VET Secretariat Response to the Emerging Lincolnshire NHS Strategic Plan

We welcome the acknowledgement of the key role the VCS can play to the delivery of the Long Term Plan in Lincolnshire.

We welcome the description of the sector on the diagram on pp5 of the report. We wonder if an appendix setting out the diversity of the roles of the sector in more detail, which we would be happy to prepare, would be helpful?

We are pleased to note the references to enhanced VCS joint working and the commitment to closer working with us as a sector on pp 9 and pp10.

On pp11 we are pleased to see acknowledgement of the role of the sector in terms of helping with the delivery of the “closer to home” ambition.

We think the following reference on pp12 forms the key linkage for the further engagement with the VCS sector particularly in terms of the MoU we have collected established and would like to agree with statutory partners. It is so important we have quoted it below:

Lincolnshire’s future operating model will be based on prevention, self-care and joined-up local community services supported by specialist services in acute hospitals. There will be a range of health and care functions including a resilient communities offering that will build upon the existing Neighbourhood infrastructure and emerging Primary Care Networks. There will be a strong local focus. This will equip communities with the necessary tools and resources to know and improve the health and wellbeing of their population this increased knowledge will enable targeted interventions to specific groups of patients eg elderly, mental health. A well-connected infrastructure of voluntary services within local communities, that are seen as key delivery partners and who will allow people to access, shape and deliver a range of health and wellbeing initiatives that are meaningful to them and, therefore, lead to improved outcomes. These will include: social prescribing; care navigation and co-ordination; carer support; resident education for specific clinical pathways and volunteering groups.

In a County as large and diverse as Lincolnshire localities have different needs and circumstances. We welcome the references to locality working, where we feel the VCS is a very key partner around the style of delivery set out on page 12 of the strategy in this context. The concept on pp23 of a joined up approach around workforce based on the concept of “doing it once” exemplifies the importance more widely of the cohesive partnership approach we are offering to the statutory sector in our mission to deliver an effective health and care system in Lincolnshire.

We are very pleased to note the direct reference to the role of VET in diagram on pp32 of the strategy.

At the heart of our mission around health and care, which we has many resonances and references in this document are the joint working principles set out in the MoU we are proposing namely:

• A step change in the positive health and care outcomes for the people of Lincolnshire.
• A recognition that social value is central to the delivery of the best possible services which underpin these outcomes.
• An acknowledgement that social value is sustained by a commitment to investing in the shaping and delivery of services by local organisations with their roots in local communities.
• An acknowledgement that local provision is the smart way forward because it brings insight, added value and long term sustainability to the health and care agenda by engaging local people in the services that sustain them.
• An acknowledgement by all parties involved in the health and care agenda that they need to deliver on the promise of excellence to achieve their ambitions for Lincolnshire.
• A commitment by all parties to achieve their ambitions in health and care for Lincolnshire through increased mutual learning and continuous professional development.
• A commitment by all parties to the importance of the achievement of preventive outcomes, delivered through locality working as the core of their strategy.
• A commitment by all parties to measure and regularly review the impact of their work together encouraging though this process transparency and positive challenge.
• An agreement by all parties to express their joint commitment to drive this agenda through the adoption of a brand to communicate their partnership.

We believe this document provides a good starting point for the development of a forward going relationship on the basis of these aspirations.