Sector voices shape draft VCFSE and NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Memorandum of Understanding

Place-led engagement

A draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) sector and NHS Cheshire and Merseyside has been developed following a place-led engagement process with parters across the local health and care system.

Around 170 organisations took part in place-led workshops and over 80 people completed an online survey in the engagement exercise led by Cheshire & Merseyside (C&M) VCFSE Alliance. Partners across health and care had the opportunity to share their experiences, priorities and ambitions for strengthening partnership working between the VCFSE sector and the local NHS.

The newly published engagement report demonstrates how feedback from VCFSE organisations has directly informed the draft agreement.  The priorities identified by VCFSEs through the engagement were echoed by the views of non-sector respondents from the local NHS, councils and others, providing a shared foundation for the proposed Memorandum of Understanding and reinforcing a collective ambition to strengthen partnership working across Cheshire and Merseyside.

Six key themes

Key themes emerging from the engagement included:

• Establishing a genuinely equal partnership between the VCFSE sector and the NHS, moving beyond a traditional commissioner and provider relationship.
• Building relationships based on trust, mutual respect and transparency, using the Civil Society Covenant as a foundation while reflecting local priorities.
• Supporting sustainable partnership working through multi year, inflation linked funding, realistic notice periods and full cost recovery.
• Embedding VCFSE representation at every level of system governance, with paid involvement where appropriate.
• Extending the agreement beyond the ICB to include local authorities, provider trusts, primary care and other partners, complementing existing place based agreements rather than replacing them.
• Backing the agreement with clear accountability so the MoU becomes a practical framework for action rather than simply a statement of intent.

NHS Cheshire and Merseyside is now formally considering the draft MoU and engagement report, after they were agreed by C&M VCFSE Alliance. The alliance brings together the Liverpool City Region and Cheshire and Warrington infrastructure partnerships – VS6 and CWIP – alongside C&M Health & Care Leaders group.

Thank you to everyone who contributed their time, insight and experience to this important piece of work. The engagement process has helped ensure that the draft agreement reflects the voices and priorities of VCFSE organisations across Cheshire and Merseyside.

View the draft MoU

View the engagement report