I became a volunteer for Healthwatch West Sussex in 2013 and joined the staff team in 2017 as the Community Partnership Lead. A unique role to develop partnerships of ‘common purpose’, a shared vision on what is needed and how to achieve this, for example general collection of insight engagement, talks, joint reports, shared endorsements, and greater reach for publications on webpages and databases, joint social media, joint delivery of projects and events.
At a time when our health and care system is changing to an integrated care base, it is recognised that we need to deliver care and services in a holistic way – one where users are at the center of the service and the focus is on the ‘whole person’.
The Voluntary Community Social Enterprise sector is a key strategic partner in an Integrated Care System and an important contributor in shaping, improving, and delivering services. This transformation is supported by organisations working in partnership together as they can be more innovative.