New report highlights VCFSE sector’s central role in health and care
As the NHS sets out its 10 Year Health Plan, a new report reveals that many of its key ambitions are already being delivered in Cheshire and Merseyside thanks to the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) sector.
The report looks back on the first three years of a region-wide transformation programme, led by Voluntary Sector North West (VSNW) and funded by NHS Cheshire and Merseyside. It shows how local VCFSE organisations are already playing a vital role in prevention, supporting care closer to home and helping the health system better understand and respond to community need.
Working together
Through the VCFSE Alliance, made up of the Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Leaders Group, the VS6 Partnership and Cheshire and Warrington Infrastructure Partnership , the programme has made it easier for organisations to work together locally and across the wider health and care system. This has enabled the sector to contribute collectively to neighbourhood health models, mental health transformation, hospital discharge planning, volunteering, research, and more.
Warren Escadale, Chief Executive of VSNW, said: “The 10 Year Health Plan sets out a clear ambition to build a preventative, community-centred health system and our report shows that this isn’t a distant goal, it’s already happening here in Cheshire and Merseyside.
“When the sector is recognised as a genuine partner, we see better outcomes for people, smarter use of resources and a stronger, fairer system. What’s made this possible is the way the programme has brought the sector together through our VCFSE Alliance strengthening infrastructure at place and system level so we can work collectively and achieve more than any one organisation could alone.”
Making change happen
The programme’s work is already aligned with some of the NHS 10 Year Plan’s most urgent goals, including:
Prevention – Through work with the Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance, VCFSE organisations have supported early cancer detection by engaging communities least likely to access mainstream services.
Neighbourhood health – The programme’s Place Transformation Fund has helped embed VCFSE organisations into local neighbourhood models, supporting joint priorities like dementia, SEND, and mental health.
Care closer to home – VCFSE led hospital discharge models, such as Healthy & Home, are offer people more personalised support based on their needs, helping them recover safely at home while easing pressure on hospital beds, alongside region-wide adoption of the Carers Charter to recognise and support unpaid carers.
Better use of data – Through the Data into Action programme, community organisations are beginning to access and apply data to better target support for those most at risk.
Inclusion and equity – Projects like BRIDGE and Phoenix Way are connecting diverse communities into research and co-production, ensuring services reflect a wider range of lived experience.
Cathy Elliott, Chief Executive of NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, said: “NHS Cheshire and Merseyside welcomes the 10 Year Health Plan for England and the opportunity to build models of neighbourhood health for the future. Working in partnership with the VCFSE sector will be key to delivering the priorities of the 10 Year Health Plan – especially neighbourhood healthcare.”
What’s next
As the programme enters its next phase in 2025–2026, it will continue to focus on embedding the VCFSE in neighbourhood health, developing prevention-first models and supporting the sector to engage meaningfully in data, commissioning and strategic planning.
For more information, contact cmhcl@vsnw.org.uk or download the full report.
What does the 10 Year Health Plan for England mean for the VCFSE sector (2025–2035)
Today (Wednesday, 3 July), the government released its 10-year plan for the NHS. We've broken down what it means for the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) sector, where the opportunities lie, and how we can help shape the NHS of the future.
Overview
The plan sets out a radical reform agenda for the NHS, focused on three fundamental shifts:
From hospital to community
From analogue to digital
From sickness to prevention
It recognises that the NHS cannot deliver these shifts alone and positions civil society, local government, and the third sector as vital partners in a reimagined, devolved, and preventative model of care.
Neighbourhood health services
Integrated Neighbourhood Teams will become central to care, with cross-sector collaboration essential.
Neighbourhood Health Centres will operate as “one-stop shops”. Opportunities exist for VCFSE organisations to co-locate or deliver services from these hubs.
Social prescribing and care navigation will be key; VCFSE groups already doing this will be vital delivery partners.
Emphasis on supporting complex needs, prevention, and tackling fragmentation aligns closely with many VCFSE roles.
From analogue to digital
Push toward digital access through the NHS App may create digital exclusion risks - VCFSE can help bridge this gap.
Opportunities for VCFSE involvement in digital upskilling, advocacy, and ensuring inclusive access.
The plan references using AI and wearables. VCFSEs working with disabled people, older adults, or digitally excluded communities have a key role in ensuring ethical and equitable implementation.
Sickness to prevention
Major role for local charities, food initiatives, youth organisations, and health inequality campaigners in:
Combatting obesity
Supporting smoke-free and vape-free environments
Promoting healthier behaviours
VCFSE sector seen as essential in delivering the “healthy choice as the easy choice” especially in disadvantaged areas.
