WCVA’s Health and Care Project has received renewed funding for the next two years.
The Health and Care Project, funded by Welsh Government since 2022, aims to better integrate voluntary sector organisations and volunteers into the health and social care system, while connecting the sector with decision-makers. Since its launch, the Project has made significant strides, working to enhance relationships, volunteering, and support across the health and care system.
David Cook, WCVA Health and Social Care Project Officer, celebrates the Project’s achievements since 2022 and looks at what’s coming as part of Phase 2 of the Project.
BUILDING THE FOUNDATIONS
The groundwork for the Project was laid during the early months of 2022, with the team officially in place by June of that year. The development of a ‘problem tree’ analysis and Theory of Change marked the initial strategic approach to identifying key challenges and aligning efforts across sectors. These efforts helped shape a clear vision for our work.
STRENGTHENING COLLABORATION
One of the Project’s major goals is the continued development and strengthening of networks. Since its inception, the Project has hosted numerous meetings of the Voluntary Sector Health and Social Care Planning Group. These meetings have been instrumental in fostering collaboration across the sector and, thanks to regular additional meetings with the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and his Ministers, with Welsh Government. We also have the Helpforce Cymru network as part of our Project, which brings together people interested in developing volunteering to benefit health and social care in Wales.
Highlights from Helpforce Cymru’s first phase include:
- Co-production of a new Charter for volunteering and workplace relationships.
- Working with three Health Boards to develop new services to evaluate and establish the role of volunteering within end-of-life care. Published outputs are on the Helpforce Cymru website and feature in a UK project report.
- Co-production of a Framework for volunteering in health and social care to embed volunteering within local ‘ecosystems’ of planning, delivery and support.
- Co-production of an information sheet, ‘Volunteering in Health and Social Care: standards and learning resources’, to provide a common reference for volunteer induction and training.
- Launch of a ‘Volunteer to Career’ pilot programme, to develop links between volunteering within the NHS and career development.
- Aneurin Bevan University Health Board was awarded grant funding to develop ‘volunteer to career’ pathways based on ward befriending.
The Project’s collaboration with influential organisations such as the Bevan Commission has resulted in valuable reports on the contribution of volunteers and the voluntary sector to health and social care in Wales. These are the papers The values and value of volunteering: our hidden asset and The values and value of the third sector in health and social care.
A particularly unique contribution of the Health and Care Project has been its collaboration with Social Care Wales to develop a Compassionate Leadership programme. This initiative, which brings together leaders from both the voluntary and public sectors, fosters a culture of compassionate care that is essential in health and social care settings.
INFLUENCING POLICY
A key objective of the Project is to influence policy priorities in Wales, and the team has actively participated in key policy-related meetings. These have included discussions around the development of a National Care Service, the National Framework for Rebalancing Care, and the National Framework for Social Prescribing. The Project has also worked with Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) and Social Care Wales (SCW) to include a ‘volunteer to career’ pathway in SCW’s workforce development plan.
The success of the volunteering in care homes pilot project, led by Age Cymru, has prompted discussions on scaling the initiative across the country. Similarly, a strategic partnership with MacMillan Cancer Support – now concluded – enhanced access to cancer information and support at community level.
RAISING AWARENESS
Engagement with the wider public has been a priority. The Project delivered events on topics ranging from volunteering in health and social care to digital healthcare solutions. In collaboration with Digital Health and Care Wales and Cwmpas, the Project co-sponsored a Third Sector Digital Healthcare Summit, further positioning the third sector as a key contributor to innovative healthcare solutions.
The Project has also produced valuable resources, including an infographic showcasing the size, scale, and value of third sector organisations and unpaid carers in the health and social care system in Wales. Furthermore, it published briefing papers and consultation responses, ensuring that the voice of the voluntary sector is heard in policy-making circles.
WHAT’S NEXT?
As the Project moves forward, the focus remains on deepening its impact across the health and social care sectors. We’ll continue our regular work, convening meetings, promoting cross-sectoral collaboration, raising awareness of issues affecting voluntary sector organisations in the health and care space, and much more. We’re beginning Phase 2 of the Project with a refresh of our Theory of Change, but we’ve started work on a number of other new ventures besides that.
We’ll be:
- Working with University of South Wales on a project to identify the economic value the work of voluntary sector organisations brings to the health and social care sector.
- Hosting an event at gofod3 which will bring together voluntary sector representatives on Regional Partnership Boards, with the aim of establishing a permanent network to truly enhance the sector’s voice on RPBs.
- Collaborating with the National Commissioning Board on a project to support the process of building alliances for commissioning services in Wales.
Helpforce Cymru has its own new plans, such as:
- Supporting ‘adopt and spread’ of successfully piloted volunteering roles.
- Exploring how volunteering can link with the workforce agenda and with career opportunities in health and care.
- Co-production of shared e-learning resources in collaboration with national partners.
- Development of the volunteering infrastructure for social care in partnership with key stakeholders, influencing health board strategic developments in volunteering.
- Create national volunteering data sources in collaboration with partner organisations.
- Conducting prevention research, specifically focusing on components related to volunteering.
And that’s just to start. We can’t wait to get fully under way on Phase 2 of the Project’s work. With more developments on the horizon, we hope our future achievements can help further improve the resilience of the voluntary sector’s role in the health and care system in Wales.
FIND OUT MORE
If you’d like to find out more or get involved in our work, you can visit the Project web page, or drop us a line at healthandcare@wcva.cymru.