Singing in the City 4: Celebrating the NHS 70

A nationwide event at various venues including The Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester

Sunday 8 July 2018, 11.30am - 4pm

Singing in the City 4 will bring many diverse choirs together to perform for each other and the public, drawing on all kinds of music genres. The principle of this event is simple; singing is good for you, whether you perform or listen. The event is FREE to both choirs that take part and for the public to attend. It's supported by the North West Social Prescribing Network, which advocates the benefits of non-clinical interventions in their role of promoting wellbeing and recovery, and is a volunteer-led event sponsored by Voluntary Sector North West.**

This year's event marks the NHS' 70th anniversary since it began and this event is a celebration of workplace wellbeing initiatives in the NHS. To mark the occasion, the event is moving to a unique new venue and extending its programme. A composer and a songwriter have produced a specially-written score and lyrics to encourage mass participation in these celebrations.

Learn and perform a new song that celebrates NHS 70

Choirs that would like to join Singing in the City will still have the opportunity to sing a set of songs reflecting their own unique style and repertoire. The specially commissioned song, We Will Overcome, can also be accessed and downloaded for FREE at the links below. All the choirs will perform this song together on the day under the direction of the Singing in the City MD. You can listen to this composition below to give you an idea of the melody that you use as a basis.

Develop a performance anywhere

Choirs that can't make it on 8 July can still download We Will Overcome (both the song and music) for FREE and develop their own performances.

Write your own lyrics for NHS 70

Choirs who are participating on 8 July are also invited to write their own lyrics to an NHS 70 music score. Choirs that are registered can then compete with each other on the day to see who has created the finest new lyrical composition. Any choirs who are not involved on the day can still write their own lyrics to demonstrate local talent and creativity.

Want to get involved at the Whitworth?

Choirs who want to join the Whitworth event on 8 July just need to register to secure a place on the day. The deadline for registration is this Friday 27 April to ensure all choirs have sufficient time to learn We Will Overcome, the NHS 70 song. Choirs who also want to write their own lyrics just need to register for the Whitworth NHS 70 song writing competition at the same time.

How to mark the NHS 70 day in your community

NHS England has set up a website to support public engagement with celebrations. They encourage people to celebrate the NHS 70 wherever they live or work, and especially for any choirs to get involved throughout 2018.

Here are your FREE downloads:

• The NHS 70 song We Will Overcome (music and words)
• The We Will Overcome music if you are writing your own lyrics
• The We Will Overcome bass score
• The We Will Overcome mezzo soprano score
• The We Will Overcome soprano score
• The We Will Overcome tenor score

Contact

To get started contact the Singing in the City team and tell them how you'd like to be involved. Simply email: admin@jowardchangemaker.org.uk or telephone Jo on 07708 428096. Jo will also provide a simple toolkit and advice to support you to develop your event if you are hosting your own.

*Copyright notice: The composer Jake Few and song writer Kirstin Paisley Pearce have granted a time limited FREE not for profit licence for anyone wishing to celebrate the NHS 70 throughout 2018 with their score and/or lyrics. The licence allows choirs to perform the piece with live singers in any event associated with the NHS 70th anniversary, and also record the piece professionally, as long as it's within the context of an event and it is not-for-profit.

**Organisations that would like to become members of VSNW can register here.

Winners announced for Learning Matters Health and Care Awards 2017

As part of the joint regional award programme and learning campaign between Voluntary Sector North West (VSNW) and Health Education England (HEE), the Learning Matters Awards celebrates all kinds of learning across the health and care sector. We are pleased to announce the thirteen winners, who will receive their awards at the ceremony on Monday 15th June.

The nominations they reviewed reflected a diversity of people and projects in the NHS, local authorities, the voluntary and private sector. They encompassed clinicians, carers, patients and the public in both paid and volunteer roles. They featured people taking their first steps into work and education, those who tirelessly volunteer year after year and people who selflessly and skilfully support the development of others.

