"Why Weight to Talk" Training Programme Launches for VCFSE Organisations in Cheshire & Merseyside
Health Equalities Group (HEG) is excited to announce the launch of its "Why Weight to Talk" training programme, aimed at VCFSE organisations across Cheshire & Merseyside. This new initiative, funded by the Cheshire & Merseyside Cancer Alliance, seeks to build greater understanding and skills among practitioners about the complex causes of overweight and obesity.
The "Why Weight to Talk" training programme is designed to help practitioners consider the broad range of factors that contribute to our health and wellbeing in relation to weight. The training will also explore how weight stigma can impact individuals and how practitioners can support children and families in a more effective manner.
Free to Access: The training is available at no cost to VCFSE organisations.
1-Hour Sessions: Introductory sessions will be held online via MS Teams.
Comprehensive Content: The training covers the causes of overweight and obesity, weight stigma, and how to frame conversations to best support people’s needs and circumatances.
Training Dates
Monday 15th July, 14.00-15.00: Register here
Tuesday 16th July, 11.00-12.00: Register here
Friday 19th July, 11.00-12.00: Register here
Monday 22nd July, 14.00-15.00: Register here
Tuesday 23rd July, 15.00-16.00: Register here
Thursday 25th July, 15.00-16.00: Register here
VS6 Holds successful Metro Mayor Hustings for the VCFSE sector
On 26th March the VS6 Partnership hosted the first Metro Mayor Hustings event of the 2024 campaigning period in Liverpool City Region (LCR), focusing on key issues facing the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise sector.
The event, held in Liverpool Cathedral and chaired by VS6 Partnership Chair Dr Ellen Loudon, was attended by over 70 representatives from the VCFSE sector and Metro Mayor candidates from all four major parties*:
Jade Marsden – Conservative
Tom Crone – Green
Steve Rotheram – Labour
Rob McAllister-Bell – Liberal Democrats
Metro Mayor candidates had the opportunity to provide opening and closing remarks, as well as participate in a “Q&A” session in which our VCFSE attendees were able to put forward 6 questions to candidates covering a broad range of topics concerning groups in the City Region. These questions included the cost of living crisis, climate change, VCFSE funding, equalities, social capital and children & young people.
In addition to the discussions, candidates were invited to sign the latest LCR VCFSE Manifesto which is due to be published in the coming weeks to show their commitment to working closely in partnership with the VCFSE sector in the next 4 years.
Jade Marsden (Conservatives) began her opening statement with a key message around fostering trust between the Metro Mayor office and communities by empowering local decision making, encouraging inward investment, and committing to transparency and accountability. Jade was passionate around making sure that LCR was the most accessible place in the country and was committed to supporting people with additional needs such as unpaid carers, people with both physical and learning disabilities, and children and young people. Jade also spoke about ringfenced investment for the VCFSE sector to improve equalities in the City Region. Building trust in politicians was a key priority for Jade, who emphasised that the VCFSE sector should be able to hold the Metro Mayor to account with the sector having a voice in decision-making.
Of the VCFSE Manifesto, Jade said “The manifesto shows a group of people that know their sector inside and out.”
Green Party candidate Tom Crone spoke highly of the important role that the VCFSE sector has in supporting communities in the City Region and his own experience of establishing groups in his current ward. Tom wanted to provide communities with the freedom to make their own improvements, with the VCFSE sectors understanding of the needs of communities being crucial to unlocking this potential. This also included policies around a 4 day working week, a citizens income (not means tested) with more free time for people to engage in volunteering. Tom’s vision of a cleaner and fairer City Region touched upon a number of different areas including greener, more accessible public transport, fuel poverty, and ensuring that young people who will face the burden of climate change in the future play an active role in our democracy.
Reflecting on the VCFSE Manifesto, Tom said “The VCFSE Manifesto matches closely with the Greens desire to create a fairer, greener City Region”.
