On 13 March, plans were announced to dissolve NHS England over the next two years, integrating its functions into the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). This aims to streamline governance, reduce bureaucracy, and cut administrative costs, including a 50% workforce reduction across NHS England and DHSC.
Impact on the VCSE Sector and ICS-VCSE Alliances
The plan to dissolve NHS England presents both risks and opportunities for the voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) sector.
Key Risks:
- Reduced VCSE engagement: workforce cuts in Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) may limit collaboration and influence.
- Funding pressures: Cost-cutting measures could reduce investment in VCSE-led services, despite their crucial role in addressing social determinants of health.
- Shifting Priorities: the restructuring may lead to statutory services dominating decision-making, potentially sidelining the VCSE sector.
Opportunities:
- Stronger local partnerships: decentralisation could enable VCSE organisations to co-design health and care solutions.
- Alignment with NHS priorities: the government’s focus on prevention and community care aligns with VCSE expertise, offering partnership opportunities.
- Increased VCSE leadership: if resources shift from hospitals to community care, our sector could take on a more prominent role -provided funding supports this transition.
Next steps
With our roles leading the North Yorkshire VCSE Health Assembly and partnerships with ICBs in the region, we will be advocating for the VCSE sector’s role in shaping health and care decisions by:
- Continuing to strengthen partnerships with ICBs to maintain collaboration and influence
- Highlighting the VCSE’s impact on health outcomes to secure investment and sustainability.
Conclusion
The NHS restructuring poses challenges, but proactive engagement from our sector can ensure its role remains integral to health system transformation. We will continue to work strategically to maintain representation and secure resources for community-based care and will provide further updates.
If you have any questions about restructuring of NHS England and the impact on our sector, please contact Dena Dalton, Head of Health Collaboration at Community First Yorkshire.
Find out how to get involved with the North Yorkshire VCSE Health and Care Assembly and add your voice about health and care services.
International Men’s Day is celebrated as part of Men’s Health Awareness Month.
Globally, men die on average six years earlier than women, and for reasons that are largely preventable. Which means that it doesn’t have to be that way: we can all take action to live healthier, happier and longer lives.
Men’s Health Awareness Month highlights various health issues affecting men. This year, Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board has several events planned to raise awareness and promote wellbeing.
Lunch and Learn session on cancers primarily affecting men and people assigned male at birth
Mon 18 November (12-12:45pm)
Did you know…
- More than half of new cases of cancer in males are prostate, lung or bowel cancer (2017-2019, CRUK)
- 1 in 8 of those born male will be diagnosed with prostate cancer
- Bowel cancer is treatable and curable if diagnosed early?
This session will focus on the cancers which primarily affect men, and our session will include:
- Signs and symptoms of the following cancers…Prostate, Testicular, Bowel, Lung
- Bowel screening, testicular checks and Lung Health Checks
- How to reduce your risk of cancer?
Men’s health awareness session
Tuesday 19 November (12-1pm)
Join this session with Men’s health expert Paul Galdas, Professor of Nursing and Men’s Health, to increase your understanding of men’s health in the workplace. This session would be particularly helpful for line managers, wellbeing champions and leaders in the following areas: Occupational health, health and wellbeing, OD & People professionals and will cover the following:
- The detrimental impact of masculine norms and unhelpful male stereotypes; strategies for overcoming the stigma and barriers that prevent men from engaging with mental health support, fostering a culture of openness and acceptance.
- Why waiting for men to reach crisis is not an option; the importance of early, proactive support and how certain approaches aimed at getting men to ‘open up’ can be counterproductive.
- The current evidence on successful strategies for supporting men’s mental health in the workplace. From policy changes to personalized support systems, what measures are proving effective in making a real difference.
Health and Wellbeing Conversations Training
Thurs 21 November (12-1pm)
This training is aimed at line managers (of any profession, banding or grade), peers and colleagues working in Health and Social Care roles who have caring responsibilities for staff – for example clinical and educational supervisors, team leaders, members of staff networks, health and wellbeing champions or Wellbeing Guardians.
This training is designed to help you develop the skills to hold safe, effective wellbeing conversations. All discussions in the group will remain confidential and no personal stories will be shared outside of the training session.
To book on to any of the above sessions, please visit this booking page.
Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership has a section on their health and wellbeing webpage dedicated to Men’s Health. There are lots of resources available, recorded webinars and signposting. Do download their free health and wellbeing app HNY Our People (available from the app store), which encourages building healthy habits and has lots of tools to help you improve your wellbeing.
Today’s announcement by Telecoms Minister, Chris Bryant, that more than 4,500 rural homes and businesses across Yorkshire are now able to access superfast broadband services has been welcomed by Jane Colthup, Chief Executive of Community First Yorkshire.
The improved services are being introduced thanks to local investment of £60m – part of the government’s £5 billion national flagship programme known as Project Gigabit. Up to 28,000 connections in hard-to-reach rural areas will come on-stream once the full roll-out is complete in 2030 with the goal of driving economic growth and fixing the digital divide that plagues people living and working in remote areas.
Speaking on BBC Radio York today (26 September) Jane said: “This is fantastic news that rural communities in North Yorkshire are to get the same superfast speeds as the rest of the world. To improve people’s access to work opportunities and crucial services such as remote health and welfare support, good broadband is absolutely vital and for so long that’s not something we’ve been able to access sufficiently in North Yorkshire.”
