Call for information and case studies on “Community Levy” models
VSNW are currently undertaking a piece of work researching various types of “community levy” models.
We are conscious that the term “community levy” is broad, however we are looking at models whereby a levy is potentially added to contracts and/or funding of some sort. This levy would be a percentage of the amount of money which is then used to be invested into VCFSE activity.
For example, the Greater Manchester VCSE Commissioning Framework talks about “a 1% Community Levy that is applied to all £1m plus tenders [in Greater Manchester]. The proceeds would be invested in a VCSE social value role in order to support intelligent VCSE market development and link to large-scale delivery.” (p.32).
Draft characteristics of what could constitute a “community levy” include:
A % of funds that are top-sliced
The investment is sizeable
More than one VCFSE organisations is invested in (possibly via CVS)
Investment scales up grassroots frontline delivery
Investment is aligned to local strategies
If your organisation is involved with a similar model, or if you are aware where similar models exist or have existed and would like to share this information with us for potential case studies, please contact Laura Tilston, Policy and Research Officer via email by Friday 14th October: laura.tilston@vsnw.org.uk
VSNW's Annual Conference & AGM - 2022
We are pleased to announce that our VSNW’s Annual Conference & AGM will be taking place on Wednesday 23rd November 10am-4pm at The Midland Hotel, Morecambe.
The title of this years’ event is “Navigating Crisis - North West VCSE Leaders’ Summit by the Sea”.
Our communities are facing a cycle of crisis. From Covid-19 to the cost of living, to climate change. How can we ensure the VCSE sector weathers the storm, helping navigate and support communities when they need it most?
The conference is free to attend, and is aimed at VCSE leaders that are members, associates or partners of VSNW. Due to a limited number of spaces, we would appreciate no more than two delegate bookings per organisation.
Our keynote speakers will be:
Dr Tammy Boyce – Researcher & Writer - Co-author Marmot Review 10 Years On, Sustainable Health Equity: Achieving a Net-Zero UK
Professor Erinma Bell MBE – Chief Executive of CARISMA (Community Alliance for Renewal, Inner South Manchester Area) and Community Peace Activist recognised for her work tackling gun crime in Moss Side and Longsight
We would be particularly grateful for our members’ attendance for our AGM.
Workshops
We are currently in the process of planning an exciting schedule of workshops as below. Please select your workshop preferences at the time of registering. We will confirm which workshops will take place based on uptake, and will confirm your workshop allocation for the conference in the week prior.
Building community wealth
Financial resilience of the sector
How do we help our communities through this economic crisis?
Supporting our VCSE workforce
How do we create a new model of delivery for the sector in health and social care?
Growing a greener VCSE sector
Building the evidence base for the sector
How do we ensure equality is at the heart of all we do?
Trustee Board Opportunities
As a membership organisation, we are always looking for more trustee board members to have a say on the future of Voluntary Sector North West. We are particularly interested in recruiting board members from Lancashire & Cumbria. If you are interested in finding out more about becoming a trustee board member, you can get in touch for an informal chat with Yen at Yen.Tan@vsnw.org.uk with the subject header “VSNW Trustee Board Membership” by Friday 14th October.
Membership
Are you interested in becoming a member of VSNW and joining a strategic network of organisations across the North West?
Membership is free and without formal commitment. You can find out more about membership here, or email Anna Cooper anna.cooper@vsnw.org.uk.
You can sign up to membership here.
Location
The summit will take place at The Midland Hotel, Morecambe. Address is:
The Midland Hotel
Marine Rd W
Morecambe
LA4 4BU
Click here to plan your journey.
Food & drink
Refreshments will be provided throughout the day, with arrival, morning and afternoon coffee breaks. There will be a buffet lunch of mainly vegetarian, hot and cold food. If you have any special dietary requirements or allergies please indicate this to us in your registration form.
Travel by car
The Midland Hotel has an onsite car park with 65 spaces in total. All parking on site is free for delegates however only available on a first come, first serve basis. Once full, there is another car park opposite the hotel, however this is a paid car park and will be your responsibility.
Travel by public transport
The venue is also easy to reach using public transport; it is close to Morecambe Town Centre and within a few minutes’ easy walking distance from Morecambe Rail Station.
Accessibility
The Midland Hotel Morecambe is wheelchair accessible. The venue is accessible from street level by a ramp access and there is a lift to the meeting rooms and properly equipped accessible washrooms.