Current Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram spoke of the work and progress to date that the Combined Authority has achieved since it’s inception, and highlighted the important working relationship that he has with developed with the VCFSE sector and other sectors including universities and businesses. In terms of funding for the sector, Steve reflected upon the pandemic highlighting how the VCFSE sector “propped up the country” and how the Combined Authority levelled the playing field for the sector by improving access to funding and grants, such as the #LCRCares funding. Steve discussed the potential for working closely with local authorities for targeted interventions for specific groups, such as carers, developing a mechanism for community transport officers to benefit from green transport funding, and adopting recommendations from the Cheshire & Merseyside State of the Sector report and our manifesto.
Steve was keen to continue working with the VCFSE sector if he was elected once more, stating that “Liverpool City Region has been on a very long journey – we are here now”.
Rob McAllister-Bell (Liberal Democrats) expressed his desire about wanting to do more to help support communities to be more involved in politics, citing statistics claiming that LCR is the lowest city region for numbers of people planning to vote. Rob talked about transformative change to unlock peoples potential, stressing how communities are facing “unbelievable” choices in the face of the cost of living crisis and the need to make sure that LCR receives its “fair share of funding” from central Government. Rob see’s working with the VCFSE sector as an important part of his vision for a Metro Mayor, including ensuring the VCFSE sector is “fit for purpose” with sufficient resources to avoid it becoming even more stretched. Putting equalities at the heart of policy was also a key priority for Rob, who wants LCR to become a disabled friendly City Region and to expand Liverpool Pride into every borough.
Steve was keen to continue working with the VCFSE sector if he was elected once more, stating that “Liverpool City Region has been on a very long journey – we are here now”.
Introducing The Phoenix Way North West in Cheshire and Merseyside
One Knowsley is supporting the Lancashire BME Network with The Phoenix Way North West. The Phoenix Way (TPW) is a collaborative racial justice movement that aims to address systemic barriers and inequalities faced by Black and racially minoritised communities in accessing funding in the UK. With a focus on Cheshire and Merseyside, the initiative works to establish community infrastructure, strengthen Black and racially minoritised communities, and increase access to funding through workshops and community grant making panels. You can learn more about The Phoenix Way North West and their work in Cheshire and Merseyside here.
Apply to be a VCFSE Representative on the NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Peoples Board
Part of the new NHS Health and Care Partnership, this senior board leads on health and care workforce issues. The Terms of Reference are here.
We are looking for sector representation. If you are interested in this role, please complete an application form and attach a copy of your CV and send to Amy Wood at amy.wood@vsnw.org.uk by 4th March 2024.
If you would like to discuss the role further, please contact Amy on the email address above.
Flagship Cheshire and Merseyside State of the Sector 2023 report launched
VSNW is pleased to share the 2023 flagship Cheshire and Merseyside State of the Sector report for the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise sector (VCFSE) in partnership with NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, the VS6 Partnership and Cheshire and Warrington Infrastructure Partnership.
VSNW CEO, Warren Escadale said, 'We are proud to support this vital piece of work, which enables effective representation for the sector. Partner engagement is at the heart of what we do. I would like to give thanks to Racheal Jones from One Knowsley; our VSNW Research and Policy Officer, Laura Tilston; and the Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership for their hard work on producing this report.'
The State of the Sector report highlights extraordinary statistics and insights into the VCFSE sector across Cheshire and Merseyside, alongside the notable impact made possible through the work carried out by the organisations and people in our sector.
Through analysis of findings from our region-wide state of the sector survey and external data, the report evidences the size, scale and scope of the VCFSE sector in Cheshire and Merseyside. Over 19,500 VCFSE organisations are working to support those in need, committed to building thriving neighbourhoods, communities, towns, and cities across C&M - these have been measured to show the immense size and scope of the sector. Alongside a combined workforce of over 36,000 employees and 352,000 volunteers, the VCFSE sector contributes over £896.6 million to the Cheshire and Merseyside economy each year.
The report identifies key opportunities to build upon to further unlock the potential of the VCFSE sector through effective partnership working within health and care systems, enabling the sector to be ambitious in tackling health inequalities and providing social justice across Cheshire and Merseyside.
You can explore the key findings for Cheshire and Merseyside and more information here.
Cheshire and Merseyside Health & Care Leaders Group
VSNW recently hosted an event with the Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Leaders Group in Warrington featuring guest speakers Dr Ellen Loudon and Raj Jain, Co-Vice Chairs of NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership.
