VONNE

Policy Topic: NHS Reforms: The Winners and Losers in the VCS

Background Information

It is over a year since the Coalition Government published its White Paper Equity and Excellence: liberating the NHS. The stated aim of its proposals was to ‘put patients at the heart of everything the NHS does; focus on continuously improving those things that really matter to patients - the outcome of their healthcare; and empower and liberate clinicians to innovate, with the freedom to focus on improving healthcare services’. It also declared the Government’s intention to ‘create the largest and most vibrant social enterprise sector in the world’.

This project, lead by CAOH, in Partnership with Newcastle CVS, will consider the implications for Newcastle’s voluntary and community sector of this most recent, in a long line, of NHS shake-ups.

The full impact of the changes to come will not be clear for some time; but their implications for the voluntary and community sector in Newcastle will be significant.

The NHS reforms pose a complex set of challenges for clinical commissioning groups and voluntary sector providers alike; but there are also opportunities for innovation and collaboration that would enable VCO's in Newcastle to work with GP's and other partners to deliver new and effective services that significantly improve health prospects in the city.

It is hoped that this project will help to raise awareness among clinicians of the effective interventions that the sector in Newcastle can offer; and to provide intelligence about commissioning groups’ priorities and behaviour that VCOs can use to build and develop productive relationships with statutory health professionals across the city.

Our specific objectives for the project will be to:

1. Examine the nature and extent of GP commissioners’ current understanding of the VCS; identify the healthcare issues that GPs believe the VCS may be best equipped to address; and test their response to other areas where they may not currently recognise the potential of the VCS to improve health outcomes and reduce inequalities. We will conduct research to test Neil Hunt’s assessment of GPs’ understanding of the VCS and its potential, identifying where understanding is at its best and weakest and where GPs in Newcastle currently feel that patient-focused intervention from the VCS might enhance, or work better than, their own clinical approaches.
2. Understand the VCS’s experiences of working alongside the NHS before the reforms, and its experience/expectations of working alongside the NHS as the changes take effect. We will consult VCS organisations working in health in Newcastle, to ascertain current experiences and future expectations of working alongside the NHS. We will carry out this element of the project in partnership with Newcastle CVS (NCVS), whose strong connections with Newcastle’s voluntary sector will facilitate contact with a wide range of local VCS organisations working in health-related fields.
3. Identify the overarching hopes and expectations of patients, carers and the public in the light of the Government’s ‘No decision about me without me’ pledge. We will carry out a citywide survey of patients and service users, to identify patients’ needs and expectations arising from the Government’s pledge to incentivise greater patient involvement in their own healthcare.
4. Use the insights gained from this research to deepen understanding between the VCS and clinical commissioning groups and identify ways to support more effective commissioning partnerships between the NHS and the VCS in Newcastle. The primary vehicle for this objective will be a conference to launch a report based on the findings of our research and explore ways forward for VCO's to develop their relationships with GP commissioners and win and deliver sustainable contracts. Again, we will work closely with NCVS to deliver an event that facilitates stronger working relationships between clinical commissioning groups and the voluntary sector.

The work so far

Work has been carried out with GP's to determine what their understanding of VCS services are andif they would be willing to refer patients to those services. A report has been compiled with key findings and recommendations (Pdf 293 kB). Many Newcastle doctors believe that local charities could be more effective than medication in treating some of their patients – but this report shows that they are not sure what voluntary organisations can really offer, and do not know how to find out more. The report explores the views and experiences of Newcastle GPs and Practice Managers, and in particular their attitudes to the Voluntary and Community Sector in Newcastle. Almost 84% of the survey’s respondents said they thought charities had a role to play in their practice; but 93.5% said they would need better information about the sector to help them work with voluntary organisations in future.

Research has been carried out with patients, carers and the public to identify their needs and expectations. A report has been complied with key findings and recommendations (pdf 413 kB). While most of the 220 people we consulted clearly valued the opportunity to exercise a degree of choice and control over their own healthcare, it will be important for health professionals to take into account patients’ needs for, and right to, varying levels and types of support to help them exercise that control. This will in some cases include providing very specific and personalised help to meet special needs that could include learning difficulties, language problems and sensory impairments.

Research has been carried out with the voluntary and community sector to asses the impact of the Government's Health and Social Care Bill. A full report has now been produced and findings from this research will be shared at the conference on 30th May. Recommendations emerging from the report are that an independent advocate is required to build links between GPs and the VCS. Also, organisations currently funded by the PCT require assurances about future working arrangements.

Event: The VCS, GP's and Commissioning

Wednesday 30th May, 12.00pm to 4.00pm at Newcastle University Business School

• What do GPs want from the voluntary and community sector (VCS)?
• What is the impact of NHS reform on the VCS?
• Does social prescribing offer opportunities?

At this event Newcastle CVS and Community Action on Health will share the findings of their research, with a practical session on developing a framework directory so that GPs can find the organisation they require. Voluntary and community sector groups in Newcastle will be given priority for a place at this event. Please let us know as soon as possible if you need an interpreter or if you have any other requirements which would enable you to attend and enjoy this event.

To book a place phone Judith Temple at NCVS on 0191 235 7012 or email judith.temple@cvsnewcastle.org.uk by 14 May

If you would like further information about this work contact Lin O'hara - lin@caoh@org.uk
or Sally Young - sally.young@cvsnewcastle.org.uk