If you have any specific accessibility requirements, please indicate this on your registration. If you have any specific questions – please email Anna at anna.cooper@vsnw.org.uk
Safety
To keep our attendees safe, with an increased winter rate of Covid-19, VSNW would kindly request you take a lateral flow test within 48hours before the event and to not attend should you feel unwell or have any Covid-19, cold or flu symptoms.
Should you not have access to a lateral flow test before coming, we will have some available at the venue, however please ensure you arrive by 9:30am so that you have time to complete the test.
We also are making sure:
The venue has good ventilation and a comprehensive cleaning regime
We will have face coverings and hand sanitiser readily available
These measures are subject to change, we will follow local and national Covid guidance.
Registration for The Fore’s Funding Round – Summer 2022
Registration for The Fore’s Summer 2022 Funding Round will open on:
Tuesday 19th April 2022 at 10:00am.
For this funding round, The Fore is offering unrestricted grants of up to £30,000 that can be spread over one to three years. We are interested in unlocking potential for small charities who are ready to take their next step forward and for whom our support will have transformational impact on an organisational level.
The grants can be used for whatever grantees think will help transform their scale, sustainability, reach or efficiency.
Any UK-registered charities, CICs or CBSs with annual incomes under £500,000 are welcome to apply.
Once organisations have registered, they will have until Monday 9th May at 5pm to complete their applications.
More information about The Fore’s funding process can be found here.
The Fore is particularly keen to fund organisations run by, and/or working with, marginalised communities, and ‘micro’ organisations (organisations with an income of under £100,000).
The Fore encourages applicants to make a carefully considered ‘ask’ commensurate with the scale of their organisation and the impact of the grant, for instance smaller charities might wish to apply for less than the maximum available.
Nine Principles for Building a Healthy Social Prescribing System with the VCFSE Sector (SP9)
VSNW and our NASP North West colleagues are committed to developing a Social Prescribing model that works with, champions, and appreciates the potential of our sector.
We recognize the tremendous role that the Department for Health and Social Care has played, with investment, to drive forward a new model of working in health neighbourhoods and through the rollout of Primary Care Networks. Many in the sector have campaigned for equal recognition of the role that the local VCSE sector can and must play in the development of healthy neighbourhoods, support for communities, and the development of an effective social prescribing model.
However, to date, we have seen investment in what the too familiar metaphor describes as ‘holiday agents’ (ie our extremely valuable and very busy network of link workers) without any commensurate investment in the ‘holiday destinations’ (ie the network of over 300,000 local VCSE groups and organisations accepting referrals from link workers).
While we do not expect the NHS to core fund or wholesale invest in 300,000 groups doing all the things they do to build happy, healthy, caring communities, there clearly needs to be some thought given to how we might better support (and yes, carefully and precisely invest in) the cornerstones of an effective Social Prescribing system.
In this paper, we outline 9 ways in which we can respect, include and build on the VCFSE sector’s role in a healthy social prescribing model. We ask that the NHS, Department for Health and Social Care, local health, council and other public sector partners commit to and promote the following Minimum Model VCFSE Social Prescribing System, based on these 9 principles.
Principle 1: Create an Open Social Prescribing System.
Build a clear, transparent open Social Prescribing system, which local partners/agencies can support and refer to and support by taking referrals. Social Prescribing is not just for GPs! Referral routes should be agreed upon locally and based on an integrated approach (that includes the strategic voices of the local VCFSE sector).
Principle 2: Contribute and support the local sector through £65m per annum for local Small Grant Pots.
We cannot finance the sector but we can recognise and contribute towards the costs incurred by groups and support activity in areas where the sector is facing stark pressures to keep going. In order to support referrals to VCFSE groups, a small grant pot of minimum £1 per capita pa should be made available to every neighbourhood (ie £50k pa in a health neighbourhood with a population of 50,000 people). The annual cost of this across England, including fees for local administration (linked to knowledge of the sector), would be less than £60m.
Principle 3: Recognise VCFSE as Link Worker Host Organisations as the preferred model.
Anecdotal evidence is that VCFSE organisations that host link workers share their knowledge and understanding of the local sector with their link workers. Where this does not happen, there is either a very long (with little delivery) learning curve or a piecemeal approach to sector inclusion. Clearly, there needs to be a review of the benefits of PCNs using VCFSE host Organisations with a view to making VCFSE hosting the preferred approach. Outside of a narrow definition of social prescribing, this builds a different culture of PCN-VCFSE partnership working which is essential.
Principle 4: Adequate reimbursement for VCFSE host organisations of a minimum of £10k per Link Worker.
