London Plus: Health Co-creation Impact Tool pilot – callout for participants

Background

The development of the new Integrated Care Systems (ICS) requires the NHS to work more closely with the VCSE, (NHS England » Working in partnership with people and communities: Statutory guidance). It is also important for the NHS to collaborate more with the voluntary sector due to a growing understanding of the social factors that affect health and as a way to tackle health inequalities in communities. This is a big culture change and requires an understanding and appreciation by both sectors of how they operate and what is important to them, including how to measure the impact of activities that might be commissioned or delivered.

As these ICS structures are so new and involving the voluntary sector in their partnerships is a requirement, now seems a good time to start to have conversations with each of the sectors to co-create something together that will not only measure the impact of activities delivered by the voluntary sector to help with commissioning, but start to shift the culture and understanding between the two around their understanding of health. This has traditionally been a barrier. The learning from this pilot will help inform understanding of how the NHS works more effectively with VCSE, understands its impact and how we can get funding allocated more readily to different parts of the sector.

We would like to understand what impact tools are being used currently and what NHS commissioners look for from the VCSE when deciding what gets delivered and commissioned. This information will help decide what impact tool might be useful for both sides and could be co-created, leading to better sustainable investment. Along with our partners Civil Society Consulting and Greater London Authority we would like to understand what impact tools are being used currently and what NHS commissioners look for from the VCSE when deciding what gets delivered and commissioned. We want to co-design a tool that community-led organisations can use to clearly demonstrate the benefits of their work.

We propose focusing the pilot on arts organisations in the South East London ICS areas to co create a health tool.

Why is this Needed?

The arts sector traditionally struggles to get funded for health and doesn’t always have the time to articulate its impact as widely as it could. They also have a role to play in supporting people most at risk of experiencing health inequalities and who don’t access the GP. Commissioners don’t always understand the value that arts can bring to communities health and wellbeing.

By co-creating what outcomes for health and wellbeing look like, this tool will support relationship development and shared understanding between arts organisations and statutory services; including demonstrating the value of the arts regarding the impact they could make on NHS service delivery.

It will also help in negotiations with the NHS with regards to resource allocation, create more choice for patients and help describe the impact of what health and wellbeing outcomes in the arts look like on the ground.

The Ask

We want to recruit 15 x arts organisations or those who deliver arts activities from across South East London boroughs to a series of workshops with the NHS to help them understand what outcomes for health look like in the arts as part of commissioning at borough level. The tool will primarily be created for arts organisations to use to support their work and show its impact.

We particularly want to work with those organisations who deliver arts activities and work with people with mental health problems, Black, Asian and Caribbean communities, refugee and migrants, homeless, LGBTQ or people from Global South. i.e. those most likely to experience health inequalities.

The work

The project will be from Jan 24-May/June 24. (dates tbc) and you will be renumerated for your time.

Through a series of workshops/interviews alongside the NHS, you will co-create a health tool to shape what outcomes look like for use by arts organisations and as part of commissioning at borough level.

To find out more or to express your interest in taking part please contact stephanie@londonplus.org