Towards collaboration: VCSE and health and care commissioining relationships

Research (published November 2023) evaluating the vital relationship between health and care commissioners and VCSE organisations, and how they can collaborate better. This briefing is on factors enabling VCSE commissioning.

parterships, collaboration, health care, commissioining, health systems, VCSE alliances, ICS, ICB

Creating capacity: developing and sharing knowledge between VCSEs and health and care commissioners

Research (published November 2023) evaluating the vital relationship between health and care commissioners and VCSE organisations, and how they can collaborate better. This briefing is on how commissioners and VCSEs develop, use and share knowledge.

parterships, collaboration, health care, commissioining, health systems, VCSE alliances, ICS, ICB

Realising power: how VCSE organisations can influence health and care commissioning

Research (published November 2023) evaluating the vital relationship between health and care commissioners and VCSE organisations, and how they can collaborate better. This briefing is for VCSE organisations on how to affect commissioning.

parterships, collaboration, health care, commissioining, health systems, VCSE alliances, ICS, ICB

Making space: the role of commissioner autonomy and decision-space in enabling collaboration in VCSE and health and care commissioning relationships

Research (published November 2023) evaluating the vital relationship between health and care commissioners and VCSE organisations, and how they can collaborate better. This briefing is for commissioners on decision making and how this affects the VCSE.

parterships, collaboration, health care, commissioining, health systems, VCSE alliances, ICS, ICB

Actions to support partnership: addressing barriers to working with the VCSE sector in integrated care systems

This independent report was commissioned by the NHS England Voluntary Partnerships Team from the King's Fund. It explores the relationships between the VCSE sector and integrated care systems.

health systems, ICS, ICB

How can a strategic approach to volunteering in NHS trusts add value?

A report from The King's Fund which explores the positive impact of volunteering within health care settings. It offers a strategic framework for senior leaders to use for a health trust to understand their current approach to volunteering.

health systems, strategic framework

Health Equity in England: The Marmot Review 10 years on. Executive Summary

Since 2010, life expectancy in England has stalled; this has not happened since 1900. The health of the population is not just a matter of how the NHS is funded but is closely linked to the social determinants of health.

inequalities, deprivation, life expectancy, equity, social determinants

NHS Long Term Workforce Plan - June 2023

The NHS long term workforce plan has three themes: train, retain, reform. Improve training and education for NHS staff. Retain by supporting staff better. Reform to improve productivity by working and training in different ways. Includes some references to volunteers and volunteering in health systems.

workforce, training

Learning from social prescribing

The VCSE sector is uniquely placed to bring the health system and communities closer together, creating social value and helping to reduce health inequalities. In this report (October 2023), NAVCA makes five headline recommendations to improve the quality and sustainability of a thriving social prescribing ecosystem.

ICB, ICS, health and wellbeing,integrated care, NHS, funding, finance, social prescribing, social prescribers

Snowballs and Eels

Snowballs and Eels (April 2023) is a rapid review of national funding for cross-sector partnership building in health and care in England from 2019 to 2022.

ICB, ICS, health and wellbeing,integrated care, NHS, funding, finance

Be the Change: how to tackle racial inequalities in health and care charities

The report recognises the significant and important inequalities in health care access and outcomes for people from diverse ethnic communities; and the need for charity leaders and decision makers to reflect the communities they work with. It uses knowledge and experience of National Voices and its members to provide a guide to tackling racism and practical tools to support work within charities and healthcare settings.

VCSE organisations, EEDI, health, social care

Impactful Social Prescribing Presentation (PPT)

This presentation template and accompanying guidance aim to increase the impact of social prescribing by creating stronger connections between local VCSE infrastructure organisations and stakeholders at a national, regional, system and place level. The presentation will support engagement and offers a framework to showcase the role of local VCSE infrastructure, and how the core functions relate directly to, and support the impact of, social prescribing.

social prescribing, health, wellbeing

Impactful Social Prescribing Template (PDF)

This presentation template and accompanying guidance aim to increase the impact of social prescribing by creating stronger connections between local VCSE infrastructure organisations and stakeholders at a national, regional, system and place level. The presentation will support engagement and offers a framework to showcase the role of local VCSE infrastructure, and how the core functions relate directly to, and support the impact of, social prescribing.

social prescribers, SPHO

Impactful Social Prescribing Template Guidance Notes

This presentation template and accompanying guidance aim to increase the impact of social prescribing by creating stronger connections between local VCSE infrastructure organisations and stakeholders at a national, regional, system and place level. The presentation will support engagement and offers a framework to showcase the role of local VCSE infrastructure, and how the core functions relate directly to, and support the impact of, social prescribing.

Self-Assessment Development Guide for Social Prescribing Link Worker Host Organisations

This is a practical, day-to-day guide on how to develop and deliver a quality Social Prescribing Link Worker (SPLW) hosting service. This resource will help Primary Care Networks and SPLW host organisations establish, develop and maintain a sustainable and effective social prescribing scheme in their local area.