Discussing the news, she also highlighted the importance of better connectivity to improve social inclusivity in rural areas – so important to help older people keep in-touch with friends and family.
While welcoming the news, Jane added that access to digital support and training is also crucial to make sure people can make the most of better connectivity and the opportunities it brings. This is something Community First Yorkshire has been focused on with its Digital Inclusion Project , backed by North Yorkshire Council and the NHS in North Yorkshire.
The lack of adequate mobile phone coverage in North Yorkshire was another ongoing issue, she said, with so-called mobile ‘not-spots’ impacting on rural residents and businesses. “This is a fundamental requirement of everyday living in the 21st century,” she added.
To listen to the interview in full, click on the image below.
Read more about Project Gigabit on the government website.
A new fund of up to £7 million has been announced by the government to boost access to nature and support rural communities across England wanting to become more green-fingered.
The new Community Green Spaces Fund will provide funding to help communities create, restore and enhance their green spaces.
Grants of up to £75,000 will be provided to help communities plant fruits, vegetables and trees, creating orchards and kitchen gardens for all to access and enjoy. Landscaping projects could also create raised beds and improve areas to plant different flowers around village hall facilities and other community green spaces, making space for pollinators and nature to thrive.
Expansion of natural play facilities
Funding will also be awarded to support the expansion of natural play facilities that encourage children to spend more time outdoors, in addition to projects that focus on improving access to green spaces such as new paths and seating. To make the spaces more accessible to disabled people, funding will also be available for the creation of disabled parking spaces.
Further support for village halls
An additional £5 million of funding for village halls has also been announced to support capital improvement projects, such as building extensions and the installation of wi-fi. This follows the £3 million of funding made available to mark Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee.
Potential to improve the health and wellbeing of local residents
Richard Quallington, Executive Director at ACRE said:
“We welcome the government’s commitment to supporting rural communities so they can make the most of green spaces. The fund has the potential to support a wide range of initiatives that contribute to Net Zero and biodiversity net gain, as well as improving the health and wellbeing of local residents.
“We know from our experience of administering recent grants to village halls that the availability of capital funding can catalyse new projects, many of which have had an environmental focus. We stand ready to support this new scheme.”
The Department for the Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra) is working with Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) to scope the Community Green Spaces Fund with applications expected to open in early summer.
Leadership wellbeing resources inspired by nature
We’re working with Where the Mind Grows to offer online wellbeing resources for VCSE leaders in Yorkshire and Humber to help develop wellbeing strategies for themselves, their teams and their organisations.
Using a nature-inspired approach to wellbeing, the free resources range from light-bite coaching style questions for pause and reflection, to deeper dive interactive workshops and activities.
By introducing nature-inspired and regenerative leadership wellbeing principles, the programme helps leaders feel more confident, reduce stress and overwhelm, and create positive ripple effects throughout their organisations. Available online and with various navigation options, this programme offers a flexible and accessible way for leaders to enhance their leadership skills and prioritise wellbeing.
This flexible and accessible programme is available until 30 April.
Find out more and sign up here.
As part of our work to build on our vision for the Age Friendly Network, we are holding a Partnership Development Workshop on 8 February in Northallerton and would like to invite Network members to attend.
We are keen to engage with members who are passionate about improving the physical and social environments of our North Yorkshire communities and want to identify and understand the challenges faced by an ageing population. This means listening and responding to current needs and opportunities across all areas from transport, communication and social participation to health and social care, housing, outdoor spaces and employment.
Your insights, ideas and lived experience will help shape the future of this initiative and the development of the network partnership group. The workshop will be a face-to-face event, however video access via a zoom link will also be available.
When is the event?
Date: Thursday 8 February 2024, 1pm- 3pm
Venue: The Cottage Meeting Rooms, Northallerton Methodist Church, High Street, Northallerton, DL7 8EG
The venue is fully accessible and refreshments will be provided.
Parking: There is on street parking directly in the front of the building and additional parking close by at The Northallerton Forum.
Please let us know if you plan to attend
Please confirm your attendance by emailing Jeanette Hague or call 07825 380052.
We very much look forward to seeing you.
Submit your questions for Richard Webb, Director of Health and Adult Services in North Yorkshire Council
Three times a year, Richard Webb, Director of Health and Adult Services at North Yorkshire Council, meets for a Q&A about public health and social care with representatives from citizen voice groups, including the ageing well network.
The next meeting is coming up on 8 February and you are invited to submit questions about public health and social care topics which you would like your ageing well network representative to ask. If you are interested in representing the network at this meeting in future please contact Jeanette Hague, the Age Friendly Network Coordinator at Community First Yorkshire.
If you would like to send in questions, please contact Claire, Helen and Liz from the council’s Health and Adult Participation and Engagement team at HASengagement@northyorks.gov.uk or call 07929 873638 by Thursday 25 January. If you are sending more than one question, please indicate which is your most important question. Sometimes the council receive too many questions to cover in the time and this will help them prioritise the most important ones.
After the meeting the council will share an update about what was discussed at the meeting so you can find out what questions were asked and the responses given.