The Health and Care Leaders Group is made up of leadership representatives from VCFSE organisations across the 9 boroughs of Cheshire and Merseyside, including our place-based CVS infrastructure organisations, and is tasked with ensuring the sector has an equitable role in the health and care economy across the region.
Warren Escadale, Chief Executive of VSNW, opened the event providing background to the work of the group since it’s establishment in 2019 and presented the potential future opportunities for the VCFSE sector to work closely with the Integrated Care System in Cheshire and Merseyside and champion the role for our VCFSE organisations.
Racheal Jones, Chief Executive of One Knowsley and Merseyside lead for the VCFSE Transformation Programme provided an overview of the strategic work happening now to strengthen VCFSE engagement in health and care across the region including the sectors participation in priority workstreams as community mental health transformation and the cancer alliance.
Alison Cullen, Chief Executive of Warrington Voluntary Action and Cheshire and Warrington lead for the VCFSE Transformation Programme presented the “Healthy & Home” programme in Warrington and Halton which aimed to embed the VCFSE sector within hospital discharge. The programme has seen remarkable outcomes, with data showing a cost saving of over £760k to the NHS with 76% of people not re-appearing in A+E after 12 months post referral.
We were then thrilled to be joined by Raj Jain, Chair of Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board and Co-Vice Chair of Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership. Raj provided an overview of his role in the health and care system in the region, and the current challenges and strain facing the NHS. Raj was clear in his recognition of the VCFSE sector as “game changing” community partners that are crucial in the move towards prevention of ill-health.
Following on from Raj, Dr Ellen Loudon (Co-Vice Chair of Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership, Director of Social Justice & Canon Chancellor at the Diocese of Liverpool, and Independent Chair of VS6 Partnership) provided an inspiring speech on the importance of the VCFSE sector in health and care transformation:
“"A transformation in the way we respond to health and care, from distant and transactional to an interactive responsive prevention focused model, is crucial to our collective endeavours; the VCFSE is vital to this transformation. We know how to do this and we are good at it! Very good at it.”.”
VSNW would like to thank our speakers and our attendees from the Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Leaders Group for attending this event and for providing valuable insights and challenges to the future of the role of the VCFSE sector in health and care. As Ellen puts it, “This is an exciting time for Cheshire and Merseyside”!
To view the Cheshire and Merseyside Health & Care Leaders Group, Terms of Reference, please click here.
Meet Rev Canon Dr Ellen Loudon, the Co Vice-Chair of the Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership (HCP)
Hello, my name is Ellen Loudon - I am the independent chair of VS6. I have worked as a senior leader within the VCFSE for a number of years. Currently, I am the Director of Social Justice at the Diocese of Liverpool and Canon Chancellor at Liverpool Cathedral. I also chair a number of charitable boards such as Together Liverpool and Liverpool Diocesan Council for Social Aid and Micah Liverpool. I live in the shadow of Liverpool Cathedral with my two dogs - Holly and Tig.
I am pleased to have been appointed Co Vice-Chair of the Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership as I see this as a once in a lifetime opportunity for us to seek change together. Addressing inequalities and advocating for social justice is what I am most enthusiastic about and is at the heart of the work I do. I have extensive experience of chairing regional boards that address and tackle inequalities such as the Liverpool City Region Fairness and Social Justice Advisory Board (FASJAB) on behalf of Steve Rotherham.
Through my role as Co Vice-Chair, I will be representing the VCFSE sector and joining Health and Care Partnership (HCP) colleagues in Cheshire and Merseyside to explore ways in which we can address the conditions that cause health and care inequalities. I am dedicated to ensuring that my role will be used to change the way we tackle these issues in a collaborative, fully integrated partnership. What is of particular interest to me is how the VCFSE can be an innovative leader in this work to make Cheshire and Merseyside fairer and more just.
I will be joining the next Cheshire and Merseyside VCFSE Health and Care Leaders Group meeting alongside Raj Jain (Chair). This is an opportunity for me to listen to the sector and make sure these voices are heard in the HCP. I am looking forward to hearing from the VCFSE sector representatives – about their hopes for the HCP and the role they want to play in the future of health and care across Cheshire and Merseyside.