NHS Social Prescribing Link Worker Survey Results 2023

An overview of results from NHS England's survey of Social Prescribing Link Workers (2023)

Social Prescribing, SPLW

Racial Health Inequalities in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire: Local Routes to Change

The Race Health Inequalities Report, ‘Local Routes to Change’ is a culmination of the voices of people who attended Nottingham’s first ever Race Health Inequalities Summit in May 2023 and the community workshops that followed. It acts as a call to action for what is needed next to address health inequalities experienced in maternity care and mental healthcare but also the focus that is needed to tackle systemic issues which prevent minority ethnic communities from experiencing more equitable health outcomes.

race, health inequalities, maternity, mental health

Rapid Review of Local VCSE Infrastructure in Integrated Care

NHS England’s Voluntary Partnerships Team commissioned NAVCA to deliver a rapid review of the landscape of VCSE infrastructure organisations within 22 ICS areas not currently involved in its VCSE Leadership Programme. The review focused on understanding: the level and scope of VCSE infrastructure in each of the areas, including any provider alliances, infrastructure organisations or VCSE Leadership groups; its current role and experiences within the local system at each level (system, place and neighbourhood) and; how the programme might benefit from different models/approaches to working with VCSE infrastructure in these areas.

ICS, integrated care, VCSE Alliance

VCSE Healthcare Commissioning - NAVCA Conference 2024

These slides are from a workshop at the NAVCA Annual Conference 2024 on how we can improve collaboration in VCSE healthcare commissioning. The workshop was delivered by Angela Ellis Paine, Lecturer in Voluntary Sector Management at Bayes Business School (City University).

England’s Widening Health Gap: Local Places Falling Behind

IHE’s new report, ‘England’s Widening Health Gap: Local Places Falling Behind’, confirms widening inequalities in life expectancy between regions in England and within local authorities since 2010. These widening inequalities are associated with an average reduction in local authority spending power of 34 percent. The IHE has looked at every local authority in England and, for each, plotted levels of health, inequalities in health and cuts in their spending power. Local authorities fund many of the services e.g., housing, education and social care, which support or ameliorate the drivers of health inequalities.

health inequalities, health, deprivation, local authorities

Health Inequalities, Lives Cut Short January 2024

The report demonstrates that one million people in 90% of areas in England lived shorter lives than they should between 2011 and the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The calculations are from the number of excess deaths (the increase in the number of deaths beyond that would be expected) in the decade from 2011 in England. The cumulative impact of regressive funding cuts (which hit poorer areas more), associated with austerity, contributed to life expectancy failing to increase, and actually falling for women in the 10% of poorest areas, and health inequalities widening.

health inequalities, excess deaths, cuts, austerity

Redbridge Health Inequalities Data Pack

This data pack is designed to support VCSE organisations in preparing strong grant proposals for the Redbridge Health Inequalities Fund.

data, health inequalities, funding, fundraising, development work

UCAN Ticket Home Hospital Discharge Initiative

This report has been co-produced by staff from Uttlesford Community Action Network (UCAN) and social scientists at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) as part of a consultancy evaluation of a hospital discharge service provided by UCAN. It presents a summary analysis of the academic and policy literature relating to the challenges involved in the safe and timely discharge of patients from hospital, as well as an evaluation of the achievements and challenges entailed by UCAN in supporting safe and timely discharge of patients from Princess Alexandra Hospital (PAH), Harlow, to their homes across West Essex, from December 2022 to November 2023. Detailed information is provided on actions undertaken to support patients who were discharged by UCAN’s Ticket Home initiative.

Hospital Discharge, Resilient Discharge, Flow, Social Blockers

Check In and Chat service - Communications Toolkit for Charity Partners

This toolkit contains information about the Volunteer Responders Check In and Chat Service available this winter.

Check In and Chat service - how to make a referral

If your organisation does not offer a telephone support service, the NHS and Care Volunteer Responders’ Check In and Chat service is open for referrals. This letter from the Royal Voluntary Service lets you know how to make a referral.

ICBs cutting VCSE funds - news from the Health Service Journal

The Health Service journal recently published the news that 14 Integrated Care Boards are cutting spend on the voluntary sector. NAVCA has been quoted in the article, highlighting the risks of cutting funding to the VCSE sector.

Redbridge Reimagined: A VCSE sector partnership strategy to improve health and wellbeing and address inequity in health.

Redbridge Reimagined is the Redbridge VCSE sector’s strategy for improving health and wellbeing and addressing inequity in health. It explores how we can work differently with each other, with our statutory partners, and with local people, to create change together. The strategy was co-designed with 34 local VCSE organisations, with contributions from public sector partners from the council and the NHS.

health inequalities, integrated care systems, place-based partnerships

NAVCA summary of 10 Year Health Plan (4 July 2025)

The Plan sets out a reform agenda to address the NHS’s ongoing crisis, rebuild public trust, and secure sustainability. It proposes a ‘radical reimagining’ of the NHS, retaining its founding principles but fundamentally transforming how care is delivered. This summary document by NAVCA outlines the key details for the voluntary sector, including changes to Healthwatch and ICSs.