These nominations all had one thing in common. They were all outstanding examples of the benefits of any investment in learning and development for people and organisations. They all illustrated just how and why adult learning is good for people and – importantly for everyone in the health and care sector – especially the patients and service users. The impact of this learning was transformational for all those involved. Award categories reflected the concerns and priorities of all award partners and sponsors through a number of overarching themes. This meant the award categories guaranteed a richness of nominations which then subsequently provided an incredibly powerful narrative of what success looks like in health and care for the region.

The awards are part of a cross sector adult learning campaign which recognises the contribution that adult learning makes to individual, community and economic wellbeing as well as the continued development of the health and care sector. The overarching theme is simple: lifelong learning is good for people, organisations and health.

““We are proud to be working with Health Education England and their partners to deliver the 2017 Learning Matters Awards in Health and Care. We have taken great pride in leading this year’s awards development. We believe it is more important than ever to recognise the achievements of those people and organisations who invest in their own learning and that of others; and to recognise the positive impact that this can have on the wider community.”

”We were particularly pleased to see clear examples of effective cross-sector working and asset based community development where voluntary and community organisations can play an important part in increasing health and wellbeing across the North West, and in reducing the health inequalities that exist. Congratulations to all those who have been nominated and well done to all the winners.””

— Warren Escadale, Chief Executive at Voluntary Sector North West

Find out who the winners are below.

HEE individual awards

Apprentice of the Year in Health and Care Award

Career Progression in Health and Care Award

Supporting Learners in Health and Care Award

Volunteer of the Year in Health and Care Award

Widening Participation in Health and Care Award

HEE project awards

HEE Innovation Award

HEE Ingenuity Award

Supporting Learners Award

Widening Participation in Health and Care Award

Sponsored awards

Asset Based Approaches to Community Development Award

Digital Innovation in Health Care Award

Social Purpose Learning Champion Award

Social Purpose Learning in Action Award

The regional award ceremony will be hosted by the Manchester Museum on Monday 15 June 2017. An awards profile booklet will be available electronically after this date and winner photographs will be posted.

Event: Leading in Learning Lunchtime Seminar

This free lunchtime workshop is for Trustees and Leaders of Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) training and learning providers operating in the North West of England.

The aim is to provide a legal and policy overview in order to inform effective leadership and governance.

This is a partnership event between VSNW, the NW Association of Colleges, and Bates Wells & Braithwaite consultancy and legal practice.

Leading in Learning - Agenda

12.00-  Lunch and networking

12.30   Welcome and introductions – Warren Escadale, VSNW Chief Executive

12.40   Julian Blake, Partner and Joint Head of Charity & Social Enterprise, Bates Wells Braithwaite

Legal high-level overview of the roles and responsibilities of leaders and trustees of learning and training providers. On booking, participants will have the chance to shape content. The intention is to look beyond the basic principles of governance, and the tendency to highlight risk, to a balanced perspective highlighting the proactive aspects of leading a learning provider.

1.40     Q&A

2.00     Richard Caulfield, Director NW Association of Colleges, and Warren Escadale

The VCSE training and learning provider landscape is undergoing yet another fundamental shift. This session will provide an overview of the developing policy context looking in particular at the challenges and potential opportunities.

2.40     Q&A

3.00     Close/Informal discussions about next steps

Address: Warrington Gateway, 85-101 Sankey Street, Warrington Wa1 1SR, 27th March 2017, Noon-3.15pm

To book for your place go to http://bit.do/LiLLs

Singing in the City 2017 is back!

Want to join our incredible line up?

On Sunday 16 July the Manchester Royal Exchange Theatre’s famous Great Hall will play host to a FREE singing and wellbeing extravaganza Singing in the City. This event has been developed for health and care staff, patients, carers and the public to encourage greater public engagement and understanding of health and wellbeing. The 2017 event will bring together a multitude of NHS, workplace and community choirs to showcase their work to each other and the public in order to encourage new people to get involved in singing. Singing in the City reflects the value placed on singing as a vehicle to promote both community and workplace wellbeing as well as supporting effective public engagement around health.