Plan includes expanding mental health hubs for young people and school-based mental health teams, an area where many VCFSE organisations already deliver.
A new operating model
NHS will decentralise power to Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and local providers, with a focus on partnership with local government and civil society.
Plan explicitly promises to make the NHS a better partner to third sector organisations.
ICBs are expected to work closely with voluntary sector infrastructure bodies, this could boost commissioning and co-design opportunities.
Workforce and community anchors
The workforce plan includes a focus on community-based roles, new career pathways, and diversity. VCFSE can help recruit, train, and retain local staff, particularly from underrepresented backgrounds.
“Neighbourhood Health” will require culturally competent, hyperlocal delivery, an area of strength for many grassroots charities and social enterprises.
Transparency and data
New emphasis on data transparency, patient choice, and outcome monitoring.
Opportunities for VCFSE organisations to contribute to local health intelligence, patient-reported outcomes, and community feedback mechanisms.
Concerns may arise around data sharing and privacy, particularly for smaller organisations - support may be needed.
Funding and sustainability
NHS will shift funding toward prevention and community care, creating potential new funding flows for VCFSE-delivered preventative interventions.
However, reforms also aim to improve efficiency and end block contracts, which may challenge legacy VCFSE commissioning models.
NHS aims to reserve 3% of spend for innovation. VCFSE innovation pilots could be supported here.
| Opportunity area | Role for VCFSE sector |
|---|---|
| Community-based care | Delivery of holistic, wraparound, culturally competent support |
| Digital transformation | Tackling digital exclusion, advocating for accessible tools |
| Prevention & health inequalities | Designing and delivering behaviour change, peer support, food & fitness projects |
| Partnership working | Young people’s services, suicide prevention, culturally tailored support |
| Evidence & data | Co-producing models with ICBs, local authorities, GPs |
This is a major shift in NHS strategy, creating real opportunities for the VCFSE sector to lead on prevention, reduce inequalities, and deliver localised care models. But delivery will require:
Clear commissioning pathways
Investment in VCFSE capacity
Genuine partnership and co-production
If you’re working to shape the VCFSE role in the North West, advocate for inclusion in neighbourhood models, and prepare for opportunities in data, digital, and prevention. However, the reality remains that the ambitions in this plan largely rely on redirecting investment when, certainly in the North West, the NHS faces huge challenges in just breaking even.
New letter makes the case for VCFSE sector as NHS local health and care functions are reviewed
Representatives from the 42 voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) Alliances operating across England are working together to make the case for the sector in local health and care.
Ahead of formally launching later this year, the interim Alliance42 steering group, which VSNW’s Chief Executive sits on for the North West, has written to the new Chair of NHS England, Dr Penny Dash, and members of the national working group reviewing the functions of local Integrated Care Systems and Boards (ICBs). The review comes following the announcement last month of the abolition of NHS England and significant cuts to local ICBs.
Warren Escadale, VSNW Chief Executive, said:
“We understand our submission has been positively received. However, the proof will be in the updated functions of an ICB which are due out in the next few weeks. We hope that Alliance42, connecting to VCFSE groups in every local health system, can be a powerful voice for our sector’s role in health and care nationally. The aim is that the sector is recognised and invested in as a must-have full partner. It won’t be easy and this is just the first step.”
The Alliance42 steering group consists of agreed representatives from each NHS region, nominated by 42 VCFSE Alliances in England – partnerships of VCFSE organisations with the aim of strengthening the sector's voice, influence, and involvement by leveraging their strengths. They have written the letter ahead of Government publishing a new operating model for ICBs next month, asking that the convening power of VCFSE Alliances are fundamental to underpinning ICBs.
The letter calls for the revised ICB operating model to ensure the VCFSE sector is included as a full partner in shaping strategy, governance and in the delivery of that strategy, with ICBs continuing as a systems convenor. This means bringing together cross-sector partners and organisations.
Highlighted in the letter is the substantial contribution of local VCFSE groups and networks to healthy neighbourhoods, as well as the sector’s offer around supporting the work of the NHS, helping to tackle and prevent health inequality. It is vital that the sector is seen as a fundamental building block of medium- and long-term improvement to ensure people are best supported. Moreover, investment in the VCFSE sector presents a clear opportunity for strategic commissioning for the creation of social value.
Our sector’s passion, innovation and values-driven approaches need to be better embraced if we are going to create an effective, integrated, collective culture for improving health and care in all our communities.
Read the full letter here.
