Ground-breaking scheme aims to sign up 20,000 ‘cancer champions’ to save lives
A new movement bringing together 20,000 ‘cancer champions’ to step up the fight against cancer across Greater Manchester is calling for people to get involved. Cancer champions use their experience, knowledge and passion to support those at risk of developing cancer and those recently diagnosed with the disease. You can get involved by signing up here.
Cancer survival rates are improving across Greater Manchester. In 2000, the chance of surviving a year after diagnosis in Greater Manchester was 58 per cent. The gap has closed in recent years and the survival rate in 2013 stood at 69.9 per cent, just under the national average. The aim for Greater Manchester is to increase that rate to 75 per cent or higher by 2020.
However, there is still a lot to do. Although survival rates are up, due to our ageing population the number of people being diagnosed with cancer in Greater Manchester is growing. In 2014, 14,500 people were diagnosed with cancer, compared with 13,600 in 2011. In 2013, 6,700 died from the disease.
But we are in a better position to fight cancer than ever before. We know that up to 40 per cent of cancers are preventable through lifestyle changes. We also know that cancers that have been diagnosed at an early stage, before they have had the chance to get too big or spread, are more likely to be treated successfully. This new initiative aims to help support people take charge of their own health and wellbeing, and help those with cancer get diagnosed and treated earlier.
A wide range of voluntary sector organisations are working together to lead this work, funded and coordinated by Greater Manchester Vanguard Innovation, part of Greater Manchester Cancer, the cancer programme of Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, and also jointly funded by NHS England.
The work focuses on supporting new and existing cancer champions who will get involved in their local communities. They will share messages that will help reduce adult smoking rates and other unhealthy behaviours that increase a person’s risk of getting cancer, prevent avoidable cancer deaths by encouraging people to take up cancer screening invitations or go to their GP if they have symptoms they are worried about. They will also get feedback from people to help improve patients’ experience of cancer treatment and care.
Cancer champion Gilbert Morgan, who was given the all-clear from prostate cancer in 2014, said: ‘It’s easy to get involved and it’s very rewarding to be able to help people look after themselves.’
‘I’ve been a cancer champion for a couple of years now and it’s a great way of raising people’s awareness because the people you are talking to know and trust you.’
‘You don’t need any skills, qualifications or any special knowledge of cancer to be a cancer champion. It’s about real people talking to real people, and it really does make a difference.’
As a cancer champion, you can become involved in a very wide range of activities, including:
- Becoming a volunteer with a local community group to get more people talking about how to prevent cancer
- Using your experiences to talk about cancer prevention, even just with friends and family
- Visiting events and communities to find new ways to talk about cancer prevention
If this sounds like something you would like to get involved in, something you are doing and want to connect to others, and you want to help save lives, sign up by visiting our cancer champion sign up page. It’s free, you can do it in your spare time and training opportunities will be made available.
Lord Peter Smith, Chair of Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership Board said:
‘Devolution in Greater Manchester has given us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to undertake this pioneering work on a scale that has not been attempted before.’
‘I’m delighted that so many volunteers are getting involved and using their personal experiences to engage others. This is another example of Greater Manchester leading the way in adopting new approaches to critical health issues.’
Jane Pilkington, Deputy Director of Population Health at Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership and Vanguard Innovation Prevention Lead, said:
‘We are very excited about this programme. We plan to connect and support the energy of groups of people across the community to make our cancer champions movement a success. Eventually it will develop its own momentum and we are confident that, as a result, we will see continued improvements in cancer outcomes and care for the people of Greater Manchester.’
MoU between GM Health & Social Care Partnership an the VCSE sector in Greater Manchester
The flyer below provides a summary of the Memorandum of Understanding between GM Health & Social Care Partnership an the VCSE sector in Greater Manchester. This builds upon the work by the VCSE Devolution Reference Group, over the past year in supporting the partnership in its goals for improving health and wellbeing in Greater Manchester.
The MoU was negotiated by the VCSE Devolution Reference Group on behalf of the sector in Greater Manchester, to which VSNW provides the secretariat. You contact us for more information on it or you can find out more about our work on devolution here.
