National research shows that people need three things to be and remain healthy: confidence, control over their lives and social connections. Within North Yorkshire, the local VCSE sector enables people of all ages to access local opportunities and services which bolster the physical and mental health of individuals.

North Yorkshire has its own Health and Wellbeing Board where leaders from public and VCSE sectors work in partnership to develop robust joint health and wellbeing strategies. These strategies then inform the development, investment and delivery of new health and care services and projects.

At the local level GP services are delivered through doctor’s surgeries which are grouped together into Primary Care Networks which support communities across rural and urban areas.

The Primary Care Networks in turn are members of Local Health Partnerships where local organisations come together to develop and deliver plans which improve the health and wellbeing of the local population.

• Craven Communities Together Partnership
• Hambleton and Richmondshire Local Care Partnership (formative)
• Harrogate and Rural Alliance
• Scarborough and Ryedale Health Partnership
• Selby Health Matters

We know getting mental health care and support isn’t always easy. Processes can be long and complicated and demand on services can mean people sometimes having to wait too long without the help or support they need. Getting the right help and support early on for your mental health and emotional wellbeing can make a huge difference and prevent things from getting worse.

Change is happening though in the form of the community mental health transformation programme. This is a five-year national programme to improve the lives of people with serious mental illness and the way they’re supported in their local communities.

Everyone who is involved in caring for people has a role to play. Within your local area, there will be opportunities to help shape these plans.

That’s why health and social care, local authorities, emergency services, voluntary sector organisations and people with lived experience of mental ill health across North Yorkshire and York are working together to make change happen.

Together we will make the changes that are right for local people and with local people.

The VCSE sector across Humber, Coast and Vale is diverse, made up of many organisations and people, and is crucial to supporting people with their health and wellbeing. The Humber, Coast and Vale Health and Care Partnership and the VCSE Leadership Group commissioned this report to better understand the sector and how Humber, Coast and Vale is served by it.

Professor Tony Chapman, from Durham University, has worked with the VCSE Leadership Group over the last year, initially looking at the size and scale of the sector. Following this, Tony was asked to go further and look at how it’s split across our unique geography, which has a mix of urban and rural areas and a large section of coastal communities.

The report’s findings begin to plot the VCSE sector alongside the differences we see across Humber, Coast and Vale in terms of deprivation, health inequalities and geography. The report provides a tool for strategists to think about how the VCSE sector can play its role in supporting the health and wellbeing of Humber, Coast and Vale residents.

The full report and a shorter summary report are available to download.