VCFSE host organisations are allowed a maximum of c.£2.5k for hosting a Link Worker at present. This contributes to the costs of hosting but falls short of the reality and is a disincentive to joined-up working. The hosting fee for local VCFSE organisations should be topped up to £10k per link worker so that organisations receive a more adequate contribution for their time, commitment, networks, expertise and frankly, their costs. Host organisations need this in order to invest their time and relationships into social prescribing.
Principle 5: Recognise the importance of a strong local VCFSE ecosystem in legislation and guidance as part of a good local Social Prescribing system.
(i) Where there is an effective local VCFSE infrastructure organisation (with volunteer brokerage) linked to the social prescribing system, the impact on GPs, the local Health and Social Care system, and communities, multiplies many times over. While we are not suggesting that DHSC picks up the cost of this, this needs to be championed and investment secured locally.
(ii) Integrated Care Partnerships (ICPs) as they take over from CCGs must be asked to recognise this as part of understanding their ‘Place’ and developing an effective partnership with the VCFSE sector. This approach should be endorsed and guidance developed as part of the Health and Care Bill. Our own draft ICP-VCFSE checklist is a fundamental building block for understanding the maturity of local integrated working.
Principle 6: Support the local health and social care system by investing in Social Care Link Workers.
National DHSC investment should not just be to release demand and improve outcomes for primary care. Our social care is equally under extreme pressure. Link workers, hosted by local VCFSE agencies, should be part of an effective local social prescribing system and funded alongside primary care link workers by DHSC.
Principle 7: All Government departments commit to building on local Social Prescribing Systems.
Many government departments are committed to building thematic models of social prescribing (Arts on prescription, Green Prescribing, etc). National public sector agencies and government departments should commit to ‘building onto’ local SP systems. eg DWP, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), Arts Council, DEFRA, etc, rather than creating their own siloed systems for social prescribing. Ultimately, we need a workforce and a system that can link into a full range of opportunities, including, for example, skills training.
Principle 8: Primary Care Networks (PCNs) commit to building on local VCFSE systems, networks and assets.
This should be a central and fundamental part of PCN’s work in a healthy neighbourhood and as part of developing an integrated, with VCFSE sector, health neighbourhood approach. This approach, and commitment, should be broader than just social prescribing and how Link Workers work. Social Prescribing is one element of how PCNs are being asked to develop and operate, but this commitment should be embedded across the PCN’s operating and engagement model. Social Prescribing should be the first step in building locally integrated (with communities and their local VCFSE sector) health and care systems with an effective community development support system.
Principle 9: Allow for an additional, potential VCFSE allocation for each of the Primary Care Reimbursement Scheme roles.
In order to support the implementation of Principle 8, this potential additional allocation should be available to make it easier to build in VCFSE hosting as a viable option. The current level of reimbursement is a disincentive to joined-up working with the VCFSE sector and inadvertently promotes isolated PCN working.
Conclusion
If implemented these principles would provide the groundwork for a genuinely integrated health and care system that draws on the strengths of 300,000 plus grassroots VCFSE groups and communities. We believe that such an integrated model of working, based on the Salford work on using a place-based VCFSE grants programme, can generate £17 for every £1 invested.
Based on our own rough costings, we estimate that implementing these nine principles (SP9) would cost the DHSC £109.2m per annum.
Cost estimate for implementing SP9
Calculation
Annual Total Cost (£ million)
Principle 1
No additional cost but a significant contribution to the local health economy if opened up
£0
Principle 2
Based on a 56.223m population and a 12% local administration fee for integrating the investment locally and identifying local strategic purpose match and a £2m national quality and cost assurance process managed by NASP
£65m
Principle 3
Evaluation of benefits of a VCFSE Host organisation, £100k max.
£0.1m
Principle 4
Uplift of £7.5k per link worker, with c. 1200 Link workers
£9m
Principle 5
Research into the impact of an effective local VCFSE infrastructure agency in a local integrated health and social care system, £100k
£0.1m
Principle 6
152 Local Authorities with Social Care responsibility, with 2 link workers at c.£50k each
£15m
Principle 7
No additional cost. This should also reduce duplication and cross-Departmental costs in total.
£0m
Principle 8
No additional cost. This should also reduce duplication and costs in total, and create a better system.
£0m
Principle 9
Host fee of £10k available for additional roles. It is estimated there will be 22,000 in total. Working on 20,000 (non-Link Worker) and a 10% take-up rate = 2,000 x 10k
£20m
TOTAL
£109.2m
Social prescribing programme could lead to 4.5 million fewer GP appointments per year, according to new analysis by NASP
New academic summaries of the evidence on social prescribing, also released today, show that social prescribing can have a positive impact on a wide range of outcomes, including reducing loneliness and improving wellbeing and mental health.
