First-of-its-kind agreement strengthens partnership between primary care and Greater Manchester’s VCFSE sector

Bringing primary care and the VCFSE sector together

The agreement is the product of a series of roundtables held over the last 18 months, bringing together leaders from primary care and the VCFSE sector, and is believed to be the first of its kind in the country.

GMPCB brings together all four primary care disciplines across community pharmacy, dentistry, general practice, and optometry, representing the 1800+ primary care providers whose services are most often people’s first point of contact with the health system.

The GM VCFSE Leadership Group represents a sector embedded in communities across Greater Manchester. VCFSE organisations bring deep community reach, trusted relationships and expertise in supporting prevention, wellbeing and social connection.

Shared commitments to tackle health inequalities

Together, the Board and Leadership Group have agreed a set of shared commitments that will guide how they work together and with the communities they serve to tackle health inequalities, strengthen neighbourhood-led support and improve the health and wellbeing of residents. These include:

• Tackle health inequalities and reduce inequity across Greater Manchester.
• Put people and communities in control of their own health and wellbeing through collaboration and co-production.
• Use public funds in an environmental, economic and socially responsible way.
• Demonstrate the significant social and economic value of the VCFSE sector and primary care.
• Build stronger, more sustainable organisations and partnerships.
• Take an asset-based approach that focuses on community strengths and solutions.

Building a stronger, more collaborative system

As Greater Manchester moves forward with the national Prevention Demonstrator programme and the implementation of the Live Well model, both primary care and the VCFSE sector are critical to successful delivery.

By working together in this way, we can more effectively deliver the system changes required to improve health and wellbeing, strengthen communities and help achieve Greater Manchester’s ambitions for prevention and neighbourhood-led support.

This partnership has enabled both sectors to explore a wider (and embryonic) Greater Manchester provider collaboration with our acute, foundation and specialist trusts, public health and social care leads, and the two sectors are also working with Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board (ICB) to develop a Greater Manchester Market Development Strategy for the VCFSE sector.

Leaders welcome the joint commitment

Warren Escadale, Chair of the GM VCFSE Leadership Group said: “The roundtables held over recent months have illustrated the significant overlap between our respective priorities. We are clear that working closely together will be a prerequisite for the successful neighbourhood-led implementation of our Greater Manchester Live Well model and the prevention demonstrator.”

“We also recognise our duty to the people of Greater Manchester to work collaboratively to realise the ambitions of the NHS 10-year plan, including the delivery of a system-wide, focused approach to prevention.”

Don McGrath, Chair of Greater Manchester Primary Care Provider Board added: “We are delighted to be entering into this joint commitment with our VCFSE colleagues, recognising the potential that this partnership offers to join up service provision and offer the alternative forms of system leadership that we believe will be needed to deliver on the ambitions of our wider GM partnership.”