Third Sector Trends in the North West of England
Tony Chapman, honorary professor at the University of Durham, has produced a report in partnership with IPPR North regarding third sector trends across the North and the North West of England.
The statistics produced from the report showed that across the North West, 133,000 people are in full-time employment combined with 430,000 volunteers contributing 30 million hours (per annum), worth between £475m and £816m. The total GVA from these figures equates to £2.5bn.
Across the north as a whole, statistics showed that 233,000 people are in full-time employment combined with 930,000 volunteers contributing 66 million hours (per annum) with a total GVA of £5.4bn.
Number of full-time employees and volunteers working in the voluntary sector
Not only does the data highlight the number of people involved within the sector; it also indicates the contribution from the North West to the region as a whole. These figures highlight the value and importance of the voluntary sector across the North not only at a fiscal level, but also in showing the amount of hours that volunteers invest over the year.
As the report concludes, one of the main strengths of the sector is its sheer size as a whole; as well as the strength of the positive relationships between organisations (both formal and informal), between TSOs and with the public and private sector; and the crucial role of volunteers in sustaining third sector activity.
It is because of these strengths that the sector continues to show great resilience and the capacity to adapt in the face of a stagnating economy, increasing demand, and the continuation of the government’s austerity agenda.
The full report is available here
VSNW and infrastructure partners in the North West have supported the research conducted by and thank groups who contributed towards the project.
Setting the Mayoral Agenda
Mike Wild, Chief Executive at MACC
Why we need an alchemist with a practical working knowledge of doughnut
With mayoral elections for Greater Manchester and five areas across England fast approaching, how are people supposed to judge who is the best fit for a role which is so little understood? Candidates are left both trying to market the role itself and to prove their capability of taking it on.
As a member of the Greater Manchester VCSE sector Devolution Reference Group I have been in various meetings with candidates, pressing the case for a collaborative relationship with the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector. Of course, that is not an end in itself: the outcome we are seeking is a shared ambition to eradicate inequality in Greater Manchester in a generation. It is an unashamedly big ask. We have no expectation that the mayor will be able to deliver on it alone: it is the collaboration which will be crucial. It will be fundamental to the role because the Greater Manchester Mayor is not the same role as the London Mayor, simply an 11th member of the combined authority – not above or below but alongside.
The mayor will hold considerable ‘soft power’, with the largest electoral mandate in the North West, a built-in political and media profile when he or she speaks and the potential to shape the conversation. Whoever is elected will suddenly become the face of ‘Devo Manc’ and surely a key figure in the ‘northern powerhouse’.
They will need the skills of an alchemist and have to create a potent brew from these various powers, connections and expectations. With no formal authority on many matters, delivering on a public mandate will require the mayor to work collectively. So far, the public sector reform agenda has focused too much on the redesign of services and not enough on the remaking of the institutions which provide them.The mayor’s office could be the model for a new culture of working and lay out the path for the combined authority and other public bodies to follow. The challenge will be making sure the mayor remains an effective catalyst: if the role becomes about taking the credit rather than enabling, its potential will be unfulfilled. If it only enables but never gets any credit, it will quickly be perceived as pointless and ineffective. The alchemy will be in blending some new balance in civic leadership.
The mayor will need to address inequalities within Greater Manchester: the ‘doughnut effect’ where the central area is (perceived to be) wealthy, surrounded by more deprived boroughs. Will redistribution within Greater Manchester be politically acceptable? With a city-region-wide electorate to answer to, the mayor will need a long term view and an understanding of the bigger picture. Nonetheless, he or she is will also need to be visibly improving the lives of those who live in, work in, study in or simply visit Greater Manchester.
There are lessons from Wales: I am impressed with the ambition in the Welsh Government’s 2015 Wellbeing of Future Generations Act. This places a duty on all public bodies to show how decisions are made with consideration of the economy, environment, society and culture. The statement that all four aspects are of value and reframe what is meant by ‘success’ or ‘growth’ is a bold ambition from which Greater Manchester could learn. This is a similar idea to challenge of the ‘Raworth Doughnut’ a view proposed by the economist Kate Raworth. She argues that the new model must lie between a socially essential minimum and the limit of natural resources:
If we want to get anywhere near to eradicating inequality within a generation, this is the transmutation we need in the way we see Greater Manchester, how we work together in it and how it is shared and seen by everyone. Our first mayor might do well to start by putting two doughnuts together.
You can read the rest of the publication here
New VSNW publication: Devolution and Beyond
A new publication by VSNW, Devolution and Beyond, compiles essays from leading thinkers and operators in devolution, exploring how the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector can be involved, in the context of the upcoming mayoral elections in May 2017, the UK's departure from the EU, and the emerging inclusive growth agenda.
With thanks to our contributors:
- Mike Wild (Macc)
- Ceri Hughes and Ruth Lupton (Inclusive Growth Analysis Unit)
- Gill Bainbridge (Merseyside Youth Association)
- Fay Selvan (Big Life Group)
- Atif Shafique (Royal Society of the Arts)
- Neil McInroy (Centre for Local Economic Strategies)
- Sean Anstee (Greater Manchester Combined Authority)
- Simone Spray (42nd Street)
- Garth Hodgkinson (Community CVS)
- Carolyn Otley (Cumbria Third Sector Network)
- Kathy Evans (Children England)
- Jim McMahon MP (Shadow Minister for Local Government and Devolution)
You can download Devolution and Beyond from our publications page
Event: Leading in Learning Lunchtime Seminar
This free lunchtime workshop is for Trustees and Leaders of Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) training and learning providers operating in the North West of England.
The aim is to provide a legal and policy overview in order to inform effective leadership and governance.
This is a partnership event between VSNW, the NW Association of Colleges, and Bates Wells & Braithwaite consultancy and legal practice.
Leading in Learning - Agenda
12.00- Lunch and networking
12.30 Welcome and introductions – Warren Escadale, VSNW Chief Executive
12.40 Julian Blake, Partner and Joint Head of Charity & Social Enterprise, Bates Wells Braithwaite
Legal high-level overview of the roles and responsibilities of leaders and trustees of learning and training providers. On booking, participants will have the chance to shape content. The intention is to look beyond the basic principles of governance, and the tendency to highlight risk, to a balanced perspective highlighting the proactive aspects of leading a learning provider.
1.40 Q&A
2.00 Richard Caulfield, Director NW Association of Colleges, and Warren Escadale
The VCSE training and learning provider landscape is undergoing yet another fundamental shift. This session will provide an overview of the developing policy context looking in particular at the challenges and potential opportunities.
2.40 Q&A
3.00 Close/Informal discussions about next steps
Address: Warrington Gateway, 85-101 Sankey Street, Warrington Wa1 1SR, 27th March 2017, Noon-3.15pm
To book for your place go to http://bit.do/LiLLs
Singing in the City 2017 is back!
Want to join our incredible line up?
On Sunday 16 July the Manchester Royal Exchange Theatre’s famous Great Hall will play host to a FREE singing and wellbeing extravaganza Singing in the City. This event has been developed for health and care staff, patients, carers and the public to encourage greater public engagement and understanding of health and wellbeing. The 2017 event will bring together a multitude of NHS, workplace and community choirs to showcase their work to each other and the public in order to encourage new people to get involved in singing. Singing in the City reflects the value placed on singing as a vehicle to promote both community and workplace wellbeing as well as supporting effective public engagement around health.
Singing in the City 2017 is a key element of a collaborative regional learning campaign now known as Learning Matters in Health and Care. Led by Voluntary Sector North West (VSNW) - the voluntary sector network for the region - this campaign brings partners and collaborators together from across the healthcare sector. Learning Matters is delivered in partnership with Health Education England (HEE) - the workforce development arm of the NHS working across the North West.
Get involved
If you have a choir and want to get involved or would just like to know more please contact Jo Ward by email: nwadultlearningconsortium@gmail.com or by telephone:07708 428096. Please note places go fast.
Producer, Amy Jane Clewes, at the Royal Exchange said, “We’re really excited about bringing together some of the wonderful amateur choirs from across the North West for a fantastic celebration of singing.”
