the North East and North Cumbria, which is an excellent starting point. If we are able to work together to understand each other better so we can create more solutions that involve everyone around the same table, utilising the expertise of professionals in all sectors as well as the experience of the people in our communities, there is no reason why we can’t achieve this goal.
To learn more about the VCSE Partnership Programme, hosted by VONNE, visit our Health and Wellbeing programme hub.