Singing in the City 2017 is a key element of a collaborative regional learning campaign now known as Learning Matters in Health and Care. Led by Voluntary Sector North West (VSNW) - the voluntary sector network for the region - this campaign brings partners and collaborators together from across the healthcare sector. Learning Matters is delivered in partnership with Health Education England (HEE) - the workforce development arm of the NHS working across the North West.

Get involved

If you have a choir and want to get involved or would just like to know more please contact Jo Ward by email: nwadultlearningconsortium@gmail.com  or by telephone:07708 428096. Please note places go fast.

Producer, Amy Jane Clewes, at the Royal Exchange said, “We’re really excited about bringing together some of the wonderful amateur choirs from across the North West for a fantastic celebration of singing.”

Learning Matters! You tell us why

The search is on for people and projects where individual and organisational learning is driving development and transforming the health and care sector in the North West.

Voluntary Sector North West (VSNW) and Health Education England (HEE) are proud to announce a new joint regional award programme and learning campaign, Learning Matters, to celebrate all kinds of learning across the health and care sector. You can nominate people: colleagues, volunteers or patients where their learning is really making a difference; or projects which are applying learning in any given context. Nominations will showcase the impact of learning on people and organisations in order to inspire others. They will importantly, acknowledge and say thank you to those who go that extra mile. Show your support by taking the time to nominate. Help us tell people why Learning Matters so much to everyone.

This joint campaign led by VSNW, recognises the contribution that adult learning makes to individual, community and economic wellbeing. It will emphasise the importance the awards’ partnership places on the need to develop and harness all talent. It will highlight what can be done to enable the health and care system to support people to have the knowledge, skills and confidence to play an active role in managing their own health; and how to work effectively with communities and their assets. Learning Matters will also demonstrate the fundamental role of learning in reducing health inequalities and how the sector can use leverage to add social value.

Warren Escadale, CEO VSNW said, ’Together with HEE we will be jointly celebrating and promoting Learning Matters because we believe learning is good for people, the sector and the region. But we need your help to identify staff and volunteers, working in and across the whole of the health and care sector, who have been transformed by learning and who can inspire others to give learning a go. We’d also like to hear about projects and activity where learning is shared and it is changing the way we think and what we do in the sector.’

The Learning Matters awards launch on Friday 03 February 2017. They will recognise people and projects in public, voluntary or private sector organisations; in all kinds of job roles not just those with direct care responsibility. This includes those working in an unpaid and volunteer capacity. These awards will reflect the diversity of learning and the range of responsibilities across the whole of the health and care sector. The award categories themselves will include a celebration of the role and value of apprenticeships for all ages. They will highlight important first steps into the sector. They will spotlight regional talent and shout about career development and progression. And they will provide an insight into how people in the sector support each other.

The Learning Matters team is also pleased to announce a number of sponsored awards which will celebrate innovation and regional ingenuity. These awards will have an eye on underlining the importance of supporting new care models, driving adoption of innovation, innovative community asset based development, patient, carer and public engagement, widening participation in healthcare education, prevention, digital health, personalised care and social prescribing. Your nominations will tell us how.

Nominations are open from 03 February until 12 noon on Monday 10 April 2017

For full details on all these awards and how to get nominating simply follow the link below.

#VSNW16 Conference Round-Up: Community Powered Change

How will devolution transform communities? It won't, unless communities transform devolution!

Thanks to all delegates and speakers for a successful conference. It was at the excellent People’s History Museum in Manchester, a museum dedicated to the history of working people improving their lives. We thought this provided an excellent setting for the event (apologies if it was a little cold!)

If you missed the Storify collection of tweets from the day, you can view it on our Twitter. Thanks for the hundreds of tweets throughout the day - #VSNW16 was trending on Twitter!  