North West Health and Care Awards: just four weeks left to nominate
The Learning Matters Challenge!
Just four weeks left to identify innovative people and creative ideas that are transforming healthcare in the North West through asset based approaches.
Learning Matters is a new, regional learning campaign and awards programme led by Voluntary Sector North West (VSNW) - the voluntary sector network for the region. Learning Matters is delivered in partnership with Health Education England (HEE) working across the North West- the workforce development arm of the NHS.
VSNW is looking to recognise and celebrate innovative examples of asset based community development in any healthcare context as part of their commitment to Learning Matters. The Learning Matters campaign partnership straddles the public, private and third sector bringing healthcare people together. It is all about working better together by effectively sharing knowledge and increasing understanding of what works and why.
VSNW is particularly keen to hear about projects and key people who are unlocking talent in our communities. This might include:
- activity which spotlights prevention and self-management agendas through peer support and mentoring; or by creatively promoting health coaching
- shifting power, to patients and the public, by the provision of better information and advice
- activity with a commitment to reduce health inequality and deliver social value
- harnessing or creating digital opportunities.
Warren Escadale, Chief Executive of VSNW, said: “In this category, we’re particularly interested in how nominees are supporting and empowering community-led activity, with the potential to drive health improvement.”
Can you help VSNW to identify key people and key activity which is making a difference to healthcare in the North West so we can tell this story, learn from it and inspire others. Your healthcare stories can be told using any relevant Learning Matters award nomination category See: https://www.vsnw.org.uk/nw-health-awards-2017 Nominations are open until 12 noon on 10 April. So we need you to nominate now!
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Learning Matters! You tell us why
The search is on for people and projects where individual and organisational learning is driving development and transforming the health and care sector in the North West.
Voluntary Sector North West (VSNW) and Health Education England (HEE) are proud to announce a new joint regional award programme and learning campaign, Learning Matters, to celebrate all kinds of learning across the health and care sector. You can nominate people: colleagues, volunteers or patients where their learning is really making a difference; or projects which are applying learning in any given context. Nominations will showcase the impact of learning on people and organisations in order to inspire others. They will importantly, acknowledge and say thank you to those who go that extra mile. Show your support by taking the time to nominate. Help us tell people why Learning Matters so much to everyone.
This joint campaign led by VSNW, recognises the contribution that adult learning makes to individual, community and economic wellbeing. It will emphasise the importance the awards’ partnership places on the need to develop and harness all talent. It will highlight what can be done to enable the health and care system to support people to have the knowledge, skills and confidence to play an active role in managing their own health; and how to work effectively with communities and their assets. Learning Matters will also demonstrate the fundamental role of learning in reducing health inequalities and how the sector can use leverage to add social value.
Warren Escadale, CEO VSNW said, ’Together with HEE we will be jointly celebrating and promoting Learning Matters because we believe learning is good for people, the sector and the region. But we need your help to identify staff and volunteers, working in and across the whole of the health and care sector, who have been transformed by learning and who can inspire others to give learning a go. We’d also like to hear about projects and activity where learning is shared and it is changing the way we think and what we do in the sector.’
The Learning Matters awards launch on Friday 03 February 2017. They will recognise people and projects in public, voluntary or private sector organisations; in all kinds of job roles not just those with direct care responsibility. This includes those working in an unpaid and volunteer capacity. These awards will reflect the diversity of learning and the range of responsibilities across the whole of the health and care sector. The award categories themselves will include a celebration of the role and value of apprenticeships for all ages. They will highlight important first steps into the sector. They will spotlight regional talent and shout about career development and progression. And they will provide an insight into how people in the sector support each other.
The Learning Matters team is also pleased to announce a number of sponsored awards which will celebrate innovation and regional ingenuity. These awards will have an eye on underlining the importance of supporting new care models, driving adoption of innovation, innovative community asset based development, patient, carer and public engagement, widening participation in healthcare education, prevention, digital health, personalised care and social prescribing. Your nominations will tell us how.
Nominations are open from 03 February until 12 noon on Monday 10 April 2017
For full details on all these awards and how to get nominating simply follow the link below.