£3.5 million for health charities
pharmafile | April 18, 2013 | News story | Sales and Marketing | NHS, UK
A raft of voluntary of charities and community groups are to share £3.5 million in the next financial year as part of a new programme designed to bring their voices into NHS decision-making.
In total 21 organisations, including Age UK and social housing representative body the National Housing Federation, will be part of the Department of Health’s Health and Care Voluntary Sector Strategic Partner Programme for 2013-14.
Current policy on all sides of the political arena is that the provision of health and social care should dovetail, and the idea is that these groups offer access to a range of communities – in particular those containing vulnerable people – whose views will therefore be better represented to shape policy.
The 21 are the successful applicants to the scheme, which builds on a similar one which has run over the past four years, which saw 66 organisations assessed by DH, NHS England and Public Health England.
Olivia Butterworth, head of public voice at NHS England, says there is “potential for great gain, particularly in ensuring that citizens and communities are at the heart of new arrangements”.
The important thing would be to “unlock the potential contribution of the voluntary and community sectors to contribute fully to improving health and wellbeing outcomes for everyone”, she concluded.
Such a message chimes with an NHS that is keen to increasingly involve patients and their families in informing the way decisions about health are taken.
“The voluntary sector has a valuable role to play in improving health and wellbeing and this new programme will help develop and build strong and productive partnerships with the sector, and support organisations to build capability more widely,” said care and support minister Norman Lamb.
The full list of partners for 2013-14 is:
- Age UK
- Carers UK and Carers Trust
- Community Service Volunteers (CSV)
- The Disability Partnership (Royal Mencap Society, Scope, Sense, The National Autistic Society)
- Disability Rights UK, Shaping our Lives National User Network and CHANGE
- FaithAction
- Men’s Health Forum (MHF)
- Mental Health Providers Forum (MHPF)
- NACRO, Action for Prisoners’ Families and Clinks
- National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA)
- National Children’s Bureau (NCB)
- National Council for Palliative Care (NCPC), Help the Hospices and Marie Curie Cancer Care
- National Council for Voluntary Youth Services with Addaction, Association for Young People’s Health, Brook, CLIC Sargent, Street Games and Youth Access
- National Housing Federation
- National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGB&T) Partnership
- National Voices
- Race Equality Foundation (REF)
- Regional Voices
- UK Health Forum
- Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG), National Care Forum (NCF) and Sue Ryder
- Women’s Health and Equality Consortium (WHEC)
Adam Hill
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