"People have a right to feel left behind, they have been left behind"

Jim McMahon MP, the Shadow Minister for Local Government, Communities & Devolution kicked off the event. While the Brexit vote showed people feel left behind, new ways for people to have more power and control need to be found – and the voluntary sector has a significant role to play here. Politics and public services should be redesigned, argued McMahon, and he challenged the sector to make sure this is grassroots led. ‘Don’t wait for permission – make devolution your own!’

"Inclusive Growth isn't inclusive unless it's reducing poverty"

Next we heard from Professor Ruth Lupton, who is head of the Inclusive Growth Analysis Unit, a joint JRF and University of Manchester project to track social prosperity.  While ‘inclusive growth’ is now entering the mainstream, ‘it isn’t inclusive growth unless it is reducing poverty’, and there is still a long way to go to deliver a truly inclusive economy. Lupton highlighted many sector led initiatives that can help: using social value, fostering social enterprises and implementing the living wage are all good starts. What is measured, counts,and Professor Lupton argued the sector needs a visible, credible voice on the economy. More widely though, social policies should be seen as investment too.  

As ever, we had a fantastic range of workshops throughout the day, delivered by colleagues from across the voluntary sector, public sector and think-tanks from the North West and wider, that gave attendees the chance to learn more about specific areas, and play a part in shaping policy, from Sustainability and Transformation Plans to social indicators.  

What does inclusivity look like? The theoretical and the practical

Delivering inclusive growth for communities was one theme for the day, and while CLES’s Matt Jackson had plenty of examples of ‘been and gone’ social projects, the economic development policy climate is changing, he argued. The voluntary sector used to be seen as an afterthought, but is now seen as a partner, and the centralised approach of the 80s, 90s, and 00s, is beginning to be replaced by place based approaches to local economic growth.

Professor Anthony Rafferty, also at the Inclusive Growth Analysis Unit, wanted to know how social success could be measured, and posed the question of whether it is better to use what data you have, or abandon it and seek new methods. Those present had the small workshop task of designing these to feed into the Inclusive Growth Analysis Unit!

Brexit and the implications for the voluntary sector

EU funding has supported many social inclusion projects, and Gill Bainbridge from Merseyside Youth Association gave practical examples of her organisation’s programmes supporting young people into work, through a wide lens approach. Network for Europe’s John Hacking suggested that, while EU funding may not be around forever, it is likely to continue to 2022. Nonetheless, a complete loss of European Social Funding could mean over 21,000 people in Merseyside losing out on life-changing support.

Assessing the sector's role in Sustainability and Transformation Plans

Over a third of VCSE organisations in the North West are involved in health and social care, and this was a popular workshop theme at the conference. Frances Newell, a patient and public partnerships specialist at NHS England gave an overview of Sustainability and Transformation Plans in England. Given the key role they have in delivering the Five Year Forward View, the lack of sector involvement thus far was an issue that came up and is likely to again.

Alternative and new approaches to improving health and social care

A practical model for health inclusion was outlined by Chris Dabbs, Unlimited Potential and Francesca Archer-Todde, Big Life, who presented the findings from the Realising the Value person and community centred care research project.  

Ben Gilchrist, VSNW’s Social Movement lead, and Chris Easton from Tameside NHS talked about how wider approaches to improving health can be achieved, in the context of their Social Movements for Health project with the Greater Manchester cancer vanguard. If you’d like to know more about the project or be involved, do contact Ben Gilchrist.  

How can we ensure the disempowered are represented? Exploring 'what works' in the voluntary sector

Transforming the voluntary sector was the task of those in the Engine Hall, and we heard from a range of perspectives: Anne Lythgoe, Salford Council, covered investment strategies for the sector, while David Beel discussed the sector’s inclusion in urban governance, with learning from cities across England and Wales. Whether the current model of devolution is more like ‘central government localism’ was his question, but in any case it was useful to hear from members voluntary sector partnerships in Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester that have been spurred on by devolution processes, and have set out ambitious visions for their areas.

