Community collaboration for better health equity
Members come together at a number of forums to engage with and consult each other on health and care services and initiatives on an ongoing basis.
Alliance members are made up of representatives from relevant boards and groups—that cover the seven portfolios of health as defined by the ICS in their five-year plan—are by election, and these are:
Community Based Approach
It’s the already embedded VCSE groups that know their communities best, and they’re the best route to finding out what the people in those communities really need, and which portfolios are in most need of consultation. By engaging fully with the voluntary sector, health and care authorities can fully understand the needs of local residents and shape their services and initiatives accordingly.
This community-based approach to health and wellbeing not only supports the health and care agenda for the area, but it’s also extremely empowering for the voluntary sector, knowing that by simply being heard, they’re helping to improve the health and wellbeing of people in their communities.
The overarching aim of the Healthy Communities Alliance is to increase health equity across Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire through these community-based approaches and by engaging with VCSE organisations through a number of agreed forums, networks, meetings, and partnerships. These forums and networks are a space to come together to inform, engage, consult, and empower one another in relevant health and care structures, relationships, policy, and practice.
The current forums are based on locality or theme
Locality forums:
- Southeast Staffordshire
- Southwest Staffordshire
- Stoke & North Staffordshire
Thematic Forums:
- Countywide Mental Health
- Countywide Children & Families
Collaboration, Contribution, Cooperation:
The Alliance nurtures the developing working relationships between organisations and across sectors to form a strong collective voice for the VCSE sector, increasing the role and influence with statutory health and care bodies’ strategic thinking and decision making, creating a culture of collaboration and using the voluntary sector’s knowledge, skills, and expertise to address health inequalities across Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire.
It’s built upon five ‘Principles of Cooperation’:
- Contribution, Inclusion and Respect
- Commitment to Staffordshire & Stoke on Trent Communities
- Openness & Transparency
- Learning and Sharing Good and Best Practice
- Continuous Quality Improvement
how to join
To become a member of the Healthy Communities Alliance, organisations must read and sign-up to the
Co-operation Agreement: