Mental health and VCSE Alliance discussed at Integrated Care Partnership Board meeting
A local mental health strategy and progress made for a Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Alliance were key areas of discussion at the most recent meeting of the Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) Board.
Taking place on 28 September, at City Hall, Bristol, the meeting brought together around 25 colleagues from across the health, care and voluntary sectors.
Christina Gray, Director for Communities and Public Health for Bristol City Council and Julia Chappell, Senior Business Development and Planning Manager for Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, led an update on the most recent draft of the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire all-age mental health strategy.
The draft strategy has been developed with input from a wide range of people, including those with lived experience. It was agreed that the strategy would now be published and circulated widely alongside a supporting survey to gather final feedback. The survey will go live on 9 October.
A number of colleagues from across the voluntary sector provided an update on progress to establish a VCSE Alliance. The Alliance is a partnership between local health and care organisations and the VCSE sector that will help amplify the voice of community organisations and support teams to work together on influencing and contributing to local health and care plans. It will also provide a single route of contact for health and care teams into community organisations.
The Board also received a presentation from the Black South West Network on their ‘Make it Work’ learning and evaluation report focused on building equity within the Bristol adult social care sector.
Commenting on her new role as Chair of the ICP Board, Councillor Helen Holland, said:
“I’m very pleased to see the great progress that has been made in the creation of the VCSE Alliance which will be of benefit to all partners in our area. It’s so important that we support all voluntary and community organisations to have their say and that we tap into their wealth of experience and knowledge at a strategic level.
“It’s also heartening to see the progress made on our system-wide mental health strategy and I would encourage everyone to share their reflections when the survey goes live.”
Watch the video to hear more from Councillor Helen Holland about what was discussed at the ICP Board meeting.
The ICP Board meeting papers are available on the ICB website, including the draft mental health strategy. The next meeting is due to take place at 2pm on Wednesday 29 November at a location to be confirmed in North Somerset. Members of the public are invited to observe the meeting and can submit questions or statements to the Board in advance.