Policy silos and linking up the economic and the social

Delegates got a chance to hear about the emerging findings of the RSA’s Inclusive Growth Commission from Jonathan Schifferes, who is the RSA’s Associate Director of Public Services and Communities. Schifferes spoke passionately about linking up social and economic policy, and asked why the only focus is on infrastructure projects such as HS2. The task of the Commission is to join up the silos, and inject ‘inclusivity’ into governmental policy, said Schifferes. Building a shared agenda – across the voluntary sector, public sector, business, politicians, and wider society, was certainly a message that came through strongly on the day.  

"Let's use the energy in this room - and capture it for social and economic ends"

The conference finished off with a panel discussion on how ‘communities can transform devolution’, and what the voluntary sector’s role is. We were pleased to hear from Kathy Evans, Cllr Sean Anstee, Conservative candidate for Greater Manchester Mayor, Hal Meakin, from Youthforia, Cllr Jean Stretton, the GMCA portfolio holder for fairness and equalities, and Neil McInroy, Chief Executive of CLES.

Although all of the panellists came from different perspectives, many of the points raised suggested shared sentiments: the current political climate is unprecented, unstable, and unpredictable; but there are reasons to be positive, with inclusive growth and devolution providing opportunities for progress. Much more needs to be done, and Hal Meakin argued that young people are currently being left out. It was clear from the discussion that policy over the past few decades has largely not improved lives for many in the North, and if 2016 is to be a critical juncture that ends positively, the voluntary sector and communities need to be driving change themselves.

Citizens launch 'People's Plan for Greater Manchester'

A new citizen-led initiative, the People’s Plan, has been launched in Greater Manchester. All who live, work or study in Greater Manchester are encouraged to get involved and to share their views, priorities and proposals for devolution across the region.

Ahead of Greater Manchester’s first Mayoral election on May 4th 2017, the People’s Plan aims to amplify the voices of local people and civil society and provide a constructive challenge to the region’s strategies and delivery.

Devolution could be a unique opportunity for citizens and civil society to have a greater say about the future of Greater Manchester.  The People’s Plan seeks to gather a wide and deep range of ideas and thoughts on what the future for all areas of Greater Manchester should be, exploring key issues such as the economy and jobs, health and social care, transport, housing, the environment, and how to build a citizen-led democracy. 

The People’s Plan organisers aim to involve as many individuals and groups as possible, and people are encouraged to engage via social media, by completing a short online survey, going to events, or holding their own People’s Plan gatherings, which will feed into the wider project.

Events will cover the areas outlined above, and will take place over October, November and December.

For a full event listing go to http://www.peoplesplangm.org.uk/events/

To complete the online survey go to http://www.peoplesplangm.org.uk/online-inputs/

For more information on the People’s Plan, go to http://www.peoplesplangm.org.uk/

VSNW's Conference and AGM 2016: Community Powered Change. Book now

This year's VSNW conference, Community Powered Change, will look at how, in the context of inclusive growth and devolution, communities can be the drivers of transformation. Keynote speakers and panellists include: Professor Ruth Lupton, Head of the Inclusive Growth Analysis Unit, Kathy Evans, Chief Executive of Children England; Cllr Sean Anstee, potential Conservative candidate for Greater Manchester Mayor, Neil McInroy, Chief Executive of CLES, and Cllr Jean Stretton, Inclusive Growth lead for GMCA.

We will be partnering with CLES, Network for Europe, and colleagues from across academia, the public sector, and of course VCSE sector, to deliver workshops along three themes:

• Inclusive Growth: devolution, post-Brexit era social inclusion funding, regeneration in the North West, and measuring social success 
• Transforming the Voluntary Sector: Voluntary sector partnerships, the sector’s role in devolution, and investment strategies for the sector
• Health and Social Care: Social Movements for Health, Realising the Value, and Sustainability and Transformation Plans

The conference will take place on the 5th December, from 09.30 - 16.30 at the People's History Museum in Manchester. 