Today – Social Prescribing Day – The National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP) is releasing new evidence summaries from its academic partners, alongside additional analysis.
NASP’s analysis estimates that NHS England’s social prescribing link worker programme can reduce GP appointments by 4.5 million per year.* In addition, NASP’s academic partners have concluded, after looking at the evidence, that social prescribing can improve the mental health and wellbeing of participants.**
Together the evidence summaries and analysis indicate that social prescribing is not only an effective way of helping people access community support, but can also reduce pressure on the NHS, in real terms.
By 2023/24 a full cohort of 4,500 link workers across England will have been employed by the NHS to help provide a more comprehensive approach to wellbeing, bridging the gap between health and social care.
It is generally estimated that one in five GP appointments are made for essentially non-medical reasons*** – like loneliness, isolation or debt. Link workers are able to spend time with patients and to understand the physical, financial or social problems which might be having a knock-on effect on their health. Once they have a fuller picture of their unique circumstances, they can then ‘prescribe’ appropriate support and activities provided in their community.
NASP’s analysis, a forecast drawing on the findings of one of the new academic reviews of existing evidence, suggests that the full roll-out of NHS England’s link worker programme could lead to 4.5 million fewer GP appointments in England per year.
Dr Radha Modgil, a practicing NHS GP, Ambassador Lead at NASP, and media broadcaster has experience of the impact link workers can have on both patients and for clinicians in busy GP surgeries.
She said: “Social prescribing enables clinicians to signpost people to a link worker who can be best placed to listen, spend time and work with them to find out what matters to them. As a broadcaster who advocates for wellbeing, I know the impact that connection and community can have on how people feel, especially for their mental and emotional wellbeing. Social prescribing really is the revolution in healthcare and wellbeing that we have needed for a long time - something we have forgotten about but is innately beneficial for us.”
The evidence summaries also identified a range of positive impacts on participants which may also be behind the decline in need for GP appointments. These concluded that social prescribing can lead to improvements in wellbeing, mental health and social connections, and reduce loneliness.
Brendan, who has been taking part in social prescribing activities run by The Heeley Trust in Sheffield, is able to shed light on the story behind the research and how social prescribing improves his wellbeing.
Brendan cares for his mum who was diagnosed with dementia a few years ago. It was when she was socially prescribed a workshop for people with her condition that he ended up speaking to link worker about his own health. After talking a bit about his struggles he was prescribed a creative workshop for men, run by a local artist. He said: “I’m not usually a creative person but I enjoy having a go at things. The difference the group made to my mum is incredible, so I thought something like that might be good for me too.
“The creative workshops are brilliant. They put me at ease. It’s made me realise how important these services are.”
Maxine Bowler, Link Worker at The Heeley Trust, said: “I believe that link workers absolutely have the ability to reduce pressure on GPs. Doctors have such a small amount of time to talk to patients, whereas we are able to sit with them and get to the bottom of what troubles them, whatever that may be.
For people like Brendan, it can be quite isolating caring for someone, so these sessions can be a fantastic way of speaking to people in similar situations and taking time to care for yourself.”
James Sanderson, CEO of NASP, said: “This research demonstrates what we have long known to be true at NASP, that social prescribing has the ability to improve both the health of our country and the capacity of the NHS. Thanks to the many fantastic link workers already embedded in our communities, people have access to more personalised care. This evidence shows, in real terms, the extent of what social prescribing can achieve.”
To read the full Evidence Review Document Click Here
Clean Air Plan Update - February 2022
Government has agreed that the Greater Manchester charging Clean Air Zone (for HGVs, buses, coaches, and non-GM licensed taxis and private hire) will not go ahead on 30th May 2022 as originally planned.
Greater Manchester’s clean air leaders to consider steps towards new Clean Air Plan for the region
Original plan’s withdrawal means Clean Air Zone charging will not go live from May 2022
Greater Manchester working with Government to deliver a new Plan for clean air by July 2022
Greater Manchester’s clean air leaders will meet next week (February 28) to consider the steps towards a new plan for clean air in the region.
A report prepared ahead of the Greater Manchester Air Quality Committee meeting updates members on the government’s withdrawal of a legal direction requiring Greater Manchester to implement a charging category C Clean Air Zone.
Daily charges for the most polluting vehicles that don’t meet emission standards – HGVs, buses, non-Greater Manchester licensed taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (PHVs) – had been due to begin on 30 May 2022 but will now not go ahead.
