The strength in everyone’s voices

The Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care System (ICS) was inaugurated on 1st July 2022, with a Board (ICB) responsible for managing the NHS budget and an Integrated Care Partnership Committee (ICP) responsible for improving local health, care and wellbeing. The Committee meets bi-monthly and brings together all system partners to develop strategy for health, public health and social care and there are 10 seats designated to the voluntary sector.

In this case study we hear from Rachel Jennings – Communities Lead at Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Partnership Secretariat about establishing the Suffolk and North East Essex (SNEE) ICS VCFSE Assembly which was launched in March 2023, building upon the work of an existing ICS network of Voluntary, Community, Faith, and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) leaders that had been meeting since the pandemic. The assembly of 140 voluntary sector organisations is a key part of the ICS and is a platform where the voluntary sector can contribute to wider system discussions which feed into the ICB, providing the right foundations for the voluntary sector to be an equal partner.

We also listen to insights from Tara Spence – Chief Executive Officer at Home-Start Suffolk who has been a member of the steering group since its inception. The establishment of the VCFSE Assembly drew heavily on Home-Start Suffolk’s partnership with Suffolk County Council to deliver their service and has learnt a lot from the model and close partnership that has proven to be successful.

Find more resources for taking an open and trusting approach in public agencies by visiting www.ivar.org.uk/open-and-trusting-for-public-agencies