Further Reading:
· https://www.vs6partnership.org.uk/aboutvs6
· https://togetherliverpool.org.uk/
· https://www.liverpoolcityregion-ca.gov.uk/governance/fairness-social-justice-advisory-board/
· https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/what-are-health-inequalities
Health Inequalities in Some of the Most Vulnerable Neighbourhoods
Professor Chris Bentley is a Non-Executive Director at Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust and is also the Chair of the Quality and Safety committee. He is a prominent figure in population health and specialises in health inequalities.
Chris’ recent presentation ‘Place-based approaches to Health Inequalities in the System’s Most Vulnerable Neighbourhoods’ explores how to address some instances of health inequality in Cheshire and Merseyside.
In it’s simplest definition ‘health inequalities’ refers to the health differences across groups and populations which are beyond an individual’s control. However, according to Chris, it is important not to ‘over define’ health inequalities. The current Coronavirus pandemic has accentuated the already prominent disadvantage across certain groups in relation to health, but also housing, food, employment, income etc.
There are certain ways we can intervene:
These segments need to work together to have the greatest impact.
Cheshire and Merseyside have some of the most prolific hospital admissions in its most deprived areas in comparison to the national average. This insight includes admissions that could have been prevented through out of hospital care; this pattern is characteristic of the North West as a region.
Can these emergency admissions be prevented from out of hospital care? And why are some areas able to reduce poor outcomes more successfully than others?
Seemingly, across Cheshire and Merseyside communitiy preventions are not always successful at supporting residents to avoid crises. Chris suggests three ways this can be addressed:
Unwarranted service variation
Community-based interventions and
Service engagement with communities
What is imperative to addressing the excessive hospital admissions in the most deprived neighbourhoods and helping avoidance of crises is bridging the gap betweeen services and communities. There is already a lot of work going on in communities and the health services have often not integrated with the already established and trusted organisations in these communities. Perhaps on a place-basis what we need to do is link primary care networks into these already existing structures, thus harnessing them to bridge the gap between health care and communities.
Systems need to address this issue in order to make a percentage change. Some health systems are already making progress and connecting with communities by working with groups and organisations, however, in others there is still lots of work to be done. This is what the Cheshire and Merseyside partnership will be looking to take forward.
Please watch Chris Bentley’s full presentation. He eloquently explores the above whilst going into more statisitcal detail regarding specific areas of Cheshire and Merseyside.
Cheshire and Merseyside Health & Social Care VCFSE Leaders Group
A recent meeting of the Cheshire and Merseyside Health & Social Care VCFSE Leaders brought together a range of infrastructure and provider organisations from across the region.
The overall aim of the group is to achieve strategic influence for the Sector and genuine system change. This will be achieved by a mixture of co-ordinated activities such as further strategic meetings; consistent messaging for the Sector on the social value it delivers in communities; and exploring the development of a cohesive engagement strategy with mapped out stakeholders both in localities and the sub-region.
The main topic of discussion was the Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership Five Year Strategy, and how the VCFSE sector should influence and respond to this in a co-ordinated fashion. A series of workshops will be taking place in October across Cheshire and Merseyside to generate feedback on what role the VCFSE sector will play in the development and implementation of the strategy. Key contacts and membership organisations across the Sector will be the basis of the feedback body.
At the event, several next steps were proposed, focussing on engagement with relevant organisations and contacts within the VCFSE sector in the Cheshire and Merseyside area to develop robust feedback that will focus on the implementation of the strategy.
These next steps were as follows:
1. VSNW will pull together a ‘plan for a plan’ for VCFSE engagement, leadership and involvement that will be submitted for inclusion in the final strategy.
2. This will be signed off by a developing VCFSE leadership and partnership group that includes leaders from VS6, CVS organisations from across Cheshire and Merseyside, VCFSE ‘Place’ representatives, providers and VCSE equalities networks and organisations.
3. The plan will be circulated via the leadership group and Cheshire and Merseyside CVS.
4. The final 5 Year Strategy will be submitted to NHS England on 15th November 2019.