Talking about the unthinkable
Our Answer Cancer Project Coordinator, Jacqui Naraynsingh, has written a blog post for the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter, to discuss the importance of workplace support for cancer screening.
It highlights that over 900,000 people in the UK workforce are living with cancer, with 28% reporting minimal or no support from their employers.
The Bee Seen, Get Screened campaign encourages employers to pledge support by guaranteeing paid time off or flexible working for NHS cancer screening appointments, raising awareness about health and wellbeing, and fostering open conversations about cancer and screening. Over 145 businesses in Greater Manchester have already signed up, benefiting nearly 150,000 employees.
Read the blog, Talking about the Unthinkable, on the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter website.
Pan North West: Strengthening research engagement and collaboration
Francesca McIntosh at the event promoting BRIDGE
Last week, the Pan North West event took place in Manchester, bringing together researchers, healthcare professionals, and community organisations to strengthen collaboration and engagement. In this blog post, our Research and Communications Coordinator, Francesca McIntosh, shares her insights and key takeaways from the event.
As the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise research coordinator for Cheshire and Merseyside and the creator of the BRIDGE Research Network, I had the privilege of working alongside the Research Engagement Network teams across the North West to organise a pan North West event, a day filled with powerful discussions, shared experiences, and a collective drive to make research more inclusive and community-led. The energy in the room was inspiring, and it was clear that everyone was committed to breaking down barriers and ensuring that research truly serves all communities.
The day began with insightful presentations that highlighted the importance of research engagement at both a national and regional level. Alice Williams from NHS England provided a national perspective on the ICS Research Engagement Network programme, emphasising the role research plays in improving health outcomes, job satisfaction for health and care staff, and the wider economy.
She shared compelling data demonstrating that research-active hospitals deliver better care and that for every £1 invested in research, there is a £19 return to the wider economy. However, she also stressed that research must be representative of all communities, as disparities in clinical trials can lead to treatments that don’t work as well for some groups. This was a crucial reminder that research must be shaped by and for the people it aims to serve.
Teams from Cheshire & Merseyside, Greater Manchester, and Lancashire & South Cumbria shared how they are working to increase diversity in research participation and tackle systemic barriers. It was particularly encouraging to see how different regions are developing community-led research projects, focusing on mental health inequalities, data accessibility, and inclusive engagement strategies.
For me, one of the most powerful aspects of the event was hearing directly from diverse communities about their experiences with research. Some of the projects that stood out included:
The Deaf Village in Blackburn, where community members shared the challenges deaf individuals face in research and healthcare. Their insights reinforced the need for specialist interpreters, inclusive communication tools, and culturally appropriate engagement.
Streetlife in Blackpool, where innovative comedy-based workshops have been used to encourage research participation in a way that feels safe and empowering.
Inspire Women Oldham, who are building confidence in research through peer-led initiatives. The StrongHer Together project showcased how women can take ownership of research and shape studies that directly impact their health and wellbeing.
To learn more about these initiatives and explore all projects shared at the event, you can view the presentation slides here.
Making research more accessible
A recurring theme in discussions was the need to remove jargon and acronyms that can make research feel inaccessible. Many of us agreed that clearer communication is needed so that more people can understand and engage with research opportunities.
There was also a push for greater visibility of ongoing projects, so organisations can identify similar work happening elsewhere and collaborate rather than duplicate efforts. Integrated Care Boards were encouraged to use and share data more effectively, ensuring that research is driven by real-world evidence.
Addressing barriers and supporting community researchers
A major discussion point was how funding processes sometimes create competition rather than collaboration. We need to move towards a collective approach to securing resources, ensuring that research is done with communities, not to them.
Many attendees also called for affordable and accessible training courses to help community members become researchers, rather than always relying on external experts. There was a clear message that we need to develop researchers from within underrepresented groups, making lived experience a central part of research design. Training should also be available in various formats to accommodate different learning styles.
Technology access was also raised- something as simple as having a laptop can determine whether someone can participate in research. We need to address these resource gaps to make research more equitable and inclusive.
The role of BRIDGE Research Network
Throughout the event, BRIDGE Research Network, was mentioned as a potential solution to many of these challenges. BRIDGE was developed by VSNW with support and influence by both community voices and the research infrastructure across the north west coast.
BRIDGE provides a collaborative space for sharing research opportunities, showcasing good practice, finding research partners, and openly discussing the struggles that come with research engagement. There was a strong appetite for using BRIDGE to create and share resources, making it easier for organisations to learn from one another.
