National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme (NNHIP): Morecambe Bay Steering Group

An update from Phil Whiteley, NNHIP Morecambe Bay Steering Group Chair, Age UK South Cumbria CEO, South Cumbria Place Based Partnership & LSC VCFSE Alliance member.

Last year, the Morecambe Bay Trust was selected to be part of the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme (NNHIP)  by NHS England. Morecambe Bay was one of two local Trusts being selected; Blackburn with Darwen being the other.

Over the last twelve months, through this programme a number of partners including Health, Local Authority and VCFSE organisations have been working with national and local coaches to develop a number of initiatives under the programme. Whilst NNHIP has not come with any financial resource, it has provided an opportunity to consider a number of local initiatives that could inform how neighbourhood health may progress moving forward.

The Steering Group, chaired by Phil Whiteley, CEO for Age UK South Cumbria and vice-Chair of the South Cumbria Place Based Partnership, has embarked on a number of workstreams including development of shared care records, the future of ICCs, other initiatives such as the Integrated Wellness Service in Barrow, and cultural shifts within organisations to facilitate better digital connection. Whilst the NNHIP Programme is due to close at the end of October, at the last Steering Group meeting it was agreed that the activity generated as a result of Morecambe Bay’s involvement would be transitioned across into a wider Strategic Neighbourhood Health Programme. This involves linking in with work that had already been started and was being reporting to the NNHIP Steering Group in collaboration with the National Association of Primary Care (NAPC). Some may have already been involved in this work as a period of consultation has recently been undertaken with a number of senior leaders across all of the partners. This consultation exercise is continuing with operational leaders also being involved.

The Steering Group agreed that it was important to maintain the momentum that NNHIP had generated to ensure that local benefit could be realised and work to develop thinking around neighbourhood health could continue. There are some workshops coming up on the run up to Christmas where ideas and priorities for the next phase of the work can be discussed. Those dates, locations and themes will be finalised shortly. Attached are links to the meeting notes from the last meeting on 15th October along with some slides highlighting some of our discussions around ICCs and wider Neighbourhood Health. Should anyone want any further information or have any queries, please contact Phil at pwhiteley@ageuksouthcumbria.org.uk.