Places are limited, so please book using Eventbrite via the following link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/community-powered-change-vsnws-annual-conference-2016-tickets-28721125660

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Agenda

9.30am Refreshments and Registration

10.00am   Introduction

Chair – Warren Escadale, Chief Executive, VSNW

Keynote speaker: Professor Ruth Lupton, Head of the Inclusive Growth Analysis Unit 

Keynote speaker: Jim McMahon MP, Shadow Minister for Communities & Local Government and Devolution (invited)

Q&A with the speakers, Chaired by Debbie Dalby, VSNW Chair

11.00am Morning Workshops

Inclusive Growth for Communities

Economic regeneration in the North West: Matthew Jackson, Centre for Local Economic Strategies

Transforming the voluntary sector

Developing an investment strategy for the voluntary sector: Anne Lythgoe, Salford City Council

Health & Social Care 

The sector’s role in Sustainability and Transformation Plans: TBC

12.00pm Lunch, AGM, and Voluntary Action in Action Photo Competition

13.15pm Afternoon Workshops 1

Inclusive Growth for Communities

Measuring social success: Dr Anthony Rafferty, Inclusive Growth Analysis Unit

Transforming the voluntary sector

Building effective voluntary sector partnerships: Representatives from the Cumbria Third Sector Network, GM VCSE Reference Group and Liverpool City Region VS6. Chaired by Warren Escadale 

Health & Social Care 

Person and Community Centred Care for Wellbeing - Realising the Value: Chris Dabbs, Unlimited Potential and Simon Kweeday, Big Life Group

14.15pm Afternoon Workshops 2

Inclusive Growth for Communities

Funding social inclusion in a Brexit era: Andy Churchill & John Hacking, Network for Europe and  Gill Bainbridge, Merseyside Youth Association

Transforming the voluntary sector

The VCSE role in devolution: lessons from Sheffield, Cardiff, Greater Manchester, and Swansea: Dr David Beel, University of Sheffield 

Health & Social Care 

Social Movements for Health: Ben Gilchrist, VSNW & Action Together & other speaker TBC  

15.15pm Afternoon refreshments

15.30pm How will devolution transform communities? Panel discussion

Kathy Evans, Chief Executive of Children England

Cllr Sean Anstee, Conservative candidate for Greater Manchester Mayor

Neil McInroy, Chief Executive of Centre for Local Economic Strategies

Cllr Jean Stretton, GMCA lead for Inclusive Growth

Chair: Warren Escadale, Chief Executive of VSNW

16.20pm Round up and finish

Booking

Places are limited, and if more than one delegate wishes to attend from the same organisation they must book individually. Please book by Wednesday 30th November via the following link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/community-powered-change-vsnws-annual-conference-2016-tickets-28721125660

If you are a VCSE organisation in the North West, the event is free to attend.

If you work for a non-VCSE organization or are an individual, the cost is £50 plus VAT per delegate. 

For any queries regarding the conference, please contact Sam Popper on 0161 276 9300 or at sam.popper@vsnw.org.uk.

CQC Inspections in the North West

CQC have announced upcoming hospital inspections for the next year in the North West. Care Quality Commission inspectors will be visiting the following hospitals, on the following dates:

• Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust - 27 September
• The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust - 27 September
• University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust - 11 October 

If you have been a patient or visitor to one of these hospitals in the past 12 months, then you are invited to share your experiences. To find out more about the inspections, please click on the relevant inspection above.

You can also share your experiences in a number of other ways:

Visiting CQC website link: www.cqc.org.uk/syemorecambebay

Email: enquiries@cqc.org.uk 

Letter: CQC, Citygate, Gallowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4PA

Phone: 03000 61 61 61