One of the biggest takeaways was the need for tangible evidence of research impact. We often hear that research is important, but communities need to see the difference it makes. BRIDGE can help VCFSE organisations work with researchers to demonstrate real-world benefits, from policy change to better service delivery.
Moving forward together
Research is at its best when it is community-led and co-designed. The voices and insights shared reinforced the importance of putting people at the heart of research, ensuring they are not just participants but active partners in shaping the research agenda.
As we move forward, I am excited to continue working on BRIDGE Research Network and our partners to make research more inclusive, collaborative, and impactful. This event was a fantastic step in the right direction, and I look forward to seeing how these discussions shape the future of research engagement in the North West.
A huge thank you to everyone who contributed- let’s now keep the conversation going and make sure research works for everyone!
Integrated Care Board cuts: A message of support for our NHS colleagues
Last week, the Prime Minister announced that NHS England, the administrative body responsible for delivering health services, setting out funding and agreeing priorities for the NHS across the country, will be abolished.
Alongside this, and perhaps most relevant to our VCFSE organisations and NHS partners across the North West, Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) have been ordered to cut their running costs by 50 per cent in the next six months with provider trusts also told to cut their corporate service budgets back to pre-pandemic levels.
Citing a need to “liberate” NHS staff and leaders from over regulation and bureaucracy, these changes will see the NHS “taken back into direct government control” within the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). Keir Starmer, in his speech in East Yorkshire, was critical of the systematic duplication that has evolved since the establishment of NHS England, with the Government expecting around 50 per cent of jobs at both NHS England and DHSC to be cut in an attempt to streamline health and care planning and provision and redeploy savings to frontline services.
The Government are wasting no time with this latest announcement, with work beginning immediately to transfer functions to DHSC with an aim for the transition to be complete within a 2-year timeline. There is uncertainty around what this news means in terms of the recent publication of various policy announcements regarding NHS priorities and for the long awaited NHS 10 year plan. It is also unclear at this stage what 50 per cent cuts to ICB running costs will look like, particularly as many ICBs are already in financial deficit, with some concerns raised that reforming ways of working could impact on place-based teams and frontline services.
We understand that this is an extremely concerning and demoralising time for many health and care staff across the country, and here at VSNW we want to offer our solidarity and support to our NHS colleagues and partners across the North West.
It is easy to see these figures as that, just figures, but behind these numbers and percentages are hardworking and passionate people who are dedicated to delivering high quality care to our communities in the face of increasingly difficult circumstances. Communities in which their families, friends, colleagues and they themselves live and receive health care.
Whilst we wait to see the impact of these proposed cuts locally, and indeed on the VCFSE sector, we will continue to support our health and care partners across the North West to navigate this challenge to continue to provide high-quality services for our communities.
At VSNW we are committed to supporting improved, integrated, prevention-driven community and neighbourhood delivery concurrently with the three NHS shifts (hospital to community, analogue to digital, and sickness to prevention).
For further information on this announcement, NHS Confederation have produced a briefing which can be found here: https://www.nhsconfed.org/publications/abolishing-nhs-england-what-you-need-know
Thriving Communities Film Expressions of Interest
The North West Thriving Communities Team are looking to commission four short films as part of the North West National Academy for Social Prescribing Learning Together Programme.
Please view the project brief calling for expressions of interest from voluntary, community, faith or social enterprise organisation operating in the North West.
Applicants are welcome to apply to deliver one or all of the films as outlined.
The deadline for expressions of interest in Monday 19th July. If you would like more information please email jan.campbell@seftoncvs.org.uk..
From This to That: Changes in the NHS
Confused about the upcoming NHS reconfiguration? Too many acornyms?
VSNW have produced a resource to help extrapolate key information relevant to the sector in light of the upcoming changes as outlined in the Whitepaper.
Click on the image below.
World Health Day 2021
This year’s World Health Day falls in the midst of a global health pandemic. Despite England’s efficient vaccine role out and drastically falling new infection rate, Covid-19 has already and will continue to devastate the lives of many of us.
During VSNW’s Festival of North West Thinking which included a series of online events from October to December last year, we welcomed an array of inspirational speakers discussing different areas- mostly related to the pandemic- and its affect on communities and also the VCSE sector.
In recognition of World Health Day, we want to remind organisations of the powerful words of Farzana Kahn, Director of Healing Justice London, who spoke eloquently during our first event "Covid-19 Recovery: VCSE Leadership Voices Assembly” about ‘health inequalities’.
See some highlights from her opening remarks here:
Further highlights from the event can be seen here.