The withdrawn legal direction would have led to charges for non-compliant vans, Greater Manchester-licensed taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs) from June 2023. Private cars, motorcycles and mopeds were exempt.
Concerns about financial hardship for local people and the availability of compliant vehicles led the Mayor of Greater Manchester and Greater Manchester local authority leaders to ask government to lift its legal direction.
The government agreed with Greater Manchester that the original plan for clean air in Greater Manchester was unworkable within the 2024 timescale and could have created financial hardship for local people due to changes in the availability and affordability of cleaner vehicles. It could not therefore have delivered legal requirements on clean air.
The legal direction would have required Greater Manchester to implement a category C charging Clean Air Zone across the region to comply with the legal limit for nitrogen dioxide on local roads as soon as possible, and by no later than 2024.
A new government direction now requires Greater Manchester’s 10 local authorities to bring nitrogen dioxide on local roads to within legal limits as soon as possible and by no later than 2026.
Greater Manchester’s 10 local authorities have until 1 July 2022 to work with government to develop a new plan that will clean up our air while protecting livelihoods.
As well as updating on the latest status of the GM Clean Air Plan, the report to the GM Air Quality Administration Committee – comprising representatives of Greater Manchester’s ten local authorities - asks members to note that:
Wording on already installed Clean Air Zone signs stating the original opening date of 30 May 2022 will be covered.
Applications for funding for light goods vehicles, minibuses, taxis and PHVs, and discounts or exemptions under the previous plan have been paused because of its withdrawal.
HGV and bus funding remains open to support people to upgrade and help deliver improved air quality. HGV funding for small businesses is to open from 5pm on the afternoon of Monday 28 February.
And the Committee have been asked to agree that:
ANPR cameras that have been installed will be utilised, under agreement with government, to gather ‘real time’ data to inform the new plan, including monitoring vehicle fleet renewal trends and specific traffic mix at key locations where nitrogen dioxide levels are in breach of legal limits.
Greater Manchester remains committed to cleaning up the air its residents breathe – but in a way that helps people to make the change and does not put jobs, livelihoods and businesses at risk.
High levels of air pollution from road traffic have a major impact on people’s health across Greater Manchester.
Poor air quality contributes to nearly 1,200 premature deaths in Greater Manchester every year [1] and is increasingly seen as a contributor to breathing problems - like asthma - heart disease and some cancers.
A Clean Air Greater Manchester spokesperson said: “It is important that people are aware of the current status of the Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan. “Please sign up for updates on the latest information relating to the Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan at www.cleanairgm.com.”
More information about how the new plan will be developed will be made available in the coming weeks. Sign up for updates at www.cleanairgm.com
Call for contributions: Share your experiences and learning from failure (Manchester)
Ever messed-up? Yep, we have too.. we just don’t often talk about it.
We are looking for people from the VCSE sector in Greater Manchester to share their experience of failure and the valuable lessons learned from this as part of our event, ‘Learning from Failure’ on Thursday 23rd June 2022, in Manchester.
We’re interested in hearing about when things haven’t gone to plan in your field, what contributed to this, what did you learn from it, how you responded to it and what you did next. Each person will be given the stage for a couple minutes to share their experience with the audience.
It doesn’t have to be an epic adventure tale or end in success - although it could be these things as well. We are also interested in mundane experiences of failure - the everyday things that happen, ordinary ‘mistakes’ that lead to small golden nuggets of learning that we collect along the way when we mess up.
We want the event to create a space for people working in, with and funding the VCSE sector to talk about:
When things do not go as planned
How we can learn from things going wrong
The value of looking at failure in research and evaluation
How to get involved:
Association of Charitable Foundations
The association is undertaking a review and is seeking the views of stakeholders. This is the first review since 2016 and, as most major charitable funders/grant making trusts are members then stakeholders may well include you!
There is a set of questions for each of the next four weeks. The link, above, will take you to them.
Seeking the other point of view
On occasions we make ourselves feel comfortable by sticking with people that we know and agree with. In this talk Zachary R. Wood, a former President of Uncomfortable Learning at Williams College, author of Uncensored, and free speech advocate, advocates listening to those with opposing, or even personally offensive views.
In this talk he observes that we get stronger, not weaker, by engaging with ideas and people we disagree with.
In an important talk about finding common ground, Wood makes the case that we can build empathy and gain understanding by engaging tactfully and thoughtfully with controversial ideas and unfamiliar perspectives. He also addresses issues of unconscious bias and racial stereotyping. This is a brief (11 minutes) talk with a huge number of thinking points. Well worth a listen over a “mugga” and then a further listen which is then used to work out how to introduce these into your operation.