Summary
This month, the first in a series of roundtables brought together Greater Manchester Primary Care Provider Board and voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) leaders.
The first in a series of roundtable events between representatives from primary care and the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) sector took place in June.
The event was held to strengthen partnership working and enable members of Greater Manchester Primary Care Provider Board (PCB) and the Greater Manchester VCFSE Leadership Group to learn more about the governance, scale and operational models of each other.
During the event, they gained an appreciation for the strengths, challenges and achievements of each sector and established the following shared themes:
- There is a common purpose and vision for improving health and care for all communities across Greater Manchester
- The potential for better aligned delivery and infrastructure support
- How we might, in partnership, shape future models of delivery in Greater Manchester
They also considered the recent call for stronger integration across health systems, as discussed by the new Chief Executive of NHS England, Sir Jim Mackey, with NHS Confederation Chief Executive, Matthew Taylor, as part of a Health On the Line podcast.
Roundtable attendees also discussed how working together could help deliver national priorities set out by the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, at NHS ConfedExpo in Manchester, to radically improve population health approaches, systematically tackle inequality and create a better neighbourhood health system.
Those who attended the event left feeling that the PCB, working with primary care providers across the city region, and VCFSE leadership could bring collective expertise and strength to shared GM priorities, such as the Live Well programme, neighbourhood health services, and the design of prevention-focused services which deliver care closer to communities.
Further sessions are planned, aiming to turn shared ambition into practical collaboration that improves outcomes for communities across the region.
The roundtable event was co-chaired by Dr Tracey Vell MBE, Chief Officer of GM PCB, and Warren Escadale, Chair of the GM VCFSE Leaders Group.
Other representatives from the PCB also attended, along with VCFSE sector representatives including 10GM, the Alternative Provider Collaborative, the Mental Health Leaders Group, GM=EqAl, and cornerstone Greater Manchester organisations LGBT Foundation, Caribbean and African Health Network (CAHN), 42nd Street and Answer Cancer.
